Bedfellow

November 15, 2018

A man breaks into the Lund family house--and into their minds. The Lund parents and their two children detail how this individual inserts himself into their lives and makes them believe that the strange "miracles" taking place are normal. Shipp invites readers on an unsettling ride of uncertainty; they may even begin to question their sanity along with the characters. The short chapters told in the four alternating family perspectives make this a quick yet disturbing read. The characters are distinct, and Shipp's chillingly subtle escalations in how each perceives their relationship to the intruder make this a psychological thrill ride. Shipp's calculated dispersion of details keeps the tension high throughout. VERDICT Hand to fans of supernatural thrillers and admirers of Joe Hill and Dean Koontz.--Natalie Browning, Longwood Univ. Lib., Farmville, VA

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2018
A large, disheveled stranger comes through a window of the Lund's house late one evening. After initially fearing the worst, the family discovers that it is Martin, the man who saved the son from choking in a restaurant earlier that evening. From this extremely unsettling opening scene, Marvin and his increasingly disturbing powers begin to encroach on the Lund's lives, pitting them against those they love in an effort to be a part of Marvin's miracles. By telling the story from the alternating and sometimes conflicting perspectives of each family member?father, mother, teenage daughter, and pre-teen son?Shipp (The Atrocities?, 2018) magnifies the dread while also keeping the story moving at a compelling pace. Readers will obsessively turn the pages to see what is coming next, even as they are afraid to know. Filled with claustrophobic fear within a terrifying occult frame, this is a great choice for readers who like their horror with a side of intense psychological suspense, as in Peter Straub's A Dark Matter (2010), Paul Tremblay's The Cabin at the End of the World (2018), and Jennifer McMahon's The Winter People? (2014).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)