Dark Corner [Paperback]

Meanwhile, a vampire named Kyle Coiraut comes to Dark Corner, also to find the fearsome warrior father Diallo, whom he'd previously thought was dead. As the story unfolds, we discover that David's family has an unfinished destiny that's leading him on a collision course with Kyle and Diallo, and the town of Mason's Corner will be the battle ground.

I won't go into further details because with a great horror novel, the twists and turns of plot are integral to the enjoyment. But suffice it to say, the book pays off on a number of levels, and has several layers of complexity going on that Massey handles with great skill. As a writer myself, one thing I really appreciate is something fresh, something that's puts a whole new spin on my view of things. In Dark Corner, Brandon Massey somehow takes elements of classic vampire tales and explores them in exciting new ways.

Not only do I look forward to seeing what Massey has in store next, but I'm also hoping he will explore these charcters further. There's plenty of groundwork laid for compelling looks into the past and the future of these characters, and if he chooses to pursue them, I'll be first in line to purchase them.

You should be too.

Meet David Hunter, son of a famous writer, Richard Hunter who hails from Mason?s Corner, Mississippi. After his fathers? untimely death and the lack of a father-son relationship growing up, David decides to find out what he can about this mystery of a man by leaving his home in Atlanta and journeying to his fathers home to live for a year or two. Horror brews in this quiet and quaint town where up until now, Richard Hunter was the most notable citizen. The pot is stirred when Kyle flies in from Paris to take up residence in the haunted mansion of the town?s founder, Edward Mason. Kyle too is looking for his father, Diallo and when David and Kyle?s paths cross, good versus evil takes on new meaning. Kyle is the son of vampires and even among their ranks there is a sense of justice. Being a small town, full of curious folk who are eager to meet and discuss their two newest residents, strange and sinister things begin to unfold and these things are noticed by quite a number of people. A number of deeply winding plot twists take David and his friend Nia, the police chief Van Jackson and his son, the towns self proclaimed historian, Franklin and his wife Ruby on a journey that no one will forget in pursuit of destiny outlined by David?s Great Grandfather over a century ago.

Masterfully written, Dark Corner enthralled me. Mr. Massey?s use of the English language impressed me along with his innate ability to tell a story made this giant of a book a breeze to read. The characters, were diverse and well developed and easily kept track of. Best of all, this horror novel scared me so it did its job.

Richard Hunter, infamous novelist, anthropologist, and absentee father, disappeared in a mysterious boating accident; his body is never discovered and he is legally declared dead. His son, David, inherits both his father?s vast fortune and an overwhelming need to learn more about the father he never knew. He heads to Dark Corner ? his father?s birthplace ? and location of the family home to begin his quest for discovery.

Kyle Coiraut, is a168-year-old vampire - a Frenchman of African lineage who has discovered that his father was a bloodthirsty African warrior enslaved and embittered by the American slave trade who was killed and entombed in Mason?s Corner before Kyle?s birth during a massacre. Kyle heads to Dark Corner, sets up house at Jubilee, and plans to resurrect his father.

David and Kyle are on similar missions ? to learn about fathers they never knew and their fates are ultimately married to this quest. As one can reasonably deduce, the conditions are set for fireworks to begin as both David and Kyle?s family histories unfold. Massey skillfully plays on the father-son relationships throughout the book as well as building a credible, suspenseful vampire novel. Although the story started slowly and our hero, David, was in reactive mode throughout most of the novel; it is an enjoyable horror/vampire saga that ties themes of responsibility, vengeance, good, and evil.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club