The Hour Before Dark

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!

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.

Rating:
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!