Book Review: Mischief Night – Author Paul Melniczek

Mischief Night by Paul Melniczek

“When Rusty and his friends decide to visit the local neighborhood haunted house on Halloween night, they get much more than they bargained for, becoming embroiled in a hair-raising escapade which threatens to drag them into a living nightmare. There are more tricks than treats to be found in this old fashioned Halloween romp, and the plot continues to grow deeper and darker as old man Berger and his minions of evil seek to bring Rusty and his companions under their sinister control, their purposes unknown. In the tradition of a Halloween campfire tale, come and join the thrills and chills in this story of an October adventure gone drastically wrong.”

The third in Bad Moon Book’s Halloween novellas.

As I continue my Halloween celebration into December, I was fortunate enough to receive another Halloween novella from Bad Moon Books.

I have been a big fan of Paul Melniczek’s short stories since I first read his outstanding short story collection “Monsters”. That was only reinforced with his terrifying Halloween collection entitled “A Haunted Halloween”, which I reviewed here.

Paul delivers what I feel might just be his best Halloween tale to date with “Mischief Night.”

“Mischief Night” is a grand Halloween adventure that brings me back to the Halloweens of my youth. Grey skies, moonlit nights, chilling winds, skeletal trees, trick or treaters, threatening shadows around every corner and youngsters looking for a little mischief and mayhem that ultimately pick the wrong house to approach.

Able to be read in one sitting, the length does nothing to take away from the frightening tale. It is fast paced, fun and creepy.

Paul has the ability to draw you into his Halloween tales with writing that is spooky, characters that you can relate to and are believable, and his unquestionable love for Halloween.

Even though you are gearing up for the onslaught of Christmas and all the commercialism it entails, take a break, head on over to Bad Moon Books and pick up Mischief Night. What better way to celebrate Christmas than with a good old fashion, scared out of your wits Halloween tale and I highly recommend it.