BOOK REVIEW | BLOOD COVENANT | ALAN BAXTER

 

BOOK REVIEW | BLOOD COVENANT | ALAN BAXTER

ABOUT THE BOOK

Whatever happens, don't bleed...

What should have been a breeze of a bank heist for James Glenn and his crew goes violently wrong, forcing them to flee, blood-stained and angry. They stumble onto a remote lodge that doesn’t open for another month—a perfect place to lie low until the heat’s off.

Except it’s occupied.

The Moore family, just arrived to prepare for the season, are taken hostage by the criminals, but not without bloodshed. And when blood gets spilled, something ancient notices. Something malevolent. Something ravenous.

Their only hope is the youngest Moore, teenager Rueben, outside and unseen when James and his gang arrive. It’s up to Rueben to get help and save his family, but the influence of the ancient evil is taking a toll on him as well…

REVIEW

Billed as The Shining meets Reservoir Dogs, Blood Covenant is a gripping mix of crime thriller with supernatural elements.

After a bank robbery goes wrong, James Glenn and his crew need somewhere to lie low after one of them gets wounded. They find a hotel that is supposed to be closed until the tourist season begins. What they don’t know is that the place is not as empty as it seems and that the owners are already there getting ready for its reopening.

Taking the family hostage, they soon realise that the hotel has a dark and violent past and something ancient and malevolent begins to stir.

Sometimes you need a book where you can switch your brain off and just go with the ride and Blood Covenant delivers exactly that.

As with previous books, Baxter effectively mixes hard boiled crime with supernatural elements to tell a gripping story that doesn’t stop until it gets to the end.

Throughout the book, there are obvious nods to King, especially with the isolated hotel setting. However, Baxter’s writing feels closer to that of great British horror writer James Herbert with its no nonsense approach to both the horror and the crime elements.

The characters are flawed and often make questionable choices, but these moments feel closer to the character’s personalities rather than convenient plot devices. In a desperate and increasingly desperate situation, their choices feel believable.  

Some of the ghostly figures can feel a little underdeveloped, but they are used well and move the plot along.

One of the strongest elements of the story is the atmosphere that Baxter creates. Whether the sense of dread comes from the volatile situation  or the growing supernatural menace.

Blood Covenant is a compelling, sometimes brutal book that readers who enjoy both visceral crime fiction and unsettling horror will enjoy.