I have been a fan of J.H. Markert, but The Chain House is by-far his best book to date. Markert blends thrilling true-crime style storytelling with the horrors of a serial killer in one hell of a gripping story that had me turning the pages with gusto, wanting to know what happens next.
Days before his execution, notorious mass murderer Sal Batise, known as the Breaker of Chains by his cult followers, grants an unlikely interview to a young filmmaker, Sam Harper. This interview could launch Sam’s career. But his carefully planned questions—including the one about the recently kidnapped governor’s wife—fall apart when Batise seizes control.
On live TV, Batise claims that he is Mallard Malone, the anonymous author of a blockbuster thriller series. Stay his execution, and he’ll release the final unpublished manuscript that holds the key to finding his victims’ bodies.
Meanwhile, a ransom note arrives with a single demand to save the governor’s wife: Batise’s execution must go on as planned. Desperate for more information, Sam teams up with Jennifer Daley, a childhood survivor of Batise’s cult, to locate the missing manuscript and uncover the truth behind their own ties to Batise. As fiction and reality collide, a deadly chain of events leads to a race against time to stop an execution that could have catastrophic consequences on the world.
There were multiple factors to wanting to open up and dive into The Chain House, a death row inmate using a pen name to craft bestselling novels is one of the biggest ones. This story alone would’ve made my day, but Markert added in multiple levels with a few twists turns and mysteries that just made it so much more intriguing. Just when you think you had figured it out, Markert added something which made me want to keep going.
At times I couldn’t help but think of Silence of the Lambs, in such a good way, as in a love letter to stories that feature a main villain that is horrible, but might not be the most horrible person in the story at the end, at least tied for worst person. Death row inmate who operated a cult should be in prison, but there is some still killing on the outside connected to this inmate that might be just as bad, its a fantastic way to keep the story moving at a breakneck speed and kept me entertained.
It’s not just about those two awful people however. The Chain House teaches us a bit about how you can’t always choose your family and how your lineage doesn’t force you to be a certain person. That you can be whoever you want. Sometimes it’s the family that was there for you all along that means more than that who is in your DNA. Family is subjective at times and it’s those who love you who matter the most.
Markert introduces a unique concept and plot, but goes further with family drama and a true-crime feel that I wasn’t fully expecting but only made the story all the more better. The Chain House is filled with dread and is unsettling at times with a truly awful antagonist, but really multiple antagonists. The best-selling author being an inmate makes you think who these mystery authors in real life are behind the pages. Would any currently writing be utter surprises if revealed?
If reading a physical or digital copy of The Chain House is not your thing, no worries, the narration by Sean Patrick Hopkins, Xe Sands, Wayne Mitchell & Patricia Santomasso for the audiobook is outstanding. Each narrator has their own style they bring to this book, allowing you to immerse yourself in the story.
The Chain House is a twisty, dread-filled, and thrilling horror story with a unique concept. J.H. Markert brings his A-game with this one, proving the veteran author isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The Chain House checked all of the boxes and had me eagerly turning pages until the fitting conclusion.
The Chain House hits bookstores everywhere on October 6, 2026 from Crooked Lane Books. The audiobook is available via Libro.fm!
