I received a copy of this fine book from BookSirens, so massive thanks to everyone involved for that.

I must begin by saying the title wasn’t the grabber here. Country Roads could be a pamphlet on quiet and picturesque places to drive to on a wondrous and sunny Sunday afternoon, or something. But this imaginary pamphlet certainly wouldn’t have this cover, I’d imagine.

Indeed, that creepy-ass cover intrigued me straight away. So does the story inside match up? Well, yes it does.

Set in rural Ireland, the story revolves around Declan and Luke, two old friends from University, now neighbours in a small village with secrets hidden in the darkness. By day the place seems lovely and quaint, yet by night, well that’s when the monsters come out to play.

For a shortish novel this still plays out as a slow burn, but not in a negative way. I was never feeling bored, rather, I was enjoying the tension building. There’s something very unnerving about quiet roads with no one around, especially when you’re new to the area, like Luke is.

When people go missing, and parts of their bodies are discovered, it should be up to Declan, the Garda, to police the hell out of the place and solve the mystery. But does he want to? Or does he know exactly what is going on and that is why he shies away from his responsibility?

This tale does leave questions, but is that really a bad thing? Strange inhuman things feasting on flesh, they’re not the kinds of things to explain themselves to you are they? Perhaps the locals knew more, but we, like Luke, are left in the dark which makes everything that bit more mysterious.

If you’re looking for a spooky, folk horror/monster type vibe, then look no further!

Categories: book review

Tags: book review, colin leonard, country roads, folk horror, gore, horror, horror novel, violence