Hemlock Island

My daughters, Amber and Katie, and I share a fondness for scary stories. I have to admit I'm the wimp of the trio. I left the room fifteen minutes after we started watching Jeepers Creepers. And as for books, I nearly didn't make it through Kelley Armstrong's Hemlock Island.
The island in question and a house custom built on it are a wedding gift Laney received as a wedding gift from her ex husband, Kit. Only she can't afford to keep it unless she rents it out for much of the year. Only that's not going too well.j. Recent guests have found evidence of satanic rituals.
One early morning she's woken up by a call from a hysterical guest claiming that there's blood in her closet. She and her teen niece, Madison, who she's been guardian for since her sister's death, decide to investigate. At the boat launch they run into Kit, who has been informed of the situation, and Jayla, his lawyer sister. Shortly after they've arrived at the island a really unexpected duo shows up dropped off by boat: Sadie, whose friendship with Laney had ended badly and her cop brother, Garrett.
"This is a nightmare. Oh, I don't mind the ritual staging shit. That I can deal with. It's the company that makes me want to run, screaming, with Madison in tow."
Only it's too late for a return to the mainland so she start making beds.
Bad move. Investigating a noise Madison heard Laney finds a severed human hand. Kit sensibly decides to get the fuck out. But Sadie's gone missing and the only boat is gone. So they have to stick it out at least until on the mainland discovers that they're missing and sends a search party. Searching for Sadie they discover a lot of gruesome stuff, including phenomena science has no explanation for.
If you're a real hard core thriller lover you won't want to miss out on Hemlock Island. It has a strong Ray Bradbury aesthetic.
On a purrrsonal note, yesterday I missed the Orono bus and, being too stubborn to wait for the next one or abandon the mission (community garden) I started waking. Luckily I caught a ride. I'm not yet ready for 4+ miles.
A great big shout out goes out to the garden crew and our new fearless leader, Diana.
Jules Hathaway