Review: Let Him In

Let Him In by William Friend
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me an early copy of this novel. (Well, early for the US!) Below is my honest review.

This novel had a great hook - grief, twins, lost parent/partner, mysterious entity. We never know what we can trust the whole time. Is Black Mamba real? Is he imaginary? Is he a demon? Are the girls making him up? It makes for a fun, compelling read, as events keep pushing Alfie, the twins' widowed father, and Julia, the twins' aunt, towards a confrontation with the thing known as Black Mamba... and each other.

All in all, I found it to be a hard to put down read. The short chapters are split by Julia and Alfie POVs, and we learn a little more of the story from each - both past and present - as things are slowly revealed. But each chapter makes you want to read just one more, which is the sign of a great book.

I did say, the ending didn't leave me fully satisfied, and I really wish that they'd kept the UK title ("Black Mamba") for the novel. Of course, it wasn't a bad ending... I just had felt so compelled to keep reading that when I got to the end, I wanted more.

All in all, four stars. Recommended for horror fans and fans of tales of grief and rebuilding.

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