Review: Pyres

Pyres by Kev Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With Pyres author Kev Harrison delivers a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ supernatural horror story, centering around sisters Angela and Becky and a series of deaths by spontaneous combustion.

Older sister Angela lives in a somewhat remote English countryside cottage. She is a "spirit painter", enabling spirits who inhabit her temporarily to create paintings of people, animals and places that were important to them in life . Younger sister Becky, newly returned from Italy, is staying with her for a short while waiting to start her new job assisting immigrants.

Angela becomes concerned when she notices similarities between some of her recent paintings and the inexplicable burning death of a polarizing conservative figure. When a new painting depicts yet another horrific death that mirrors events in reality, she and Becky begin to suspect that some spirit or being is using her talents to predict... or perhaps cause... these deaths.

Some readers may be put off by the reflection of current events that serve as one of the pillars of the story, but this only makes the story more relatable. With PYRES Harrison delivers a chilling, fast-paced tale with a surprising twist, enhanced by alternating the narration of the story between Angela's and Becky's viewpoints.


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Review: Below

Below by Kev Harrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Below is a fast-paced horror/thriller by Kev Harrison that follows Nick Jones, Jess & Sofia as they try to uncover what happened to several miners who were trapped and never rescued decades after a 1957 mine collapse. The investigation holds special meaning for Nick since his grandfather and namesake, Nicholas Jones, was one of those trapped inside the mine after saving many of the other miners. After the blocked mine entrance is cleared and additional supports are added to shore up the tunnels, the trio enter and begin their search. They soon find the evidence they'd hoped for of the lost miners...and more.

I would give this story 4.5 stars if I could. My only minor complaints with the story are the apparent lack of concern about unexplained noises within the mine and with an event that causes the mine entrance to become blocked. The ending also felt a bit rushed, but overall this was a great story by a "new to me" author, and I'll be looking for more from him.

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