The House on Rectory Lane by Stuart James
Published by Bloodhound Books on 5 August 2021
Genres: Psychological Thriller, Horror
Pages: 260
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased Book
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Jake and Kate live in Camden, London and have had enough of the hassle with parking, overbooked restaurants and burglaries.
After an altercation with a stranger who pulls a knife on Jake, they take their son Sean and move to a house in the woods.
It’s their dream home, or so they think.
People in the village warn them they shouldn’t have come.
Neighbours are overly friendly and who was the face at the window Kate saw late at night?
They find a tape hidden in the loft of their new house, a homemade video recording of the previous family, the Prescotts.
What they view, chills them to the bone.
They realise that the family living there before them have disappeared and now, they could be next....................

The House on Rectory Lane epitomises that adage – The Grass isn’t always greener on the other side.  The shades of darkness are painted on the walls, you just have to look that bit closer to see all the shades of horror. Upon opening the door to the house on Rectory Lane you can feel the suffocating and addictive stench of potential destruction. The story is a revelation, the author leaving a lasting impression of how great storytelling can leave you gasping for air. I plan on reading James’ back catalogue, but the expectations are now high…

Jake and Kate want to escape the rat race of London. They are sick of the constant threats of violence, muggings, break-ins, and gridlocked traffic. They have a son together, Sean, and they dream of an idyllic place to bring him up, rolling fields, mid-summer BBQs, and friends’ round for wine and food. It’s the dream! So, when Estate Agent, Anton phones up saying he’s found the perfect property in a secluded little village, they jump at the chance. They begin to imagine how they will renovate, and how their little boy will flourish at a small school. However, nothing is as it seems, what exactly did Jake see whilst out running? Why did he see a man punch a woman in nearby Rose Cottage?

Things in The House on Rectory Lane soon become crazy. A man warns him that he should have stayed away, issuing obscure warnings about what will happen to his family, making references to the previous vanishing family. There is a face that appears to be watching them through their window and what’s with the power cutting out every night? By this point I had the frighteners running right through me. It’s certainly not a book you want to be reading in the wee small hours of the night, keep your light firmly on!

Things go from bad to worse when they discover a home video of the previous family. They just up and disappeared, their family and friends never hearing from them again. It paints a very tainted and disturbing picture of the final days and months of the family. It puts them on edge and Jake resolutely promises to take care of his family by any means. I was intrigued. The events become so horrific, and I clung to the story with a fine thread allowing it to unravel at its own pace, and what an unravelling it was.

The ending to The House on Rectory Lane is phenomenal, one of the best I’ve read in a long time. It was so unexpected it blew me clean off my chair. I sat in quiet contemplation and had to question every other little thing that happened to that point. Bravo Mr. James.

An original and remarkable read that was fiendishly clever. This book has such a palpable sense of atmosphere – it fizzles with unease.

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ABOUT STUART JAMES

Thank you for taking the time to visit my page. I really hope you enjoy having a look around!

I’ve always been creative and loved writing. For over 20 years I fronted my own band singing, playing guitar and the tin whistle as well as writing my own songs.

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I gave this up when my kids came along – far too exhausting – but more recently I decided to dive back into my passion for writing and love of all things scary to pen my first novel. 

I self published my first thriller, The House On Rectory Lane in 2018 and received great reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.

To my great delight, it was shortlisted for Thriller of the Year 2018 on the Facebook group, “The Fiction Cafe” ending up in second place as voted by the members.

I’m 45 years old, have been happily married to my gorgeous wife (she’ll read this y’know:) for 20 years and have two gloriously challenging teenage children. I also love reading, keeping fit and I am a keen amateur magician.

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