Book Spotlight: Crossroads by Laurel Hightower

Today the spotlight is on Crossroads by Laurel Hightower!

One of my goals this year is to read more indie horror and I was excited to be given the opportunity to read this novella ahead of its upcoming release on 10th August. Thank you to Off Limits Press for a review copy! You can pre-order the paperback copy on their website.

Here’s the synopsis and my review:

Publication Date: 10th August 2020
Page Count: 110 pages
Genre: Horror
Author: Laurel Hightower

Synopsis:

How far would you go to bring back someone you love?

When Chris’s son dies in a tragic car crash, her world is devastated. The walls of grief close in on Chris’s life until, one day, a small cut on her finger changes everything.

A drop of blood falls from Chris’s hand onto her son’s roadside memorial and, later that night, Chris thinks she sees his ghost outside her window. Only, is it really her son’s ghost, or is it something else—something evil?

Soon Chris is playing a dangerous game with forces beyond her control in a bid to see her son, Trey, alive once again.

Review:

This book is a punch to the heart! I am not usually a huge fan of grief horror but sometimes a story is so well-written it blows away all my hesitations. Crossroads is about a mother’s loss and how far she is willing to go to get her son back. Chris is a fantastic protagonist whose pain radiates out of the pages of the book. You can’t help but feel for her and root for her to make it through.

While this is Chris’s story there are also supporting characters like her neighbour and love interest, Dan, and her ex-husband, Beau, who tries to help her move on. But grief is a silent monster. The sacrifices that Chris makes to see her son again are horrifying and yet, perfectly rational in her mind. Watching the unraveling and the slow-building dread as things go wrong made for a tense read. The writing is precise and moving. And fair warning, this book is bleak. It is not a horror story for the faint-hearted. But it is one you should read!

Be sure to check out Crossroads when it comes out next week!

Cover photo by Jordan McQueen