Furnace

I had never heard of Muriel Gray until I saw the sleek mass market paperback cover of Furnace shouting out at me from the shelves of a local bookstore. The back seemed intriguing enough to buy and put in my WinterRead pile. Well, I just finished this book (I started yesterday) and let me just say WOW! Paced to beat lightning, this book didn't let up until the end! Josh Spiller is a long distance truck driver who happens to take a wrong turn into a very sinister Virginia town. A town by the name of Furnace. While attempting to find his way out of the town a strange looking woman pushes a baby filled stroller under Josh's big rig. When Josh stops, dumbfounded and horrified by what has just happened the woman is nowhere to be seen, unfortunately the remains of the baby are. Josh is quickly absolved form any wrongdoing and shaken, he's back on the road. But this time, it's the road to Hell.This story has all the elements of a classic Horror tale. The small town that keeps sinister secrets. Monsters both human and some worse. Dark rituals. Rich characterization. Action packed sequences that terrify and make you continue to read with white-knuckled tension. Don't start reading this at night if you have to work in the morning, you might miss out on some sleep! Muriel Gray earned herself a fan with this one. Note: the author is apparently from Scotland and you might note some British spellings of words, but don't worry, Mrs. Gray's knowledge of America never comes into question. I sincerely hope the front cover of the book isn't lying and that we can expect Furnace to be coming to movie screens soon. Definitely cinematic. I'm also looking forward to reading Muriel Gray's first Horror novel, Trickster.A great, fun read for Horror fans and Action fans alike. Three Days Alive Permitted.

To Lee from Denver - Yes, Murial Gray is a woman - she is a Glaswegian who used to present The Clothes Show on British terrestrial TV, but that really doesn't matter: I agree with you that she has an incredible talent for writing horror, creating mind-blowingly original concepts and conjuring up all manner of creepy and disturbing situations involving sensitively drawn characters with heartfelt emotional dilemmas. Just thought I'd clear that up for you.And to another reviewer who said she can't believe a woman wrote this book: why not? Do men and women have such different styles? Are we still living in the days where women have to change their names to things like George (Elliot) to be taken seriously? Obviously, if you're expecting Anne Rice's sensual style of writing, you'll be disappointed by this, but that's no reason to slate a book. Murial Gray is far closer to Stephen King (but far FAR better) in style and deserves credit for appealing to all sorts of people across the sexes. I don't think women, or men for that matter, should be pigeon-holed as writing for a single-sex audience. Check out Robin Hobb, a (wait for it) female fantasy author who writes incredible stories that relate both the male and female viewpoints with exceptional clarity and understanding.And to everyone else: this is a great book. Regardless of Murial Gray's sex, she is a force to be reckoned with in the horror genre, putting a vital human element into her horror stories that many other authors fail to do. It works on a horror level, but at the same time the characters are fully developed and thus it works on an emotional level too: whether this is because she is a female author, or merely because she is in tune with her own emotions and fear, is a matter of conjecture. If you need more convincing, buy this novel, and if you like it, take on the longer and more complex 'The Trickster', another novel with Gray's acute, pinnacle style. Now I'll get off my soap-box and retire...

Furnace is one of my favorte reads. Ms. Gray captures a great hero in this book. You understand him and what makes him tick. She also captures the area that this book takes place in very well. Even though she doesn't name "real" places or people, I knew where she was, because I grew up in that area off of Interstate 81. Ms. Gray did a wonderful job of making her people and places come alive. She has a great understanding of the "back" area of rural Virginia. The plot was good. Reminded me of the old movie "Curse of the Demon", but taken further in plot. She surprised me several times. Her sub-plotting kept me on the edge of my seat too. Very good read.

Never heard of this author, but thought I'd give it a go after reading a pretty fly review in a magazine, and when I found out that Stephen King himself rates her! (She did a big interview with him in England. It's on the net.) Hey, I wasn't disappointed. This rocks. The story gripped me from the first shot and kept me guessing right up to the very last minute. Scary, thrilling, and funny in places too. ( I loved Eddie!) I'm going to check out all Gray's other books if they're half as good as this. Miss this one and you can't call yourself a horror fan!

When I picked up this book ans saw it was written by a woman....i put it back down. But I was so intrigued by the story i bought it. I am glad I did. Mrs. Grey is an excellant story teller and has taken a fresh and new approach to horror. Written with a Man as the main character and the ladies as the bad guys was amazing. The story moved along an an incredible pace and was well researched out and well written. I hope to read more of mrs. greys books in the future. Move over Mr. King and Mr. Koontz... there is a new horror writer in town....and she is gunning for both of you! Wayne Donahue