Lucas Graham is a washed up crime writer, on the verge of losing everything. With a cheating wife and divorce imminent, he suddenly receives a letter that he hopes will lead to the solution of all of his troubles. Jeffrey Halcomb, now an inmate at a maximum security prision, offers Lucas the one thing he's never granted to anyone in the 30 years of his incarceration--a chance to hear the real story behind the murder/suicides of ten members of his cult "family".Of course, there is a condition att...

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.This read like a combination Sinister meets The Silence of the Lambs meets The Amityville Horror meets The Girls. It was ghostly, creepy, eerie, and definitely my favourite release by Ania Ahlborn!So many elements went into crafting this compelling read. There was a house filled with ghostly apparitions, a family struggling with their various personal problems, a prisoner with a string of murders to his name, and a past perspective revealing the formation of a sinister

Review copyIt all starts with a letter to True Crime writer Lucas Graham. What's important is who the letter is from and what it offers, a chance to interview convicted mass murderer, Jeffrey Halcomb, who has never told his story of the heinous crime for which he was convicted more than 30 years ago.It's an opportunity that would jump-start Lou's flagging career, but there's a catch. Jeffrey want's Lou to live in the house in Pier Pointe, Washington, the scene of the crime. It's a deal breaker,

Well-crafted, nicely-done horror/thriller which merges cult murders with an element of the supernatural.I'd heard good things about Ania Ahlborn, so picked this up when I had the opportunity, and it did not disappoint.A true crime writer, Lucas Graham, gets an offer that he can't refuse: Jeffrey Halcomb, a notorious, Charles-Manson-esque killer who's never once spoken to the press since he was jailed, years ago, says he'll give Graham an exclusive. The resulting book will be the best-selling hit...

This book was so much fun. One of those reads you look forward to every night. It was a slow build. A washed up author gets the deal of a lifetime to interview a man who is in jail for murdering a woman and her unborn baby in a ritualistic way. The man in jail also says that the author must live in the same house in which the murder took place. It was also the home where the man was a leader of a cult--several young men and women all living in the house together.The author, desperate, accepts th...

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Another strong release from horror author Ania Ahlborn. She's very adept at capturing human emotions caught up in whirlwind events, and most of the time, it's not pretty. This was a cross between an Amityville Horror, a cult/kidnapping, and a story about a final attempt to get the golden ticket. There's some clichés, especially with the haunted house part, but overall, it was a good read with a high level of tense creepiness. Looki...

“And there was nothing more precious than family.”I love a good cult, whether it be in fiction or in real life. Within These Walls made me think of both the Jonestown Massacre and the Manson Family - what a winning combination!! But it’s more than just a book about a cult - it has a dash of the supernatural thrown in for good measure!Lucas Graham is a washed up crime writer whose marriage on the rocks, so when an opportunity comes up for him to gain exclusive access to notorious cult leader, Jef...

Did everyone read the same book I did?I'm guessing no by the other high ratings. So after more than 100 pages I was still waiting for the horror to start. I tried reading without the lights on at night and my porch door open.Still not scared.I put the book down and watched some creepy YouTube videos. Still not scared.Then I started thinking about the main character's wife and I was scared.I was scared because that woman is so awful even a spineless washed up author (who I imagine is also forgetf...

2 stars--meh. I love the idea of this book (a creepy cult combined with ghosts is pretty much my ideal horror story), but the execution was really bad. The worst flaws:* Repetitive: If I had to hear one more time how writing this book was Lucas's last chance....* Showing, not telling: We're told Jeffrey was charming and seductive, but never see that in action. * Lack of details: What were Jeffrey's ideals and beliefs? Most importantly, where did he get the power he summoned? I'd love to know the...

Eh. This one just couldn't carry its weight to the end for me. It just went on for too long so much so by the end my eyes were glazing over and I didn't really care anymore. Maybe if pared back by about 100 pages a tighter, leaner narrative would have been the result and that might have helped things. The book has a great premise and there are a few creepy scenes, but overall things just take too long to unspool. By the time all the pieces start to come together, none of it feels like a surprise...

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.Ania Ahlborn has been on my radar for some time. A number of her books were given great reviews by some of my friends, so I kept meaning to pick up one of her books, but I never did. So when I saw this book on Netgalley I jumped at the chance to read this and was thrilled when I was approved.I was in the mood for a good horror and this book did not disappoint.Lucas Graham is a writer, whose live is falling apart. His career is

“It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die, but retire a little from sight and afterwards return again. Nothing is dead. People feign themselves dead, and endure mock funerals and mournful obituaries, and there they stand, looking out the window, sound and well in some new disguise." —Ralph Waldo EmersonIt's like a screwy mix of The Following (the TV show) with the Skeleton Key, cherry-topped with some heavy-ass existential dread and drenched in human's most basic fear...

*4.5 stars*I was very impressed with this horror novel about a charismatic leader responsible for the suicides of his followers, and the murder of a woman and her child. Lucas is a struggling crime writer on the brink of a divorce, when Jeffrey Halcomb (safely housed in a supermax prison) solicits him, promising exclusive interviews in exchange for Lucas moving into the site of the murders. Doesn't seem like a good idea, right? Yet Lucas doesn't think twice about relocating himself and his twelv...

Ania Ahlborn does haunted houses up right. Although I cannot say that this tale scared me, it had an overall creepiness to it that was quite tasty. It shifts in energy from present day back to 1983 when a nasty double murder/multiple suicide sacrament took place on the premises. The house hums. Could be it hums with energy; mayhap it hums with evil. Whichever it is, the house does not stand alone. Its carpet and decor are ever-changing (imagine the horror at having your own carpeting revert to s...

What makes this book special for me is the author's way with words. The plot is far-fetched and at times convoluted: A washed-up true crime writer receives an offer he can't refuse from an incarcerated cult leader. He takes his teenage daughter and, following the directions in the letter, moves cross-country to a house in a small town in coastal Washington where Manson-like deaths occurred.The writer, Lucas Graham, is an interesting character with depth and the reader comes to care about him, wh...

Within these walls by Ania Ahlborn was the best written paranormal/horror book i've read so far Lucas Graham is a washed up writer who hasn't had a hit in years until he gets a letter from Jeffery halcomb wanting him to visit him in maximum security prison so lucas moves to the exact house with his daughter to find out what he has got to say this turns out to be the spookiest ride Ahlborn takes you on was hooked from start to finish

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.Lucas is a crime writer who career is now in a slump, his personal life has also taken a drastic downwards swing so when a mysterious offer comes in for him to interview notorious cult leader, Jeffrey Halcomb, he decides this could be his last chance at a best seller and moves across the country with his daughter Jeanie, to where Halcomb is confined.Along with the offer of an interview, there are some s...

I know people who loved it, but I had some serious problems with this book. In an effort not to get into spoilers territory, I'll only say that things started out b-movie levels of implausible, and descended from there. The plot makes almost no sense, there's no real explanation for anything that happens, and the characters (especially Lucas, the protagonist) behave in a way that no actual human beings ever would. Seriously, take the stupidest, most pathetic horror movie victim and stretch their...

[Note: I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher via NetGalley.]Ania Ahlborn’s latest, Within These Walls, might be the best horror book of 2015 thus far. Well written, and filled with depth of character and authorial confidence, it’s certainly among the best of the trio of Ahlborn’s releases that I’ve read (although her next novel, Brother, due out in September sounds like it could pose some stiff competition).Taking center stage here is Lucas Graham, a washed-up true crime n...

Another fantastic read by Ania Ahlborn! I really liked this one (there’s a cult!!) but at the same time it frustrated me. All this could’ve been avoided if V and Lucas would’ve just opened their mouth and communicated! Ugh! But then we wouldn’t have a book, right? I was delighted with the ending. (view spoiler)[ the nice guy doesn’t always win and I enjoy when a story takes that route. (hide spoiler)] the characters were very believable. There was some good creepy stuff here but it wasn’t extre...