Two couples prepare to spend the weekend in a cursed campground. Only one young man survives the slaughter that first night.
The events that follow reveal the mystery of what happened to the first Native Americans who disappeared from this land so many years ago. The author does a brilliant job of weaving together a story of historical fiction, Native American folklore and supernatural horror with a dark and ominous atmosphere. We would all do well to remember those who came before.

Thank you NetGalley and Flame Tree for an advanced copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Those Who Came Before
By: J.H. Moncrieff

*REVIEW* 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I'm new to the author, and I like what I've read so far with Those Who Came Before. This story is dark and sinister and haunting. Native folklore is deeply rooted and authentic within the story. Imagine a killer demon at a campground, and you are the only survivor. Reese sounds like a crazy person, and no-one believes him-until the lead detective has an experience that changes her mind. The story is told from multiple points of view in different time periods. It's original and engrossing. I was fascinated by the entire story. It's a terrible twisted tale of the horrors of the past manifesting in the present in a shocking way, and I never want to go camping.

I’ve been a big fan of J.H. Moncrieff’s work for a couple of years. I’ve read seven of her titles, including all four books in the “Ghost Writers” series plus; “Return to Dyatlov Pass,” “Monsters In Our Wake,” and “The Bear Who Wouldn’t Leave.” J.H. was also the first author to agree to an interview in my “Third Degree” feature on The Haunted Pen website. So when I was offered the chance to read a review copy of “Those Who Came Before,” I jumped at it and wasn’t disappointed.

The story expertly blends several genres – police procedural, historical fiction, supernatural – but at its core, this is a darn good horror story.

When I first started reading, my initial thought was “Oh, no, not another deserted campground story.” But I should’ve known better than to doubt the author. This is a million miles away from being a standard-issue campground slasher story.

One thing I’ve noticed throughout everything I’ve read by J.H. Moncrieff is she writes great characters and descriptions, and this book is no exception. In fact, I think she’s raised her own bar. The characters have a lifelike feel, like someone you would speak to in a store or a coffee shop. The characters have depth and they elicit genuine feelings from the reader.

Each character has a backstory and a personality. After only a couple of pages I ‘knew’ the characters, or someone like them in real life, and that familiarity kept me reading for long periods at a time. When you, as a reader, connect to a character, the story becomes real and even more compelling. The skill to write such good characterization is an art form and I tip my Fedora to the author for doing it so well.

Told from different points of view from first person to third person, the book is atmospheric in both the present tense and in flashback. Historical fiction has to be gripping to keep me reading, and “Those Who Came Before” gripped me where it hurts.

Any horror fan will know that Native American folklore is dark and scary and the author portrays this aspect wonderfully with the appearance of a demon – the brutal, nightmarish Wendigo. The weaving of historical data into the story is seamless. I found a lot of this part of the book to be thought provoking and has led me to Google for more information on more than a few occasions, I had no idea that small pox was introduced through gifts of infected blankets.

I think it’s one of those rare stories where I can’t find fault. Yes, it was that good. I could write a whole lot more about this book, but I won’t. You need to be reading “Those Who Came Before,” not reading my review. As far as I’m concerned, J.H.’s work gets better and better and this release is a winner from the first word to the last.

This book is an awesome blend of several genres I enjoy -- horror, crime procedural/investigation, and sci-fi -- with a splash of historical fiction and cryptozoological/monster folklore goodness thrown in for strong flavor.

When Reese goes camping with friends, he has no idea that he will be the only one to leave Strong Lake alive. His friends are brutally murdered. What saved him? A strange voice telling him to leave and a weird burned tree. Yeah -- the detective investigating the mass killing doesn't really buy that story either. Until she hears the voice herself.

This story features one of my favorite monsters from Native American Folklore.....the Wendigo. As the story unfolds, it jumps back and forth from modern time to the colonial era. Usually I don't really care for repeated time jumps....but for this story it worked. The tale of a indigenous people persecuted and killed by European settlers mixed well with the modern storyline, giving it context.

This is a horror story -- the death scenes are gory and gruesome. The Wendigo is not a quiet, well-controlled killer. There is lots of ripping and spewing blood. Be forewarned. If you don't like slashy scream fests with a great story -- then you might want to avoid this one. The story is solid....it isn't just about gore. But the gore is there.

Very entertaining, creepy read! I thoroughly enjoyed it! This is the first book by J.H. Moncrieff that I've read. Definitely reading more of her work! I've already added Return to Dyatlov Pass to my TBR list....and she has so many other titles that sound so good! :)

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Flame Tree Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

5🌟

People are dying at Strong Lake and the worst is yet to come. A group of two couples take a trip to Strong Lake, a campground on an Indian reservation for a weekend of camping. Only one person, Reese, will come out alive.
In the beginning I really wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this story if it was filled with Reese's very unlikable girlfriend Jessica and their fighting. The girl is just insufferable.
"Once upon a time, I'd thought she was pretty. Then I'd gotten to know her."
As the first night progressed Reese feels things are just off. Feelings of being watched and hearing strange things no one else hears. "You're not welcome here." When he wakes in the morning Reese finds everyone else has been slaughtered.
This book was so well done- a great horror story, a full background of the Native Americans, their beliefs and superstitions as well as police involvement with Detective Greyeyes as she tries to piece together what happened. Loved the author's writing, very vivid and complete yet never losing the reader at any point since each moment is really important and gripping. I felt deeply for these characters and almost regretted coming to the end of the story. Absolutely fabulous anytime but especially the Halloween season! I look forward to J.H. Moncrieff's next one.

*My thanks to NetGalley and FlameTree Press for a digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I loved that this was a paranormal horror story that incorporated Native American folklore. It drew me in and kept me turning pages.

Those Who Came Before
by J. H. Moncrief
due 10-24-2019
Flametree Press
4.5 /5.0
#netgalley #ThoseWhoCameBefore

This extraordinary horror story kept me engrossed and intrigued, mixing Native American folklore with mythical beast for a terrifying finish.
Reese Wallace is the immediate suspect when he is the only survivor of a weekend camping trip. His girlfriend and another couple were all found savagely murdered. Reese explanation made no sense, and didnt help his case.
The campground was on the spot a Native American tribe disappeared, murdered by a strange beast, the Wendigo.
Suspenseful twists, great ending.

Thanks to netgalley and Flametree Press for sending this e-book ARC for review.

Those Who Came Before is a perfect blend of slasher horror, mystery, and folklore. It opens with a group of young adults heading out on a camping trip - there is the typical tension between a couple, lust towards other members of the group and a closed campground. While I initially thought this novel may be a fun slasher read, the mystery of the murders at the campground becomes much more complex with the cursed land of Strong Lake, the wendigo, and horrors dating far back.
Moncrieff does an excellent job of providing a well written cast of characters, and she seamlessly shifts from different perspectives. I enjoyed the evolving relationship between the first nations and caucasian characters, and while the ending was a bit sad, it was very good.
I honestly could not put this book down - it kept me reading well past my bedtime on many nights. I look forward to catching up on Moncrieff's earlier works as well as future.
Thank you to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for review.

Those Who Came Before, the latest from J.H. Moncrieff, is part creature horror and part murder mystery. Moncrieff takes elements of Native American history and mythology and uses them to craft a highly readable book that brings gore and intrigue.

The story follows two main characters. One is a first person narrative following Reese Wallace in the aftermath of his friends being slaughtered, and the other is a 3rd person narrative following Detective Greyeyes as she investigates the crime. In addition to the two perspectives, Moncrieff also intertwines a time jump in the narrative which helps to explain the past behind the cursed land of Strong Lake.

Those Who Came Before has a lot to like for horror fans. It tells a super interesting story and features a brutal, vengeful creature that is, simply put, a thing of nightmares. The more I read this book, the more fascinated I became with the creature doing the killings, and was eager to learn about the history surrounding Strong Lake and the curse upon the land. The writing here for the most part is excellent, words flow easily and I found myself cruising through the pages. Despite this, I did come across a few things that bothered me. I found the actions of both main characters to not be very convincing in more than one instance. I couldn’t help but think that someone accused of murder wouldn’t act this way, and a Detective on a police force definitely wouldn’t do that. There were a few plot elements that didn’t really work for me and felt like a wasted opportunity, and I wasn’t a fan of the ending. I don’t mean this to sound overly harsh, I still greatly enjoyed the book, so much so that I still highly recommend it.

With her latest novel, J.H. Moncrieff has proven herself an author to watch. A terrifying creature and an excellent story premise rise above the few problems I had, making for a damn good time following the Strong Lake murders. I’ll be on the lookout for further releases from this author.

Layered narratives, and an amazingly compelling story that comes up just a little bit short sometimes, this is a good, solid read. I feel that it could be slightly tighter, but it's hard to put my finger on what exactly I'm not sure about what made it fall slightly short. It was a good book, but there were places - just a few - that could have made it transcendent.

This book has a little bit of everything: supernatural horrors, suspenseful whodunits, the cop who's barely holding it together, and a double narrative that shows how the past is sometimes doomed to repeat.

If you are into horror stories then this book has it, but it’s not just that, there is a mixture of genre’s here, some supernatural, a bit of police procedure, as well as some folklore.

The story is told in flashbacks from the now, and to when the ground was an Indian Reservation. Two teenage couples arrive for a weekend camping trip, arriving to an empty camping ground is never a good sign, especially if you have watched some of the horror stories popular in the 80’s onwards. The couples become stranded, and have to quickly try and learn how to survive in the wilderness, unfortunately, for most that isn’t meant to be. Reece Wallace is the only one to survive this horrible massacre, which is difficult for him to explain, let alone talk about, and being the only survivor, he becomes the main suspect. Maria Greyeyes is the detective investigating, but these characters will need each other to survive, when the murders continue to happen. Some of the writing literally made you feel like you were there.

The author manages to create great characters, they were believable and relatable. Whether it was from the past or the present.

The people on the nearby reservation don’t trust outsiders including Maria Greyeyes who is a Native American herself who doesn’t believe in superstitions. The Native Americans shun the piece of land that the campground is on, and the government say that it is owned by the Native Americans, so neither side wants to claim ownership.

This story sticks in your mind even after finishing reading it, because of the historical facts which the author has clearly researched, some of the atrocities that were committed by early American settlers on Native Americans, along with the racism that probably still lingers in some areas today.

I would like to thank netgalley and Flame Tree Press for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Those Who Came Before is the second book by J.H. Moncreiff that I have read. I was introduced to this author through her Severed Press novel, Return to Dyatlov Pass. It was an interesting premise exploring what may have happened to that ill fated group of skiers in Siberia in 1959. This novel begins with another group of I'll fated people: two young couples on a weekend camping trip. As with Return to Dyatlov Pass, Those Who Came Before is rich with historical research that builds with layered intensity.
(Mild spoilers to follow)
Reese Wallace is a young man thrust into a horrible situation: the only survivor of a horrific massacre that is as unexplainable as it is unspeakable. And as such, he is the only logical suspect. Maria Greyeyes is the detective trying to find the truth behind this vicious slaughter and the truth contained within her Native American heritage. Both will need each other to survive when the murders continue.
Those Who Came Before is a masterwork of quiet horror. It rivals the work of Owl Goingback and Kathryn Ptachek. It is a story that gets under your skin and makes one consider the sins of our ancestors. And how those sins can haunt the present.
J. H. Moncreiff has crafted a story that is well researched and timely dealing with atrocities committed by early American settlers on Native Americans and the racism that unfortunately still exists in some avenues today. It is those unforgivable sins that give fuel to the fire to the horror that is to come.
Even though I describe this story as quiet horror, Moncreiff doesn't shy away from the horrific. She has the ability to paint a scene with just enough descriptive prowess to convey to the reader what the scene implies. And what the mind conjures can be just as frightening as if it had been spelled out. Sometimes more so.
This is the second J. H. Moncreiff novel I have read. It will not be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of Native American mythology and legend in the setting that she has created. I eagerly anticipate diving into her other works. She is not an author to be missed.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing the ARC for an honest review. Thank you.

Those Who Came Before jumps straight into action. I found the opening cast of characters mostly unlikeable, with the exception of easygoing Dan. As you know from the synopsis their all about to be massacred anyway so that was for the best really!

The plot switches between present day and the past with main characters Reese, the sole survivor of the campsite killing and investigating detective Maria Greyeyes.

Reese was a very candid main character, albeit an extreme stereotype.
I had to roll my eyes at his continuous acknowledgement of his own bias though- It's not character development if they have the same repeated revelation but never change their attitude as a result.
In fact I didnt find much character development if any in this book, but not to its detriment. Those Who Came Before is driven by action, making it a fun and interesting read. For a title of this length I wouldn't expect to find long character arcs and I'm glad they were absent rather than forced.

During Maria's investigation she is led to question Chief Kinewa and learn of the superstitious beliefs on his reservation.
A scary, supernatural twist enables her to relive the history of the native indigenous tribe of Strong Lake. Dreamlike visions show her the settlements history through the eyes of Little Dove, the young kind-hearted daughter of the chief tribesman.

The terrible feud between white settlers and the natives breeds a curse that will span time and continue to punish all who set foot on the land.
Those who dont belong will be brutally and inescapably punished.

The plot hurtles along at pace from beginning to end with no page wasted.

At points the story switched from present to past or from reality to dream with a little less fluidity than I'd like. This I could probably attribute to the Netgalley copy I received, hopefully it will be more discernable on paper and perhaps the ebook format will be adjusted for official release.
Mostly a new chapter, new page or *** denoted the change in perspective, but on two or three occasions the switch mid page between one sentence and the next threw me off balance.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Those Who Came Before, I don't want to spoil anything so I will just say- the familiar folklore used as the vessel of evil and violence in this book is fantastically written. It's origin, description and behaviour were some of my favourite scenes.

5 Stars!

J.H. Moncrieff is yet another author that I read a couple books from and then never had a chance to get back into again. This was not because I did not want to read more but just got pulled in another direction (as well as the shuttering of a publisher through which many of these authors were published). Flame Tree Press has really stepped in and allowed me to reconnect with some of these writers and I was very happy to see their edition of Those Who Came Before.

Reese Wallace was determined to have the perfect weekend. The camping trip was supposed to be a last hurrah before he had to move on with the rest of his life and become an adult. Even his girlfriend, who started complaining at the outset of the trip, could not put a damper on his spirits. He was planning on dumping her when the trip ended but that would not keep him from having fun over the weekend. The sign that the campsite was closed should have been his first warning but he and his friends passed on. In the shadow of a blackened tree, they pitched their tents and began the party. The shock he received from the tree when he tried to cut it for firewood was his second and last warning. When he woke up in the morning to find his friends brutally murdered and himself of the prime suspect, it was too late to turn back.

Reese finds an ally in a local police detective, Detective Greyeyes, but the two find themselves delving into a world of an ancient curse that may have come back to get its revenge. The seemingly superstitious tale was at first disregarded but when the detective finds an arrowhead that has ill effects on her life and causes flashbacks to a doomed tribe that once lived on the campgrounds that houses the tree, the stories are not so easily pushed aside as a flight of fancy. The evil from the tree is spreading and the two unlikely allies must get to the root of the tree’s evil before its power grows and its evil spreads past the small community.

I had high hopes for this book and Moncrieff did not fail to deliver. This is a well-paced novel that never has a dull moment yet it is not all-out-action. The story has more than its fair share of action yet it is thought out and developed so that the plot and the characters are strong and mostly believable. Reese and Detective Greyeyes both have many flaws which only makes them come across as human. It is easy to sympathize with them and their failings. The story has a rich background which Detective Greyeyes is forced to live out through flashbacks caused by the arrowhead which gives the reader a glimpse into why the horror has come to exist. In many respects, this novel is reminiscent of an early Stephen King novel with its sometimes all-too-human characters and a simple yet sufficient plot.

There is a lot going on in this novel but that does not weigh the story down. Those Who Came Before has elements of Native American mythology along with modern police procedural that comes together in a clash of cultures. Moncreiff handles this deftly, though, and this gives the story a gravitas without weighing it down. There are some sequences of almost extreme horror but not enough that the casual horror fan will be turned off to the story. This novel is, quite simply, a throwback type novel that really is the type of novel that should have more mainstream appeal. I kept thinking of the works of Graham Masterton while I was reading the story and that is a great comparison for any author. Those Who Came Before is a quick and scary read that is sure to please any horror fan savvy enough to pick it up.

I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Those Who Came Before is scheduled to be published on October 24, 2019.

J.H Moncrieff's Those Who Came Before blends native American folklore with a police procedural in an intriguing but ultimately disappointing story.
After a strong start in which a group of friends are attacked by an unknown presence while camping, the story loses it's way due to a plodding plot, mostly flat characters and poor dialogue.
Too many scenes feel overwritten and littered with exposition, while others - such as half a chapter discussing college choices - bring the narrative to a dead stop.
The folklore aspect is really interesting and this has all the hallmarks that there is a great story in there. Unfortunately the execution never lives up to the premise.

I really enjoyed the Native American folklore elements in this book. The introduction of the story was intriguing but the middle felt drawn out and the ending seemed rushed. I thought the tree, and the nightmares and flashbacks were scarier than the wendigo.

Thank you NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bloody good. You feel for the characters and want to keep reading. Must know what happens to them. Great legends about the campground.

Those Who Came Before is the first book that I’ve read by J.H. Moncrieff and I look forward to reading more of her work. I enjoy reading stories centered around the supernatural mixed with historical fictional, though there were a few areas in the novel that we're a bit confusing at times.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Flame Tree Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE by J.H. Moncrieff is an indisputable horror novel, yet that alone is an understatement. I noticed a blending of several other genres, including historical fiction, police procedural, folklore, and the supernatural.

We begin with two couples on their way to a weekend camping trip. In the case of one, Reese is planning on breaking things off with his girlfriend in the near future. The banter was exactly what you would expect to hear from any small group on this type of trip, making for realistic characters right from the start. There's even some sarcasm and "internal" insults that add to this effect.

". . . Once upon a time, I'd thought she was pretty. Then I'd gotten to know her."

Warning bells started going off in my mind as soon as they reached the empty campground. The descriptions and observations made me feel as though I was physically there--and wishing very much that I could be anywhere else!

". . . Something in these woods was malevolent, and it didn't want them here . . ."

From then on, the action and horror ramp up, and never really stop once it begins. Moncrieff does a fantastic job of giving the readers different perspectives throughout the novel. We see things through the mind of Clear Springs Police Detective, Maria Greyeyes--a Native American who believes in the tangible world around her, and not old superstitions.

". . . There was enough tangible evil in her world without chasing boogeymen."

Then there's the nearby Reservation, whose residents don't trust any outsiders--including Maria--and the police force in general.

"You're not welcome here."

The campground in question is a place the Native Americans shun, and one the government tries to push as belonging to the Reservation--neither side wanting ownership of it.

". . . This place was wrong. It was damaged, somehow . . . "

We are taken between the present situation unfolding, and flashbacks to the past of the Indian Reservation. This is a tactic that, admittedly, doesn't always work for me, personally. However, in this instance, the way that it unfolded seemed to merge into the novel seamlessly. While things continued to accelerate in the present, we are given pieces of a horrible tragedy that laid the foundation for the future.

"When does a coincidence become more than a coincidence . . . "

Throughout the story, there is plenty of action, carnage, and gore--along with the ordinary evil humans are capable of. Yet what really kept me glued to this novel were the characters. Each individual featured had a complete history, backstory, and "personal outlook". The beauty of this is that the author doesn't need to single out and "tell" us each and every detail. We are shown some outright, others through the thoughts of different characters, and even more that we are able to simply deduce for ourselves. The fact that I felt I intimately knew the people in this book helped develop a bond of a sort, one that kept me glued to the pages, reluctant to put it down for any length of time.

When a reader "connects" with characters, the book becomes that much stronger, and compelling to them. The smallest details of a personality can make a huge impact in how caught up in the book you become, and in how much you are able to suspend disbelief in the face of illogical happenings.

"I think that place is evil. The kind of evil that doesn't stay put, the kind that will follow you home . . . "

At one point, I became more invested in the characters from the past than the ones in the present.

"It is very difficult to forgive someone who has never apologized, who doesn't realize forgiveness is required . . . "

When I look back at this story as a whole, my overall impression is one of complete perfection in all of the areas I consider essential for a book to be able to mentally "take me away from reality" while I'm reading it. The characters felt REAL. Those that were meant to illicit sympathy did, and those who were meant to be disliked, were. The atmosphere--both in the present scene and past flashbacks--fully conveyed the terror it was supposed to. Additionally, the historical fiction aspect gave me an entirely new level to digest, and quite a bit to think about afterwards. This was a fictional story with so much depth to it, that you could easily feel parts of it were real. I didn't even try to guess where things were headed, I just went along with the words the entire way.

"The tree. They never should have touched that tree."

Highest recommendation.