Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach

Starred review from August 1, 2018
Despite a long career that has won him the hearts of horror fans, Campbell (The Kind Folk, 2016) has never enjoyed the mainstream name recognition of a King or a Koontz. Perhaps it's because his style hearkens back to older writers like H. P. Lovecraft and Algernon Blackwood, with more emphasis placed upon unsettling ambience than bloodletting and high-octane thrills. And yet his latest proves that this vintage style is still effective. Three generations of a family travel to a remote Greek island for a vacation, the eldest couple harboring a secret. But the island of Vasilema holds its own secrets. Beyond its sun-blasted beaches lies an ancient menace that will leave the Thorntons forever changed. In a lesser author's hands, this could be cheap pulp stuff, but Campbell constructs a master's thesis of a horror novel here, giving the story's shadows time to percolate before revealing the dark threat at the book's heart. The use of older protagonists is very welcome and adds to the book's almost cozy feel. This is a horror novel that's perfect for readers who shy away from gore and cheap shocks and for horror enthusiasts who crave atmosphere. An outstanding work from one of horror's finest writers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)