Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novella
Call of the Night Singers by Ari McKay is a charming little novella that resembles one of those mysterious and scary campfire stories you were told as a child. With just enough supernatural influence to raise goose bumps and a dash of the “whodunit” as well, this story turned out to be a delightful addition to this writing duo’s bookshelf.
Centering around two professors in what appears to be late 1800s America, the couple are quickly established and living together, cautiously avoiding the prying and condemning eyes of society. When Garland is contacted that he is to inherit his uncle’s estate upon that same uncle’s death, he and his lover, Geoffrey, travel there in order for all the paperwork to be officially signed. However, there is something quite macabre and strange surrounding the official naming of an heir, for five cousins have gone before Garland and met their death, four by drowning. Now the two young men become embroiled in the dangerous mystery surrounding Heatherford House and the very real idea that one or both of them may not live to tell the tale.
Once again, the writing team of Ari McKay delivers what they do best, a tight, compact story that immediately draws you in and holds you in its thrall. While the pages may be few, each one is loaded with information and a swiftly developing plot that has multiple twists and turns and is highly entertaining. Characterization does not suffer in this condensed story format, mainly due to these author’s abilities to expose bits and pieces of Garland and Geoffrey’s past as they build the day-to-day action around them. I found myself really involved in Call of the Night Singers and enjoying the unfolding drama. It is a riveting tale of the macabre that fans of the genre will not want to miss.
