After reading this book, I looked back on my own childhood days. I, like Jerry, had a horrible home life yet no one around our small town had any idea. I was able to relate in so many ways with this book. Small towns are notorious for bad things happening with no one putting to much time into looking into rumors. The author wove such an incredible story. I had a friend like Billy that had my back no matter what. I spent many a night at her house trying to keep away from my mother. As long as I was out of sight, nothing I did could make her mad. We did not have a quarry but we did have a forest where we were told to stay out of. Did we? No way! We went there as much as possible. We had forts, a campfire and a stream to get water. I had many a great summer there in those woods. I liked how the author used the grammar of the locals. The fact that Jerry had so much knowledge than Billy was so sad. He was learning things he should not have at such a young age. The loss of so many people in Billy’s life definitely had an impact on him, right up until death. A very emotional book.

Silent, Dark, and Deep: was good a little slow and hard to get into because of that...just wish it was more fast pasted

“Silent, Dark, and Deep” is a wildly entertaining coming-of-age tale, filled either the musings of a young man coming into adulthood in a time of desperation and change. I found this to be an extremely well-written story, with detailed and layered characters, which felt like you were reading a memoir, rather than a horror novel. This is a highly atmospheric read, which would fit into anyone’s October to-read list. It’s a slow-burning novel, but has a payoff that I think is worth the effort.

This book was took me a couple chapters to get into but once it did, it sucked me in just like the lake. I could not stop reading this.
The story is about two twelve yrs old boys and their coming of age story about being somewhere they most definitely should not be.
I've been recommending this book to anyone who will listen lol
Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC to me.

It was a spooky, slow burn with tiny bits of paranormal and historical fiction. However, I feel like it is more of a coming-of-age paranormal ghost story than horror.

The setting and characters were great. The story was well-written and had that smooth flow which kept me invested till the end.

Overall, it was disturbing and sad - and I enjoyed it. Rod’s writing style is great and I’m excited to see what his next book would be like.

Thank you so much Wicked House Publishing, Netgalley and Rod Labbe for this ARC copy!

It's summer time to dive into the crusher a water filled quarry. Hopefully you survive. What are the voices calling to people. Should you listen to them? A dark creepy story to chill your bones.

I had a hard time getting into this book and ultimately ended up DNFing it. It just failed to capture my attention and I couldn't push through.

Thank you for the ARC for my honest review.

More of a coming of age with some spooky vibes story than anything horror related. It was a slow burn and took awhile for much to happen but gave you just enough to keep reading, between the emotions and the timelines it was a decent read but maybe not particularly my style

To me this book ended up being boring and just reminded me of other books I have already read a little to much just this time it was moved to a different time period. That makes it original right?

I felt (though I may be wrong in this) this is another Wicked House Publishing book unfairly marketed as horror, in fact, it's coming-of-age dark fantasy, with small doses of the paranormal I'd easily give it another star if it were marketed correctly. I loved the writing style, the atmosphere, the setting, and the characters. The author is obviously very talented and it's a pity the book is adressed to horror fans instead of its proper audience, who'd certainly appreciate it more for what it is: a terrific coming-of-age story of 1930s Americana with a few tiny uncomfortable bits of horror, though nothing to write home about. Some reviewers consider it as a YA book, but it's a real slow-burn novel, and I mean REALLY slow-burn, so no teenager would be focused enough to enjoy it properly. It's also not the kind of book you want to read again in the future: the author manages to cover all the bases and leaves nothing much to the imagination, though there were certain details that did surprise me in the end.

This had that horror element that I was looking for from the description and cover. It had everything that I was looking for and enjoyed how well everything flowed together. It had that historical fiction element and the horror element that I wanted. Rod Labbe has a great writing style and can’t wait for more.

I really struggled with this one. It was a fairly long book, which usually doesn't bother me, but it was one of those where you feel like you've been reading forever and don't seem to be getting further into the book. I'm not going to lie, I was considering giving up a few times, but I didn't want to miss anything if it started to get good (it didn’t). I also struggled a little with the language used, and I think that's part of why I just really couldn't get into this one. I felt like there was a whole lot of buildup, but the story just didn't feel like it went anywhere. This one just wasn't for me.

Silent, Dark, and Deep by Rod Labbe is a compelling slow-burn horror!
I found it be engaging and entertaining.
The plot is filled with unexpected twists that maintain a gripping pace till the end. It’s a fascinating blend of suspense and thrill.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was a well written coming of age horror that spanned several life times. The characters were well developed allowing the reader to get invested in the outcome! Definitely a slower read, and a trope seen many times before but very well done.

Thank you Wicked House Publishing & Rob Labbe for the ARC of this book.

I was completely captivated from the very first chapter of this emotional coming of age book. Part horror, part ghost story, this book is heavy on the journey of our characters. There are heart breaking moments, some horrible events and a great character driven story.

I enjoyed the multiple timelines and the ending that wrapped everything up - i felt myself getting teary in a few moments, which is a testament to the author who was able to evoke those emotions.

This book is a slow burn but I was totally up for that and feel that while it's not as heavy on typical horror elements, there were so many moments full of dread and some real life horror.

Look forward to reading more from this author who has won me over!

Thank you to Wicked House Publishing for this ARC in return for my honest review.

This book was marketed as horror, but it's more of a coming of age/paranormal ghost story type of book. I really did enjoy the author's writing style, however, coming of age stories aren't really my favorite thing. I've abandoned the book about halfway through because there is little to no horror involved, and the book is just too slow for me.

The story is written so that an elderly man is telling a story about his youth - but most of the chapters are children from his stories interacting. It seems that there are a lot of misspellings/grammar issues, but that is just the author trying to write the story in slang. I didn't find it hard to read, but I could see how it would bother some.

I am open to reading more from this author in the future as I found his writing style very intriguing and nostalgic.

This is more coming of age and less horror. The writing style didn’t work for me. I do recommend as a coming of age for that time period. Thanks for netgalley for the arc!

Silent, Dark And Deep was a compelling, fascinating and sometimes terrifying novel. The author gave the characters excellent voices & stories. My heart broke with some of the awful things that Billy, Jerry & Lauretta went through. I never once lost interest in the book and each new chapter had my heart racing in anticipation of what was going to happen next. I hope to read more from this new-to-me author in the future!

It was the 1930s and there wasn't much for a 12-year-old boy to do in the small town of Fairfield except go swimming and diving at the old water-filled rock quarry known locally as "The Crusher."

Every scorching summer, kids from miles around risked it all to dive and dunk in its deep waters. But what those kids didn't know was that if one thing went wrong and your life was plucked out there in those waters, you'd be stolen away, and you would become another midnight swimmer - not under heaven, not under hell, not even in purgatory, but somewhere in between.

And if you were alone, and stood still enough, and listened closely, you may just hear those taken whispering to you, and beckoning you to join them in the Silent, Dark, and Deep.

This book is an account of Billium Wileys life and what happened to him as a kid over a few years. He describes this book best by saying in the book
"Silent, Dark, and Deep ain't what I'd consider a horror tale, though there are hair-raisin' sections. Not as scary as "The Monkey's Paw" or "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Them were conceived from imagination and are meant to terrify. Mine's real. It's all me, Billy Wiley."
Although very slow paced this book kept intrigued and wanting to know what was going to happen next through the whole thing. I really enjoyed how it was written and how it was told through the eyes of an old man recounting his life's adventures.

“Silent, Dark, and Deep” by Rod Labbe
(Publisher release date is 05/10/24)

This was a slow burn type of book that I rather enjoyed. It surrounds a 12yr old boys childhood in Maine. With pretty much nothing else to do, he and his friends would swim in a old rock quarry pit they’ve dubbed “The Crusher”….but there’s a legend of something sinister within the depths of that water. This resonated with me and pulled me in because I grew up swimming in old water filled coal mining pits in Pennsylvania (minus the sinister legends!). I also appreciated the author’s use of a regional dialect for the characters. I feel that made you know the characters and their ways of living better. All in all, though this was a slow(ish) read, I really liked this book and look forward to what else the author has to offer!
My thanks to Wicked House publishing, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC to read/review!