The 13th by John Everson

(pb; 2009)

From the back cover:

"Castle House Lodge.  A century ago it was an exclusive resort hotel.  But for years it's stood empty, a haunting shadow of its former glories.  Now, after twenty-five years of rumors and ghost stories, the overgrown grounds are showing signs of being tended.  The building itself has been repaired.  Castle House has new occupants.

"What was once a haven for the elite is now a madhouse, a private asylum for pregnant women. But are all the patients really insane? And is it just a coincidence that people have begun to disappear from the nearby town?  David Shale's girlfriend is one of the missing, and he's determined to find the truth behind the mysterious Dr. Rockford and his house of secrets.  He will learn the meaning of the red X painted on the basement door. . and he will know the ultimate fear, the horror of the 13th."


Review:

13th is a gleefully gory, often wry B-movie horror read that brings together the elements of small town horror, Satanism, medical horror, sex, a spooky abode, slasher flickdom and excellent, entertaining writing.  This may be one of my favorite books from Everson, whose work is often impressive - worth owning, this.