Alex Mura’s Chilling Debut Novel
Hank is a truck driver. He is driving to Sacramento on Route 50, also known as the loneliest road in America, when he is stopped by a policeman. There’s been some disappearances lately on Route 50, says the agent, so be careful. Hank doesn’t do much with the info, and continues his journey, but he is ahead of schedule and very tired, so he decides to stop at a motel for the night. Here he meets Malcom, another guest. They exchange a few words and share a beer. Nothing unusual for solo travellers who want some company. Eventually, Hank turns in for the night, but he is awakened a couple hours later by a loud thud and a faint female voice. As silly as it might sound, Hank knows the noise comes from beneath him. The problem is that beneath him there is only floorboards and the motel foundations. He looks for Malcom’s help and second opinion, but Malcom tells him that he is probably only hearing things, maybe the lack of sleep and so many hours alone on the road are tricking him. Hank is quite firm, though, and decides to give 911 a call. He hears the operator’s voice followed by a strong blow at the back of his head. When Hank wakes up, he is in a basement with a scantily clad and visibly worn out girl named Sara. She tells him that they are in Malcom’s basement, Malcom being the man behind the disappearances on Route 50. They soon realise they have to do all they can to buy some time and find a way to escape. And despite the grotesque situation, Hank, Sara and Malcom even get along, sharing small talk and meals. The only problem is: Malcom doesn’t like beef or lamb or pork, he prefers… more “unusual” flavours.
I have to admit that after a somehow “misleading” start, the novel takes a turn for the best and soon picks up a very good pace. I wasn’t totally sold on the truck driver, and even less by his imprisonment in a basement, but when the reason why Hank and Sara are locked in that basement becomes clear, the twist the story takes is mind-blowing. The characters are penned with sharpness and skill and the plot slowly but steadily unravels page after page with craftsmanship and shrewdness, driving the story to the highest peak it could possibly reach, before a relieving resolution.
This is the perfect book for those already regretting the end of spooky season, a thriller with horror elements set in a basement (which gives the story an extra element of claustrophobia), it reads in very little time, the prose is flawless and so are the dialogues and the plot. A great book we highly recommend.
‘Silence In The Basement’ is available for purchase at: https://amzn.to/4fIr9C1