The old house at the end of a dead-end street is more of a dead end than anyone realizes...
They are five misfit kids who have banded together in their small Ohio River town. Over the years, they had organized various clubs, and now they've formed the Halloween Horror Club. The premise is simple: each week, each teen spins a horrifying tale, and at the end of five weeks, the scariest story wins a prize. The twist: the stories have to be told in the infamous and abandoned Tuttle house, where, fifteen years earlier, nearly an entire family had been murdered in their beds.
The idea of the club seems like a good one, until the kids begin to realize they may not be alone in the Tuttle house, which backs up against the woods. There seems to be someone--or something—watching them. Is it Paul Tuttle, the son who, while still in his teens, disappeared the night his parents and sister were killed? Or is it someone even more sinister?
With each story (each a completed short, original horror tale that stands on its own), the tension mounts...and so does the anger of the house's mysterious inhabitant. He is enraged at having his space violated, and his rage could mean a real dead end for those who dare to invade his home...
Genres: Horror / Suspense / Thriller / Young Adult
When Peter suggests to his friends their latest club should be called Halloween Horror Club where once a week a different member has to come up with a horror story to tell and at the end of the five weeks they'll vote on the scariest, they were all for it. Then Peter added they had to do this from inside the abandoned house at the end of a dead end street where a family was murdered and the son went missing, there was a few not so keen but decided to go ahead anyway. Will the five survive the house to tell all their stories and vote or will the mysterious stranger behind the noises they hear have other plans?
HOLY HANNAH BATMAN!!!! Rick R Reed has brought creepy to a whole new level with Dead End Street. Not only is the story as a whole a complete edge-of-your-seat nailbiter, but we also get five short stories within the main tale through the kids' contributions to their Halloween Horror Club, so its like getting 6 for the price of 1, what's not to love about that? Unfortunately, there are too many communities that have that one house with a sad, tragic tale in its history, most are probably not abandoned property like the kids use but still add a spooky flavor to your town. The fact that it can blend in anywhere just heightens the nailbiter element, for me anyway.
Now I haven't really read a "young adult" tale since I was about 12, I pretty much jumped right into more mature-age stories early on. Some might find the young adult tag debatable because of the horror element and perhaps that is true, I think this is one that if you are looking for a story for middle to high school age kids then you have to know the kids you are buying for. Personally, had I read this when I was 13-17, I would have been just as creeped out but in love with the story as I am now but it might be a little intense for some kids(and adults too😉). As I said, you just have to know the kids you're thinking about giving this to. Frankly, there is no age limit on enjoyment so if you are like me and young adult stories are really not your "genre of choice" but spooky, creepy, mystery, horror is then I can't recommend Dead End Street enough.
I don't really think I can say anything more about Rick R Reed's Dead End Street without touching on spoilers so I'll just reiterate: HOLY HANNAH BATMAN! and WOW! and SCARED THE BEEJESUS OUT OF ME! and a thousand other catchphrases and words that basically say: this is a winner and I highly recommend it to anyone who even remotely enjoys mystery/horror. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. Seriously, stop reading my review and go jump in yourself.
RATING:
"Thanks," Peter said. "Anyway, what I was thinking was this: it's only six weeks until Halloween, right?"
Erin nodded and flung a mass of her dark brown hair over one shoulder. She gave Peter the full attention of her eyes, which were so dark they appeared bottomless.
"Well, what we could do is meet officially once a week. At that time, each one of us would be responsible for making up a scary story ... you know, something really gross or bloody ... for that week. When we're all done, we'll take a vote and whoever gets the most votes gets to decide how we'll spend Halloween."
"Boring!" David said. "Can we move on to other business, like putting some other music on? This sucks."
"I think the idea has potential," Marlene said.
"I didn't tell you guys the best part, though." Peter's face flushed red with excitement. "We'll meet at the Tuttle house each week. That's where we'll tell our stories."
The group got quiet. Even the music seemed to get softer, as if an unseen hand were turning down the sound.
"The Tuttle house?" Erin whispered, her dark eyes alive with fear.
"Isn't that where all those murders happened? That family?" Roy's voice cracked.
"Supposedly." David spoke up. "That was a long time ago, before any of us were even born. I think it's just a rotting house up on the hill. Nothing to be scared of."
"Then we can do it?" Peter sounded hopeful.
"I haven't got a problem," David said.
"I don't know," Erin twisted a strand of her dark hair. "What if someone catches us?"
"Who's going to catch us?" Marlene spoke up. "The house is at the end of a dead end road; there aren't even any neighbors until you get to the Washingtons and they're at least a football field or two away. If we're quiet, I don't think anyone would even pay any attention. It's just an empty old house, really."
Peter looked around at them all. "An empty old house? Maybe. That's part of why I want us to meet there ... to see just how empty it is. I've heard things, lots of things about the Tuttle house." His gaze met Erin's, who had gone pale. "It may not be as empty as some people'd like to think." He grinned. "Or hope."
Erin nodded and flung a mass of her dark brown hair over one shoulder. She gave Peter the full attention of her eyes, which were so dark they appeared bottomless.
"Well, what we could do is meet officially once a week. At that time, each one of us would be responsible for making up a scary story ... you know, something really gross or bloody ... for that week. When we're all done, we'll take a vote and whoever gets the most votes gets to decide how we'll spend Halloween."
"Boring!" David said. "Can we move on to other business, like putting some other music on? This sucks."
"I think the idea has potential," Marlene said.
"I didn't tell you guys the best part, though." Peter's face flushed red with excitement. "We'll meet at the Tuttle house each week. That's where we'll tell our stories."
The group got quiet. Even the music seemed to get softer, as if an unseen hand were turning down the sound.
"The Tuttle house?" Erin whispered, her dark eyes alive with fear.
"Isn't that where all those murders happened? That family?" Roy's voice cracked.
"Supposedly." David spoke up. "That was a long time ago, before any of us were even born. I think it's just a rotting house up on the hill. Nothing to be scared of."
"Then we can do it?" Peter sounded hopeful.
"I haven't got a problem," David said.
"I don't know," Erin twisted a strand of her dark hair. "What if someone catches us?"
"Who's going to catch us?" Marlene spoke up. "The house is at the end of a dead end road; there aren't even any neighbors until you get to the Washingtons and they're at least a football field or two away. If we're quiet, I don't think anyone would even pay any attention. It's just an empty old house, really."
Peter looked around at them all. "An empty old house? Maybe. That's part of why I want us to meet there ... to see just how empty it is. I've heard things, lots of things about the Tuttle house." His gaze met Erin's, who had gone pale. "It may not be as empty as some people'd like to think." He grinned. "Or hope."
Real Men. True Love.
Rick R. Reed draws inspiration from the lives of gay men to craft stories that quicken the heartbeat, engage emotions, and keep the pages turning. Although he dabbles in horror, dark suspense, and comedy, his attention always returns to the power of love. He’s the award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction and is forever at work on yet another book. Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…” You can find him at his website or blog. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA with his beloved husband.
SMASHWORDS / BOOKBUB / AUDIBLE / KOBO
EMAIL: rickrreedbooks@gmail.com
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