Flowers in December

1 - Sherri Kirbis, Avid Reader, 02/23/2007

A reviewer

I received my copy of Kristy Tallman’s, The All – Souls Faire, a few days ago. Unfortunately ~ just at the time my life gets hectic for a few days. Thankfully that time has now passed and I had the fortunate chance to sit back for a few hours and delve into this book. I couldn’t be happier that I had the time to finish this in a sitting!! Welcome to a small town where the locals don’t take kindly to strangers peering into their town business. To be a local in a small town it takes something that goes way beyond just residing there – something of which Detective Cole Bryant is about to learn the hard way. Investigating murder takes a bit of puzzle solving and more than that when all the people in town don’t want the towns dirty laundry aired and leave you with only partial whisperings of town legends. Toss in a cursed mountain, cops that go by their own code, an eccentrically sadistic family, a goats head in a corpse, and an intriguing medical examiner (just to throw a couple of kinks in Cole’s way of course) and you have one hell (just about literally) of a tale. So my suggestion would be to pick up your copy during this wonderful autumn time, curl up in your favorite reading chair and sit back for a tale you may chose to use in the future to scare your children with details of the Hick’s family. Enjoy this horror tale that will keep you thinking about it, especially late at night…Sherri Kirbis - Reader in Lititz, PA

2 - Rowan Lore, author of Fall On Me, 10/29/2006

I found the story delightfully disturbing. . .

3- Malcolm Deeley (admin@gromagonpress.com), the author of Avatars., 10/29/2006

Rogue desire, in an intense literary seduction

The All-Souls Faire, by Kristy Tallman, is more than just a literary experience. It is the rarest book indeed that takes you so deep under your own skin, to visit (either in rapture or horror)the concept of desire, that you feel strangely and vividly alive after the reading. This is the trip that The All-Souls Faire takes you on: a ravishing journey through the beauty and terrible awakening that pain and pleasure combined can bring. Detective Cole Bryant, on the surface a cop seeking for answers to a series of disturbing murders, becomes entangled a generations-old circle of personalities who have embraced a life/afterlife that plunges into the deepest realms of the forbidden. And it is not possible to be a voyeur in this world — Tallman’s power of poetry-in-prose pulls you in to experience it all yourself. It is impossible to read this book and not feel changed, and the obligatory moralizing of most books in this genre is refreshingly absent. Like the book’s protagonist, I gave up the struggle early on, and let myself ride the rich seduction that Tallman offers. An unforgettable experience.

4 - A reviewer, A reviewer, 10/11/2006

Kristy Tallman is the next Clive Barker!

Kristy Tallman is the kind of author I have been waiting for as a fan of true horror. The All-Soul’s Faire is a high-impact, genuinely rare page-turner. Once I started reading, I absolutely COULD NOT put it down! I ended up reading the entire book in about six hours. The story is darkly mesmerizing, and twistedly enthralling, drawing the reader into the intimately pleasing, yet devilish plot. The characters are crisp and vivid, unlike other novels, which boast only two-dimensional, cardboard-stand-ups. This is the best book I’ve read since Mark Frost’s The List of 7. Following the discovery of a ritualistically murdered girl, into whose stomach has been carved a pentagram, with a severed goat’s head protruding from it, Detective Cole Bryant is taken on a journey into dark fantasy and sinful desire where he will learn more about himself and the underworld than he ever imagined possible. The All-Soul’s Faire is extremely creative, wickedly original, and is definitely not predictable. It would appear as if I have found a new favorite author. The All-Soul’s Faire is a force to be reckoned with! I recommend it as highly as I can possibly recommend anything! -J. Pinkerton, Blood Banquet Studios

5 - Remember When You Used To Check Under The Bed At Night…?, August 12, 2007

By	Apex Reviews (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

What small town doesn’t have homespun rumors and superstitions about its own dark, seedy underbelly? Uncovered layers of secrets masking sinister acts the likes of which would lead one to question the very existence of God - for how could He truly exist if such vile, pure evil is allowed to run wild and unchecked? Staring at the severed head of a goat placed snugly within the bowels of a petrified teenage corpse, Detective Cole Bryant begins to wonder the exact same thing…

And that’s just the beginning.

The seemingly ritualistic murder of young Lisa Hicks sets off a series of increasingly bizarre events in the small town of Clifton Forge, each one threatening to unravel the web of lies and deceit within which the town’s legacy rests. As more and more corpses are found, their deaths make less and less sense to Cole, who’s left to wonder why, for some strange reason, everyone seems to know more than they’re willing to say. Ultimately, his unflinching determination to know more leads him to the fabled North Mountain, source of the town’s diabolical mystique, where the fate of countless lives hang in the balance - including that of Cole himself.

The All-Soul’s Faire is a disturbingly compelling tale that reads much like a snuff film: despite how guilty it makes you feel to watch it, each new turn of the page fills you with a strangely satisfying curiosity. A master at framing the visual with words, Tallman’s jarring depictions of ghouls and apparitions are so vivid that - despite your wishes to the contrary - you’ll find them lingering with you long after you’ve put the book down. In fact, they’ll haunt you to the point where, when you’re all alone late at night, you’ll remember all those old ghost stories told over S’mores on campfire-lit nights and wish you had never heard them.

No matter how searing the imagery she employs, though, the true power of Tallman’s mind-bending tale lies in leaving you to wonder about the very nature of sin itself: when confronted with unmitigated temptation, do our base desires force us to act - or do they simply free us to do so? In keeping with that theme, Cole’s quest for truth is actually a metaphor for the “missions” that fill our own everyday lives: despite our burning desire to know more, that very desire often leaves us unprepared to handle the truth about the very things we seek to find.

As thrilling as Koontz or Barker, and as suspenseful as Hitchcock at his best, The All-Soul’s Faire is a delicious soliloquy to the world of horror that begs an encore.

6 -AWSOME BOOK!!!!, June 5, 2007

By	Heidi Thompson “Heidi” (USA) - See all my reviews

I am a fan of mystery and horror books, this book is truly one of the best and I have read many. Kristy Tallman, is a true author in her right, her book i could not put
down until i finished it. Can’t wait for a sequel or another book!!!!! I encourage everyone, to buy and read this book. You will not be sorry.
Heidi

7 - Great Flow, June 1, 2007

By	Mike Wall “Author” - See all my reviews

My hat is off to the author on this one. Is it true that poets make the best novelist? I think Kristy Tallman proves the answer is yes. Because of the author’s rhythmic flow and great metrical harmony I found myself deeply rapped in this story. Her style gently painted images in my head that I will never forget.

9 - Thanks for coming to Covington last weekend. Sorry it’s taken a while to write, my computer died and I had to get a new one. It was very nice to meet you at the Bookkeeper. That was the first book signing I have ever been too. I saw the ad in the paper and thought it looked like a good book. I am so glad I got it. I started it last Sunday after I got home from Roanoke. I just intended on reading a little before I went to bed, and I ended up reading the whole book. Once I started there was no way I could put it down. I can’t wait to read your next book. I hope you make this into a series. I think you left just enough loose ends that you could have a couple more books. Thanks again for talking, and for a wonderful book. By the way, you were right. Chapter 28, very hot.

Joe Sparks
Covington Area, VA

10- I received my copy form Kristy Tallman personally at a book signing in Richmond Virginia. She spoke of the book in such a way as to lure me into reading it immediately. After the second time reading this book am I prepared to give an opinion? The characters have a way of becoming familiar to the reader, like an old friend. I will admit that the beginning is predictable in that you see events unfold before the story does. It only lasts for a few chapters until every prediction the mind can assume fades to a story that will have the reader wondering what just happened. Every time you feel you have a handle on the story a new angle unfolds, sending the imagination into the darker side with an ending that leaves you wanting more, however unsure if you could handle it. This book is a classic back woods folk tale that will keep this city boy from straying too far into them mountains.

Richmond Area, VA

11 - Kristy,

Hey! We met a Cucci’s at your book signing. I read the whole thing in 1 day Lol. I could not put it down. I was really surprised at the end. I liked they way you ended the book and it was not a flowers and sunshine happy ending. I enjoyed the fact that you showed that given the chance sometimes people do bad things and let desire get in the way of morals. I cannot wait to read your next novel!!

Abby - Covington Area – VA

12 - Hi, Kristy

I bought your book at the Tattoo convention in Richmond Va. Wow this book was Spine tingling and dark. I had to work a 12 hour day read your book in 10 hrs of that shift. Could not put the book down. I’m from the area you wrote about so it was very interesting to have those area’s so dark and sinister sounding. Makes you not want to drink Moonshine anytime soon. LOL!!!! Hope there will be more wonderful macabe works of writing to come soon. I look forward too it.

13 - Curled Up With A Good Book dot com

Sin, sex, backwoods morals and the supernatural all come together in a strange brew of a novel called The All-Soul’s Faire, a chilling mystery with elements of dark magick that will keep you guessing until the end.

Author Kristy Tallman writes about the backwoods of the Appalachian Mountain country of Virginia with skill, and so she should, having lived there and fallen prey to the mountain mystique. In The All-Soul’s Faire, she deftly combines horror and crime suspense with some truly shocking elements involving deep dark secrets held by the enigmatic Hicks family, a family associated with the Devil himself.

Detective Cole Bryant is the likeable protagonist saddled with the job of discovering who is behind a series of brutal, ritualistic murders of young people in the North Mountain area, a region said to be cursed and full of legend and lore. Bryant hooks up with a lovely medical examiner named Janice, but before their love can blossom, he finds himself drawn closer to a magnetic backwoods man and his two beautiful daughters who are not what they seem to be on the surface.

Tallman combines descriptive scenes with solid dialog and intrigue that moves the story to the stunning, unexpected conclusion. The sex scenes are on-the-edge, and the supernatural underpinnings make this one spooky novel that will haunt you. But it’s the spell of the characters that most draw you into this story of sin and evil and the dark side of desire. You might even find yourself, when the story is over, asking that all-important question: What would you do?

Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com. ©Marie D. Jones 2007

14 - Kristy . . .

Just finished The All-Soul’s Faire. I can’t believe that evil could come from a pixie like you (don’t hit me). Am I going to plug it? Hell yeah.

One of the best things about being a writer is that you meet other writers and you tend to swap stuff. That was the case a couple of times in Toronto. I was partying on . . . not sure what night, but I do recall a beer bottle sticking out of the front of my pants (my way of transporting alcohol from one party to another) and sitting on the floor trading books with Kristy Tallman (she was on a chair).

Anywho - I like fun people (Kristy is) and I also like fun books. What the heck does that mean? For me, when it comes to horror, it’s got to creep me out a little. It should also have a story I can follow and an ending that sort of surprises me (I’m good at guessing outcomes). This is a fun book.

John Paul Allen is the Author of Gifted Trust

15 - Papageorgiou Vasilis, songwriter and producer shot a review all the way from Greece!

Review: YOU ARE THE TOP KRISTY !

THE HORROR IN YOUR BOOK HEALS UP MY SOUL … FINALY! GREETINGS FROM GREECE , MY SPACEFRIEND …

16 - Review from Dan Carmichael - Richmond, VA

The backwoods of the Virginian mountains are not as peaceful as they seem. Kristy Tallman’s “The All Soul’s Faire” follows the investigation of the brutal and bizarre murders at North mountain and Det. Bryant discovers that an ancient evil lives, not only in these backwoods but within himself as well. With a sense of mystery reminiscent of Lovecraft and the exploration of our own dark desires like Barker,Tallman has written one of the best new horror books I have read in the past few years.

17- Kristy Tallman has created a unique genre of her own with her tale THE ALL SOULS FAIRE!

More reminiscent of a spine tingling yarn being spun by one’s Great Grandmother on a dark Summer Night!

She creatively blends age old Rural Folklore into the daily lives of contemporary Appalachian people, having them examine their own beliefs, fears, and desires!

Tallman’s endearing characters (good and evil) and uniquely believable story will have you SOAR through each page yearning for more! Set a night aside, you will not put this book down !!!

Jay Butler - Reader, Richmond, Va.

18 - Okay, you’ve robbed me of a night’s sleep! I couldn’t stop reading The All-Soul’s Faire until I finished.

You’ve managed to grab just enough of who/what we’re about in the “hills” to make me start looking around at a select number of friends…ha ha.

22 - Aug 27, 2007 7:16 PM

Hey kristy ~ Okay, so the next time U tell your readers/fans to NOT read a book at night before going to bed - mmm, I think I ‘might’ listen!! OMG ~ The All-Soul’s Faire is one freaky book! But of course, it’s a page turner & hard to put down ~ I enjoyed the Faire & think you should join me in just one more shot be blessed my friend - cre8tiveone

23 - She exhibits the talents of a young writer with a heart driven to make you afraid…Nicholas Grabowsky, Horror Fiction Author

24 - Don’t wait to buy this book, read it, share its charm with your friends and help them find their way to the all souls fair…The story is so compelling and disturbing that you will find yourselves reading it over and over again.. Even now as I sit here writing this I glance over at the book and want to open it again, just one more sip will do and everything will be fine.. L.A. Nantz A Reader from Michigan.

25 - For all you freaky horror fanatics, The All-Soul’s Faire is a must!!…Nicole Wronek Author of Decaying Roots

26 - One hell (just about literally) of a tale….Issy Paradox - Reader in Lititz, PA

27 - This book is a classic back woods folk tale that will keep this city boy from straying too far into them mountains…Steve - Reader - Richmond, VA

30 - I’ve got two favorite horror books that I’m keeping with me till the day I die, “The Hellbound Heart” by Clive Barker and your book “The All-Soul’s Faire”. I haven’t read a book that I liked so much in a long time. You’ve got a fan for life now, Ms. Kristy. - Brian Hunsaker, Richmond VA Reader.

31- From its gripping opening paragraph to its shocking conclusion, The All-Soul’s Faire is a deliciously frightening tale. Fast, powerful, and completely seductive, it’s a gripping combination of a morality tale and supernatural detective story. Kristy’s elegant writing has given us an unsettling glimpse into human desire that will leave you panting for more and praying for your soul. The future of horror has a new name, its name is Kristy Tallman.

–Dave Jensen Author of The Conjuring

32- Kristy Tallman is off the chain with her terrifying tale All-Soul’s Faire. She grabs the readers attention from beginning to the end. With an upredictable mysterious, seductive, horrorfying journey into the unexpected! I found myself scared but unable to put the book down! The best kind of thriller novel. Kristy Tallman did an incredible job with All-Soul’s Faire. I found the story haunting me days after I had finished the book! Would love to read a sequel. Kristy I give you two thumbs up and a snap in a “Z” formation!!!!!!

Insatiable Jewel

33-HORROR WATCH.COM BOOK REVIEW

Detective Cole Bryant is called to a murder scene. When he gets there, he’s greeted with a goat’s head staring back at him from within the bowels of the victim. This sets forth a string of unnatural deaths among the teenagers that live in the shadow of the cursed North Mountain.

As he tries to solve the case, Cole comes closer to the dark side where temptation, sex and sinful ways lure him into the world of a family whose backwoods morals aren’t a symptom of a forgotten age in time but the consequence of a centuries old pact made with the devil himself.

Written in the first person perspective, the story follows Cole trying to solve this murder in a town where everything seems to be covered up.

The author Kristy Tallman is from Virginia and she captures the small, backwater town mentality perfectly. In these area, people have their own method of doing things, their own way of life, and things are shrouded in secrecy. It’s no different in this book.

A good portion of the book focuses on his personal life and his crush for the local ME. We also share in his frustration with all of the dead ends that he receives in the case. While it seems that the case will never get solved, we eventually learn of all the secrets that the family is hiding. We also learn the price for those secrets.

I thought that this started a little slow. This is primarily due to character development and plot supposition, but once this was out of the way the book really started to pick up. The author does a really good job at portraying real people, and that character interaction is what makes this book good.

What makes the book great is the descriptions of the debauchery. Reading this book is like walking down a path in the forest. It starts out sunny and clear, but as you go walk farther it gets darker and darker. The book’s sex scenes are very erotic and very well written that they pull you right in and almost have you wanting more.

While there’s a lot of good, the only bad that I can think of is that there are some minor punctuation errors a few typos. Fortunately this can be overlooked easily.

Review by Mike Kent 11-14-07

Upon reading this book and finishing it, it left me “wanting more”! I couldn’t wait to turn to the next page. It kept my attention and the story was an easy read. The point made is that there is a little bit of evil in all of us. But are we willing to act upon it.

What caught my attention most was the authenticity the author gave her characters in this great story. You start to get into the story when in the opening chapter a young women is found in the woods with a goat head stuck in her stomach.

Detective Cole has his hands full with the mountain people, since he is an outsider and from the big city. The slow pace in which they live and work is something he isn’t use to. You begin to actually feel his frustration in how slow the investigations is moving.

Then you have Ms. Ryder. She the grandmotherly figure of the county. Everyone loves her and you will too. She has all the old stories and myths of North Mountain, which she is more then willing to tell. Yet you get the feeling that she is hiding some things and wonder just what?

And then there is Cecil. This is no man to reckon with. You wonder once you have met the man is he who he says he is? Then you have to wonder why it is that Ms. Ryder really doesn’t have anything nice to say about the man. Why would such a lovely old lady have something against a man who likes to be left alone to make his Moonshine. But what is it about his shine? Why is it that you loose yourself and your sense of time when drinking this unbelievably smooth serum. But then you learn the story of a pact made with the devil and the wicked ways of a back woods family that is more then a century old.

Without going into it much further and giving away the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good phychological thriller with real life tendencies of evil.