HORROR REVIEW: Apartment 16 - Adam Nevill

BOOK BLURB:

Some doors are better left closed...In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it's been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever. A young American woman, Apryl, arrives at Barrington House. She's been left an apartment by her mysterious Great Aunt Lillian who died in strange circumstances. Rumours claim Lillian was mad. But her diary suggests she was implicated in a horrific and inexplicable event decades ago. Determined to learn something of this eccentric woman, Apryl begins to unravel the hidden story of Barrington House. She discovers that a transforming, evil force still inhabits the building. And the doorway to Apartment 16 is a gateway to something altogether more terrifying...


REVIEW:

In recent years, Brit Horror has taken more of a backseat against a lot of titles from American authors such as Stephen King and Joe Hill. Here in this offering, the book is set in an apartment block called Barrington House and features two principle characters. Apryl, an American who is left her Great Aunt Lillian’s apartment and Nightwatch Man Seth. The tale centres around the long empty Apartment 16 and as Seth gets into his stride at work, he notices that the empty apartment has a lot of activity happening within. One night he summons up the courage to look through the letter box only to feel a ghostly wind upon his face which then sets up the tale for his investigation.

Apryl, on the other hand, notices pretty soon that her Aunt’s apartment is missing paintings and mirrors, only to find out why when she brings up a mirror from the basement. A vision which terrifies her. Upon finding her Aunt’s journals she also embarks upon her own investigation about the mysterious apartment.

The book itself is very well written with the descriptiveness better than a great many established authors with a good story arc but at times it can feel a bit tedious in places. Definitely a title I’d recommend to those who enjoy a good spine-tingling tale.