I was sent an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
London Clarke is a new name to me, and until the About the Author page at the end of the book, I didn't even know if they were male or female. She's a woman BTW.
In this book, Callie, a ghost writer, accepts the contact to write the life story of Riff Fall, a rock singer who now lives as a recluse on a small island off the coast of Florida.
When she stays with him on the island she finds herself growing closer to him than she should. But there are mysteries about his behaviour. Why is he so strict about not allowing her out after midnight? What did happen to his ex-wife who disappeared under strange circumstances? Why does he fall ill every time he leaves the boundaries of his property? And who are the strange beings who sing their hypnotic songs outside his house every night?
I think this is the first time I've seen sirens as the villains in a horror novel, and I really enjoyed it. Greek myths have a lot to offer, and this book takes full advantage.
The first two thirds of the book are excellent. the slow build up is masterfully handled and Callie's natural skepticism is swept away believably. It falls apart slightly in the final act, but not so much as to render this a bad book in any way.
It's well written with believable and sympathetic characters. The Sirens/water witches make for an effectively creepy and dangerous antagonist. The only issue I have with the book is the reasonably predictable Deus ex-machina in the final chapters.
She has a few more books out. I will be adding them to my already out-of-control TBR pile in due course.
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