Review: The Creeper by A.M. Shine

It’s been a while since I enjoyed a really good remote community/borderline cult book. There’s usually a strong religious element making everything creepier, a doctrine on which the insular locals rely and the worldly interlopers scoff or dread. But The Creeper by A.M. Shine proposes this closed-off community as a place devoid of religion, where a single obscure nursery rhyme has taken over, prompting the inhabitants of Tir Mallacht to cut themselves off from the rest of the world.

The nursery rhyme is, of course, delivered by a creepy child. And the inhabitants themselves do provide a lot of the creeping dread. Shine hasn’t shied away from thinking about what generations of inbreeding might do to a community. But more than this, there is a glee taken in the details, a grim kind of body horror that’s only compounded in the final act, when things become grisly-crystal clear.

One of the things I loved about this book was the characterisation. The mysterious and fastidious Alec Sparling was the main puzzle for me throughout, somehow more attractive than the central questions around the Tir Mallacht community. I enjoyed Chloe, as well, and almost wish the story had been told from her perspective. I confess to finding the ‘true’ main character, Ben, a bit annoying.

The Creeper is an excellent Halloween read for anyone wanting some creeping scares and fascinating character work.

The Creeper by A.M. Shine is out now and available here.

Review writting with thanks to the publishers and NetGalley.co.uk for an e-advanced review copy.