(This review can also be found on my blog The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl).


The cover and synopsis of this book sounded creepy, and I love creepy! I'm always after a great horror novel, and this was definitely didn't disappoint. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Richard Laymon's novels except a lot better (and Richard Laymon is one of my favorite horror authors).

How creepy is that cover!?! (Hint: the answer is very)! I'm not sure who the little girl is on the cover. I thought it may be Melissa (not going into details due to spoilers), but I could be wrong. Still, the cover definitely grabbed my attention.

I don't really know how the title pertains to the story, but it's definitely a creepy title nonetheless.

The world building was done very well which is what makes this story that much spookier. Gunhus does a fantastic job making the readers believe that something like this could actually happen. Not once did I doubt anything in the story line. I felt that all my questions were answered throughout the book except one question about Max although it's not relevant to the story.

The pacing reels you in from the very first sentence. I devoured this book, and it held my attention very much so throughout the whole book. Never once does it slow down or go too fast that I don't know what's going on.

The plot was super spooky! The idea that a stranger with supernatural powers is trying to kidnap your child, and no one believes what you say even though it's the truth is definitely frightening. While it's probably been done before, Gunhus takes the idea and nurtures it, giving it wings to grow into something horrorific. There were some good plot twists although I did predict one early on. The ending of the book leaves it open to become a series although you can read this book as a standalone. However, if there is another book, I definitely will be reading it!

I thought the characters were very well written. Jack came across as a very devoted dad. At first, I did doubt his sanity, and I did wonder if he was hallucinating, but he quickly quashed those ideas. I loved how Jack was willing to do whatever it took to save Sarah and keep his family together. I found Nate Huckley to be an awesome bad guy although simply referring to him as "bad guy" seems so wrong because he is so much more. Huckley is intelligent, witty, and knows exactly what he wants. I found him to be scary mostly due to how he could be anywhere he wanted no matter what. He could also make people do whatever he wanted them too. He's definitely one of my favorite baddies in a book. My favorite character, however, was Joseph Lonetree. I loved how hardcore he came across although he proved to be a big softie. I understood his need to do what he did. Lonetree didn't take any crap from anyone.

I enjoyed the dialogue and found that it flowed smoothly and freely. I mostly enjoyed reading about Jack though. There is some swear words as well as violence and gore so be warned if that's not your thing.

Overall, Night Chill is a creepy story that leaves you wondering what if this really did and has been happening. The plot is fantastic, the world building spooky, and the characters amazing!

I'd recommend this book to those aged 18 who are fans of classic horror and for fans of writers such as Richard Laymon.

(I received this title in ebook format for free from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review). ( )

There are still shivers running down my spine, and I can place the blame squarely on Night Chill. The book starts strong, drawing you in with a glimpse into the madness to come. A sinister man. A kidnapped girl. Mind reading powers? Paranormal and horror elements blend together to make Night Chill something to be reckoned with. With its well-written, lightning fast plot it's hard not to be sucked in.

Jack is just an average guy. He loves his wife and his daughters. Like any great father, he'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe. But how do you fight against what you can't understand? I was rooting for Jack with each page that I read. Despite the guilt hanging over his head, he was such a good guy. He's one of those characters that you can't help but want to succeed, even when he isn't sure he will.

In fact, what I really liked about this book was that it showed the way humanity reacts to events they can't explain. Shrugging off odd occurrences, jumping on any explanation that comes their way, and unintentionally skewing events to suit their needs. It was so heartbreaking to see a family slowly understand that something more was at stake. Jack's story wasn't only terrifying because of the paranormal aspect, but because it dealt with a real life family.

I actually can't even pinpoint what made this a four star read for me instead of a five. It's quite possible that I have standards that are entirely too high right now, because honestly? This book is pretty fabulous. If you're a fan of Horror novels, of the kinds of books that keep you up at night, this is a read you'll love. I'll leave you with that. ( )

I haven’t slept in three days. Jeff Gunhus’ first novel for adults scared the beejeezus out of me. It takes off fast and never slows down until the final page.
The book’s premise is the Jack Tremont has moved his family (wife Lauren, daughters Becky and Sarah) from California to the mountains of Western Maryland. The family, especially Jack, needed to start over after a horrible accident.
The book opens with the abduction of an eighteen-year-old girl by one of the novel’s central characters, Nate Huckley. This isn’t the first young woman/girl who has been one of Huckley’s victims. The story shifts to Jack and his daughters as he picks them up from school. After dropping the girls off for a play date, he goes to a local bar to console a friend who has a dying child. An ensuing rainstorm causes the gruesome death of a local n’er-do-well. (It’s closing in on bedtime as I finish this chapter, but knowing sleep won’t come easy, I read some more.)
The next few chapters are the most terrifying I have ever read. Since everyone hates spoilers, let’s just say you should read this in the daytime.
The Tremont’s have been living in Prescott City for a year now, but they had no idea of the evil secrets they were about to encounter. It seems like everyone in town is involved, from the sheriff to the bartender.
Before Night Chill, Gunhus has written a YA series in order to induce his son to read. That this is his first adult novel may be more terrifying than the book----he’ll get better as he writes, I’m sure.
I give Night Chill 5 out of 5 stars. ( )

Review: Night Chill by Jeff Gunhus.

This was an amazing thrill packed horror. The story had me on the edge of my seat, twisted in knots, and holding my breath. It is Jeff Gunhus first adult book and he’s creating it into a series. I enjoyed this book and fell like it satisfied me enough to stick with just this one. However, “Night Terror”, is next but I’ll wait to read other reviews. The book was incredibly fast paced, an organized mystery created to span centuries and involves myths, diseases, gruesome unrealistic deaths, psychic abilities, cavern spiraling tunnels and crazy insane unexplained happenings of paranormal scenes in a small mountain town near Prescott City in Western Maryland. Jeff Gunhus’s ability to tell the story and provide descriptive vivid details filled with action packed scenarios kept my attention to the devastated and surprising ending. If Jeff Gunhus follows this path in his writing he will probably become a well-known author.

The story starts with Jack Tremont a trouble author and his wife Lauren, a Doctor and their daughter Sarah moving to Maryland for a fresh start. They came from California and left because Jack was having a hard time getting over a car accident he had that killed a young girl. However, one night in his new setting a chance meeting with in insane man, Nate Huckley turns his dreams into nightmares. The reader is connected to Jack mostly throughout the book so you get to know him, feel his suffering and believe in him when someone abducts his daughter. Jack’s wife gets her spotlight in the story when she doesn’t believe in Jack and thinks he’s lost his mind. Then a man, Joseph Lonetree is introduced into the story who knows exactly what is going on and out of revenge he wants to stop what’s happening at any cost, even if innocent people die in the process. Lonetree and Jack didn’t hit it off at first but after Jack spends time with Lonetree the two become an unusual pair and plot to get his daughter back and destroy the top guy, “The Boss”, side-kick Huckley and all his merry men. Jack and Lonetree needed to find these people to stop a sacrificial ritual they were about to perform involving his daughter in order for them to gain more strength towards their immortality.

There is so much more to the story, all the twist and turns, creepy events, adventure through horror, masterminding episodes of ancient belief, invasions of skeletons, the power of revenge transported through years of searching to bring it all to the end on the very last page of this book. This supernatural mystery and horror all meshing into a very thrilling story kept me from putting it down….

( )

3.5 ( )