Publisher: Severn House (ebook – 6 February 2024)
Series: Standalone
Length: 214 pages
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Established thriller author Simon R. Green produces a fun and compelling read with The Holy Terrors, a cool book with an interesting plot idea behind it.
Plot Synopsis:
Six people locked in a haunted hall . . . Cameras watching their every move . . . And then someone dies . . . This first in a spine-tingling new paranormal mystery series from New York Times bestselling British fantasy author Simon R. Green will make you doubt your judgement – and believe in ghosts!
Welcome to Spooky Time, the hit TV ghost-hunting show where the horror is scripted . . . and the ratings are declining rapidly. What better way to up the stakes – and boost the viewership – than by locking a select group of Z-list celebrities up for the night in The Most Haunted Hall in England (TM) and live-streaming the ‘terrifying’ results?
Soon Alistair, a newly appointed Bishop, actress Diana, medium Leslie, comedian Toby and celebrity chef Indira are trapped inside Stonehaven town hall, along with June, the host and producer of the show. The group tries to settle in and put on a good show, but then strange things start happening in their hall of horrors.
What is it about this place – and why is the TV crew outside not responding? Are they even on air?
Logical Alistair attempts to keep the group’s fears at bay and rationalise the odd events, but there are things that just can’t be explained within reason . . . Can he stop a cold-blooded would-be killer – even if it’s come from beyond the grave?
This locked-room mystery with a paranormal twist is classic Simon R. Green, featuring his trademark humour and imagination, irresistible characters, and thoroughly entertaining plotting.
The Holy Terrors was an intriguing book from Simon R. Green that I had a fun time getting through. Short and very sweet, The Holy Terrors made good use of its compelling plot idea, which saw a bishop, a diva, a comedian, a celebrity chef, a psychic and a TV producer become trapped in a haunted town hall. While that sounds like the set up to an elaborate joke, it produces a great plot background for an entertaining novel that you can quickly power through.
I loved the author’s idea of simultaneously parodying ghost shows and the reality television crowd, while also presenting the reader with a unique locked-room mystery scenario that might or might not be caused by supernatural forces. Thanks to these ideas, I think the overall story was pretty good and proved to be quite exciting. Green sets everything up nicely, and you are quickly drawn into the plot, especially as you know that there is something bad on the horizon. After a few early scare elements, you are led nicely to the centre of the story, where one of the characters dies and the rest are left scrambling to figure out who or what is trying to kill them. This proves to be a great backbone for much of the story, and the initial range of characters are fun.
While I enjoyed how the book was set up, I think that it slightly fell apart in the second half. The story gets a bit silly in places, and it is easy to predict what the subsequent order of death was going to be. I did enjoy how Green tried to keep the reader guessing about whether this was a horror novel or a murder mystery, especially as there are some great psychic inclusions, apparitions, and other mysterious occurrences. However, despite the included misdirection, the answer to this question proved to be a bit obvious. The eventual culprit reveal was predictable, as it was literally the most obvious suspect there, and Green’s method reveal was pretty unsubtle. Still, the final confrontation was nicely written, and I liked the cool conclusion to the plot. in the end, The Holy Terrors proves to be quite an easy book to get through quickly, and I manage to finish it off in two sessions.
While Green proved adept at creating a chilling atmosphere and utilising it well in his story, I did have certain issues when it came to the characters. The author does come up with six interesting main figures for the story, each of which is a celebrity reality star archetype, and there are some fascinating dives into their backstories, especially during an emotional sequence near the climax. However, for the most part I felt these characters were underdeveloped, and Green could have showcased them a little better. Certain relationships between some of the characters were a bit forced, and quite a few interactions felt unusual. I also found some of the dialogue to be a bit stilted and weak in places, and it could have come across as a bit more natural. These elements let down The Holy Terrors’ promising plot to a degree, although I still managed to have fun getting through it.
Overall, The Holy Terrors was an interesting read from Simon Green that you can have an entertaining time with. The author’s intriguing scenario does prove quite compelling, and while certain elements of the book were not as strong as I would have hoped, you can easily power through this book in no time at all. As such, The Holy Terrors is a great book for anyone looking for a quick and efficient novel that tries to blur the line between horror and murder mystery.
The Unseen Library 