Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

This is a classic Joe Hill horror story. A reclusive, somewhat bitter former rock star, Judas Coyne (known as Jude), lives away from people and collects macabre things, even a snuff film. He purchases a dead man’s suit, and finds that he is now the focus of a malevolent ghost. There’s a reason for the malevolence, and Joe Hill does a good job of building up interest in why Jude is the man he is, and the struggle he has facing up to his own internal ghosts while finding a way to deal with the external one. The characterization of Jude is well-done, but other characters are less comprehensive. And, as always, the author is the master of the cliff-hanger sentence at the end of a chapter.

I enjoyed this book. For me it was light, quick reading, and the story kept me interested and involved. I’ll be reading more of this novels in the future. Keep a look out for a review on his book Horns as well.