The misdeeds of our ancestors are debts passed from generation to generation. They lurk, hidden in the shadows, waiting for the right time to be collected. For the residents of Harper Pass—their debt is due. When a young autistic girl goes missing from a small Appalachian community, the residents of Harper Pass descend into chaos. Brooks Raker and his friends stumble across the police … across the police investigation, and as they dig deeper into the mysterious events, the boys realize the fate of their missing classmate pales in comparison with the evil lurking in the shadows of the quiet little town.
With four boys who believe something sinister is at work, and an ambitious reporter breathing down his neck, Detective Holt of the Harper Pass Police Department must confront his doubts and follow the evidence. A chain of disappearances and suspicious deaths, leads Holt to the doorstep of the mysterious and reclusive Professor Wadlow who may know exactly what has come to collect in Harper Pass.
Can the detective and the boys work together to unravel the dark secrets of Harper Pass before those secrets devour them all?
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I cannot wait for the sequel!! I was immediately hooked within the first pages. The scene is set with an experience that impacts all the characters’ lives in some way. Fast forward several years and they are caught up in a mystery they can’t understand. The Tear Collector is much like Stranger Things, full of mystery and a relatable group of kids that you could easily see being the friends you grew up with! The Tear Collector is written in such detail that you could really picture yourself there. Shawn Burgess keeps you guessing until the very end while giving you little nuggets of back story with a few twists along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only dismay is that I have to wait so long for the sequel!
The Tear Collector is a must read. I pretty much neglected my family and work while reading this book as I could not put it down. I don’t typically read this genre as I’m too much of a scaredy-cat but I was hooked in the first few chapters. After the first night I did have to stop reading it before falling asleep. Grief Hollow had a way of creeping into my dreams.
The well developed characters and intriguing plot kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t wait to see how everything would turn out for Brooks and the crew but I also never wanted the story to end! I’m thrilled to hear there is a sequel.
I was fortunate enough to be asked to read an advance copy of The Tear Collector and while it isn’t my usual choice of genre, the story sounded interesting and I jumped at the opportunity.
I’m so glad I did!
I spent just about every page thinking, what the hell is going on?! Then I’d turn to the next page. Read. Repeat. I could not put it down without finding out what was going on in Harper Pass. The end result… I read the book in a single sitting.
If you’re looking for an exciting read that will keep your heart pounding and your mind guessing, don’t pass this one up.
I look forward to reading more from this author in the (hopefully near) future.
The Tear Collector pulls you in immediately, piques your curiosity, and compels you to read on to see what happens next!
The author tells a heart pounding story of survival where something not of this world is stalking children in their sleepy, little town and no one believes them. The tension is palpable as they have everything to lose and the seconds are running out. I found my anxiety increasing with every turn of the page.
I loved the characters and personalities portrayed here and felt an immediate connection to the children and their families in a small town where everyone knows everyone.
I cannot recommend this book enough! I know you will love it!
Shawn Burgess is an author to watch. If his next works are anything like his debut novel, The Tear Collector, he’ll be on a big time roll.
I enjoyed the smart storytelling, and the ease at which Burgess was able to travel between narrator, adults, and the youth in the story. It felt much like Stephen King’s talent for voicing all ages.
I appreciated the work Burgess put into defining characters. Each had a uniqueness, adding strength to the cast, as a whole. The story kept me from doing things I should have been doing, but I was glad I kept reading, all the way to the terrifying finish.
Want some horror? Mystery? The paranormal? You can find it here. The Tear Collector whipped it all into a tasty thriller soufflé. I’ll be waiting for the sequel so I can take another bite!
I had the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book (in exchange for an honest review) and I absolutely enjoyed it. The Tear Collector is a great book, filled with twists and turns and it keeps you wondering about its mysteries. It is a page-turner and it kept me engaged throughout.
The pacing of the book is consistent and great. Burgess also did a great job with balancing showing and telling- and the imagery and descriptions are good too. I also enjoyed the dialogue of the story as well as its characters. The prose is great too.
The book had a bit of head-hopping as it did switch to multiple POVs. But, it did a great job in showing the story from different POVs. You definitely feel like you’re in the character’s heads and the story does a great job in showing their motivations. Descriptions of backstory were appropriate – no info-dumping and it was sufficient.
Overall, this is a thrilling and great story and I recommend it. 🙂
The Tear Collector is the first debut novel of Shawn Burgess; an upcoming speculative mystery author. The plot of the book is really succesful. It seems like a coherent mix of Stranger Things, mad scientist and other various mystery and science fiction stories and archetypes that we all know and love, with of course the author’s original and distinctive narrative style. So far, the plot is as coherent as it can be, no gaping holes or inconsistencies to draw the reader away from the story. Rather the opposite, it keeps the reader on the edge of their seats with a healthy mixture of action and description. The language that is used is often in the style of detailed description, without the overwhelming flood of unnecessary words for the most part. The descriptive language in my opinion enforces the effect of the plot since it allows the reader to draw a perfectly precise image of each scene. The characters seem consistent and well-structured. The Tear Collector all in love will draw you into the story in the first few chapters and you’ll most likely be unable to put it down until you know what it is going to end like. I’m already looking forward to the sequel of the book!
The characters are very realistic and compelling in this book. The use of an autistic primary character makes it very contemporary as well. The author has created a suspenseful story that kept me up very late finishing it…lol I’ve read lots of books in this genre that are pretty predictable and I didn’t know what was coming next in this one – which I really enjoyed. Looking forward to more from the author, but I will be sure to set aside more time!
This story was fantastic. I grew up reading horror, devouring them in middle and high school but fell off reading them in college. The characters and stories no longer entertaining me, scaring me enough. I figured I outgrew them, my taste changing (which I’m sure is part of it).
However, The Tear Collector reminded me of why I used to love the horror genre. Burgess’s storytelling is great, this novel filled with creepy, spine-tingling fun, that set my heart racing and my dark imagination soaring.
The mystery of Grief Hallow consumes you from the very beginning and takes you on a chilling, suspenseful ride with Brooks and his friends as they try to figure out what is plaguing the quaint town of Harper Pass. Shawn Burgess’ page turner is one that will keep you on the edge of your seat, mind racing, and hoping it doesn’t end!
Tear collector is a book unlike no other. It is addicting and suspenseful as it evolves into a gripping story that won’t let you put the book down. This is a brilliant must read! Nice job Shawn Burgess, I would love to see this as a movie!
Shawn Burgess has written a page turner that made me want to sleep with the lights on. From the first chapter you’re hooked. The Tear Collector is definitely worth the read.
Shawn Burgess kindly allowed me to read an Advanced Reader Copy of his debut. The Tear Collector is fast paced and filled with tension. The story reminded me of Stranger Things, in that it revolves around a group of young friends battling a messed-up kind of evil in their town, but don’t let that comparison steer you into thinking you’ve heard this story before. Burgess is a mastermind with his prose, character development, and dark creativity. You’ll become attached to the protagonist and his gang, get goosebumps throughout, and your heart will be racing until the very last page. The Tear Collector is a must-have for any Suspense/Thriller/Horror lover’s bookshelf.
This was a fantastic book to read. It was very suspenseful and I fell in love with the characters. I couldn’t put the book down. I hope this author continues his talent and look forward to his next book.
In a preface to Robert Burns’ poem, “Tam O’ Shanter,” Gawin Douglas wrote: “Of Brownyis and of Bogillis full is this Buke.” For his thrilling debut horror novel, The Tear Collector, Shawn Burgess brings forth a Bogeyman to end all Bogeymen – and does so in as exciting and well-crafted a manner as is possible. At the same time as a local autistic girl, Margo Combs, is discovered to have gone missing in the woods around the small town of Harper’s Pass, her classmate, Brooks Raker, stumbles on a mysterious, terrifying presence in Grief Hollow, just after encountering “Mysterious Margo” in her nightgown, unaware that she’s vanished from her home. Are the two things connected? As one of the townspeople turns up dead, horribly mutilated, local police begin to take Brooks’ tale of an evil, shadowy Presence a bit more seriously.
Burgess combines sharp, realistic dialogue with a finely-honed gift for storytelling to create a chilling, fast-paced thrill ride of a horror novel. For fans of adventure horror, The Tear Collector is a definite Must-Read! Every line of dialogue rings true, while every scene serves to move the story along at a brisk, exhilarating tempo, from Brooks’ first encounter with Margo to the climactic, horrifying finish, a satisfying blend of resolution and just enough ambiguity to allow (we hope!) for the possibility of a sequel. To paraphrase Gawin Douglas, Of Bogeymen and brilliantly-executed terrors full is this book!
Readers of Shawn Burgess’s online work have been eagerly awaiting the release of The Tear Collector, and they will not be disappointed. Technically in the horror genre, The Tear Collector is much more than a tale of terror and gore – although I definitely recommend reading it in the daylight hours. Deft prose combined with thrilling, pell-mell action carry the reader page to page, wild anticipation stronger than the undeniable dread. A band of young boys, brought together by camaraderie in the face of small-town bullying, encounter an ancient evil only to discover that they are its true prey. But why? And how is this possible? Burgess weaves a complex tale of love and loss, betrayal and revenge, that will both terrify and haunt his readers. Although the characters are middle-school children, this is definitely a book for adult readers, who will find Burgess’s work thoroughly engaging. “Love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave:” Can this love, this jealousy ever be buried?