The Sighting (The Sighting #1): Christopher Coleman

Reviewed By Steve Stred

• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: Independently published (December 11, 2017)

I snagged The Sighting from Amazon a while ago after it was offered up as a freebie. The cover and synopsis were super intriguing and I had already grabbed Coleman’s twisted fairy tale books (which I need to still read).

I’ve always been a fan of the unknown; what lurks in deep waters? What resided in those subterranean worlds? A simple cover of a man standing on a dock staring out over the water had me hooked. A description that said every 14 months the creature comes out of the water made this a must read.

The story follows Danny Lynch, who has moved to a quaint coastal town with his wife. He wrote a few hit songs and now they have cash rolling in. They find themselves in a routine, no true friends here, most are hours away in the city still. But they like the solace of their new residence.

Every morning Danny goes for a run and a swim. This takes him down to the hugely popular beach near the house, but he ensures he goes first thing in the morning to avoid crowds of people and the heat.

Everything is routine until the morning Danny hears a loud splash and watches a dark figure emerge from the water.

From here Coleman leads us down a great path of gore, folklore and some detective work.

The story is a very fast paced read and I really enjoyed the characters involved. There are a few parts that felt rushed and things happen a bit quickly, but in such a short page count I found myself looking past those things just to enjoy the story.

This is part one and part two is out now. This didn’t detract at all from the story and you’d be more than able to just read part one and call it a day. Coleman does a great job of simultaneously giving this story an intriguing ending but also leading us into a book two.

For me, as I said, I’m always a sucker for a good creature feature and this one delivered.

Star Rating (out of 5): 4*

The Sighting (The Sighting #1)

From the ocean, it rose.

Every fourteen months it appears on a secluded beach in a small town just before dawn.

One morning during his daily run to the beach, Danny Lynch witnesses the strangest and most incredible thing he’s ever seen.

A dark, man-like figure emerges from the ocean, stands for just a few moments on the beach, and then retreats back to the surf.

Danny’s perspective on the world changes in an instant, and as the only eyewitness to this event, his mission now is to convince anyone who will listen that what he saw was real.

But with only a vague photo and a dubious story, that task is proving almost impossible, and his only hope may be in finding a mysterious woman who was at the beach earlier that morning, and who may hold the terrifying secret that could cost Danny his life.

What did Danny see? And why is he in danger?

You can buy The Sighting from Amazon UK & Amazon US

Steve Stred

Steve Stred is an up-and-coming Dark, Bleak Horror author.

Steve is the author of the novel Invisible, the novellas Wagon Buddy, Yuri and Jane: the 816 Chronicles and two collections of short stories; Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery and Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick, the dark poetry collection Dim the Sun and his most recent release was the coming-of-age, urban legend tale The Girl Who Hid in the Trees.

On June 1st, 2019 his second full-length novel, The Stranger will be welcomed to the world.

Steve is also a voracious reader, reviewing everything he reads and submitting the majority of his reviews to be featured on Kendall Reviews.

Steve Stred is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife, his son and their dog OJ.

You can follow Steve on Twitter @stevestred

You can visit Steve’s Official website here

The Stranger

Ahhh… nothing like the annual summer family camping trip, right?

Malcolm, his wife Sam and their two kids have been staying at the same cabin, at the same campground for years now. Heck, Malcolm’s been coming to the campground since he was a kid.

Miles and miles of groomed trails, hiking, kayaking on the pristine lake. What’s not to like?

But this year… well this year’s different. You see, roof repairs have caused them to have to change their plans. Now they’re staying at the cabin at the end of season, in fact they’re the last campers before it closes for the winter.

While happy to be spending time with the family, Malcolm feels a shift.

The caretaker next door makes it known he hates him.

The trees… move and dance, as though calling him, beckoning him.

Then on a seemingly normal kayaking trip, the family makes a discovery.

YOU TAKE FROM ME

I TAKE FROM YOU

Something’s out there, just on the other side of the fence. Malcolm’s positive it’s just the caretaker trying to scare him, teach the family a lesson.

But what if it’s not…

What if there is something out there?

The Stranger is the second novel from Steve Stred and 9th release overall. The Stranger is another offering following in the footsteps of similar books Invisible, YURI and The Girl Who Hid in the Trees. As Steve describes his works; “dark, bleak horror.”

With this release, Steve has decided to look deeper into what makes humans tick. He confronts two key elements of mankind; bigotry and our environmental footprint.

Featuring stunning cover art by Chadwick St. John (www.inkshadows.com), The Stranger will be a story that will leave you feeling uneasy and have you looking at the trees differently.

Maybe it’s not the wind making the branches sway…

Maybe…

It’s…

The Stranger. 

You can buy The Stranger from Amazon UK & Amazon US