The Switch House: Tim Meyer

Reviewed by Steve Stred

This is my second go-around with one of Mr. Meyer’s releases (the first being KILL HILL CARNAGE) and all I can say is WOW! Tim is putting out some amazingly fun, gore-y, horror that will appeal to a wide scope of readers.

While the previously mentioned KILL HILL CARNAGE is a more straight-forward creature feature, The Switch House is that rare breed of horror; emotional.

This read has a straight forward premise – a grieving husband and wife are selected to appear on a reality TV series where they switch houses with another grieving person (in this case an elderly woman) to try and help them jump start the healing process.

What a great Hallmark TV movie right?

Wrong. Oh so very wrong.

The beauty of the writing/storytelling here, is that it continues to descend deeper and deeper into madness while bringing the reader further and further along in your emotional attachment to Angela (the main-main character). Every page pushes you to the brink, while letting you adjust your grip on the edge of the seat. As every chapter finishes, you find yourself glancing at the clock, knowing full well you will be reading another chapter.

A surprising thing I found with this tale, was that it is exceptionally dark and twisted, with very minimal full on gore, and that is refreshing. While I do love my gore and violence, feeling unsettled sometimes can be so much more disturbing than blood.

I have one minor annoyance from the reading, and that was the other main character (Angela’s husband) Terry. The character works well, but ultimately I think I wanted a bit more to relate to him and to how he reacts and acts throughout.

Lastly, Tim added on a few short stories afterwards, which is always a great bonus. I won’t go too far into them, as I don’t want to give away any spoilers about them, but I found them to read like the after-credits scenes of a good movie.

Overall this book is a must read and if it is currently on your TBR pile, move it far up the stack, and read it next. Tim has delivered once again, and I can’t wait to see what he serves up for us next.

Star Rating (out of 5): 5*

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve won a role on LET’S SWITCH HOUSES! Your life is going to change. We promise. Your dreams will come true. Everything you’ve ever wanted, we have it. This is a chance of a lifetime. Come inside. Switch with us.

Angela and Terry return home after several grueling months of filming the popular television show, LET’S SWITCH HOUSES!, only to find their residence in ruin. Sure, the décor and framed photographs are the same; the color of the walls hasn’t changed; the furniture sits unmoved. But something is off. Their quiet New Jersey home feels tainted. Angela can sense it. Crawling inside her. Infecting her mind. Poisoning her thoughts.

Then the nightmares begin. Awful, lucid visions that cause her to question her own reality. What happened at 44 Trenton Road while she was gone? Just what did she do, that bizarre woman who claims she can communicate with the beyond? Who is she exactly? Angela aims to find out, but the further she investigates, the deeper into madness she descends. How far will she travel before she loses the trail of clues? Or worse—before she loses her mind.

You can buy The Switch House from Amazon UK & Amazon US

Steve Stred

Steve Stred is an up-an-coming Dark 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.

Steve also has a number of works on the go and enjoys all this horror, occult, supernatural and paranormal.

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