Schrader's Chord, by Scott Leeds

This book may well have the best marketing images I've ever seen. Skip to the end of this review for some examples. Heavily retro-inspired album covers and movie posters that would make studio executives snap it up in a moment (we can but hope).

The blurb is an accurate summary. Four records that when played simultaneously, produce Schrader's chord - an otherworldly note that seems to open a gateway to The Other Side.

It seems unlikely at first. What are the chances of four albums coming together after being scattered to the winds? Likewise finding four record players and music-lovers willing to sync them in order to play the chord? Then dealing with the after-effects?

If you like that premise, you'll like this book, but you'll find yourself in a much more human story than just the spooks.

This book is about an estranged father and son, a quest for those lost, and the lengths they'll go to in order to right perceived wrongs. It's an adventure, a quest with a deadline (literally) and yet it manages to be so very real.

The first half of the book sets up likeable characters that we learn about in the same manner as any new friends. When the proverbial Stuff hits the fan, I found myself genuinely hoping that they all survive. Of course, that's not going to happen, but as the race to the finish gathered pace, I still kept my mental fingers crossed...

It was an absolutely pleasure to read a horror book that is so grounded. It doesn't need to be mysterious or weird, although some questions were left unanswered. The reader learns as the characters do, with each seeming-impossible challenge being overcome - for good or ill - and every action having consequences.

If you come to this book looking for a cracking horror adventure ride, you'll get that. You'll also get a story whose tones will stay with you long after the last note has faded away.