I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Sallow Bend by Alan Baxter Published by Cemetery Dance Publications on September 2 2022
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Alan Baxter’s latest delivers chills, gore and a cast a colorful characters in this carnival thrill ride-like tale of otherworldly revenge, perfect for horror fans seeking a fun summer read.
Alan Baxter really knows how to write small town folk horror, and Sallow Bend has all the markings of a good one. With its creepy atmosphere, small town secrets and tried-and-true horror elements such as missing children and carnivals, Baxter has written a chilling tale that kept me riveted from start to finish.
The town of Sallow Bend is a close-knit community where neighbors watch out for each other, the kind of place where bad things just don’t happen. One day, two teens leave school together and never make it home. Days later the girls are found alive, all three of them. Wait, three? Everyone in town knows Hester Black, the third girl who was found with Clare and Suki in an abandoned cabin nestled deep in the surrounding woods. Hester has always been a part of Sallow Bend, hasn’t she? Everyone in town is thrilled that the girls have been found, even though Clare and Suki look tired and drained of life. They had a stressful experience, so that’s to be expected.
But a couple of the locals have never seen Hester before, including school janitor Caleb Jackson. Caleb knows something isn’t right with the girl, and he’s determined to solve the mystery. And when a slew of unexplained deaths occurs, Caleb knows he’s running out of time. Something evil is afoot and no one in Sallow Bend is safe.
Sallow Bend was so much fun! Baxter tells his story from multiple points of view, and this was a great way to get to know all the quirky residents of the town. Caleb is the primary point of view, and he was an interesting choice because of his unusual personality: he avoids people because he’s overly sensitive to body language and micro expressions. He also has trouble looking people in the eye when he’s speaking to them, but his growing friendship with Tricia Brent, a local woman whose son disappeared a year ago, helps him overcome some of his struggles. I loved Tricia’s viewpoint as well, because she is emotionally involved with the disappearance of Clare and Suki. She’s mourning the loss of her son Toby, although she hasn’t given up hope that he might still be found someday. Tricia’s husband Riley was another fun character. He has an enormous secret he’s been holding onto for a while, and we get to see his slow mental breakdown as he struggles to come to terms with that secret.
Besides the townsfolk, Strong’s Traveling Carnival is making it’s annual, end of the school year stop in Sallow Bend, and the members of the carnival play big parts in the story, especially since they arrive in town the day before the girls disappear. The scenes that take place at the carnival were some of my favorites, and since traveling carnivals are inherently odd and creepy anyway, Baxter takes full advantage of that fact and gives his readers some very scary moments. By far my favorite of the carnies was the mysterious Saul Fallon, a man with his own secrets who doesn’t appear to be quite…normal. Saul runs a sideshow attraction called Mengele’s Secret, an extremely disturbing glimpse into the evil mind of Mengele and his diabolical experiments in Jewish concentration camps, and this element alone added a fantastically creepy vibe.
Sallow Bend has plenty of Baxter’s trademark graphic violence, so do beware if that’s not your thing. But I personally loved these scenes and marveled at the author’s creative ways of killing people. He also includes lots of small town legend and mythology, stories that are passed down through the generations about the cabin in the woods and things that may or may not have happened there. All this history ties into what’s occurring in the present and added a nice layer to the story. And I have to compliment the cover art, which perfectly captures the creepiness of the cabin and the mysterious Hester.
I have to admit that as much as I enjoyed Sallow Bend, it wasn’t quite as good as Baxter’s Tales From the Gulp, a series that is near and dear to my heart. Baxter seems to be more comfortable with the shorter form, and this novel length tale wasn’t as tight or punchy as his short stories. I also found some of the writing to be a bit awkward and clunky and not as polished, for some reason, although this could be due to the early review copy I read.
But these small complaints aside, Sallow Bend is a horrific good time, and if you’re a horror fan and haven’t discovered Alan Baxter yet, then this is a great place to start.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
“and marveled at the author’s creative ways of killing people”
The cover gives me Stranger Things vibes, but you didn’t mention any of the sort, so I suppose it isn’t relevant…
The story didn’t really remind me of Stranger Things but that cover definitely has that vibe:-)
Sorry…there was supposed to be a laughing emoji after your quote. I keep forgetting your blog hates Windows emojis LOL.
I’m not sure why that is, but honestly your description of the emoji is just as good:-)
Fabulous review, Tammy. I think I’d like this one even if it’s not as good as Tales from the Gulp.
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…Cover Reveal: Dog Meat
I think you’d enjoy it a lot!
Great review, Tammy! I love how you call Sallow Bend a horrific good time. Seems like a perfect summary of a great horror read!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: How the Wallflower was Won by Eva Leigh
Thanks Stephanie! It really was a lot of fun.
Oh, this sounds wonderfully creepy! I really want to know more…
It was very creepy!
Okay, going to look this one up. 🙂
You might like this one!
Oh wow, this does sound super creepy. Glad it was still a solid read for you, even if not as good as the author’s previous book.
I have yet to be disappointed by Baxter:-)
You have me curious about this and in the next breath wanting to stay far away from it bc of Baxter’s creative ways of killing people
LOL it’s definitely not for everyone:-)
I don’t believe I’ve read anything by Baxter yet. This one has a number of elements that interest me, like the small town aspect and the traveling circus. It has me thinking a bit about Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. I’ve only watched the movie of that one but really want to read the book. And the way you described the introduction of Hester, and the fact you’ve been rewatching Buffy, reminds me of the introduction of Dawn. Had me wondering if I’d somehow missed a season, or at least several episodes. And like you, I love that cover. Very well designed.
I hadn’t thought about the similarity between Hester and Buffy but yes, now that you mention it Hester is a lot like Dawn in some ways:-)
This sure does sound like a good place to start if we’re to discover Alan Baxter’s writing style. I’ll keep that in mind. Great thoughts on this one, Tammy! 😀
Lashaan Balasingam recently posted…Moon Knight (2022) Mini Series Review
Thanks Lashaan!
Oh I love the sound of this (and the cover is so perfectly creepy!), and I have not yet read anything by the author, so sounds like this in fact would be a great one to start with! I love how messed up it sounds- the bit about Mengele’s Secret has me so morbidly curious! Great review!
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Blog Tour Review: The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
There are definitely some messed up parts:-)
I like the sound of this one very much. Will have to add it to my ever growing list.
Lynn 😀