The Scarecrow: A Supernatural Thriller (Solom Book 1)

By: Scott Nicholson

Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt

Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Katy Logan moves her troubled teen daughter Jett to the Appalachian community of Solom, she envisions a peaceful rural lifestyle on her new husband's farm.

There's more to Solom than she ever imagined. Gordon Smith's first wife Rebecca died under mysterious circumstances, and Katy believes her spirit is still in the house. Gordon's great-grandfather was a horseback preacher who vanished while on a mission one wintry night, and local lore holds that he returns from time to time seeking vengeance. Gordon teases Katy and Jett with a story about a wicked scarecrow that comes in from the fields at night to slake an unnatural thirst.

When the legends come to life, Katy and Jett discover the Smith family secrets cut deep. And they must face the supernatural menace together or become part of Solom's legends forever.

©2013 Scott Nicholson (P)2015 Scott Nicholson

Old fashioned scary feeling!

Any additional comments?

This is one of my favourite of Scott Nicholsons books that I have read so far. This is him at his best!!!

When Katie remarries, her and her daughter Jett, move to Solom to live with Gordon. Solom is a small town in the middle of no where, so Jett thinks anyway! Right from the start, weird things start happening, Katie turns into a housewife and cooks meals from scratch, this is super weird to Jett because her mother struggled to microwave things before coming here. Katie also starts to wear weird dresses and saying strange things. Jett has no idea what is happening to her mother, add in the freaky ass goats, the extra creepy scarecrow that keeps turning up in different places in the barn and a step father who gives her the creeps and you have a creepy, chilling and scary read.

I have to say that, to me anyway, scarecrows have always been creepy things. Just seeing one gives me the shakes, so I knew straight away that this would creep me out! I still looked forward to diving into though, and I'm so glad it lived up to it. This had so many of the right elements that make a great book. We have an old house where someone died, we have a scary barn, that you wouldn't catch me walking into at any time!!! We have a freaky scarecrow, a small tight knit town, and can I mention the goats. Ugh, they chilled me more than the scarecrow ;) All these make for a great book.

I loved everything about this book, from it's super creepy setting, to it's well written plot and from it's captivatingly chilling scarecrow to it's complex and engaging characters. Right from the start, I was grabbed and taken on thrilling journey. I flew through this and found it hard to take off my headphones because I needed to see what happens to Katie and Jett. This is definitely one of Scott Nicholsons books everyone should check out. And I can't wait to read more in this series!!

What can I say about Teri Schnaubelt other than bravo! Her narration never fails to grab me and bring the story alive. She has such a way with her tones that suit this type of book. She can make chills rise with her tones and gives her all to the performance.

* I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

SUPER FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What made the experience of listening to The Scarecrow: A Supernatural Thriller (Solom Book 1) the most enjoyable?

I am gonna say half story and half narration...Teri did a flipping fantastic job!!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

FROM CHAPTER ONE BABY!!!! I was like, oh ok..I am just going to listen to chapter one, then catch up on some dvr....but NO...before I knew it I was 5 chapters in, and had to practically pry the ear buds outta my ears! lol

Have you listened to any of Teri Schnaubelt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have, I love her voice,,and she is just great...She is very believable...and I really like that!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did laugh at Jett....she is cute character...but mostly I was like...OMG whats gonna happen!!!

Any additional comments?

** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

This is a great book, narration is flawless and the story is wicked cool!

Katie and her daughter Jett, move to a small town named Solom, after Katie remarries, and attempt to settle into a new life. Katie becomes a housewife, and Jett is going through a little rebellious streak...Creepy things start happening almost immediately, and Katie and Jett really think they are losing there minds...Plus Katie's new husband is extremely creepy too! Gordon Smith is a religions professor, and just wants a perfect little homemaker, he is possessive and controlling and really kind of a jerk... he is not over his last wife who is deceased, and keeps comparing Katie to her....not to mention the man in the creepy black suit, and a scary scarecrow...Scarecrows are just freaky anyway...and when you see a story about them, you know its going to be frightening...Well Gordon is kinda an insane man, and has all these weird goats that basically stalk people...Katie and Jett have to basically escape, and fight for there lives in the end..and it was a fabulous story!!!!

I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! WELL WORTH YOUR TIME AND A CREDIT, AND I HOPE THERE IS A BOOK 2!!!!

Thank You, Audiobookblast(dot)com

We take care of our own in Solom..

Katie Logan has remarried to a slightly odd and creepy widower named Gordon Smith. She leaves her job at the Wells Fargo bank in Charlotte, and moves herself and her year old daughter Jessica AKA Jett, a few hours away to the sleepy little town of Solom, North Carolina. With her daughters recent involvement in drugs, moving away seems like a good idea so she wont follow in the footsteps of her father. She will get to be a stay at home housewife and will be around more to keep an eye on things. But she is alone during the day, and Rebecca, the original lady of the house seems to be hanging on as a ghost- whether to scare her off or help her is to be decided. Gordon shares the legend of the scarecrow over dinner, telling the girls that after the harvest the scarecrow climbs down off its post, and goes into the barn to devour one of the animals. Its blood lust sated for a year, it climbs back onto its post. But in the moonlight, you can see the blood on the fabric face if you look just right. Just an old wives tale.. right? With creepy goats, a scarecrow with an agenda, a ghost that seems to be possessing Katie, and a town that doesn't get any cellular service there is plenty of action in this book. Scott Nicholson does a great job of tying everything together for an enjoyable listen.
Teri Schnaubelt does an outstanding job fleshing out this story. Her Gordon voice gave me shivers because I thought the guy was just so creepy. Her teenage girl voice is spot on with the snark too.
Audio book was provided by the author for an honest review.

Solom book 1

What did you love best about The Scarecrow: A Supernatural Thriller (Solom Book 1)?

This audiobook is a creepy, haunted-house (farm) novel with multi-dimensional characters, pick up Solom: This author write creepy story that keep you scared all throughout the book. Good narration too.

A decent story that you'll feel like you've heard

The story here is passable if not a bit contrived but it feels like a first draft. The writing could have benefitted from some serious editing (as I'm sure this review could) as it is filled with nonsensical metaphors and odd if not poor word choices. So many story points from the daughters previous drug use and the setting feel like they are being imagined by a person who hasn't taken the time to experience or even research the topics not to mention the insane and invented academia of the husband. The performance is also filled with odd choices but I don't know if this is the fault of the performer, the producer or the material.

The Scarecrow,Solom bk 1

Teri Schnaubelt does a wonderful job narrating this book.Solom is a town in Appalachia.Katy moves her troubled teenaged daughter there with her new husband to start a new life.This country life should be peaceful,but it isn't.There is a scarecrow,he moves,he walks.Jett sees this but is afraid to admit it.Katy has a ghost haunting her.She is also afraid to mention it until it is nearly too late.This is an old fashioned monster horror book.It is similar to a few other books and movies,but,I loved it!
This audiobook was provided to me at no cost for a fair and honest review

A fair start to a trilogy, but not captivating

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes. This book reads like an early draft to me. Many characters, much of the dialog, and a few entire scenes feel half baked to me.

What could Scott Nicholson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The entire novel could have benefitted from at least one more draft between Scott & his editor. There were some *excellent* ideas & concepts in The Scarecrow which simply needed a bit more polishing to make them into a wonderful beginning to this trilogy. Unfortunately, the way Scott chose to present Book 1 of Solom, I will not be picking up Book 2 or 3, which is a shame. This series had a lot of potential.

What aspect of Teri Schnaubelt’s performance would you have changed?

Nothing. She did a remarkable job with the material she was given.

Do you think The Scarecrow: A Supernatural Thriller (Solom Book 1) needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, because there are definitely questions left unanswered at the end of The Scarecrow. Scott did do us the courtesy of ending Book 1 without a cliffhanger, which I certainly appreciate. You can certainly read this novel and be satisfied with a complete sub-story.

Any additional comments?

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent start to a series!

Any additional comments?

Scarecrows are creepy…everybody knows that. Any town named Solom is creepy…everybody knows that too. Stepfathers are great. OK fine, I’m a stepfather, but must admit that they can be creepy, especially in horror novels.

I enjoyed everything about this one from the characters, to plot, to pacing, to the narration. It worked on all levels and provided an extremely entertaining listening experience. Had a bit of a Pine Deep vibe going on too. Scott Nicholson has got some serious writing chops and I have enjoyed everything that I have read from him and am looking forward to seeing where this series goes from here. Excellent and Highly Recommended.

*I received an edition of the audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review and this is it.

Awesome! !

If you like Stephen King you will love Scott Nicholson! The Solom series keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Loved it.

Would you listen to The Scarecrow: A Supernatural Thriller (Solom Book 1) again? Why?

Yes. It was easy to listen to and kept me entertained while I did housework and prepared meals.

What did you like best about this story?

It was suspenseful and thrilling.

What about Teri Schnaubelt’s performance did you like?

I thought that she did a good job at portraying the characters and their reactions.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did laugh at times and then I had my husband looking at me like I was crazy when I started talking back to the book with my opinions.