Review: Widow's Point

Widow's Point by Richard Chizmar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review is for the WIDOW'S POINT novella, published in 2018 by Cemetery Dance Publications.

Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar (AKA W.H. Chizmar) really knock it out of the park with this creepy-as-hell take on an old-fashioned, haunted lighthouse story!

Thomas Livingston is a successful author of a number of non-fiction, supernatural/paranormal books and he has made his way to Harper's Cove in Nova Scotia to gather material for his next book about the Widow's Point Lighthouse, the scene of many unusual deaths since it's construction in the 1830's. After many attempts, he has finally received permission from the lighthouse's owner to spend the weekend locked inside, with the hope of being able to document supernatural activity. To avoid accusations from skeptics of tampering or forging "evidence" he is only allowed to bring in a few pieces of recording equipment, notebooks and pens, some food and water, and a lantern and flashlight.

The story unfolds through a series of audio transcripts of Livingston's observations about what he sees, his recounting of previous events at the lighthouse, and his reading of entries from a diary he found while looking through the lighthouse rooms. As his stay within the lighthouse continues, the audio recordings convey his increasing concern and eventual terror.

Richard & Billy do a fantastic job of conveying what appears to be Livingston's descent into madness as they ramp up the suspense through the unique "found footage" narration style. The story's pacing is superb and the reader can't help but feel that he/she is right there with Livingston, experiencing the frightful and inexplicable events with him.

This is a fantastic and scary read. Fans of horror and supernatural tales will enjoy it. Highly recommended.

A much longer, expanded version of this novella, Widow's Point: The Complete Haunting was published in 2025. The extra material makes it even better than this earlier version. You can find my spoiler-free review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

View all my reviews