Rating: 
Summary: One of the best this year!
Review: Clegg hasd written some of the best fiction in the genre for close to a decade. And THE HOUR BEFORE DARK may be his best! Dealing with past family crimes that come to a head in a pretty fantastic climax, with characters that are real and stay true throughout the book, and a father figure that is straight out of mine and many other's lives and you've got a novel you can't and won't want to put down! Simply stated Clegg always raises the standard of horror and puts his own identifying spin on classic topics in the genre. Read anything by Clegg as soon as possible, he is that good. And please don't let the bomb reviews sway your opinion, these were left by a very jealous writer who is known to tear down successful writers' books as his own languish in the remainder bin and gather well-deserved dust!
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Summary: The Dark Game leaves you with chills
Review: Clegg writes yet another horror novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat. When Nemo has to return to his childhood home after his father's brutal murder he finds himself defending his sister because everyone believes that she killed her father. Someone, or something had a score to settle with the old man. Surely nothing human could have committed such a heinous act? But what, or who is responsible for what happened that night? Find out what dark secrets the woods, and the family, hold. Remember, The Dark Game has started, and once the sun goes down, it can't be stopped. When the sun goes down, The Dark Game, becomes very, very real.
Rating:
Summary: finished it in two days, it was that good
Review: Dedicated to Steven King, The Hour Before Dark is a suspenseful mystery that follows the investigation of a murder on Burnley Island and the strange occurrences at Hawthorn Mansion. What was most enjoyable to me about this novel was that it blended characteristics of both the supernatural and reality, making the reader unaware how the story will really turn out and how the murder actually took place. Clegg brilliantly weaves a tale of intrigue and history at the mansion which the man was murdered at, and the lives of his children while they try to figure out what has happened. It is clever, thought-out, and has all of the necessary elements to create a truly great horror novel.
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Summary: You Won't Read a Better Horror Novel This Year!
Review: Douglas Clegg has established himself as one of the strongest and most original voice of modern horror fiction. His books aren't about how much blood can be shed on each page, or how many characters can be killed in the story. His stories are about real people faced with greater-than-life situations, situations that often tangle with the paranormal. The Hour Before Dark is undoubtedly one of Clegg's best. The book quietly written (it isn't about shock value) and brilliantly executed. He slowly but constantly builds up the suspense until, in the end, you realize that it has reached sky-high levels. The story concentrates on Nemo, a man who returns to his family house (situated on an island) where his father has been murdered. There, he finds his sister Brooke, a strange and sligthly disturbed young woman, and his brother Bruno, a no-nonsense kind of guy. As they are brought together to face their past (and also the present), their family house becomes alive with energy. And the only way for them to face this evil will be to play what they call 'the dark game', a game their father thought them, a game that must be played in the hours before dark, a game that can be dangerous and deadly. The very game that made all of this begin in the first place. This novel has many great and creepy moments that you will not soon forget. It is a tour-de-force of horror suspense that will leave your breathless. The pacing is amazing, as the suspense builds constantly, never stopping, until the very end (and even in its final pages, the suspense rises again). And the ending itself is simply perfect. The Hour Before Dark will be this year's best horror novel. Read it before everyone else does!
Rating:
Summary: Digs its hooks deep in your brain!
Review: Evil has awoken at the New England island of Burnley! This relatively subtle psychological/occult thriller deals with a family whose buried past has returned to terrify and destroy them. It's great fun to see this family of interesting characters descend into madness. Love the writing style, but I feel there were some lost opportunities in this plot.
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Summary: Warning: SCARY!
Review: I've read the "best" of King (if there is such a thing), the best of Koontz, and the best of a whole array of horror writers, and I have to say, this is THE ONLY BOOK THAT HAS EVER SCARED ME. It's brilliant. Unfortunately, I am yet to read another Clegg book that has matched it, or even come close for that matter. But this book is definitely worth your time.
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Summary: TALK ABOUT A FAMILY WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS!!!
Review: If Stephen King is the "Master of Horror," then Douglas Clegg (author of THE NIGHTMARE HOUSE, INFINITY, BREEDER, and YOU COME WHEN I CALL YOU) is definitely the "Prince of the Macabre!" In Mr. Clegg's newest book, THE HOUR BEFORE DARK, he takes us to Burnley Island, which is just off the coast of Massachusetts and is the home of Gordie Raglan, the owner of the Hawthorn property. When Gordie is brutally murdered by a psychopathic killer and his body later discovered in the property's smokehouse by his daughter, Brooke, the local police are soon stumped as to who could have committed such a heinous crime. The oldest son of the Raglan clan, Nemo, returns home to be with Brooke, and his younger brother, Bruno, hoping that the three of them will be able to figure out who killed their father. It isn't long, however, before something very dangerous in the Hawthorn house causes long forgotten memeories to rise to the surface in the minds of the three siblings. To save their sanity and their lives, Nemo, and his sister and brother will have to delve into the past to find the answers to their father's secrets and to the Dark Game that they used to play as children. THE HOUR BEFORE DARK is a powerful testament to the writing skill of Douglas Clegg. This is an author who knows how to grab the reader by the jugular in the first few pages and not let go till he's gotten the very last drop of blood out of us. He writes characters that are fully formed with the same fears and desires and psychological problems as our closest friends. Well, maybe not the same fears and maybe a lot more in the way of mental disorders. All three of the Raglan children have trouble loving and trusting and being close to another human being; but, then again, don't we all? Mr. Clegg also has a unique talent in being able to show the innocence of childhood with flashbacks and how quickly it can be taken away without a second's notice. And, yes, the atmosphere of the Hawthorn house has been created to perfection with its strange eeriness, beckoning shadows, and unexplainable voices that come from out of nowhere. One can easily imagine death lurking around every corner, anxious to claim its next victim. As for the Raglans, the author has structured a family with very special secrets...secrets that can kill like a sharp knife through an eye socket. This makes THE HOUR BEFORE DARK the ideal Halloween gift for those of you yearning to experience the true essence of fear!
Rating: 
Summary: Such great potential.....somehow lost
Review: Mr. Clegg is certainly one of, if not THE best of, the new crop of horror writers. He is obviously an intelligent man and author, and his love of his craft and chosen genre is also obvious. I admit, after reading the inside flap concerning the outline of this story, I had huge expectations. This story seemed like the perfect setting where Mr. Clegg could unleash his wonderful gift....the remote island, the dysfuntional family, the cold, dreary weather, and a very spooky and unusual house where a hideous and bizarre murder just took place. I was all primed for a "hum-dinger" of a read. Well, although the story became involving, and Clegg was putting some of his "magic" into it......it just never really took off like it should have. Overall, this ultimately became a mediocre read and sadly, a very forgettable novel. I have an exceptional memory, but, a year from now, I will not be able to recall anything specific about this novel. I'm not trying to trash the work of Mr. Clegg, again, I consider him one of the finest of the new wave of horror writers, but, The Hour Before Dark just isn't the novel I believe he is capable of writing.....the ONE (or ones)that's going to make him a household name. I have to excuse the many wildly over-praising reviews of this book, because honestly, they simply aren't accurate. In all fairness, I would recommend this novel, but not without informing people that while it is indeed a "good to mediocre" read, it simply remains just "good to mediocre" throughout.....never great nor very exciting....and with this cast of characters and setting, it should have been. (*** out of *****)
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Summary: He'll Hook You!
Review: Okay, maybe it is just me but sometimes I begin a book and I'll get about a hundred pages into it and feel like I'm in an unhappy marriage and someday it will get better....so I can't wait to finish it to move on to a new read. "The Hour Before Dark" is NOT one of these books. From the very beginning, I was interested in the characters and anticipated turning the page to see what happens next. There should be a warning on Clegg's books that once you read one, you will want to read all of them!
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Summary: Excellent Supernatural Thriller!
Review: The Dark Game must be played in the hour before dark. If one is caught still in the game after sunset, he is no longer in control of the game...rather, the game is in control of him. So begins the terrors that face Nemo Raglan, a young man called home to Hawthorne after the brutal murder of his father. Though some of the suspicion falls upon Nemo's sister, who may or may not be losing her mind, the truth is far more bizarre, and is somehow linked to The Dark Game Nemo played as a child with his sister and brother. Though I rarely read books in this genre, I came across its description on Amazon.com one day and was intrigued enough to buy it. I was not disappointed! Douglas Clegg manages to imbue his story with riveting suspense and mystery, while painting his characters well and believably. Even Stephen King is a fan of this author's work--and you will be too!
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