Hugh Howey, author of Wool, wrote the blurb that hangs above Griffin Hayes's name on the cover of Dark Passage. It reads: "Nail-Biters beware." Though I haven't read any of Howey's work (yet, as Wool is on my TBR 2013 list) the man obviously knows good horror when he sees it.

After posting on Goodreads that I had started and was enjoying Dark Passages, Griffin contacted me, asking me to be completely honest with my review. I fully intended to, whether he had asked or not, but I'm going a little further with this critique than I normally would. I'm going to discuss formatting and typos, which I rarely ever do. So, before I get into the meat of my review, I would like to warn the nit-pickers out there. This book is not perfect, as it suffers from repeated words (He frantically scanned frantically the shadows...), missing words (He found a shotgun inside locked gun rack), misused words ("wadding" instead of "wading", "flood" instead of "floor"), two issues with missing quotation marks (One example: But instead of answering, Tyson grabbed her by the arm. Run!" he shouted.)and several formatting foibles where new paragraphs are not indented or indented so much that the text looks to be centered. I only noticed these things because I read every word on the page. I do not skim or skip around. Also, I was paying close attention after having been contacted by Griffin. Now, does any of that matter? That's subjective. What I will say is, Griffin Hayes is a storyteller of the highest quality. Dark Passage is so good that I am not adding the dozen or so mistakes I found into the rating for this book. Here's why.

Dark Passage is a terrifying story, brutally intense and unflinching with its portrayal of stomach-turning events. Griffin Hayes is the type of author that truly unsettles me. No one is off limits in this book. Bodies amass quite quickly, and I loved every minute of it. I'm one of those people who like being scared by my entertainment. I enjoy the relief that comes when I put the story down. Breathe in, breathe out... it's only a book.

It's been a long time since I've read about a creature as utterly terrifying as the one in Dark Passage. It has all the markings of a successful monster; a chilling precursor lets you know when it's coming, though I won't spil what that event entails; the way it moves; a hint of innocence, yet it's consumed by a ravenous bloodlust. Yeah, Griffin's monster is money. Honestly, the last supernatural monster that terrified me as much as Griffin's was Pennywise the Clown, from Stephen King's It. Yeah, it's been that long. There have been other scary monsters along the way, but none anywhere near the level of the one in Dark Passage.

I don't do plot summaries or spoilers (you can read, so go check out the synopsis). I will say, though, the twist at the end of Dark Passage was brilliant. I've read my fair share of mysteries and thrillers, so I'm not green when it comes to figuring out what's really going on, but Griffin shocked me stupid. I actually laid the book down, went outside for some fresh air, then came back in and surfed through the earlier sections of the book to make sure he hadn't screwed something up. Everything tied together nicely. If there's a plot hole, I missed it.

In summation, I will be reading everything this man writes. Last year, I had the joy of stumbling upon Kealan Patrick Burke. This year, it seems I've found a different author to throw my money at.

Thank you for the nightmares, Griffin.

E.

(P.S. This part will not go in my Amazon review, but I wanted to add that everyone who enjoys my work, should check out Griffin Hayes. It's odd... Griffin and I sound very similar in voice. He uses witty vulgarisms in his metaphors and similes, and there's even a slight sarcastic humor to some of his character's inner thoughts. Don't get me wrong, though, as Griffin is a unique talent. He definitely will not bore you.) ( )

First, my sincere apologies for the timing of this review. Griffin, I should have had it done months ago and didn’t. No fault but my own. That said:
Dark Passages is one of Griffin Hayes’ novels and one of the longer ones, I believe. Page by page you become immersed in his characters and, although your “trying to sleep” mind wants you to give up the tale there is no way you can.
The sad but believable Tyson Barrett is plagued by horrendous nightmares in which he seems to be reliving his young days with his mother who is the epitome of “Mommy Dearest” and then some. He learns of a drug trail that may be the only way for him to sleep through the night and begs the Dr. in charge to put him in the list. His wife has already left him, taking their son and Tyson wants to be part of Kavi’s life. The drug trial seems the only way.
The new injections seem to work; however…..things from his nightmares keep showing up in real-time and these aren’t things you want, believe me! Across town a newly minted psych assistant named Hunter has met Tyson mom who has been in a coma, for over 3 years. It doesn’t last. But then neither does Hunter. And then, Tyson meets a relative he didn’t know he had!
The one place I don’t think I ever want to be is in Griffin Hays’ head. I’m thinking totally scary stuff bopping around in there; at least more than I need to know! Again, Mr. Hayes has written an excellent horror story in Dark Passages and one you should read with the lights on. ( )

This book was extremely suspenseful and a true page-turner. I really enjoyed experiencing the struggles of Tyson, the protagonist, and was truly rooting for him to survive his ordeal. The horror elements were described wonderfully with just enough gore and disturbing imagery to keep things interesting without being excessive. The description as a paranormal thriller is exactly right. The characters were believable and appealing, and the story had some unique concepts and elements that make it truly enjoyable. The flow of the book, as well as the chapters' organization made the book very exciting.

I would definitely recommend this book to true lovers of horror/thrillers and wouldn't mind reading it again, which is rare for me. ( )

I, too, won a copy of this through LibraryThing giveaway, but other reviewers must have read a different book from me as I found it somewhat disappointing. I found several spelling and punctuation errors and some editing gaffes as well. Regarding the story, it is a promising premise but suffers in execution. It centers on a man suffering from unexplained insomnia entering a test trial for a new drug. The drug has some interesting side effects which are not adequately explained. There is a connection to his abusive mother, who is now in a coma in a mental hospital. This somehow precipitates some supernatural occurrences which, again, are not adequately explained. At one point the protagonist loses his supply of the experimental drug and the only remaining stuff is destroyed, which is a pity, as I felt the story would have benefited from more use of the drug.
This all winds up neatly, if conveniently enough but I though there could have been more. If you really like horror you might like this, but if its not your genre, pass. ( )

There was something about the imagination of the author in this book which reminded me strongly of Clive Barker, probably a combination of the imagination, especially some of the gorier creations, and the way he manages to build up an atmosphere of fear and tension as the novel progresses towards its conclusion. And as a huge Barker fan that is praise indeed. But don't be mistaken into thinking this is a copycat or wannabe Barker, because Griffin Hayes has his own unique voice.

This isn't the longest novel around, but then it's quite reasonably priced for the length of it, and there was no need for it to be any longer. In fact I would go as far as to say it was a perfect length as it was, long enough to keep the reader entertained but never so long as to risk becoming boring.

The novel focuses on an insomniac, who is trialling a new drug called Noxil. Needless to say, it doesn't have quite the same effect it was meant to have in curing his sleeping disorder. I feel particularly constrained by this novel in not wanting to elaborate too much on the plot for fear of giving too much away, so I will leave it at that. There were a number of twists along the way, one or two I saw coming, (not that it detracted from the novel in any way, I suspect the author may even have wanted us to work it out to build up tension as the story went on) and a couple I was left guessing about until the last minute.

I would recommend this novel for fans of the horror genre, prepare to be scared! ( )