Book Review: ‘The Midwives’ By Duncan Ralston

I was first introduced to our dear author, Duncan Ralston, when his extreme novella, Woom, was beginning to go viral. That story was my first step back into the horror genre (and my first-ever extreme horror read), after a very long sojourn into Psychological Thrillers. Now, I can say that I have gone down the horror rabbit hole and I don’t see myself coming up for air anytime soon…

That being said, Ralston’s most popular book is overshadowed by this engaging and creepy tale.

Synopsis:

An Edge-of-Your-Seat Folk Horror Novel from the Author of Woom.

On tour with his latest book, true crime writer Martin Savage discovers one of his most dangerous subjects has escaped. The so-called “Witch Hunter,” a delusional murderer of women and their unborn children, holds a deadly grudge. He’ll stop at nothing to get his revenge, and destroy everything Martin cares about.

With nowhere to run, Martin and forensic psychologist Sheila Tanner flee to the town he left when he was a boy, after his mother was locked away in a psychiatric facility. A town hidden deep in his past, where no one would think to look for them.

But things are not what they seem in Barrows Bay. The idyllic island holds terrible secrets. An ancient evil lived here long before the first Irish settlers crashed upon its shores in a coffin ship. An evil wearing the innocent faces of elderly midwives who’ve delivered every child in the Bay for two hundred and fifty years.

Martin and Sheila think they’re safe in his childhood home. But Martin’s mother has plans for them. Plans that require sacrifice. And sacrifice requires blood.

My Review:

A macabre tale that runs the gamut between fable and thriller in a New England town.

“The true monsters of this world were flesh and blood – men and women who struggled against the darkness in their own hearts, and all too often gave in to temptation.”

This one quote comes up quite early on and unbeknownst to the reader, it’s the one thread that ties together this really fantastic family saga. An intriguing mix of folklore, horror, and psychological thriller that held me in its impenetrable witch-like clutches as I sat on the edge of my seat, unsure of where to look next. I could not have guessed how this ended, and I couldn’t be happier with the expertly crafted result.