Bec Zugor

Published by Delirium Books
Artwork by Daniele Serra

From the back cover:

In the hills of Pennsylvania, phantoms from the past mingle with those of the present, all swirling in a dark maelstrom over Division. Haunted by the part he played in his brother Mark’s death, John McDonnell takes a midnight hike and stumbles across four dead girls upon the forest floor. Their severed limbs spell Repent. The coroner finds Mark’s onyx skeleton key inside one of the victims, right where her heart used to be. The last time John had seen the key it was clasped in his brother’s hand before they lowered him into his grave.


Torn between protecting his family’s name and giving the girls a proper burial, John digs into Division’s past. As lives shatter around them, and a strange woman tries to steal the key, John and his best friend, Michael Johnston, must find the tools to set things right or break beneath the pressure of these ghosts’ sudden weight.

I love Lee Thompson’s short fiction, so when a copy of his debut novel, Nursery Rhymes 4 Dead Children, came through the letterbox, I couldn’t wait to read it. Unfortunately I had to wait, because of other commitments. I finally got a chance to start reading it on October 11th... and saw that the story opens on October 11th! So far, so spooky.

Before long, I was hooked. It's a complex tale, and I was confused in places, but this is a well-written and gripping novel. Although things got a little surreal at times, I couldn't put it down. Characterisation is excellent, as you’d expect if you’ve read any of Thompson’s other work. The author does a great job of getting inside the head of these flawed characters, and he really seems to know what makes people tick. I particularly liked this line:  “We don’t know who we are until we dig through all the layers we’ve accumulated to protect us over the years.”

If you enjoy thought-provoking, well-written prose, put Nursery Rhymes 4 Dead Children on your ‘to read’ list. I highly recommend it.

Find out more about Lee Thompson here.

Darkside Digital (ebook)

Amazon (paperback)