Nick Bishop recently laid off from his newspaper job in Florida travels to Maine where he has been offered a temporary job to write an appreciative piece about a new mindfulness app called Clarity. Nick still owned a home in Maine, on the water front where he had lived with his parents for many years until his father died in a tragic car accident caused by black ice. Memories (good and bad) arise for Nick while he's beginning to research the Clarity app bringing about many questions for the CEO and his assistant that they can't or won't answer so they convince Nick to listen to the app and say that is where he will find the answers he's looking for. The first time Nick listens to Clarity, he finds himself in a dream-like state with also hearing a soothing haunting melody until the singer appears in the dream and then becomes a nightmare visage when she then whispers Nick's name and starts to appear at other times while he is not listening to the app. When Nick realizes this app is fatally dangerous he also comes to the conclusion that he has been set up and the people behind the Clarity app didn't just want him to write a story, what they only wanted was Nick himself.

This was an eerie and intriguing and story very pertinent to the technology applications on the internet that we see today but this was a whole different ballgame. There was a lot of science involved but it was written where the majority of readers would have an easy time understanding the story. What appeared as a innocent app to help the listener's dreams to produce more mindfulness in their daily life in reality hid a sinister and probably fatal result if they followed through with most of the steps of the Clarity app while in their dream-like state. Unbeknownst to Nick, this app was not ready for consumer use and should have been only conducted and monitored in a science laboratory while micro-dosing the information in Clarity to the listener. What Nick discovers about the app and also his own past will literally bring him to his knees and also bring about his death and others, unless he finds a way to stop the creative genius who envisions himself as a new world Dr. Frankenstein. I highly recommend this novel and plan on reading more of "Scott Carson's books".

UPDATE: I was browsing book lists this week and came across a book called " MINDFULNESS"! The first line stated: "Do you long for more calm and CLARITY in your life?". How creepy was that? Twilight Zone for me that's for sure!

I want to thank the publisher " Atria Books" and Net galley for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this spooky novel a rating of 4 EERIE AND FANTASTIC 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

A first class thriller sure to give you nightmares. Just hope you wake from them with your sanity. When he agreed to test a harmless app designed to help users relax and fall asleep, Nick Bishop takes a step into a mind altering program, one it seems is designed just for him. As he dreams in a manner he never has before, he will find some truths he did not know he was missing. A very original twist on any number of subjects, all designed to have you looking at downloadable apps in a new and wary manner.

Imagine an app that will shape your dreams. Replacing nightmares with sweet dreams. Would you use it?

Nick is recently unemployed and does a favor for a friend by writing an article for his alma mater about a tech wizard. He heads back to his hometown to research and write the story. As an added bonus, he can see his mother who is in a nursing home after having a stroke that has affected her memory. When he meets with the tech wizard, he’s given an app that claims to relax and help you meditate.

This book really gave me a Stephen King vibe crossed with a twisty thriller. When Nick uses the app, all sorts of weird things happen. While he never dreams, the app causes nightmares. It appears to affect his memory and he isn’t sure what is up. There is a whole cast of interesting characters that I couldn’t decide who he should trust. There are clues that Nick may be an unreliable narrator, but that remains unclear. And things he knew from his past, may not be all true.

I was all in. I only buy into horror that I believe still has a foot in reality and this one did. The further I made it in, the more shocked and scared I was. I sometimes think my ipad can read my mind, so when Nick agreed to test the app, it was like those horror movies all over again where you yell at the TV to not go anywhere alone. And I would never have guessed that ending in 100 tries.

I really think horror fans will like this one. While it starts out slow and normal, the book picks up speed and progresses into a true horror story.

I found this book to be slow moving at times, but it kept my attention enough that I wanted to find out what happened. Nick Bishop is a down on his luck writer who accepts an offer from an old university buddy to write an article about a new app "Clarity', which is supposed to shape the dreams of the person using it. Nick has a bit of a pull for writing the article, he'll be returning to his hometown and will be closer to his mother who is in a care home for people with cognitive issues, Alzheimer's in her case. Nick meets the creator of the app who downloads the app onto Nick's phone. The creator, Bryce, and his assistant Renee are eager for Nick's thoughts on the app. Nick and Renee have a bit of history, having met while attending university. Weird things happen when Nick first uses the app and he discovers even weirder things that have happened to people that have used the app previously. There is a bit of a supernatural bent to the story and I particularly liked the historical aspect to Bryce's family, it really added to the 'why' part of the story. Overall this was a good story, like I said a bit slow at time, but he ending more than makes up for it. I would recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

Where They Wait by Scott Carson is an engrossing read thaat will keep you turning pages. Great plot and characters!

What if someone told you that they never dream? Their sleep is a vast and endless blackness; would you believe them?

Clarity, the new app for mindfulness. It will help with everything from anxiety and depression, with the added focus of sleep songs, helping you drift into a blissful sleep. But deep inside this app lies a more sinister motive. Something old, a folk legend that whispers sweet nothings into your subconscious mind. The result is disastrous to say the least.

Nick who is recently unemployed becomes a beta tester for Clarity. And he begins to unravel exactly who helped create this app, his own mother.

The concept of this novel was brilliant. I love books that mix science in. But I felt like it was a bit too slow and long. And I feel like the ending was a bit rushed. Which is disappointing because the synopsis drew me in like a moth to a flame.

Where They Wait is a horror thriller that puts a new spin on the dangers of high tech. Nick is a recently unemployed journalist that returns to his hometown to earn some fast cash writing a puff piece on a local high tech billionaire who claims to have created a revolutionary new mindfulness app, Clarity, that helps one meditate, sleep, and dream. However, once Nick starts beta testing the app, he soon learns that it does really affect his dreams, but not in a positive way. I liked how this book played on the new craze of self care and betterment, and made it something that could quite literally kill us.

🖤ARC Review🖤
🌟🌟🌟🌟
This book was a little bit suspense/thriller and somewhat Sci-fi.
The story is about NIck an out of work journalist who has accepted a position being a subject for a sleep app. He realizes early on that he does not dream or have nightmares so he is not worried about this technology being harmful.
I enjoyed the action scenes and the development of the storyline. This is written as a thriller and the thought of technology ruling your life is chilling. This reminded me of an old school action flick and the ending was emotional enough to be relatable.
I would recommend this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WHERE THEY WAIT is part tech horror, part ghost story, and it manages to meld both themes together even beyond a literal 'ghost in the machine' theme. I liked how Carson both uses themes of tech horror and corporate conspiracy/corruption horror, but also makes it an unsettling tale of how we, in some ways, fear the unknown of dreams and the subconscious. Our protagonist Nick finds himself entangled with the Clarity App thinking that it's merely a favor for a friend, but comes to realize that his connection to this app that has strange influence and a strange, menacing song is far more concrete than merely writing about it. We slowly peel back Nick's connection the Clarity and the dark secrets it holds, and what we find is the horrors of being unable to control ourselves due to undue influence, as well as the horrors of capitalist groups wanting to weaponize a power that they have no true control over. The way that Carson unfolds one piece of this puzzle feels a lot like recent murmurs of sonic warfare, specifically Havana Syndrome, which is scary in and of itself. And on top of that, he has some really unsettling ghost themes as well, and a really unique origin story for the mysterious song (and one that I was NOT expecting, and therefore really, really liked). This story comes at you from multiple angles, and I found it wickedly disturbing.

WHERE THEY WAIT is another great horror read to pick up this spooky season! Prepare to be surprised by what you find in its pages. And maybe side eye that mindfulness app you have on your phone. I know I did.

I would say the concept of this book was amazing. I was a bit bored as it felt longer than necessary i would have liked more twists if the book stayed as long as it was a tad drawn out. I really liked all the twists and turns. Its hard to write this review for fear of ruining the book.

This is the 2nd book I've read by Scott Carson. Like the first, it's a good, suspenseful novel, with a strong supernatural element. Creepy, scary, and definitely a great read, I would recommend this one as well.

This book was excellent.

Everything I love about Michael Koryta’s writing came through in this excellent novel.

Highly recommend

Thanks for the ARC of this book. This was definitely a slow burn. I honestly had to struggle to read it after I got to part 2. The synopsis really pulled me in, and there was so much potential but it got confusing, left too much unexplained, and the ending was so abrupt I had to double check I didn't accidentally skip some pages. It was not terrible by any means, but I just felt the storyline was all over the place.

Where They Wait
A Novel
by Scott Carson
Just in time for Halloween. It is a sci-fi science fiction, folklore, magic type of book. I enjoyed the concept very much. It started slow for me, but it kicked in and was good. So many apps these days. Some are just killers I will keep a copy in hardcover in the guest room as it comes out in print..

I am really liking Scott Carson's horror books; I shouldn't be surprised because I like his other books (under his real name) as well).

This one is very terrifying, not so much the ghost aspect, although that is delightfully creepy but the idea of how memory can be adjusted. If I spend too much time thinking about it, I get all squirmy, which is a great thing for horror. It will make you question any gaps or random things in your memory and then layer on the element of not trusting your eyes either and it's a lot.

I think the ending action was a little abrupt but the final ending/coda close was perfect.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Where They Wait.

Wow, I really enjoyed this and I'm so happy NetGalley approved my request.

The premise was intriguing but I wasn't expecting much, mostly techno-babble since the premise was referring to an app but this was a great read. I blew threw it in a few days because I couldn't put it down!

Nick Bishop has returned to his hometown for a freelance gig he assumes will be an easy one. Interview the CEO of a relaxation app and write a puff piece about it.

When the CEO Bryce (talk about pretentious names) offers Nick to beta test the app, Nick is all for it. That's when the nightmares start. And Nick finds himself diving deep in a rabbit hole of madness and power.

His investigation leads to innocent victims, including himself, the part his brilliant scientist mother played in it, and a sordid tale from the past.

Is it too late for Nick to find his way back and save himself and others?

Where They Wait is a blend of genres; science fiction, folklore, magic, and the author weaves the elements together so well, adding in historical context alongside humanity, brutality and hope.

I really liked Nick; he was relatable, a good guy and a respectable journalist.

The ending was satisfying though I was sorry Renee had to be sacrificed. I would have liked to know how Nick explained her death (and the others) to the authorities.

This was a great read, ideal for October and Halloween. I wasn't scared but I was definitely creeped out!

My thanks to Atria, Scott Carson and Netgalley.
This story got under my skin. Just the sheer scope of it, and what happened and was done unto someone else? Fucking horrifying! I dreamed this book.
Mostly? I was appalled. Only by the story, mind you, and the events.
The book? Crikey! Read it!

A mournful tale woven into sleep. A sleep app is developed and a post-war journalist who’s forgotten his trauma and doesn’t dream is investigating the story.. His mother has had a stroke and cannot help him piece together his past. His friends are questionable. And an old song must be sung.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Wow. Awesome. The cover states this is a thriller and sure enough, this book thrills. Mind you, thrillers are ubiquitous these days and most of them involve cheating and/or murderous spouses/bffs/strangers, secrets from the past and/or stolen babies/monies/goods. This one is more about stolen sanity. Sure, there are the prerequisite secrets from the past, but they are of a singularly unpredictable variety. In fact, this novel defies the standard definition and formula for the thriller genre at every turn so terrifically, that to just call it thriller is pretty reductive. Might be a good marketing ploy, but reductive all the same.
For one thing it negates all of its supernatural leanings. Of which there are many. For another it presupposes clichés, of which there are few if any. Mind you, this is a very slick very glossy professional sort of a book that screams bestseller, dynamic, fast paced with pages practically turning themselves and each chapter ending so dramatically, you simply got to get to the next one, this is a tough book to put down. And you’ll have to, at 400 pages this isn’t exactly a one sitting read, but it is in spirit.
So, this is a book about an app. Very modern. I just read one of those, Ruth Ware’s One by One, her latest desperate attempt to establish herself as the new Agatha Christie. That wasn’t original at all outside of the app idea itself. This is very, very original. It seems like yet another one of those mindfulness apps at first, something that yogatalks you into relaxation and lullabies you to sleep and yet beneath the initial gimmickness there’s a terrifying secret layer of mind control and nightmares beyond your wildest…well, nightmares.
This is the sort of thing the novel’s protagonist, a recently laid off and restless journalist, Nick, stumbles into when he takes a seemingly easy, paid gig of doing a promo on a local app entrepreneur. It seems like a good idea, at first, get out of stagnant Tampa and come back to Maine, see his mom, see his old camp (summer cabin in Mainespeak), see his old bff…and yet, of course, nothing’s ever simple about going back. And then there’s the app and its sinister siren song, calling, calling Nick to the darkest corners of his mind and beyond.
It’s a deadly tune and so far it has killed all those who heard it, but Nick is a perfect test subject for it, for he is a nightmare proof man, someone who doesn’t dream. And so, frightening as it is, a man who can’t dream finds himself in the middle of a living nightmare, one he can’t seem to wake up from. Will he survive the test? Read and find out. It’s so, so worth it.
Aside from the excellent dynamic writing, the thing that really stood out about this book, the thing that really made it work is the clever interweaving of real historical tragedy with the modern technology advancements and situations straight out of the news. It’s such a terrific mix of real and speculative. Plus, it gives the narrative a haunting, terrifying backstory.
All in all, this was excellent. Mind you’, I’d probably change the title to Burn the Night, a much more evocative and less clichéd, it seems, but at any rate, this was a great read. Riveting, exciting, terrifying, this is what literary scares ought to look like. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books I can't express in words how freaking excited I was when I seen this on my list! 😍 I might have squealed a bit!

Where They Fall by Scott Carson is everything I could hope for in a great horror/thriller!
I was wanting to wait till October to start this book but I seriously couldn't back any longer!
This story is so unique, fun, entertaining, engaging! I started this around 10am yesterday and finished at like 4pm..... Six hours! And I don't regret one second of it! That's what Sundays are for right?!
I enjoyed this book so much I went onto my Kindle Store and saved The Chill to my list because I loved this book so much.
A captivating, and very highly recommended, intense thriller.
The characters were so in depth I couldn't get enough of them.
You will want to soak in everything until the very last page. 
An amazing new book and I'm so thrilled I was able to discover Carson through NetGalley!

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!