David Haynes

This is a quick read which packs a punch!

The Journal of Reginald Perigar

Amazon.com

My review - 

This is a novella length story about a Victorian gentleman who is fascinated by intriguing objects. His whole house is a cabinet of curiosities. His latest acquisition is a beautiful chess set which he opens with eager enthusiasm. This sets in motion a chain of events which he (and the reader) could not have foreseen. The writing so immerses you in the cadences of Victorian speech that it is a real jolt to read the final couple of pages set in modern times. That’s good writing!

The story has a great sense of time and place with the darkness and grime of London and the candle and oil-lamp lit home being particularly well-created. If you like a solid, traditional horror story, you’re in for a treat with this one.

David Haynes

A great collection of classic Victorian style tales.

A Gathering of Ghosts

Amazon.com A Gathering of Ghosts

My review - 

This is a collection of Victorian style ghost stories written by David Haynes who has made a name for himself through writing these atmospheric period pieces. The stories here are all of a reasonable length so they can set a scene and create characters. They seem to me each to be long enough for a fire-side tale in the great story-telling tradition. They deal with the Victorians’ obsession with death and their fascination with science through which they attempted to explain some of the deeper superstitions which puzzled the Victorian mind. I had three particular favourites here – The Last Waltz, the Speaking Tube and The Ghost Train. What they have in common is that they appear to take a scientific approach but fail to find an explanation other than the supernatural.

Mr Haynes tells a good tale. I wonder if he can sleep at night? If you’ve read his work before you’ll know what to expect and you won’t be disappointed.

David Haynes

Another creep-fest from the horror-meister!

The Undertaker's Cabinet

Amazon.com The Undertaker's Cabinet

My review - 

The intriguing locked cabinet of the title stands in the basement of Moreton and Sons, Undertakers. The business is failing and Bobby Moreton is on the verge of selling. He changes his mind when a new and decidedly creepy undertaker comes to the town and makes to grab all the business. The story occasionally flashes back to the 1850s where we discover the origins of the Moreton family business and the obsession which led to the creation of the Undertaker’s Cabinet. 

The author has built a solid reputation for writing Victorian melodrama in the horror vein and although much of this book is set in the present day it reaches back into Victorian times. It brings forward the original Jerome Moreton’s quest and is creepy and disturbing – but in a good way! Fans of David Haynes’ work are not going to be disappointed.

David Haynes

This novella length story from Mr Macabre is a triumph.  It's gruesome and totally satisfying.

The Scream of Angels

Amazon.com The Scream of Angels

My review -

This is another book from David Haynes who has established himself as a teller of Victorian style horror tales. This one is set in Paris, in the Belle Epoque times, and centres upon a writer, Robert Bishop, and a theatre in which he is eventually employed. Bishop writes the sort of material that is too horrific to be performed in an English theatre as it’s based on nightmares he has had since childhood. There’s a family connection between several of the characters and the story is an involved tapestry. I really enjoyed the fact that the book cover is a very good representation of a Parisian theatre poster of that era. It sets the scene beautifully.

David Haynes writes with a convincingly Victorian voice and for me, his stories always have a satisfactory ending. He is able to tie up numerous narrative threads that makes the story almost circular. There’s a fair bit of blood and guts here and the squeamish will have nightmares – but for the true fans of a bit of nastiness, few do it better!