The House on Rectory Lane by Stuart James
Jake and Kate live in London but after an altercation with a stranger who threatens Jake with a knife, they take their son and move to a house in the woods.
It’s their dream home, or so they think until people in the village warn them they shouldn’t have come.
Their neighbours are strange and when Kate sees a face at the window, the family realise they might be in danger.
When they find a tape hidden in the loft of the house, a video recording of the previous family who once lived there, it chills them to the bone.
They soon realise that the family living there before them have disappeared and they too could now be next.
What is the mystery surrounding the house on Rectory Lane?
Jake and Kate are about to find out…
Author Bio:
I have always loved scary stories, especially ones that shocked me, left me terrified, looking under my bed or in the wardrobe before going to sleep.
There was just a fantastic buzz whenever I watched or read something that took my breathe away.
I remember going to my nan’s house in Ireland as a youngster with my mother and sister, on the West Coast, staying in a cottage, surrounded by miles of fields and my family sitting around the table in the kitchen at night telling ghost stories. Going out and exploring derelict farmhouses in the middle of nowhere. I remember clearly the field at the end of the road was supposed to be haunted by headless nuns.
My cousins often remind me of the great times we had, frightening each other and running for our lives whenever we’d see something that didn’t look right.
This is why I love nothing more than to tell a story.
I started writing two years ago, penning The House On Rectory Lane.
I got the idea from something that has often seemed scary to me. I know that a terrifying story has to be something that you’re frightened of doing, something that makes the hairs stand on the back of your neck, something that fills you with dread, yet also with excitement.
To me, the thought of going to a house in the middle of nowhere, upping and leaving a busy town and moving to the country is something that scares lots of people and me: the seclusion, the quiet, the darkness.
That’s what inspired me to write my first novel.
My second thriller is called Turn The Other Way.
I have multiple stories running, past and present. A family who want answers from the surgeon responsible for their daughter’s death.
A young woman looking for her parents after they go missing from a party.
A couple driving home and hearing screams for help from the back of the van in front of them.
A serial killer on the loose in North London, dragging victims off the street.
I’m so grateful when people not only read my thrillers but also take the time to get in touch and leave a review. To me, that is the greatest feeling, hearing from people that have enjoyed my work. I know then that I’m doing something right.
My third thriller, Apartment Six, was published in January of this year.
I’m 45, married and have two beautiful children. Currently, I’m a full-time plumber but would love nothing more than to make a living from my writing.
I hope I write stories and people continue to enjoy them for years to come. That would be completely amazing and a dream come true.
https://www.facebook.com/stuartjamesauthor/
Review
I have to admit that this book completely freaked me the hell out. At times I was shouting in my head ‘don’t go out there’! The idea of moving into a dream house in the country can be scary. Moving from a city full of noise at all times to the ‘silence’ of the countryside is a daunting thing. It probably didn’t help that I read this book just as I had moved into my dad’s house in the of nowhere to self isolate with him. There were a couple of nights when I had to let the dog out in the dark and reading this book at the same time did not help matters!
This book was spine-chilling - the idea of someone watching you through your windows is frightening. Neighbours telling you to leave, the missing previous occupants of the house, the videotape all adds up to a very scary premise. Even though the resolution was a bit out there, I didn’t even question it! The twists and turns in the plot I just accepted and they just kept on coming right up to the very end.
Despite being scared I actually enjoyed this book. The characters were spot on, I really liked Jake and Kate - Jake especially! For some reason I picture him as being an English Ryan Reynolds. Maybe that could be the casting in the film. I do think that some of the characters could be used in a subsequent book. I would like to know how the police duo had watched that previous serial killer.
The author got this book spot on. It does what it says on the tin - its a thriller all right and one you need to read as soon as possible. I hope this book gets the recognition it deserves as I loved it.
