Woo boy. This one is an ARC so I'mma be as nice as I can be, I promise. I mean, don't get me wrong – I was super emotionally invested in this book, but unfortunately those emotions consisted of boredom (the first half), excitement that something (anything!) was actually happening (the middle), disbelief over the terrible big reveal (the ending), and relief that it was finally over. And I really, really tried to this book, I truly did.

First off, most of The Holy Terrors consists of unable* characters arguing with each other. And there is a lot of arguing, because this is the most dialogue-heavy book that I've ever read, hands down. There is pretty much no description and almost no insight into the characters' inner thoughts. The characters' backstories consist of a few lines of dialogue each. This book is probably 70% bickering and threats, 20% Diana saying “Bish” or “darling,” and 10% actual substance.

And can we talk about how unnaturally attached the characters got to each other in such a short period of time? They were in this place for, what? Twelve hours, perhaps? Within a few hours of meeting, one of the characters had practically adopted another and was swearing fealty to her he was a medieval European knight. And “Bish” and Diana needed to get a room. “Ever since I met you, not all my thoughts have been fit for family viewing.” Classy, Bishop, very classy.

Next up: The big reveal. I think pretty much everyone will see the bulk of it coming – it's rather obvious from very early on. But the method by which certain … things were accomplished? Come on now. Aliens could have beamed into the hall at the end and claimed responsibility via space lasers and it would have been more believable than what was actually written. I wish I could say more without spoiling things because holy crap you guys, but alas.

And then there's Alistair's sudden transformation into an insta-detective for the reveal. One minute he's a bishop and the next he's Hercule Poirot … kind of. It was so disorienting and unexpected.

So what did I about this book? Well, the premise was good. I'm a sucker for campy ghost hunting shows, and this could be an amazing story with some (okay, a lot of) revisions. I also really d Leslie's character, despite all of his flaws, and I wish he could have had more page time – nothing makes for a good haunted house (building?) story a medium communing with the dead. I also think that the relationships between the characters could have been a selling point had they been built up a little more slowly and with some substance behind them.

Final rating: 1.6 stars, rounded up. The idea was good but the execution flawed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

*Yes, I know I'm American, but I've given up on attempting to spell this word the American way. It's unnatural.arcs-and-such fiction47 s7 comments Constantine959 262

Rating: ??
Genre: Horror + Mystery Thriller

Simon R. Green's The Holy Terrors is the first installment in a series of mysteries that focuses on a group of celebrities who are featured in a show called Spooky Time, which is a ghost-hunting program. The novel kicks off with the introduction of the five main characters: Alistair, a young bishop who is skeptical when it comes to the supernatural; Diana, an actress who is trying to reestablish her career; Leslie, who self-identifies as a medium and claims to communicate with spirits; Toby, a comedian who employs humor to conceal his fears; and Indira, a famous chef who is enamored with wealth and fame. Last but not least, there is June, the ambitious host and producer of the show, who has planned a special episode to air on Halloween night.

The town hall in Stonehaven, which is notorious for being the scene of gruesome murders and paranormal activity, serves as the setting for this episode. Cameras and microphones record the group's every move while they are confined to the hall for the duration of the night. They quickly realize that they are not alone and that there is something nefarious hiding in the shadows.

Throughout the night, they are confronted with a series of peculiar and terrifying occurrences, including screams that are so terrifying that they make their blood boil, flickering lights, and moving objects. In addition to this, they realize that one of their own team members is a traitor who is present for a wicked purpose. Overcoming the night and getting out of the hall will require the group to work together. They must also find out the killer's identity and the dark secrets of the hall's history.

This is one of those books whose summary makes it sound great. I was sure I would love this one. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it was not at all what I thought it would be . I think the author had good ideas, but I do not think he carried them out well. The first thing you will notice about this book is that the narration and dialogue are not balanced. The dialogue is about 95% of the book. Although that allows the characters to express themselves, it detracts from the book's atmosphere. There was a severe absence of atmosphere in this narrative. The hall itself ought to have served as a character. There was hardly anything about it. There was no description of the setting or the environment, and if there was any, it must have been nothing more than a passing mention.

The characters were the primary focus of attention most of the time. I am sorry to say that I did not find their conversation to be enjoyable to read. There were indeed some entertaining parts; however, I did not find them to be sufficient to give them a thumbs up. For some readers, these characters will be too campy. Whether you that or not depends on your own personal taste. I still would have given this book an extra star if the ending did not seem so unbelievable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.giveaway-read netgalley x-2-star ...more24 s4 comments megs_bookrack1,803 12.1k Want to read

ARC received!!! Thank you so much, Severn House!



This book has me written all over it. I'm no psychic, but I think I'm gonna love this!2024-releases arcs-to-read horror-gothic-to-read15 s Jeanne Adamek749 119

This was a solid 4 stars for me--I really enjoyed the authors sense of humor about reality show (which seems to match mine). Unfortunately the end brought my rating (enjoyment) down somewhat, I thought it was too on the nose.
3.4 stars13 s Jannelies1,117 94

I'm still a big fan of Simon R. Green because I read and re-read several of his books (e.g. the Deathstalker books). I just love them.
This one, alas, does nothing for me.
It's all talk and very soon I lost track of who was who because the characters all talked with the same tone of voice.
It's a pity and I hope the author will soon come back with new stories that are more the ones I read and loved so much.

Thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this review copy. horror netgalley-202411 s Andi1,378

I'd to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading this book.

Hrm. I know who Simon Green is, I have the first two books of his London paranormal mysteries series. It was during my Dresden FIles era - and those books are widely known and well regarded.

I guess this was a mixture of expectations not met and a bare bones mystery disguised as paranormal. Lets make this clear: I am 100% on board with a pastor who solves mysteries. I'm 100% on board with a series in which poses as a paranormal vs the living (which you, the reader, are having to figure out if the story's outcome is paranormal or not).

So where are the issues, why did I give this two stars? Well, for starters, the 'paranormal creepiness' does not 'creep' into the book until the 40% mark. So what are we treated to in the meantime? A lot of quips, one liners, and no real substance. We are introduced to a cast of characters (meeting the pastor first, since you seem to follow him through this), and you watch that he is paired with Diana (the actress), who you realize can only say 'Bish' 'Darling' and 'dear' way too much. You also don't learn much else about them or their personalities. You then meet the others, and... again, you don't know much more than why they're there.

People start dying but I was , 'why do I care? why is this one guy upset over this younger girl he hardly knew and had a connection with and wanted to be a father to her'? Where is their bonding? Where do two complete strangers who know each other for less than 4 hours get to that level?

The pastor, our lead, literally becomes a detective in the moment we loose ANOTHER person. Wait. Backup. Is the pastor also a detective on the side? What do we know about him? He is in his late twenties, handsome, and he is here because they wanted someone to be a focus point of bringing more exposure to the clergy / religious world. That's it. So when this guy starts going Sherlock Holmes 2.0 and Diana turns into a lack luster Watson, it's confusing as hell because you don't know if he moonlights as a detective on the side.

Maybe some people can just sit back and enjoy the story, but the story itself? I figured out what was going on instantly. So I read the rest of the book to see if I was right (I was) and I was upset with how it ended, because I really hoped for something to pull the rug out from under me.

I think that, with more meet, more CHARACTER development, more 'creep' factor, this could be an interesting series (which this is being pegged as) of a pastor who solves mysteries that are deemed paranormal. Though, I have to question if he is really a pastor ... since he is a bit of a horny little shit by the end of the book.

So. Here I am, writing this review. "Good, but can be better".arc on-kindle7 s Kathleen903 24

Take the rural Stonehaven Town Hall or “The Most Haunted Hall in England” as the locals call it, hoping for an increase in tourists. Add June and Leslie, producer and medium, of the failing reality TV show Spooky Times. And finally mix in four D list celebrities: Toby Marsh, a second rate comedian with health problems, Indira Singh, once a star chef, Diana Hunt, an actor looking for publicity and better roles, and finally Alistair Kincaid, an Anglican Bishop and frequent guest on morning TV. The plan for the show is to lock them all in the Town Hall overnight, film their stay on live TV and see who makes it through, sane and alive, to morning. Nothing goes according to the “plan”. There are surprise power outages, strange noises, missing possessions, more noises, confessions and death. Alistair and Diana stay together while trying to discover whether the killer they seek is human…or not.

Spooky Time is fun and not totally frightening. It doesn’t need to be. Talented author Simon R. Green has given us memorable characters, especially Bishop Alistair and his partner Diana, and bad behavior by both humans and spirits. While most of the group focuses on the spirit world, Alistair has other ideas. I hope this is the start of a new series. I can’t wait for what comes next. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House and Simon R. Green for this ARC.4 s John Brown326 35

I had no idea that Simon Green was already famous for his Nightside series when I requested this book from NetGalley and I must say this is book does not do him any favors in me wanting to read it.

The plot sounds cool but everything else was not good to me.

Several people get chosen to be on a show Ghost Hunters. They got locked in a haunted hallway, which is already a “meh” setting, but they’re being filmed of their survival for one night where 20+ people have already been killed. You get a mediocre build up of tension from random sounds in the walls and footsteps but nobody is there. Then people start dying and there ends up being the same clue on all the bodies which already gives away the big reveal that I almost 100% figured out at about 75%. The “big” reveal happens and the book ends within 5 pages and even the ending was bad. The characters are very annoying. I don’t know if I can ever stand to hear the word “darling” ever again. There’s not one but TWO characters that constantly use the word and it’s given me ptsd.

I seriously recommend the publisher do some changes before putting this out to the public…4 s Kat319 15

Gosh, writing that sort of review is something that I really, really, really don´t . So trying to be polite and respectful let me just say four things here:
- a great idea for a horror book,
- dialogue based book is somehow a no-no, for many reasons,
- nothing happens for a long time,
- the characters are arguing with each other ALL THE TIME and are impossible to let alone to relate to.
Ok, done. Off the chest.
3 s The Honest Book Reviewer1,200 19

3.5 stars

Well, I thought this was a quick and solid read.

It's certainly quirky. But one of the things I d most about this, apart from giving us the television producer from hell, is that it injects so much doubt into the story. Are the events real or not? That had me intrigued for the entire read. I don't want to give the reveal away here, but I was on the fence about what was going on for entire ride.

Reading this book actually felt I was watching a reality ghost hunting episode on TV. So huge praise for making the book feel that real. I d that the author didn't back down from thumping home the tricks used in producing some of those programs, and I enjoyed the banter between the characters when discussing the many tricks. The characters in this book are loud and very much larger than life. Even the more sedate character, such as Alistair. For me, the characters felt real. They were written very well to match who they represented in the book, and they were consistent.

If this is the first book in a series, I'm not sure I can see the clear direction for the second book, but I'm hoping there is a second book. I think there is some unfinished business and the possibility for more interesting shenanigans.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review. All comments are my own.2024 horror3 s Alisa394 39

2.5*
Simon R. Green is one of my favourite authors and it pains me to give a book of his such a low rating but here we are.
6 people locked overnight in a haunted town hall for a reality tv live stream. And someone dies. What’s not to , right? The premise makes you expect chills and spooky stuff. Aaaand there is none of that. The book is told in a constant stream of dialogue, we are never shown anything, only told. It lacked Green’s usual charm and felt someone else wrote it trying to imitate his style and failing at it.
This is supposed to be the beginning of a new series apparently and I don’t understand how that’s going to work. If the cases are going to be about supernatural stuff then it would be too much his Ishmael Jones series, only much worse. 3 s Annarella13.1k 146

This is not my favourite Simon Green novels, there were a couple of moments when I was woundering "What would Ishmael do?"
If this is the beginning of a new series there's a lot of potential, I had fun in reading the banters and the characters.
The problem is that it took a long time before something serious happened and it was a bit anticlimax.
I had fun, I'd to read another book featuring some of these characters.
It can be appreciated if love this author.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine3 s Kenya73 5

February 6th, 2024:

Actually literally might be the worst book I'll read all year. This was so bad it's actually disrespectful. Disrespectful to me for being a waste of my time, but even worse it's disrespectful to its own characters.
First, it doesn't bother to give them traits or development; instead, it hangs a sign that says "Desperate Wannabe" over each of their heads and deems that enough. I recognized right away that they were set up to be cannon fodder and nothing more. A washed-up actress, a washed-up comedian, a D-list celebrity chef, and a D-list celebrity priest(??), plus the bickering cohosts of a shitty, failing reality show for which none of these people feel anything but unilateral contempt. It's so mean-spirited and loveless. This doesn't even seem it was fun to write; it certainly was never fun to read.
Second, and even weirder, it treats the 4 contestant characters as an emotional monolith. It's so bizarre; all 4 have the same feelings & beliefs at once, but those beliefs keep changing. They each go on about how they don't believe in ghosts, but next thing you know they're all worried the ghosts might "get" them. All four. They get scared as a unit; they get angry at the producers as a unit; they get suspicious as a unit; they become credulous as a unit. WHY! Why even have 4 characters if they're so interchangeable?
Despite having no personalities and all apparently being the same person, the characters are introduced again and again and again, for some reason. When they all meet at the beginning, it's made very clear in a normal organic way who they all are, what their occupation is, how their career is going (not great), and why they're here (see previous). But then they all talk about those things again. And they make references to their jobs constantly--the comedian & the actress in particular won't shut up about being onstage!!!! They talk openly about how much the show sucks but that they need the money & exposure. Then they all sit in a circle and tell each other why they're there. Then, about a page later, the producer throws their declining careers and their reasons for signing up into their faces and they all act shy & awkward about it it was dirty laundry nobody knew. You just told them! It's not dirty laundry, it's clean and it's already on the clothesline!! It never lets up. That god damn actress was still saying "I'm an actress, darling" til the very last chapter. Just in case you forgot. You know, the only thing there is to know about this character. Is that she's an actress. Did you forget she's an actress?
Speaking of saying "darling," that's her only other identifiable characteristic. She says "darling" or occasionally "dear" in every line of dialogue. (Again, to remind you that she's an aging actress. In case you forgot.) But lo and behold, 3/4 of the way through the book, another character starts calling everyone "darling" out of the blue. Not as a jab to the actress (remember? She's an actress), she just starts saying it, and not just once either. The first time it happened, I thought I had read it wrong and had to restart the paragraph a couple times just to make sure. But nope, that vocal tic is just contagious I guess because they both keep it through the rest of the book. Cause these characters had sooooo many traits it must have been so hard to keep them all straight.
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