DON’T FEAR THE REAPER by Stephen Graham Jones – Review

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.

Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
Series: The Lake Witch Trilogy #2
Published by Gallery/Saga Press on February 7 2023
Genres: Adult, Horror, slasher horror
Pages: 464
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Complex characters, buckets of blood, and an intriguing mystery make Don’t Fear the Reaper a worthy sequel.

Stephen Graham Jones returns to Proofrock, Idaho in this second installment of The Lake Witch Trilogy, which takes place four years after the bloody finale of My Heart is a Chainsaw. I ended up loving parts of this book, although there were some sections that really dragged for me. I put it aside several times during those slow parts, which is probably why it took me over three weeks to read. Still, it’s hard not to love Jone’s unique voice and “in your face” brand of slasher horror, and by the end of the story I was fully invested in Jade’s terrifying encounter with yet another serial killer. 

Please note: minor spoilers ahead for My Heart is a Chainsaw.

Four years after the so called Independence Day Massacre, when half the town of Proofrock was brutally murdered, Jade Daniels—who calls herself Jennifer now—has come back home, after finally being acquitted of murder charges. It’s December of 2019 and Jennifer is not only older but wiser and more world-weary and is no longer interested in her beloved slasher films. At the same time, a convoy transporting a convicted serial killer called Dark Mill South is lost in a blizzard near Proofrock, and Dark Mill South escapes.

Soon after, a series of brutal murders takes place in various locations around town, each one mimicking a death in a slasher film, and each targeting a high school student. Jennifer can’t believe it’s happening again, but Proofrock does have a long history of violence, so is she really surprised? And who will protect the town now, especially since Letha, the final girl from the 2016 massacre, is severely injured and not up to the job of stopping the killer?

Jade is one of the best things in this story, in fact I liked her better here than in My Heart is a Chainsaw, where her personality sometimes grated on me. Now she’s more mature, and her horrible experiences from the last book have left their mark. She no longer spouts endless slasher movie trivia, although later in the book she and Letha bond over their shared love and knowledge of the movies, especially when the murders mimic those movies so closely. I’ll admit I was disappointed in the beginning when we find out she’s changed her name to Jennifer (perhaps to distance herself from the horrors she experienced). It was Jade I connected with in the first book, and hiding behind another name just felt like she was, well, hiding. But never fear: about halfway through the story she realizes that she’s going to have to face Dark Mill South, and she takes back the name Jade, shedding “Jennifer” like a wet jacket.

Just like he did in My Heart is a Chainsaw, each chapter is preceded by a research paper written by a student (to be honest I’m not sure who was writing these sections) to the new high school history teacher, Mr. Armitage. I did like the detailed information on Dark Mill South, which gives the reader some insight into his character and background, but overall these were the chapters that slowed the story down for me.

And if you’re here for the slasher action, you will not be disappointed. While I thought the ending of the last book was way over the top action-wise, I loved the more focused horror in Don’t Fear the Reaper. There were a couple of scenes I’m still flashing back to when I close my eyes at night, they were so vividly described. Jones has some surprises in store regarding the killings, which I won’t go into detail about, but let’s just say I thought it played out brilliantly. The winter setting worked really well for me too. The town lake is frozen, and now it’s much easier to get across the lake to Terra Nova, the abandoned housing development that figured so heavily in the first book. And I didn’t realize how much I loved snowplows until I read this book! Snowplow vs. Dark Mill South = lots of fun times.

Jones switches points of view frequently, so you get a peek into the heads of all the characters, even Dark Mill South (his chapter is terrifying!) This was both a positive and a negative for me. Positive, because you get insight into each character and get to know them on a deeper level, but negative because there are a lot of perspectives to keep track of, and each perspective shift meant I had to reorient myself.

Which brings me to the characters of Ginger and Cinnamon, who play a big role in this story after being minor characters in My Heart is a Chainsaw. They were so minor that I didn’t even remember who they were at first, to be honest. I did end up loving their storyline by the end, but there was quite a bit of confusion before that. So word of warning: this is a series that must be read in order, so don’t even attempt to read this book if you haven’t read the first one.

But negatives aside, I really did enjoy this book. The ending was cathartic, as only a slasher story can be, and Jones might have left some clues for what’s coming up in book three (I can’t be certain of that, but the man is good at leaving breadcrumbs!) Bloody, tense, and emotional, Don’t Fear the Reaper left me craving the next book.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.