The House at Black Tooth Pond
Stephen Mark Rainey
Crossroad Press (February 1, 2025)
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham
Aiken Mill, Virginia, also known as ‘The Cold Case Capitol of the World,’ is fast becoming the bane of Sheriff Bryce Parrott’s existence with the latest mysterious death–a mutilated body, torn to pieces and scattered about a room in a local boarding house. The man’s name was Frank Lydell, and his murder seems to be the triggering factor for all the horrific events that follow.
The Pritchett brothers, Martin and Phillip, discover a rundown old house out at Black Tooth Pond while walking a dog. They do a little exploring inside, finding nothing more remarkable than a stack of old mail. But after they leave, they discover that the house now exerts an influence over them that grows stronger by the day and is seemingly impossible to break.
Though Parrott and the Pritchetts work to solve their own problems, their paths eventually cross—right at the house at Black Tooth Pond, where they begin working together.
But in time?
Mr. Rainey presents us with another masterful crime/horror/sci-fi/paranormal genre-blending book that is hard to put down. I read The House at Black Tooth Pond in one sitting—it was that exciting and that frightening. Think of a traditional haunted house story but on LSD. It was somewhat reminiscent of Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, in that the house itself is insane. I enjoy horror that is more of the creepy type and this book did not disappoint.
5 out of 5 stars…You’ll want this for the next stormy night.
