Title: Where the Wicked Lurk
Author: Joseph Mulak
Release date: January 15th, 2026
*Huge thanks to Joseph for the digital review copy!*
Over the last few years I’ve read a couple fantastic books by Mulak – ‘Ashes to Ashes’ was a great take on the zombie genre, and ‘Devil Music’ was a great mix of haunted house and heavy metal – so, when this newest one was announced, I was stoked. Saying that, Joseph announced it and then shelved it and it looked like it wouldn’t see the light of day. Thankfully, folks rallied around him, and convinced him with kindness to stay the course and get the book out.
I wasn’t totally sure what to expect within, as I don’t think I even read a synopsis about the book prior to reading it, but I knew I’d be in for a treat. A Mulak book will always throw short, snappy chapters at you with a growing sense of dread as the story progresses. And sure enough, those two things were here in spades.
What I liked: The book follows a down-on-his-luck guy, Marty, who is in a transitional stage in his life. He’s married, with two kids, and working a job he hates. His wife, Audrey, lives on the top floor, he lives in the basement, and they share the middle floor to co-parent. Marty and Audrey have grown apart and she’s requested they try having an open marriage, something Marty agreed with, but detests, especially as he can hear his wife and her random men through the vents going at it.
Things take a sinister turn after they learn that a suspected serial killer previously lived in the house and not long after, odd sounds begin in the basement.
Mulak does a great job of showing the internal struggle Marty is dealing with. Between struggling to be an attentive father, making ends meet and dealing with the open marriage aspect, Marty is barely treading water, his head dipping below the waves more frequently with each passing day.
Soon, those ‘random’ sounds take the shape of footsteps, and then heavy breathing on the other side of his basement bedroom door. Mulak shows us how Marty tries to figure out what is causing the sounds, the family even going to the length of getting the church involved to kick out any evil spirits.
The ending brings together all the pieces, and though it didn’t conclude in a surprising manner – I expected what happened to happen – it’s done in such a way that it still makes you wonder whether it was madness that caused it, or a supernatural entity.
What I didn’t like: The story is told through two different timelines, 2024 and 2025 and it hops back and forth from chapter to chapter. In this case, I personally didn’t find it added anything to the tension and pacing and I think it would’ve worked just fine if it was told in a linear fashion.
Why you should buy this: Well, technically, you don’t need to buy it. You can get this book for free by signing up for Mulak’s newsletter! Link below! So, as for why you should read this, well, Mulak gives us a strained family scenario, where real-life stress continues to push them to their wits ends and the age-old dynamic of ‘are they or aren’t they’ crazy worked perfectly here. Fans of Gran’s ‘Come Closer’ will dig this more extreme take on that subgenre!
Sign up and get the book free here;
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