Title: Slattery Falls

Author: Brennan Lafaro

Release date: Originally released July 18th, 2021, re-released May 7th, 2022

Huge thanks to Brennan for sending this my way.

When this was first released through Silver Shamrock, I was simply too swamped to accept an ARC – passing on the offer. Brennan’s always been a super nice guy to interact with and connect with, so when he offered up the ARC’s in advance of the sequel coming out, I reached out. Truth be told – I should’ve already purchased this, but sometimes those things slip through the cracks.

I went into this fairly blind, other than knowing it revolved around ghost hunters, which had my interest.

What I liked: The strength of this novella is rooted in Lafaro’s short, snappy chapters and engaging writing. Let’s face it (and I mean ZERO offense here), but the plot isn’t brand new. Because of that, it’s always up to the author to keep the reader guessing and engaged and Lafaro’s prose does just that.

The story follows two friends, Travis and Josh, who connect and decide to investigate haunted houses in their spare time. Along the way, Josh’s cousin, Elsie, joins the crew and the trio continue investigating places. One particular house offers up some horrors and because of that, they stop – but get drawn in years later.

The set up is solid, but it’s the second half that really takes off. Travis and Elsie are now married and keep in touch with Josh. When he says he’s figured out the ‘how,’ ‘who’ and ‘why’ of that last place, they reconvene and strike out, ready to put the hauntings to rest.

The characters are fantastic here and they really do feel like people you’ve known your entire life. The banter is great and even when the feces hits the fan blades, Lafaro keeps the dialogue solid and entertaining.

The ending gives us the emotional gut punch you’d expect in a story like this and while I’m not 100% certain what a sequel will entail, I’m super intrigued to see where we go.

What I didn’t like: I’m all about suspension of belief – that’s half the battle with paranormal/supernatural stories – but I did find it a bit far-fetched that Josh discovered this old journal/diary that had all of this back story. I’m saying that because I don’t believe it’s a spoiler – it’s a fairly typical plot point for ghost hunting/research stories. It was necessary yes – but it was almost a little too convenient.

Why you should buy this: An incredibly solid novella (which I believe was also his debut release), Lafaro played on his strengths by keeping the pace the entire time and keeping the reader guessing. The results work really well to create a horrifying story, one that could be read in a single reading or slowly digested over a few days. Great stuff and I’m keen to see where book two goes!

4/5