Patrick Barb spins a tale of small-town crime, horror, alien abduction, and conspiracy in Abducted, his latest novel from Dark Matter Ink.
In 2005, Police Sergeant Stacy Keppler worked her first big case: the abduction of Matt Freeman, a young boy taken from his bedroom in the dead of night. The only witness to the crime: Matt’s older sister, whose story of “Gray Men” was dismissed by almost everyone, causing the case to eventually go cold.
Now, nineteen years later and on the eve of her retirement, Stacy receives news she never expected to get: they’ve found Matt Freeman alive. But the young man who has returned is…different. Changed. And things about his story just aren’t adding up. Skeptical of the official narrative and determined to learn the truth, Stacy heads down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and cover-ups in an effort to finally solve the case that has haunted her for decades.
The use of alien adduction around a missing loved one and the Gray Men who have taken said loved one is nothing groundbreaking. It’s how Patrick Barb expands on this that makes Abducted something more special. Barb blends conspiracy theories, hidden cover-ups, potential forces beyond human, and grief to craft a tale that is something deeper than an episode of The X-Files.
Abducted is a slow-burn horror novel featuring gritty police work and the families and loved ones affected by the missing. However, the return of the missing loved one brings more questions than answers. This novel sees us diving more into unresolved guilt and emotion, than jump scares that one might expect. Listed in the science-fiction and horror genre, this coasts closer to the sci-fi side of things, while doing a great job balancing conspiracy and cosmic horror.
Patrick Barb’s Abducted is for those looking for a slower-burn cosmic horror that has a deeper human connection. This novel is a thrilling mystery with touches of horror and human frailties. Looking forward to more from Barb in the future.
Abducted is available at bookstores everywhere from Dark Matter Ink. The audiobook, narrated by Jessica Gurd, is available via Audible!
