Off the Charts – heart-shaped box (Joe Hill)

Ahoy there me mateys!  This be me read for the October BookBum Club Challenge where the theme be “Horrorween – read a horror book for Halloween!”  This has been on me list to read for forever.  I picked this one because it won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel (2007), Locus Award for Best First Novel (2008), ITW Thriller Award for Best First Novel (2008).  This book has a 3.83 rating on Goodreads from 85,635 Ratings and 7,334 Reviews.  I must be missing something.

This book bored me.  Aye, it had a fabulous premise.  I kinda liked the snarky and grump-tastic protagonist, Jude Coyne at times.  The beginning had a great set-up.  I really enjoyed the book up until the ghost showed up.  But the ghost was the least scary ghost I think I have ever read about.  All it did was talk.  Seriously boring.

This was one of those meandering books where not much happened.  And what did happen wasn’t worth readin’ about.   I feel like people who thought it was scary were readin’ a different version.  I was interested in reading NOS4A2 but the First Mate read that one and said that that wasn’t good either.  I shall pass.  Very disappointed and will likely not be readin’ more by this author.

Much thanks to the BookBum Club for giving me the incentive to finally read this “Horrorween” novel.

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

Aging, self-absorbed rock star Judas Coyne has a thing for the macabre — his collection includes sketches from infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a trepanned skull from the 16th century, a used hangman’s noose, Aleister Crowley’s childhood chessboard, etc. — so when his assistant tells him about a ghost for sale on an online auction site, he immediately puts in a bid and purchases it.

The black, heart-shaped box that Coyne receives in the mail not only contains the suit of a dead man but also his vengeance-obsessed spirit. The ghost . . . begins his assault on the rocker’s sanity.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Joe Hill – Author

To buy the book go to:

heart-shaped box – Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Previous 2018 BookBum Club Monthly Reviews

March 2018 – “And the award goes to – pick a book that has won an award!”

April 2018 – “Short and sweet – read a book that’s under 200 pages!”

May 2018 – “Around the world – a book by an author who is from another country.”

June 2018 – “Movie night – a book that was adapted into a movie.”

August 2018 – “That is so last year – a book ye meant to read in 2017.”

September 2018 – “Back to School – a book you were made to read as part of your classes, a book that’s currently one being made to read in classes or simply a book you personally read during the years you were at school.”