bookish_satty's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was a mediocre read for me. I love action packed horror books but this was quite slow with a lot of talking and less doing. Moreover the characters were dumb and whiny! Annette is the only character I liked. I didn't find the ghosts as creepy or scary just annoying.
Now I'm gonna go on a long rant so skip reading it if you want (just like Tim!) but if you want a good laugh keep reading!
The mystery was already solved for our main characters but they were too busy with their work life and budding romance to sit and read a journal which contained readymade solutions for nearly all their troubles and was handed to them without any effort on their part but sadly Tim isn't a reader and no matter how much you haunt him he wouldn't read even to save his and his daughters' lives (get it Tom!).
Moreover Holly and Tim's epic love story (insta love) developed in the span of 3 days! Yes you heard it right folks not even weeks but days! No matter how much haunted I or another person become I wouldn't let an unknown man in my house overnight after knowing him for a day. No f**king way. It took one look at scary looking ghost (a child) and they fell in undying love! Ridiculous!
All the characters even the ghost was annoying especially their motives were so ridiculous.
Tim kept his kids in the haunted house rather than rent a hotel room for the weekend visitation because he was afraid the kids will tattle to his Ex wife and she will verbally harass him. Is some snide comments important than your kids' life?
Most ridiculous thing is both Tim and Holly were so scared to return to the house because it's so haunted but Mildred just screamed a lot and popped out of nowhere to just stare at Tim and then chase after her son's ghost and both just kept returning and cowering in the house while Mildred played hide and seek and Tag with her son's ghost.
Now I'm gonna go on a long rant so skip reading it if you want (just like Tim!) but if you want a good laugh keep reading!
Spoiler
The mystery was already solved for our main characters but they were too busy with their work life and budding romance to sit and read a journal which contained readymade solutions for nearly all their troubles and was handed to them without any effort on their part but sadly Tim isn't a reader and no matter how much you haunt him he wouldn't read even to save his and his daughters' lives (get it Tom!).
Moreover Holly and Tim's epic love story (insta love) developed in the span of 3 days! Yes you heard it right folks not even weeks but days! No matter how much haunted I or another person become I wouldn't let an unknown man in my house overnight after knowing him for a day. No f**king way. It took one look at scary looking ghost (a child) and they fell in undying love! Ridiculous!
All the characters even the ghost was annoying especially their motives were so ridiculous.
Tim kept his kids in the haunted house rather than rent a hotel room for the weekend visitation because he was afraid the kids will tattle to his Ex wife and she will verbally harass him. Is some snide comments important than your kids' life?
Most ridiculous thing is both Tim and Holly were so scared to return to the house because it's so haunted but Mildred just screamed a lot and popped out of nowhere to just stare at Tim and then chase after her son's ghost and both just kept returning and cowering in the house while Mildred played hide and seek and Tag with her son's ghost.
rachels_creative_username's review against another edition
Interesting enough story, and the spooky bits are sufficiently spooky… but this reads like an early draft and the errors are just too distracting.
pbanditp's review
5.0
This story doesn’t let up. Right from the beginning there is tension and it haunts you throughout the book. Malicious spirits have a home at the old secluded house in New Hampshire. Tim has sunk the last of his money into buying the property after his divorce and feels that he has to do what he can to help the spirits rest.
This book deserves all the praise and I couldn’t stop listening once I got started. It is very unnerving as one of the ghosts appear seemingly at random all over the property dripping with anger and hate and willing to take it out on whom ever path she crosses.
A straight forward haunted house book that immediately moved to the top of my favorites in that sub-genre.
This book deserves all the praise and I couldn’t stop listening once I got started. It is very unnerving as one of the ghosts appear seemingly at random all over the property dripping with anger and hate and willing to take it out on whom ever path she crosses.
A straight forward haunted house book that immediately moved to the top of my favorites in that sub-genre.
johnlynchbooks's review
4.0
With his life currently in a downward spiral, freshly divorced Tim Russell throws the last of his eggs in one final basket, a fixer upper in Sanborn, New Hampshire. Contractor himself, this shouldn’t be much of a problem for Tim to sell and flip, if of course, the resident haunting doesn’t drive him out, or worse.
So Michael Clark has a great setup for his debut novel, the first of a trilogy. Does he deliver the goods?
First and foremost, I found the story brilliant in its simplicity and approach. Divorce happens to a lot of people, many times it’s not an amicable split. I could see this setup easily taking place, so off the bat, Clark gives a meaningful, very likely reason for our protagonist to find himself in his eventual predicament. I also liked that the book felt dangerous, the stakes felt very real, and very high. There are some spooky scenes that are downright frightening.
Tim’s relationship with Holly, although it comes on a bit quick, doesn’t feel forced. It felt natural, sometimes people just click. Tim and Holly clicked and I enjoyed them together.
There were some issues I had with this read. It felt like it took a while for the story to really get going, so the beginning felt slow, which is fine, but there were times that it felt slow because there was just too much description going on in the scene. Not that big of a deal, just a minor annoyance. The main gripe I had was with the dialogue and some of the character interactions. Often times, to me, the dialogue felt just a bit off. It’s difficult to put it precisely into words, but at times it felt forced and not like natural conversation. Characters seemed like they were too quick to agree on things, to quick to see the other persons point of view. I’m by no means an expert at writing dialogue, I just know that something about it didn’t feel quite right.
The book does end on a cliffhanger, which usually infuriates me to no end, but in this particular case I was ok with the Cliffhanger because it felt there was enough story here for me that I didn’t feel ripped off. It didn’t feel as if Clark was intentionally stringing me along to sell another book down the line.
When you get right down to it, Clark’s debut is a good, spooky book. I’d recommend it to fans of haunting tropes and I’m looking forward to picking up the second book in the series in the near future.
3.5 stars
So Michael Clark has a great setup for his debut novel, the first of a trilogy. Does he deliver the goods?
First and foremost, I found the story brilliant in its simplicity and approach. Divorce happens to a lot of people, many times it’s not an amicable split. I could see this setup easily taking place, so off the bat, Clark gives a meaningful, very likely reason for our protagonist to find himself in his eventual predicament. I also liked that the book felt dangerous, the stakes felt very real, and very high. There are some spooky scenes that are downright frightening.
Tim’s relationship with Holly, although it comes on a bit quick, doesn’t feel forced. It felt natural, sometimes people just click. Tim and Holly clicked and I enjoyed them together.
There were some issues I had with this read. It felt like it took a while for the story to really get going, so the beginning felt slow, which is fine, but there were times that it felt slow because there was just too much description going on in the scene. Not that big of a deal, just a minor annoyance. The main gripe I had was with the dialogue and some of the character interactions. Often times, to me, the dialogue felt just a bit off. It’s difficult to put it precisely into words, but at times it felt forced and not like natural conversation. Characters seemed like they were too quick to agree on things, to quick to see the other persons point of view. I’m by no means an expert at writing dialogue, I just know that something about it didn’t feel quite right.
The book does end on a cliffhanger, which usually infuriates me to no end, but in this particular case I was ok with the Cliffhanger because it felt there was enough story here for me that I didn’t feel ripped off. It didn’t feel as if Clark was intentionally stringing me along to sell another book down the line.
When you get right down to it, Clark’s debut is a good, spooky book. I’d recommend it to fans of haunting tropes and I’m looking forward to picking up the second book in the series in the near future.
3.5 stars
ljwrites85's review
4.0
The patience of a dead man was a fantastically spooky and enthralling read! It has the right balance of scary and creepy with that air of mystery too.
I love a haunted house story and I really enjoyed reading Micheal Clark’s different slant on the old horror trope.
The majority of the story is set in 1971 and we follow Tim who after a messy divorce that leaves him almost broke, he decides to buy a fixer-upper to try and make some money. From the very beginning there’s something not right about the property and the strange happenings grow ever more dangerous. He asks Holly, the estate agent who sold him the property to help him solve the mystery and before his investment goes down the drain.
The other parts of the story are told through journal extracts and spooky visions (I can’t say too much about these in case I give away spoilers!) and were expertly weaved throughout the story.
There were a few sudden changes of POV during the chapters which threw me off a little and I would have liked there to be a few more seventies references as parts of the story are meant to be set in the 1970’s but of course they’re just minor things.
While it does wrap up most of the story in this book, it does leave it open for a sequel which I personally can’t wait to read!
The patience of a dead man is a spine tingling ghost story that will both spook and entertain you in equal measure.
I love a haunted house story and I really enjoyed reading Micheal Clark’s different slant on the old horror trope.
The majority of the story is set in 1971 and we follow Tim who after a messy divorce that leaves him almost broke, he decides to buy a fixer-upper to try and make some money. From the very beginning there’s something not right about the property and the strange happenings grow ever more dangerous. He asks Holly, the estate agent who sold him the property to help him solve the mystery and before his investment goes down the drain.
The other parts of the story are told through journal extracts and spooky visions (I can’t say too much about these in case I give away spoilers!) and were expertly weaved throughout the story.
There were a few sudden changes of POV during the chapters which threw me off a little and I would have liked there to be a few more seventies references as parts of the story are meant to be set in the 1970’s but of course they’re just minor things.
While it does wrap up most of the story in this book, it does leave it open for a sequel which I personally can’t wait to read!
The patience of a dead man is a spine tingling ghost story that will both spook and entertain you in equal measure.
stacey332's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A book that follows Tim who, just having gone through a divorce, decides to move on with his life by purchasing and flipping an old farmhouse in a rural area of New Hampshire. He soon discovers that he ended up with more than he bargained for when he realizes that it's haunted by more than one ghost. As he connects with his real estate agent regarding the house's past, they slowly start to unravel the story of several of the previous owners as well as build a new relationship of their own.
This is great example of a horror book that slowly builds more and more tension very well with a few very intense scenes that will have you on the edge of your seat thrown into the mix as well. I enjoyed following Tim's experience and slowly uncovering the mysteries surrounding the story however I didn't love the way that we got some answers towards the end of the book. I would have preferred more logic based steps to the solution of the plot as well as more explanations that pertain to the plot of this book. I'm keen to continue the series and see what else will be uncovered though and feel that in retrospect I may enjoy this entry more once I've received a bit more payoff for some of it (but that's very much a personal preference thing as I also have similar complaints about other insanely popular fantasy series)!
This is great example of a horror book that slowly builds more and more tension very well with a few very intense scenes that will have you on the edge of your seat thrown into the mix as well. I enjoyed following Tim's experience and slowly uncovering the mysteries surrounding the story however I didn't love the way that we got some answers towards the end of the book. I would have preferred more logic based steps to the solution of the plot as well as more explanations that pertain to the plot of this book. I'm keen to continue the series and see what else will be uncovered though and feel that in retrospect I may enjoy this entry more once I've received a bit more payoff for some of it (but that's very much a personal preference thing as I also have similar complaints about other insanely popular fantasy series)!
thewilliamsterling's review against another edition
5.0
Scary as hell, confident, and unabashedly in-your-face, this was exactly the ghost story I was hoping to stumble across.
The trend in modern ghost stories seems to be stressing the ambiguity of it all. "Are these ghosts real?" "Is the protagonist crazy?" Etc.
Clark shuns these questions and instead gives us an antagonist who is clearly real, angry, and dangerous, shifting the narrative questions instead to "what does she want?" and "how can the protagonists get through this?" which makes for an exciting and tense read.
Mildred wells is an evil which will stick in my mind for a long time, and I'm eagerly moving on to book 2. Good luck, readers.
The trend in modern ghost stories seems to be stressing the ambiguity of it all. "Are these ghosts real?" "Is the protagonist crazy?" Etc.
Clark shuns these questions and instead gives us an antagonist who is clearly real, angry, and dangerous, shifting the narrative questions instead to "what does she want?" and "how can the protagonists get through this?" which makes for an exciting and tense read.
Mildred wells is an evil which will stick in my mind for a long time, and I'm eagerly moving on to book 2. Good luck, readers.
zooloo1983's review against another edition
5.0
Woah there. I have finished this book in the blazing sunshine and I have chills! The ending is so blinking unsettling I actually can’t wait for the next one to find out what happens next!
The story is told through journals, first-person experiences, dreams, third persons and from the view of the entity. The story starts off seemingly slow, as we have to build up the life of Tim and how he becomes the owner of this amazing dream house. Shame it doesn’t last too long, now when I say slow, we are talking 15% before it all goes fricking mental! And when I say mental I mean you have to read this in the sunshine and even then I was still looking over my shoulder at my house and *gulp* the cellar.
From the opening pages, I am so full of dread, you know that we are going to have a haunted house but what you don’t know at that time, is the story behind the haunting. You don’t know how much malice there is from the entity, and you don’t know the story behind it all.
We are teased the different information and the years between Tim’s experiences and the journals. Part of me would love to be in that house and experience it for what it is. Footsteps, water puddles, candles lit up in the turrets, seeing the ghosts that Tim does…BUT and it’s a big BUT I think I might stay away from that farmhouse.
One of the scariest bits for me is when Tim’s girls stay with him and he shares the bedroom with them, I was holding my breath as I was reading! It was so intense as you just did not know what was going to happen and if everyone would make it there it unscathed. I am not even going to lie, I was holding my breath and I was panicking. This was truly terrifying and I wanted to hide behind a cushion and close the book. (Still bloody loved it!)
I freaking loved this book, my favourite genre ever is horror and ghosties and this is just what I needed. It has everything that goes bump in the night, literally, the sightings, the discovery of why and then we end. Well that ending, if ever there was a time to run from the house, well it’s now! I wouldn’t take a trip there! But then a part of me really wants to visit!
Michael has written a story which will suck you in and I defy you not to get creeped out. He ramps up the tension from the get-go, and it’s too late by then to walk away. This book is perfect for anyone who loves this genre, or just wants to be scared. This is most definitely the sort of book I would love to see on the big screen. Set in the 70s, a time before the mobile phone, all add to the isolation of this property. It’s in the middle of nowhere, 23 acres of land, isolation defo adds to the tension. No neighbours nearby to hear you scream, or help when you see something coming at you, that should be dead, wielding a blood-soaked hatchett. Just a normal day no? As I say perfect, no mobile phones to call for help nor to take instant photos. Cut off from the world with only a landline, which at times hinders you especially when you are in hiding watching an “anniversary” play out and “she” does not take too kindly to being interrupted. I am not telling you who, what or why because that was the fun learning all of this while watching Tim and Holly experience it, reading Annette’s journals and being “helped” by someone, is that someone good or bad?
We are left with foreboding and more questions at the end…If anything it’s just made me want book 2!
The story is told through journals, first-person experiences, dreams, third persons and from the view of the entity. The story starts off seemingly slow, as we have to build up the life of Tim and how he becomes the owner of this amazing dream house. Shame it doesn’t last too long, now when I say slow, we are talking 15% before it all goes fricking mental! And when I say mental I mean you have to read this in the sunshine and even then I was still looking over my shoulder at my house and *gulp* the cellar.
From the opening pages, I am so full of dread, you know that we are going to have a haunted house but what you don’t know at that time, is the story behind the haunting. You don’t know how much malice there is from the entity, and you don’t know the story behind it all.
We are teased the different information and the years between Tim’s experiences and the journals. Part of me would love to be in that house and experience it for what it is. Footsteps, water puddles, candles lit up in the turrets, seeing the ghosts that Tim does…BUT and it’s a big BUT I think I might stay away from that farmhouse.
One of the scariest bits for me is when Tim’s girls stay with him and he shares the bedroom with them, I was holding my breath as I was reading! It was so intense as you just did not know what was going to happen and if everyone would make it there it unscathed. I am not even going to lie, I was holding my breath and I was panicking. This was truly terrifying and I wanted to hide behind a cushion and close the book. (Still bloody loved it!)
I freaking loved this book, my favourite genre ever is horror and ghosties and this is just what I needed. It has everything that goes bump in the night, literally, the sightings, the discovery of why and then we end. Well that ending, if ever there was a time to run from the house, well it’s now! I wouldn’t take a trip there! But then a part of me really wants to visit!
Michael has written a story which will suck you in and I defy you not to get creeped out. He ramps up the tension from the get-go, and it’s too late by then to walk away. This book is perfect for anyone who loves this genre, or just wants to be scared. This is most definitely the sort of book I would love to see on the big screen. Set in the 70s, a time before the mobile phone, all add to the isolation of this property. It’s in the middle of nowhere, 23 acres of land, isolation defo adds to the tension. No neighbours nearby to hear you scream, or help when you see something coming at you, that should be dead, wielding a blood-soaked hatchett. Just a normal day no? As I say perfect, no mobile phones to call for help nor to take instant photos. Cut off from the world with only a landline, which at times hinders you especially when you are in hiding watching an “anniversary” play out and “she” does not take too kindly to being interrupted. I am not telling you who, what or why because that was the fun learning all of this while watching Tim and Holly experience it, reading Annette’s journals and being “helped” by someone, is that someone good or bad?
We are left with foreboding and more questions at the end…If anything it’s just made me want book 2!
catsluvcoffee's review against another edition
4.0
The Patience of a Dead Man is a chilling debut novel. The blurb tells you what to expect—ghosts. However, just acknowledging that there are ghosts doesn't prepare you for what's about to happen. Part mystery, part ghost story, this well-crafted read isn't your typical haunted house fare. Michael Clark is a phenomenal storyteller, ramping up the tension as the story builds. Like Charon on the River Styx, Clark steers the reader through each white-knuckled spectral encounter. Each spine-chilling situation is detailed in such a way that envisioning each and every creak of the house is effortless.
Tim is a likable enough guy, though unmistakably flawed. Though the relationship between him and Holly—the real estate agent turned confidant—develops a bit too rapidly, they make a good team. There were some inconsistencies along the way though. You would think if the diary written by the previous owner and her own experience with the ghosts was so significant, they would have made an effort to read it immediately. Not so much. Clark's protagonists are like the people in horror movies that run up the stairs to avoid the killer, leading to that off-kilter feeling of frustration and the reader attempting to manage the characters through the pages.
The fast pace of the novel meant little or no downtime without the spooks. What moments weren't spent with the disturbing presence were permeated with hunched shoulder anticipation of their reappearance. There's a feeling of wrongness from the very start and it only becomes more expansive as the story continues. While the storyline does jump from present-day 1970s to the time of the previous owner and the life of the haunts, the transitions are easy to follow without confusion. There is a bit of overexplaining at times, specifically where the diary is concerned that could have been trimmed without squandering the plot.
Clark takes the typical haunted house trope and transforms it. Well-plotted and devised, the ebb and flow of dread pulls the reader into the story very quickly and doesn't let go. This is not a book that you will be able to pace yourself contentedly through. Once committed to the story, it will seize you and not let go. My only regret in reading The Patience of a Dead Man was that I didn't read it sooner.
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Tim is a likable enough guy, though unmistakably flawed. Though the relationship between him and Holly—the real estate agent turned confidant—develops a bit too rapidly, they make a good team. There were some inconsistencies along the way though. You would think if the diary written by the previous owner and her own experience with the ghosts was so significant, they would have made an effort to read it immediately. Not so much. Clark's protagonists are like the people in horror movies that run up the stairs to avoid the killer, leading to that off-kilter feeling of frustration and the reader attempting to manage the characters through the pages.
The fast pace of the novel meant little or no downtime without the spooks. What moments weren't spent with the disturbing presence were permeated with hunched shoulder anticipation of their reappearance. There's a feeling of wrongness from the very start and it only becomes more expansive as the story continues. While the storyline does jump from present-day 1970s to the time of the previous owner and the life of the haunts, the transitions are easy to follow without confusion. There is a bit of overexplaining at times, specifically where the diary is concerned that could have been trimmed without squandering the plot.
Clark takes the typical haunted house trope and transforms it. Well-plotted and devised, the ebb and flow of dread pulls the reader into the story very quickly and doesn't let go. This is not a book that you will be able to pace yourself contentedly through. Once committed to the story, it will seize you and not let go. My only regret in reading The Patience of a Dead Man was that I didn't read it sooner.
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