Review: Rosemary's Baby, Yorkshire-style
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 1, 2014
Jane, a professional model, learns she's pregnant by a B-list television star. She soldiers on alone, but while on an assignment posing for a cover of a book by a Yorkshire author her life begins to unravel: she glimpses a group of children in old-fashioned clothes who then disappear into thin air. Later, a nurse taking an ultrasound of Jane's fetus is shaken by something she sees. And on top of it all Jane, a native Londoner, begins to affect a Yorkshire accent.It's a difficult pregnancy alright. But Jane's a resourceful character; she does the research, and finds out the story behind the cover shoot that seemingly started the events, and learns her role in it all.When there's a baby on the way, it's not too much of a leap to think of Rosemary's Baby. A similar scenario plays out in Menace, but here it's a rather convoluted scheme, even if it is solidly based on folklore (or, as I like to think, Iron Maiden's brilliant 1988 concept album). Nevertheless, the story starts out well – Jane, an admirably fleshed out character, is like a protagonist in a Ramsey Campbell novel, holding up bravely as her life gets increasingly weirder. It's all good, with good characters, great atmosphere, an intriguing mystery, and a strong sense of, well, menace.Sadly the ending doesn't match; the subtlety is gone, far too much is explicitly spelled out, and the reveal proves to be both predictable and slightly over the top. But until then, it's a good read.*** (3/5)Read all my reviews at mikareadshorrorfiction.com