The Monarchs by Stephen Mark Rainey

The Monarchs by Stephen Mark Rainey

An intoxicating and perverse blend of Lovecraftian horror and brooding gothic, The Monarchs is a fiendish delight guaranteed to send shivers racing down your spine.   Captivating from the start and populated by intriguing characters who are all too vulnerable, the pace never relents as the terror steadily mounts.  The main character, Courtney Edmiston, comes equipped with a tragic backstory and enough gusto and pent-up rage to have us squarely in her corner as things veer from bad to worse at every sinister turn.  This is a grim opus, and Rainey doesn't hold back; thankfully, his compelling prose keeps the reader hooked in spite of a powerful sense of impending doom and a nerve-jangling assortment of gruesome shocks.  Long before supernatural horrors rise from the swamp where the tale is set, it is clear that our plucky heroine has been ensnared in a malevolent web of fright.  Truthfully, the same could be said for those who dare to spend a little time with The Monarchs.  At the center of this web, there lurks a particularly nasty spider itching to prey on Courtney 's darkest fears.  Her struggle to escape this woeful fate grows more desperate (and darkly compelling) with every page that is turned.
Highly recommended!