I thought the cover was eye-catching, and the description sounded intriguing.

This was eerie, chilling, and unsettling. Which is what I'd hope for when reading a horror book. The chapters were quite short, so I found myself reading one chapter, then another, then another. I was unsettled but also gripped. In fact, I did get some Stephen King vibes from this, and I wonder if other readers would agree with that comparison.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Intriguing and suspenseful! Creepy thrilling and confirmed why I don't go into dark stormy tunnels.

I've really enjoyed reading this. The small town horror was very well done and the characters are quite rounded. There are moments of genuine creepiness that contributes to overall shock factor. However the book did take its time to settle, have the characters play out and during that part it was quite easy to put it down. But its best to power through it and the second half of the book is quite rewarding to any horror fans. The author definitely knows how to spin a tale around a small town surrounding a tragedy and the lore that builds around that.
Definitely will read the author again.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I was deeply intrigued by the concept of this book and super stoked to read it after Net Gatgally accepted my Arc request.
The blurb spoke of mythical creatures and boundaries between worlds thinning, which is my jam! The book delivered in terms of atmosphere and the creep factor, but the pacing pulled me out numerous times.

The author has a way with words. Reminiscent of Stephen King, Joe Hill, and Koontz. In that sense, he painted beautiful yet somber backstories, padding the characters with rich roundness that, despite contributing to character growth, deterred from the pacing. There was just too much info dumping about high school and childhood and details that said the same thing over and over again in different fashions.

Recollections of childhood popped up too frequently, and instead of being there with the action, I got pulled back into the past so many times that it began hurting the action. Things got muddled, and apart from a few excellent action scenes, I got a feeling that the characters were sitting around daydreaming. Pun intended.

I guess the book isn't for me since it feels like a part of an upcoming series, and a couple of my expectations did not come to fruition. For example, I really wanted to read more about Lalaland and about Mr. Lullaby himself, who was represented mainly by a mustache-twiddling serial killer.

To summarise. Fantastic writing great atmosphere, but too many backstory dumps.

I breezed through this one! It was so vivid, imaginative and creepy, I loved it. The characters were well-written and interesting. J. H. Markert is definitely an author to look out for, as this is another book from them that I enjoyed. Recommended, especially to horror fans.

Book : Mister Lullaby
Author : J.H. Markert
Pub Date : 16 Jan 2024

Thank you NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books & the author for giving me the opportunity to read and give my honest review on this book. The cover of this book is soooo good and is very fitting with the story that unfolds.

I was so excited to see this creepy story show up on my shelf. I am a sucker for books that surround all the creepy/spooky and can give me the chills and believe me when I say this book his all those tingle factors for me. This was my first book written by this author but now I need to go find his other writings.

Mister Lullaby made me realize that my fear of dark quiet train tunnels (dark tunnels in general even) are truly something I should fear. I can't give too much away with this book because I will give all the secrets and gems away and the creatures that haunt my thoughts after reading this. I will just leave you with the fact that you need to read this book for yourself. You will not be disappointed. I sat and read this until the wee mornings of the night and finished it this morning and now I am saddened that it is over.

I am anticipating when this author comes out with another amazing creeptastic read. 4/5 stars for me!!!

Ever since reading The Nightmare Man I've been anticipating the next novel by this author. I was not disappointed. In fact, I would be hard pressed to determine which of those are my favorite.

This novel is like a fever induced nightmarish ride right through the center of Holy Hell Road and WTF Blvd.!

Nightmares are coming to life in this small town in the form of serial killers, arsonists, and psychopaths. But there's a lot more to it than what meets the eye.

In the old abandoned train tunnel, things are lurking. But where are they coming from and why do certain people seem to be drawn to it? These are all answers you'll have to read to discover but, trust me, this multi-layered story is full of terrifying creatures, bloodshed, and action.

I read through this in about two days and didn't want it to end. While it can be considered a "sequel" to The Nightmare Man, it's a completely standalone novel that can be enjoyed by anyone without prior knowledge.

I can't recommend this book enough! I will be reviewing it on my Horror Reads YouTube channel closer to the release date.

This is one creepy read! There's folklore surrounding Harrods Reach and it's truer than anyone could have imagined. Told in a past/present format, the novel focuses on the local legends that include seers, earthquakes, antlers, comas, Lalaland, and of course The Lullaby Express (a bus painted red with a black door). What do all these weird things have in common? It's a great, convoluted plot that probably should be read with the lights on as it's gruesome but fascinating!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

5 stars

Holy cow! That was a damned good book! I loved The Nightmare Man, but this one was just, wow! The storytelling here is top notch, and I love the world building and character development. The relationships in this novel felt so real, and familiar. And the characters are all lovelably flawed.
Mr Market is officially an automatic buy for me after this one. Some of the best horror I’ve read in years.

DNF.

I could not get into the story itself and the characters felt very cookie cutter. I feel that from the synopsis, the story had potential. But it was not as intriguing as the synopsis made it seem. With some reworking, it could be a great book.

Markert is being called the next Stephen King, and the cover of this book certainly invokes one of King’s biggest hits, It. Harrod’s Reach was built around a train tunnel, which is now a crumbling ruin. After a child named Sully, is seriously injured in the tunnel, the townspeople decide it’s high time to brick it in. Deputy Beth Gardner has never put much stock in the creepy folklore surrounding the tunnel, but now she’s discovered two bodies near the entrance, each left with a lullaby on their corpse. Sully comes out of his coma just long enough to tell his brother that his consciousness is still in the tunnel, in an alternate world controlled by a monster. A monster that does not intend to stay walled off from Harrod’s Reach