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Ancient Dutch Folklore and Serial Killers

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Samantha Payne hasn’t been the same since the day she discovered her father burying a boy’s body on their summer property at Paynes Hollow. She hasn’t been back there since the discovery and its tragic aftermath either.

Now, her father is long dead, branded a serial killer, and she and her entire family are infamous. But Samantha’s cruel grandfather insists on bringing the past back to life, arguing that her father was never a killer and that she doesn’t know what she saw – she was just a child, after all. But she knows. She can never forget it.

The cruel and very rich grandfather is now dead, but he has ensured that he won’t be forgotten. Samantha will inherit the $10 million dollar lakefront property, which she can sell off and never see again, if she follows the strict outline of her grandfather’s will.  For a month, she must live on the property where she discovered her father’s killing, where her life fell apart, where she was stalked and tormented. During this month, she isn’t allowed to leave for more than an hour and must wear a tracker on her ankle to guarantee her location. The real kicker – the caretaker is the brother of the murdered boy. And he has never forgiven the Paynes.

Samantha isn’t especially driven by money – but she is broke. Her mother will soon be kicked out of the nursing home. The only way for Sam to save her mother, and get her the trial drugs she needs, is to once again bow to her grandfather’s will.

Staying in Paynes Hollow is, of course, a shock, and it does bring back memories. But it brings back more than that. In the night, she hears hoof beats once more, and something is glowing under the lake water. When people around Samantha start to go missing, the old horror begins again, but this time, she isn’t running away. This time, she will demand answers.

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow is peddled as a retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but it is not, although there is, of course, a headless horseman. Kelley Armstrong’s slow burn psychological horror is, instead, a reawakening of ancient Dutch folklore, and it is far more horrifying, with its sinister pagan roots and blood sacrifices. But first, we start with the everyday horror of trauma and struggling. That’s where we get to know Sam and her aunt, Gail, as the two band together to face the past so that they can have a future.

Image by David Cosgrove from Pixabay

Sam is a realistic character. She doesn’t disdain getting rich, although she has very altruistic reasons for wanting the money. She loves her mother and is heartbroken over her early onset dementia (her mother is in her 50s). Sam gave up her chance at Med school to spend what little money she had to take care of her mother. Meanwhile, the ruthless grandfather refused to provide any assistance because Sam still stood by what she saw: her father’s malevolence.

And so, when Sam arrives at the scene of her last childhood summer, it’s even more devastating to see that her grandfather has had the place restored to look exactly as it did the day she left, complete with her childhood decorations and toys. Then, the butchered animals start to appear, and the caretaker lurks in the forest, sparking more grief and anguish.

As the action slowly escalates, we get the traditional “is this happening, or is our beleaguered protagonist having a psychological break” theme. By the time the monsters come, we feel just as wrung out as Sam, just as emotionally drained. We’re bonded, we’re shocked, and yet, as Sam shows some resilience, so too, do we.

And the monsters are good. The things in the lake (I won’t give away what they are!) are both poignant and creepy, and our horseman’s legacy is both more malevolent and more twisted than the Sleepy Hollow shenanigans. It’s perfection, and once we’ve gone through fear and the isolation and the creeping memories with Sam, we’re ready for the story to go fully supernatural. And Armstrong does not disappoint.

In the end, we get our answer. And we get a concluding chapter to die for. There is a lot of carnage before then though. A lot of betrayal. You’ll never look at a placid nighttime lake the same way again, and you’ll certainly never listen to the clip-clop of a horse with that old childhood innocence. Highly recommended. I’ll be back for more of Armstrong’s storytelling.

 

– Frances Carden

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Frances Carden
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