Hex
Thomas Olde Heuvelt
2016, 384 pages
Thriller/Horror
Welcome to the picturesque town of Black Spring. It’s beautiful, thriving . . . and haunted. The ghost of Katherine, a dark witch killed by Dutch settlers in the 1600s, walks the streets, enters homes at will and stands next to beds at night. Although she is blinded and mute, residents know that she can never be freed. If she is, she will destroy everything in her path.
The town tracks Katherine’s movements with high-tech surveillance, quarantining their residents in order to save them. Frustrated with their lockdown, four teens decide to break their silence and expose Katherine to the public, with no idea of the consequences they are about to unleash.
Hex is a throwback to old-school horror, updated for modern times. Heuvelt cleverly combines the high-tech surveillance that allows residents to feel safe with the genuinely creepy actions and reactions of Katherine. Heuvelt’s use of description is unsettling and intense, and it’s hard to believe that this was originally set in a Dutch town as the New York setting seems perfect for the story. You won’t want to put this book down until you finish it.
Nora Cascadden
Concord Public Library
Visit CPL at concordpubliclibrary.net.
