A Child Alone with Strangers: A Novel
“Fracassi’s novel hits me like a cross between McCammon and '80s King. Might be one of them summer blockbusters readers love.” —Laird Barron, author of Worse Angels
"A Child Alone with Strangers starts out as a slow burn procedural with supernatural elements and inexorably cranks itself into a pulse-pounding symphony of eldritch horrors and all-too-human violence. Philip Fracassi is the best sort of horror writer--one who is unafraid to hunt for light in even the darkest places." —Shaun Hamill, author of A Cosmology of Monsters
When young Henry Thorne is kidnapped and held prisoner in a remote farmhouse surrounded by miles of forest, he finds himself connecting with a strange force living in the woods—using that bond to wreak havoc against his captors. Unknown to the boy, however, is that this ancient being has its own reasons for wanting the interlopers gone—there is something hidden beneath the house, tucked away in the dark, damp root cellar . . . waiting for its return.
"A Child Alone with Strangers starts out as a slow burn procedural with supernatural elements and inexorably cranks itself into a pulse-pounding symphony of eldritch horrors and all-too-human violence. Philip Fracassi is the best sort of horror writer--one who is unafraid to hunt for light in even the darkest places." —Shaun Hamill, author of A Cosmology of Monsters
When young Henry Thorne is kidnapped and held prisoner in a remote farmhouse surrounded by miles of forest, he finds himself connecting with a strange force living in the woods—using that bond to wreak havoc against his captors. Unknown to the boy, however, is that this ancient being has its own reasons for wanting the interlopers gone—there is something hidden beneath the house, tucked away in the dark, damp root cellar . . . waiting for its return.
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Community Reviews
I am now obsessed with author Philip Fracassi.
After my friend Tara recommended BOYS IN THE VALLEY to me, which is quite possibly the best religious horror book I've read in the last few years, I went directly into this one, which was gifted to me by another friend, Shaun Rosel. Before I was done with it, I was scouring for more books by Fracassi and settled on GOTHIC for my next one. I can't get enough. There are no words adequate enough to thank these two for putting this author on my radar.
I have not once cracked open a crime thriller/horror novel expecting heartwarming moments or character interactions that would make me shed actual tears, but A CHILD ALONE WITH STRANGERS did exactly that - on more than one occasion.
Fracassi executed this story to perfection. It starts off introducing us to our main character, nine year old Henry Thorne. Right away, readers are going to get their heartstrings plucked because we meet Henry at the absolute worst time in his life, things no child should have to suffer.
Henry is later targeted by a criminal mastermind who has his sights set on the child's trust fund said to contain a cool two million. This crew kidnaps Henry and holds him prisoner at an abandoned farmhouse house located in a remote area of a state forest.
A startling connection - a presence - makes itself known to Henry. It becomes clear that this presence wants them to leave - including Henry - or none of them will...
I really appreciated that this book was high stakes for all characters on ALL sides of this ordeal. While the constant fear of what would happen took years off my life, it really lent an extra element to the reading experience that I enjoyed. Immensely. (I just plucked out all the gray hairs it gave me once it was over, lol!)
This book begins as a slow burn as we meet the characters, witness the setup of the kidnapping and its execution. I loved reading about the planning of the crime and watching it unfold and even when the FBI comes onto the scene to take over the investigation. Once Henry is taken prisoner and he makes the connection with the presence at the farmhouse - oh my, but I was hooked. I went to Vegas for a week with the husband and I still made sure to set aside a couple hours to read. There did come a point where enough was enough and it came time to pay the piper and that slow burn turned into a raging inferno.
Philip Fracassi is outstanding when it comes to creativity and writing style. The two books I've read by him couldn't be more different from each other, yet both were excellent in their implementation of pacing, plot and atmosphere. This is an auto-buy author for me going forward and I'm already hard at work collecting his current published works!
Fracassi has become my Stephen King replacement.
You can find this review along with other reviews spanning multiple genres at The Nerdy Narrative or if you prefer video format, I do have a BookTube Channel
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Sharon, Andrew, Star, Amanda L., Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Lourdes, Tara, John, Sharon A-B, Ann, Chad K. & Ashley E.
After my friend Tara recommended BOYS IN THE VALLEY to me, which is quite possibly the best religious horror book I've read in the last few years, I went directly into this one, which was gifted to me by another friend, Shaun Rosel. Before I was done with it, I was scouring for more books by Fracassi and settled on GOTHIC for my next one. I can't get enough. There are no words adequate enough to thank these two for putting this author on my radar.
"Life is questions you don't know the answers to and figuring things out is what makes us human."
I have not once cracked open a crime thriller/horror novel expecting heartwarming moments or character interactions that would make me shed actual tears, but A CHILD ALONE WITH STRANGERS did exactly that - on more than one occasion.
Fracassi executed this story to perfection. It starts off introducing us to our main character, nine year old Henry Thorne. Right away, readers are going to get their heartstrings plucked because we meet Henry at the absolute worst time in his life, things no child should have to suffer.
Henry is later targeted by a criminal mastermind who has his sights set on the child's trust fund said to contain a cool two million. This crew kidnaps Henry and holds him prisoner at an abandoned farmhouse house located in a remote area of a state forest.
A startling connection - a presence - makes itself known to Henry. It becomes clear that this presence wants them to leave - including Henry - or none of them will...
I really appreciated that this book was high stakes for all characters on ALL sides of this ordeal. While the constant fear of what would happen took years off my life, it really lent an extra element to the reading experience that I enjoyed. Immensely. (I just plucked out all the gray hairs it gave me once it was over, lol!)
This book begins as a slow burn as we meet the characters, witness the setup of the kidnapping and its execution. I loved reading about the planning of the crime and watching it unfold and even when the FBI comes onto the scene to take over the investigation. Once Henry is taken prisoner and he makes the connection with the presence at the farmhouse - oh my, but I was hooked. I went to Vegas for a week with the husband and I still made sure to set aside a couple hours to read. There did come a point where enough was enough and it came time to pay the piper and that slow burn turned into a raging inferno.
Philip Fracassi is outstanding when it comes to creativity and writing style. The two books I've read by him couldn't be more different from each other, yet both were excellent in their implementation of pacing, plot and atmosphere. This is an auto-buy author for me going forward and I'm already hard at work collecting his current published works!
Fracassi has become my Stephen King replacement.
You can find this review along with other reviews spanning multiple genres at The Nerdy Narrative or if you prefer video format, I do have a BookTube Channel
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Sharon, Andrew, Star, Amanda L., Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Lourdes, Tara, John, Sharon A-B, Ann, Chad K. & Ashley E.
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