Book Review: The Confession By Chad Miller -- Submerged Family Secrets Surface

 For an author looking to make a living from writing books, staying true to your genre is rule number one.

Book genres have specific rules that authors should follow. In mysteries, keep the readers guessing as to the identity of the killer. In romance, the couple-to-be must face several obstacles before reaching relationship nirvana. In science fiction, the science must have the veneer of plausibility.

Author Chad Miller has been writing dark fiction, horror, and mysteries for over 25 years. Deeply inspired by the works of Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, and Kurt Vonnegut, he's been studying to create his unique voice. 

Over that time period, Miller has certainly mastered his craft. In December 2023, I reviewed Miller's Prisoner Of Despair. The novel is subtitled “A Dark Historical Mystery.”

So, in that novel we see the dexterity of Miller, carefully mixing his ingredients from disparate genres into a novel. Miller’s recipe results in a novel that is disturbing, captivating, confounding, but ultimately satisfying.

Now, in The Confession, Miller again mixes and matches genres with a master's hands. In this dark historical fiction thriller and whodunit, Miller brings us some returning characters from Prisoner of Despair. 

The plot is straightforward, yet hides an undercurrent of terror and psychopathic revenge fantasy turned horrible reality.

The year is 1887 and in the quaint Pennsylvania town of Temple, Isabella Strohmeyer stumbles upon a gruesome scene: her father and stepmother brutally hacked to death. As the police investigation unfolds, gossip and rumors swirl through the tight-knit community. The Strohmeyer household, always steeped in simmering tension, harbors secrets that echo within its halls.

As an arrest is made, the town becomes embroiled in the trial of the century. Grisly truths emerge and no one is prepared for the shocking conclusion of this dark tale.

Miller tells us that, "This harrowing story, loosely inspired by the Lizzie Borden murders, will send chills up your spine."

The novel promises deep family secrets, brutal murders, and a nicely done twist ending you won't see coming. It doesn't disappoint.

The narrative never flags and family members are fleshed out as Miller paces the reader perfectly on revelations about how these various characters are hiding things from one another.

Miller has developed a knack for creating the simmering dread of a horror novel without disturbing the purity of the plot points and the deep dive into his characters' surface emotions and then darker, submerged fears, phobias, nightmares, and fantasies.

Check out The Confession by Chad Miller. The novel is available via Amazon as an e-book for only $2.99.