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Friday 15 June 2018

THE TALL MAN by Phoebe Locke

A senseless murder. 
A terrifying legend. 
A family haunted. 

 1990: In the darkest woods, three girls go looking for the Tall Man. 

 2000: A young mother disappears, leaving behind her husband and baby daughter. 

 2018: A teenage girl is charged with murder, and her trial will shock the world. 

 Three chilling events, connected by one shadowy figure. 

 THE TALL MAN is coming...


Just like The Outsider, this was one of my most anticipated books for this year. So as soon as Hachette Australia sent me a copy--thank you so much!--I got stuck into it. 

Sadie has been haunted by the Tall Man, and what happened in the woods when she was a kid, her whole life. So badly that when she gave birth to a daughter, she left her behind so the child wouldn't suffer her curse. 

Amber might be young but she's been through a lot, and doesn't exactly have a normal family. She's also reached celebrity status because she was accused of a terrible crime. 

Greta just wants to do what she loves the most: tell stories. That's how she ended up working on a documentary about the effects a childhood curse had on one family.

Their stories are different, but the answers will lead all three to the same haunting place... 

Wow. That was intense. 

I have to admit that I got a Slender Man vibe from this story from the very first time I read the blurb. And even while reading, I still did. But like all the best stories, the freakiest facets of that legend are taken and turned into a new scary myth. 

Told in the POV of several narrators, and spanning across several timeless, a dark legend gone terribly wrong weaves a crooked tale where even darker secrets are revealed in an unpredictable way. 

There are twists and turns, and at times the book feels like a jigsaw puzzle with many pieces slowly coming together in the most intricate method. One of my favourite things about this story is the way it was written. The tension gripped me from the beginning, and dragged me deeper with every new exciting page and shocking revelation. 

The pace is perfect. This book moves at its own pace, in a way that fits the narrative perfectly. It also makes every eerie thing (because there are many) weigh so much more in your mind. 

A lot of what happens is often disorienting, but never confusing. I LOVE getting stuck into a book and being positive I know exactly what's going on, but then the rug gets pulled out from under me and everything is even worse than I first thought.

I certainly got a kick out of this wicked tale. 

The Tall Man is a creepy, atmospheric psychological thriller that infects your mind so thoroughly, the shadows start playing tricks on you. I was totally invested in the lives of all these women. Enthralled by the urban legend keeping it all together, as everything gradually unravelled to reveal its chilling innards. 

I seriously enjoyed this unpredictable book and would recommend it to anyone who likes creepy psychological thrillers with a horror ambiguity that'll stay with me for a long time. 

This is another keeper.


The Tall Man, June 2018, ISBN 9781472249241, Wildfire

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