The Tall Man by Phoebe Locke

THE TALL MAN

by Phoebe Locke 

Ok, so if you really don't want to sleep tonight, then read this! If you love Stephen King, Halloween, listening to urban myths and truly spine tingling reads, then this is your book! Phoebe Locke's thriller deserves all the hype - it really is a book that will having you switching on the lights, shivering under your bed covers and making you scared of the shadows! 

The Tall Man starts in 1990 where we watch three girls gathering in the woods and devoting themselves to a sinister figure. Then we leap to the year 2000, where a young mother has disappeared, leaving behind her husband and a baby daughter. Moving forward again, we are taken to the present day, 2018, and pick up the story of a teenage girl who has been charged with murder and faces a trial that will shock the world. How are these lives connected? Who is the Tall Man who casts a shadow over these girls and what is his power over them?

This has all the ingredients for a perfect thriller. Firstly there are three timelines which alternate, revealing the different characters and segments of the story. These three story lines are used to build tension, suspense and fear, and expertly managed so slowly the truth is carefully revealed. The structure of the novel is very effectively controlled and executed, showing Locke's confidence and skill as she knows exactly how to hook the reader, keep them captivated and maintain the level of tension throughout the entire novel. 

The atmosphere is dark, oppressive and deeply creepy. It's fantastic to read a novel that blurs genres and makes the reader question what is real and what is imagined. The use of storytelling and urban legends, particularly in the scenes between the teenage girls, is such a great hook and one that immediately sets the reader on edge. Locke's depiction of teenager girls, their dialogue, behaviour, motive and attitudes is utterly convincing and authentic. In fact, all the characterisation is completely realistic, particularly the narrative of the mother who has abandoned her baby and husband. Locke is able to make you relate to each of the key characters, to engage with them and to want to stay with them as they journey through trying to confront their past, their present and their future. She has a great insight to the characters emotional states of mind, their dilemmas, decisions, anguish and fear which helps the reader to relate to them fully. It adds depth to the atmosphere of menace and threat that lurks in the situations they find themselves facing. 

It would be wrong to reveal much more about the plot for fear of spoiling it for readers, but if you like books that are haunting, ghostly, full of spine tingling suspense and tension then this is the book for you. Locke is a gifted writer and has woven a terrifying tale that is addictive and deliciously frightening. Her expert handling of the different story lines, the move between the past and the present, her ability to maintain tension throughout every section makes this an accomplished thriller and a must read for all fans of crime fiction. 

I recommend! 

The Tall Man by Phoebe Locke was published by Wildfire on June 14th 2018.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the novel.