Morning all. Sorry, I'm a bit behind so let's get right to this great review of @Cole Matthews story, Shade!

Shade
Cole Matthews

Reviewer: spikey582
Status: Complete
Word Count: 7,113

With it being October, I definitely felt like getting into the Halloween spirit by reviewing a ghostly horror story, and Cole Matthews' submission from the seasonal short story contest fits the bill perfectly. This was actually a great treat for me, to go back through the site specifically seeking out stories firmly in the Horror genre, those being the sort of stories I tend to read less frequently. So, finding this gem was a real lesson in branching out and trying new things.

In Shade, we meet Dalton, still reeling from the tragic loss of his beloved partner Bauer. Dalton’s recent decision to move into the fixer-upper bed & breakfast is proving to be a mistake as ghosts from his past as well as strange noises within the house itself keep him up at all hours of the night. With sleep being an impossible dream, Dalton decides to take a late-night drive and discovers a strange library with very unusual operating hours. And here is where the classic Cole Matthews brand of mystery and intrigue really takes off.

What’s great about any story of this sort that you read by Cole Matthews is that nothing is really ever as it seems, and often as you explore further into the story, you can frequently discover more questions, even as you get answers. In keeping with the theme, this isn’t just a haunted house story, but really a story of more than one person haunted by their pasts, and sometimes haunted by ghosts quite literally. What’s even more amazing is that Cole does all this with such a short word count.

I can’t endorse this story enough. If you like ghosts, if you like mysteries, if you like anything else Cole Matthews has written, you’ll enjoy this. 

Category: Prompt 2017 Genres: Horror  Tags:  Halloween  Rating: Mature