Within These Walls

With his marriage on the rocks, washed-up true-crime writer Lucas is desperate for a comeback. His chance comes when he's promised exclusive access to inmate Jeffrey Halcomb, the notorious cult leader and mass murderer ready to break his silence after thirty years. With nothing left to lose, Lucas leaves to live and work from the crime scene: a split-level farmhouse soaked in the blood of Halcomb's diviners—runaways drawn to his message of family, unity, and unconditional love. Jeffrey Halcomb promised his devout eternal life, and they're far from dead within these walls.⠀⠀⠀⠀WITHIN THESE WALLS is a spine-tingling thriller that intertwines the past and present of Halcomb's cult of runaways and the true story uncovered by true-crime writer Lucas. With great fascination, I thoroughly enjoyed the evolution of the "family." But also terrifying to witness Audra's transformation into a brainwashed member. I've mostly read books that took place after the math, but Ahlborn produced a well-written narrative that captured the realistic nature of cults and the manipulation of one's leader.⠀⠀⠀⠀Fast forward to the present; Lucas and his daughter live in the home where Halcomb committed mass suicide and murder. Lucas isn't the most likable guy in the world. But he's bearable enough that you feel a bit sorry for him. Not the best parenting skills, but it's not like his angsty teenager made it any easier. I can't disclose much, but I will mention that the supernatural activity gave me the creeps with one binge-worthy twist!⠀⠀⠀Ahlborn always delivers a masterful horror piece that would also entice thriller readers. Thanks to the detail-oriented writing, I visualized each compelling scene from start to finish. WITHIN THESE WALLS is a must-read if you're into cult-themed books. We rarely get a look into the growth and demise of a cult, so I'm thrilled I finally picked up this hit!

(3.5/4)This book was a good spooky sort of story set in a house of previous horrors.This is the story of Lucas and his daughter. Well, lots of others as well but they are the main (living) characters of the story for the most part in the present day. Lucas and his wife are having marriage issues. When he gets a lead about a story, he's a writer, he jumps at it. He is asked by known cult leader/killer Jeffrey Halcomb to come live in the house that some bad stuff went down in during a two week period and he will grant him information for a real good story. He decides to do it but his wife is all, "blah blah you go and take our daughter I'm off on a trip with "work" (and the man she's suspected of having an affair with) and we're over by the way". He takes his daughter and off they go to the freaky house.That's pretty much the initial set up. Once there things slowly, a little too slowly at times, start to happen. For a long time this is just gathering information and learning about the things that have happened. Oh, and when they arrive in this town to get to work, Mr. psycho decides he doesn't want to do the giveaway anymore. Anyway, as you are reading this part of the story it is also flashing back to the 80's when the first bloody mess happened in the house so you get to see what was going on back then and what actually happened.This book is good and has a good story line and plot going on. However, this is a wordy book. At times it just seems to have a lot of words and not a lot of going anywhere. The cult stuff is good but it's very "Manson" like. Once it gets to the final act in the past and when the supernatural stuff finally comes to play in the present it breaks away from that feeling a bit. For me it got just a little bit weird for a while in the past and present stories both at the end of their stories but it was also a good ending as well.I can't really go into detail so this review is probably less than helpful but it would be horrible for me to spoil anything for you! I went into this blindly and that seemed to work out well for me. Perhaps that would work for you as well? It's definitely worth giving a chance to.

I liked the plot but I am not so sure about the execution. It was too slow for my taste and then at the end everything happens so quickly I could barely understand. The ending was good and the fact that there are two plots (eventually I was more interested to know What was happening in the past). Maybe I would like it more if one the main chatacters were not a teenager....

Another stunner from Anita Ahlborn. A real page-turner. Kept me riveted right to the shocking end! Definitely add this to your TBR pile!

Absolutely loved it. I love all of Ahlborn's work but this is my favourite so far.

For all my reviews, check out my blog Clues and Reviewshttps://cluesandreviews.wordpress.com/Defeated crime writer, Lucas Graham, is looking for a comeback. He’s feeling his life is a mess (with an adulteress wife and an angst-filled teenage daughter), so when a beacon of hope arrives from a correctional facility for an exclusive interview and access to Satanic cult leader, Jeffery Halcomb, he jumps on the opportunity to gain control back of his life; he’ll fix his marriage, he’ll rebuild his relationship with his daughter and he will find success. What he doesn’t realize, is all those things will come at a price…Well, Ania Ahlborn has done it again. I can’t sleep. My mind is racing. And I’m pretty sure I am seeing things in my room. When I was looking for a creepy Halloween read to end off my October reading, I instantly jumped to Ahlborn. I read one of her other novels, Brother, earlier this year and was hooked. Naturally, I picked up a few others and was hoarding saving them for the perfect opportunity. Within These Walls, a psychological and supernatural horror, is a completely original, and frightening, story that will leave you gasping and checking over your shoulder.The novel opens with a letter from a correctional facility. Renowned cult leader, and Satanist, Jeffery Halcomb is trying to connect with a true-crime author (Lucas). He has never spoken out on his crimes before, after being involved in the sacrifice and murder of one of his followers (the daughter of a congressman, Audra/Avis, and her newborn child) and then the suicides of eight others in some sort of ritualistic killing. He agrees to tell his complete story, in an exclusive interview, as long as Lucas moves into “his” home: the scene of the crime.This got me hooked immediately. For starters, cults are both fascinating to me and terrifying! The novel immediately gave me a vibe that I got reading Helter Skelter (about the Manson family murders) or, this summer’s hit, The Girls by Emma Cline. It also reminded me of the movie, Sinister, with the washed-up crime writer looking to revamp their career by moving into a home that was a scene of a crime. I, personally, really enjoyed the parallels; I felt like it helped to set up the creepy atmosphere even more.The novel is narrated in alternating chapters between the present (as we watch Lucas pack up his daughter, move them into the Halcomb house and begin investigating into the cult and their rituals) and the past (as we see Audra/Avis sucked into the cult and the events that led up to her demise). I loved this narration. Through Audra/Avis’ eyes, we are able to see the slow manipulation as she is sucked deeper and deeper into the cult and we follow the desperation of Lucas, as he grasps at straws to try and redeem himself. It really allowed for the reader to become close to both characters and then watch in horror as everything unravels.As the novel progresses, it develops and introduces some paranormal elements.Yes. As if a cult isn’t bad enough, Alhborn gives us a cult that will come back from the dead to reach its goal.Now, the novel is paced a little slower than I would have liked; however, it does work to build up anxiety and push towards the climax. I feel like maybe if Jeffery, the cult leader, would have been given a perspective in the narration, it would have helped to drive the story a little harder and keep the pace up.Regardless, the concept is creepy. The characters are creepy and I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for that!

I thought The Bird Eater was a step back for Ania but this book has reclaimed her place as one of my favourite authors. Her attention to the characters was brilliant and the story gripped me like her early books did. Cannot wait for her next book.