I really enjoyed the way Jonathan Janz wrote this and thought the use of the ghost story element, it had that feel that I was expecting and enjoyed the overall story of this. I enjoyed the way Marla was written and getting into the journey and figuring out what was going on. This was a strong horror novel and enjoyed the overall feel of this. It uses the supernatural element perfectly and am excited to read more from Jonathan Janz.

Ever since its publication as a signed, limited edition hardcover by Earthling back in October 2022 (and good lord, does it ever feel like it’s been so much longer than that!), Janz fanz have been clamoring for a wider release. Thankfully, a new three-book deal announced in February saw Janz joining Blackstone’s Weird Tales imprint, with the long-awaited Marla first up in August. Well, dear readers, having just read an ARC, I’m happy to report that Marla was worth the wait. Cue the waving of Janz handz!

Strange things are afoot in King’s Branch, starting off with the discovery of a murdered man whose body appears to have been pile-driven headfirst into the ground. Soon thereafter, another victim is found whose head has been caved in following a violent collision with his living room ceiling. Little connects one corpse to another, save for their uncommon demise, violently bloodshot eyes, and the terrified expression frozen on their faces. Detective Carl Lancaster believes there’s something even stranger connecting the dead men — a young woman named Marla Gorman. He’s seen her watching him each time he’s called out to a scene, either from her bedroom window or inexplicably standing in the road. Little is known about the Gorman’s, with both Marla and her mother, Irene, shrouded in local rumors. The girl is a shut-in, her mother possibly abusive. Or they’re witches or cultists or god only knows what else. The only thing that’s certain is that Marla is somehow involved, despite never having left her house, and the secrets she keeps could tear King’s Branch apart.

Janz opens Marla with an epigraph quoting Stephen King’s Carrie, tipping his hat early and letting readers in on what they can expect in the pages that follow. While Marla is clearly an homage to King’s classic, and King himself if the town of King’s Branch is anything to go by, it’s very much its own book and Janz treads his own ground within some now very familiar tropes. Or so it seems initially.

We know early on the kind of talents Marla possesses, so much of what drives the story is Carl’s attempts at figuring out and understanding what, exactly, it is he’s dealing with here. While Marla is gussied up as a bit of a horror mystery, readers will inherently know more than the characters — to a degree. Yes, Carrie White serves as an inspiration, but Marla couldn’t be further from that bullied, telekinetic teen. Any initial similarities are lost in the sheer odiousness of Marla, and the more we learn about her and her grand designs, the further she distances herself from her literary forebear. Rest assured, there’s plenty of secrets to uncover and Janz lays in some pretty damn good surprises along the way. For the most part, though, the central focus is on the journey, not the destination. Getting there, after all, is half the fun. And although Marla is a slow-burn, it’s far from slow-paced.

I really dug the point of view Janz brings to the table here, couching it all in familial themes. Carl has lost both his wife and daughter to a tragic accident and the only thing that gets him out of bed is the energetic puppy he’s adopted, and his job, of course. Then there’s Annie, who’s recently returned to full-time employment and is having trouble balancing work and family life, a job in its own right that’s made even more difficult by her idiot husband’s constant sabotaging of her efforts to both connect with and discipline her children. When she forbids her daughter to go to a party, Brian’s right there giving the girl his car keys so she can go enjoy some underage drinking. Brian’s the kind of toxic asshole male Janz is so good at writing, the kind you instantly hate and want to see suffer. Carl’s partner, RJ, has kids of his own and a wife he’s not there for nearly enough, and even less now that bodies are stacking up all around town. And then there’s Marla and Irene, but the less said about them, the better.

As he often does, Janz dangles and unravels the horror through Gothic aesthetics, and there’s few horror contemporaries that plumb the depths of Gothic horror half as well as Janz. He knows the genre inside and out, and he clearly has a deep affection for it, having penned a number of other such works over the years, like The Sorrows, House of Skin, and The Dismembered, to name a few. An ever-present gloom resides over King’s Branch, and the decaying Gorman house is a nasty piece of work. The interior feels claustrophobic and dark, and that’s before you even get to the playroom where… well, you’ll see. Even in the sunny-set scenes, you just know there’s trouble lurking beneath it all. There may be a party going on all around you, but you’re Chief Brody, uneasily sitting on the beach waiting for shit to hit the fan when the shark attacks once more. That’s you, and that’s Carl, too. I suppose that makes Marla Jaws, but I’m pretty sure it’s Janz who’s the real shark here, the sharp-toothed son of a bitch you don’t see coming with a nasty surprise of a lifetime.

I've been waiting years to read this story! When I saw it could be accessed through NetGalley, I dropped everything I was reading and dove into this story. It exceeded what I was expecting. Well-written and atmospheric! The slow burn was incredible. I loved the characters. I loved the resolution.
Would adore seeing this book adapted for the big screen!
So glad they're re-printing!!!

I’ve read many classic horror books and many of those are considered classics for a very good reason. But now there’s Marla by Jonathan Janz, and this might be the scariest book I’ve read. Scarier than The Shining, Pet Sematary, or IT. Scarier than Swan Song or Rosemary's Baby or The Exorcist. I was on edge the entire way through. Marla is a modern day classic horror novel and I am excited for others to experience it.

Marla by Jonathan Janz is a dark small town horror that follows three very different people whose lives slowly collide in unsettling ways. Carl is a grieving detective who cannot move on after losing his wife and daughter, Annie is a CPS worker balancing a broken home while caring more for other people’s children than her own, and Dylan is a struggling college student trapped in an abusive household. Each character brings their own baggage, and that emotional weight adds depth to the story as everything begins to spiral.

The story kicks off with a disturbing discovery near the eerie Gorman house on the outskirts of town, and from that moment the tension builds fast. More bodies begin to appear, each one more unsettling than the last, and the mystery pulls these three characters together. Just when it feels like you understand what is happening, the story shifts and proves you wrong. The atmosphere is consistently creepy, with a sense of dread that lingers throughout and keeps you turning the pages.

What really stood out to me was how the horror is layered with character driven storytelling. It is not just about what is happening, but how these characters react to it and what they are forced to confront along the way. The blend of mystery, emotional damage, and supernatural elements makes this a gripping and unsettling read that keeps you guessing until the end.

Marla really, really scared me!!!!!

A girl who just watches from her window, a house that is falling apart, and murders in a small town... Yes, it is as scary as it sounds. Marla herself? Scary. It made me think of Carrie because of the slow, growing fear, but it also had a lot of heart.

I read this at night and immediately wished I hadn't. It was very creepy and atmospheric. 5 stars with no trouble. A great scary read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

That’s a lot of stars. I was blessed to read Marla by Jonathan Janz.
How could you not get excited to read this book just by looking at Marla. Some believe she is a witch or an urban legend.

Do not look up in her window or you might catch her leering at you. When that happens, someone dies. Over 10 deaths in their little town called Kings Branch and people suspect Marla but can’t prove it. Each victim dies with a horrified look on their face.

This book is a wild ride and kept me captivated from start to finish. Janz has a way about writing real life family stressors and how you can relate in some way. While I didn’t cry in this book, I did finish it in 2 days and left me wanting more.

Also Janz, can the cubs ever win in one of your books? Although I am happy that “atleast the Cardinals lost too”

Already preordered!

The character development here is incredibly strong. Janz balances multiple arcs so effectively that I occasionally found myself momentarily disappointed when the perspective shifted, only to be immediately pulled back into the new story. The relationship between RJ and Carl is particularly well-written and serves as a grounded emotional core for the book.
​The final 20% of the story really brings everything home. Janz doesn’t disappoint with the conclusion; he reminds the reader who the true main character is, and all that early character work pays off beautifully. It is a rare feat to provide a satisfying conclusion while still leaving the reader with a profound sense of horror and an uncertain, lingering dread. Highly recommended for those who like their horror with deep character roots.

Jonathan Janz makes a bold decision to begin Marla with quotes from two classic stories by two giants of horror: Carrie by Stephen King and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. If those quotes were meant to be aspirational, with hopes that MARLA would live up to those other tales, Janz, without question, succeeded.

Residents of King's Branch have long wondered about Marla Gorman and her mother Irene, who live by themselves on the outskirts of town. Rumors abound about the pair, and especially about Marla, who is rarely, if ever, seen by the people of the town. No one seems to know much about them for certain, and the Gormans rebuff all attempts to pry into their secrets.

When a number of unusual deaths occur in town, with victims that seem to have nothing in common other than a look of terror on their faces, Detectives Carl Lancaster and RJ Williams are assigned to investigate. With only vague, but disturbing suspicions that the deaths might be connected to the Gormans, Lancaster and Williams turn their attention to the pair, only to find much less, and far more, than they expected. And they realize that identifying the likely killer is one thing, surviving long enough to do anything about it is something else entirely.

Janz builds this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ story like a multi-layer dessert, first spreading a base of uneasy suspicion, adding a large helping of fear, and then topping it all with a layer of absolute terror. As you sink your teeth into it, be warned that this is one of those rare stories that also sinks its teeth into you... and it doesn't let go, even after the last spoonful is consumed as the last page is turned.

Buy it. Read it. Thank me later.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing an eARC for review!

Wow…this was deliciously dark and eerie. Multiple POV stories are really hit or miss for me and I really enjoyed this one with all the intertwined characters. It starts as a slow burn creepy town legend, Marla and the mystery behind her and her creepy mom. Is she a victim? Is she unwell? Is she a monster? It delves into an off the wall insane snowball effect and how Marla really has the whole town wrapped around her finger.

Every town has their local gossip and urban legends. For King’s Branch, there’s Marla. A reclusive woman who lives with her mother in a creepy old house. No one knows much about either of them until a string of strange murders overtakes the town. Marla is at the heart of it all, but no one can anticipate the truth.

This is my second year in a row reading an ARC by Jonathan Janz and the second year in a row that it ends up being in my top five reads of the year. This novel is a slow-burn horror masterpiece, dripping with dread and an atmosphere so intense it’s almost tangible. I’ve never experienced a book that made the tension feel this thick.

I had such a hard time putting it down because I had to find out what Marla was. She was such a unique villain. I can’t think of any story with a similar enemy. The twist at the end was so unexpected that I read it twice just to wrap my head around it.

This book flawlessly blends genres: murder mystery, horror, gothic, psychological thriller, and suspense. It releases this August, just in time for spooky season, and you won’t want to miss it!

Part Carrie, part supernatural horror, and some good ol' creepy small town vibes, Marla is a fantastic tale of a mother and daughter who are shunned and talked about by the rest of the town. They are the urban legend with stories being shared which may or may not be true.

When a series of grisly murders rocks the small town, a detective will begin to unravel the secrets about Marla and her mother and it will eventually lead him and his partner to the very depths of a terrifying secret. You won't see what's coming and it's a wild twist to the story which will chill you to the bone.

There are several characters who all have their own stories as it relates to this case and they'll eventually come together to paint a horrific picture. But the kills are bloody and gruesome to say the least and the narrative races along and throws horror after horror in almost each chapter. But you'll still be able to understand each character and their motives.

I highly recommend it.

This was such a superbly crafted story. I fear the menace and terror. Janz has such a craft in how everything comes together. I can never expect what any of his endings will hold. They always surprise me, and I love that. Good twists and excellent imagery. I am a huge fan of his. Five star book easily.

Marla is the small town mysterious spinster of King's Branch. Detective Carl Lancaster is called to investigate a murder just after passing the old Gorman house and seeing Marla's face in her bedroom window. He can't escape the thought that there seems to be a connection. The thought broadens as more deaths occur again also after an encounter with Marla or her image, but none of it makes any sense. How can he make a case against something malevolent. It would be impossible. Regardless of impossibility Carl is tasked with investigating these murders and reluctantly decides he must face Marla one on one to solve them.

This book is so much more than five stars! If what you’re looking for is spooky then this book has solid moments of spooky laced throughout. It also has some twists that I found to be very shocking. It's been a minute since I read something that actually gave me chills and this book did just that. Every small town has its lore but Marla was unexpected. I live a few hours from the book's story setting and wanted to read this book based off my proximity and the book's genre. I'm glad this book exceeded any expectations I might have had.

Thank you, NetGalley and BlackStone Publishing for the opportunity to review this advanced ebook. All thoughts are my own.

A captivating tale that kept me on the edge of my seat. The creep factor is high with this one...and Marla deserves to be among the greatest of villains. Amazing character development had me invested and the ending.....perfection! Definitely gives some Strega Nona vibes. Will be on all the Halloween TBR's this year.
Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to access this title ahead of publication free of charge. I am leaving my review voluntarily,