Series: Haters #4
Published by Thomas Dunne Books on December 5th 2017
Pages: 336
Fifteen people are trapped on Skek, a barren island in the middle of the North Sea somewhere between the coasts of the UK and Denmark. Over the years this place has served many purposes a fishing settlement, a military outpost, a scientific base but one by one its inhabitants have abandoned its inhospitable shores. Today it s home to Hazleton Adventure Experiences, an extreme sports company specializing in corporate team building events.
Life there is fragile and tough. One slip is all it takes. A momentary lapse leads to a tragic accident, but when the body count quickly starts to rise, questions are inevitably asked. Are the deaths coincidental, or something else entirely? Those people you thought you knew well, can you really trust them? Are you standing next to a killer, and will you be their next victim?
A horrific discovery changes everything for everyone. There s no way home now, and a trickle of rumors becomes a tsunami of fear. Is this really the beginning of the end of everything, or a situation constructed by the mass hysteria of a handful of desperate and terrified people?
The lower the population, the higher the stakes.
Kill the rest of them, before one of them kills you.
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One of Us Will Be Dead by Morning is not a book for the squeamish! The body count rises at an astronimical rate, and details are not spared. I enjoyed it, and have to admit, parts were certainly unexpected, always a good thing. It takes place on a remote island that is currently home to an adventure group that does team building exercises.
The current group of coworkers on a retreat to the island find themselves trapped there as their ferry home crashed amongst the rocks, littering the corpses of its incoming passengers. Did they die in the crash? Were they murdered? Or is something else going on? If they didn’t die in the crash, are they safe or are they the next potential victims? All things to think about instead of heading back home as they planned. I have to admit, just the thought of traveling to a remote island with coworkers is a bit horrifying by itself. But then to get stuck there as horrify deaths that start to pile up? With no idea who you can trust? Then it becomes a living nightmare.
This book is part of a series that I’ve not previously read. I am always a bit hesitant to do this, because often I feel like I am missing critical backstory or not understanding the depth of relationships of characters, etc. and in the end my reading experience might not do the book justice as I am jumping in at the wrong point. In this case, I do think it works as a standalone. I would expect I might have had a better understanding of Haters had I read the first book, or maybe caught on to what was happening a bit quicker. But I don’t think that it mattered. The details I was missing I think created a bit more mystery (like you would have in the very first book).
So, what is a Hater? Well, they are normal, rational people. Some of the time, anyway. They can blend in with the population, have normal interactions, but they prey on people, and move lightining quick. Their goal is to inflict pain, so there are no quick merciful deaths with Haters, they are excruciating and gory. Again, I’ll repeat, this book may not be for the squeamish.
Overall, I would say this was an enjoyable and gruesome read and I do think it worked well as a good starting point to the series for me. And again, I have to mention that being trapped with coworkers always adds an extra dose of horrific fun to a story.
you’re right tricky to start a series in the middle so I can understand but I’m glad to see it wasn’t a big problem there
I didnt realize it was part of a series when I first read the description and decided I wanted to read it 🙂
A group of coworkers stranded on an island together? I’m pretty that even without the Hater, blood still would have been drawn XD
But it’s nice that you could use this book to jump in. Maybe the Hater “disease/syndrome” is what the series is about rather that the series being about a specific Hater character?
I think I read this book started with a new POV (I guess the first 3 share a common POV), so it may be easier to jump in with this one than the 2nd or 3rd (not certain, since I havent read them 😛 )
I personally want to stay away from my co-workers at all costs, when not at work, I can’t imagine going on a retreat like that! But this sounds like fun?
No kidding! My manager at my last job where we actually had group functions was very aware that I would schedule appointments during them to have a reason to skip. He was cool with it thankfully 🙂
I’m not in a gruesome reads place at the moment but I’ll keep this in mind for the future.
Lynn 😀
Yeah, definitely have to be in the mood 🙂
Ugh being trapped with coworkers. I hear ya
No kidding! That just takes the horror to a whole other level
Between Haters and co-workers, the former look like a far better option! 😀
Well, as long as one can wield a katana like a certain tv-show character….
Ha ha ha!! Yeah, I’m not sure which I’d pick since its not a quick painless death with Haters. Tough call!
A cracking review – though being one of the squeamish ones, I don’t think this read is for me:)
I can understand that!
Same rating. Entertaining story, if ultimately a bit forgettable. Maybe the next one will develop the story and characters.
yeah, it was fun, but not amazing or anything that really sticks with me, but again, fun in the moment
I’ve been so curious about this ever since I saw the blurb a few months ago. And I wondered the same thing- could I jump in or would I have to read the earlier books first? Nice to hear it’s okay to start here. I may have to get this, it does sound pretty horrific. Including being stuck with co- workers ha ha.
yeah, I think this is one of those rare occasions where jumping in actually works. And yes, being stuck with co-workers took the horror in this up several notches!
Oh this sounds interesting! I’m still testing my “squeamish” level, but I do prefer horror in books (instead of movies). And I have to say, that title pulled me right in!
yeah, I think text is easier because you can sort of hinder your imagination a bit if need be (as long as its not too terribly graphic)