Good evening bookworm, it’s a pleasure to see you. It’s been so hot, I’ve persuaded the Geography Books to help bring a little glacier magic to the library today. Why don’t you sit in the ice sculpted chair over here with an ice cream sundae while I tell you about the book I’ve been reading called Dark Water Sacrifice.

Firstly, here’s the blurb:

A parent’s guilt. Desperate choices. The ultimate cost.

The dark water has always called to the Blackwell family.

Devastated by the loss of his daughter, Adam Blackwell flees his hometown of Scarsville, Georgia.

Something lurks beneath the churning black waters, and it’s patience is running out.

Two years later, his father is dead and has left him everything, including the lake where Adam’s daughter drowned. Now, Adam must return to the last place he ever wanted to go and settle the affairs of the man he blames for everything.

The time has come for the next sacrifice, and it will stop at nothing.

Adam believes it will be a short trip to get the house ready for sale. But the closer he gets to the lake, the more memories return from the worst day of his life.

Living in the past is dangerous, but there is nowhere to hide when the past comes back for you.

When the waters rise, Adam must decide whether he will begin the slow process of healing and somehow find peace between the world of the living and the dead – or become the next Dark Water Sacrifice…

Here’s a little about the author:

Zach Lamb is a fictionist who creates thriller, horror and dark fiction stories. He is the author of The Suicide Killer and Dark Water Sacrifice. Zach has an MFA in creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University. He lives with his wife and kids in the non-fictional town of Ellerslie, Georgia, named after the fictional character Captain Ellerslie from the Waverly Novels.

And here’s my review:

Well, bookworm, this book isn’t one for the faint of heart. There’s very little time to gird your loins before the horror element is introduced with the wraith of Grace Ann and Adam’s father’s untimely demise.

The creep factor remains as an undercurrent throughout the story so even when the author spends time building a character’s back story or arc it feels like something could jump out at any moment, like a monster lurking beneath your bed.

I found the characters to be well written and memorable, their strained relationships adding to the tension of the novel. And I mustn’t forget the evil which lurks in the lake, a character all of its own.

Reminiscent to me of James Herbert and Phil Rickman, with dashes of Stephen King I would recommend this to any lover of tense, psychological, creepy horror and am giving it 4 / 5 stars.

If you like the sound of this, just click on the book image above to go straight to the relevant page on Amazon. I don’t get anything for doing this, I’m just being a helpful bookworm. Thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources for the digital copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

Well bookworm, I really should get back to the books. The dragons are getting a little over excited breathing fire near the ice sculptures and the pool of melted water is inching ever closer to the book shelves… Until next time, bookworm, farewell!