B. E. Scully is a very talented writer. I read Verland last year (I was a bit late getting around to it) and it was one of my favorite novels that year. I have also read some short stories and was quite impressed. Definitely an author to follow if you enjoy well written and thoughtful dark fiction.

The Eye That Blinds
Very interesting story. In some ways my favorite, more from a narrative standpoint. It was more compelling in the way the story was set up. Much more direct and action oriented. More traditional if that has a meaning anymore.
Claustrophobic. Externally deranged yet with internal logic. Madness has many flavors and even the most insane ideology makes sense once you find the core of the maelstrom.

Each Castle its King
Dreamlike story dripping with atmosphere, as you would expect from a story whose primary locale is a residence called “Blood House.” Asks the question of whether buildings can be haunted or even more to the point, can a building be evil. I am not sure if it the building or the people, but this very modern haunted house story is quite well written. I must confess that I was a bit lost by the end but I realize that the ambiguity is probably intentional.

Nostri
I really enjoyed this story. Quite political without taking any real sides. I can imagine reading a story like this in Atlantic of The New Yorker. Not a horror story at all, I found myself stopping and thinking several times. It all comes down to what are we willing to put on the line for our “convictions.” Sure, we all make, and get into, arguments about political and social beliefs, but are these true beliefs, or just taking a side.

As one of the characters describes the way college students will become passionate in ways that is almost impossible later in life when so many “real life” factors enter the equation, I thought that if I had read this story in college I would have taken a lot out of it, although maybe at this time I would have missed the point.

The whole Seneca plot line just made this story even better—I mean, no one would base their entire world view around a philosopher dead for millennium, but is that any less logical than basing it on a political position?

I am worried that I am making this story sound dull. It is anything but. In fact, it is compelling and I was riveted, wondering what the anarchistic group (Nostri) would come up with next—what new political “joke” would bring horrific results in the real world.

Devils in Dark Houses
I was reminded of the end of Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” where we see the house described as it falls apart and realize that it is an exact model of a human face. Madness lives not in the house of Usher but in the mind—and such is the case in Devils in Dark Houses.
Each richly drawn character has his or her own devil or devils and their personal stories unwind like onion skins as the overall story develops. I think that a reader will either find this story to be too much in terms of layers or richly rewarding, but isn't that the case with most literary fiction?
( )

Review copy

Having never read anything from B.E. Scully before, I had no idea what to expect. Truthfully, I didn't anticipate being entertained as completely as I was.

Devils in Dark Houses is a set of four equally powerful novellas set in the author's home state of Oregon. The stories are all connected through a pair of homicide detectives assigned to the individual cases.

Before the tales, the author shares a pretty dark quote from Teddy Roosevelt - There is not one among us in whom a devil does not dwell; at some time, on some point, that devil masters each of us.... It is not having been in the Dark House, but having left it, that counts.

The Eye That Blinds - Ross Devlin, Tyler Wickett, and Brooke Merrill, call themselves the Three Muskateers. College friends, each with their own set of delusions. Ross believes he's been selected for a new reality show called "The Eye," Tyler is obsessed with monitoring and controlling Brooke's life, and Brooke has self-diagnosed MS. Scully delivers a captivating read which will leave detectives Monte Martinez and Cassie Shirdon trying to figure out a brutal, twisted puzzle, the kind we see on TV and just end up shaking our collective heads.

Each Castle Has Its King - A story that asks, "Can a house be evil?" Calvin Goodman and his wife, Rachel, and their dog, Jackson, move to the country. ...leaving Los Angeles for a "more peaceful, sane place." like Oregon. There was no question about the peaceful part. But Rachel wasn't at all convinced about the "more sane" part of the bargain. Their neighbor on the one side, Roy Crampton, was less than friendly. The Dell sisters, Mary and Mabel, lived on the other side of their property and were disturbing in their own way.

Nostri - This was my favorite of the four novellas is the collection. Disenfranchised teens and a story that asks some hard questions. Thought provoking and frightening. What starts with a fascination with the teachings of a Roman philosopher and taking a stand on some social issues, in an unusual way, takes a decidedly dark turn and ends in murder. Once again, Martinez and Shirdon are on the case. Without a doubt this was one of the most powerful narratives I've read this year. Chilling in its ramifications.

Devils in Dark Houses - Another story about ethics, addressing the issue in an entertaining, dark fiction sort of way. Good cops, not so good cops, DB Cooper, and an itinerant schizophrenic that refers to himself as the Hound. What's not to love. Plus, the Hound knows something about the past in the very police department where Martinez and Shirdon still work homicide. Given what they have to work with, getting to the truth will be anything but easy.

B.E. Scully has a very comfortable writing style which made reading this quartet of novellas a joy and I look forward to reading her work again, soon.

Definitely recommended.

Devils in Dark Houses is available from DarkFuse in both paperback and e-book formats. If you subscribe to the Kindle Unlimited program you can read this book at no additional charge. Also, if you're an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.

From the author's bio - B.E. Scully lives in a haunted red house that lacks a foundation in the misty woods of Oregon with a variety of human and animal companions. Scully is the author of the gothic thriller Verland: the Transformation, the short story collection The Knife and the Wound It Deals, and numerous other short stories, poems, and articles. ( )