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Dark Halls: A Horror Novel Paperback – November 3, 2019

by Jeff Menapace (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 1,881 ratings
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From the bestselling author of the Bad Games and Wildlife series comes a chilling new novel of supernatural horror and suspense.

Highland Elementary has a dark and disturbing past—so disturbing that locals ultimately burned the school to the ground.

Years later, Pinewood Elementary is the future, and for new teacher Ryan Herb, a chance at a fresh start. But the townspeople don’t believe that rebuilding the school and changing its name is enough. They believe that whatever evil inhabited the halls of Highland still dwells in Pinewood.

Ryan is a realist and isn’t the type to be affected by local lore. But when Ryan begins to experience horrifying visions of past tragedies, he starts to question his own beliefs. Something in the school is reaching out to Ryan for help, a potentially lethal request as something else—or someone else?—in the school is keen on keeping the evil therein very much alive.

Can a skeptical Ryan unearth the origins of the evil’s true source and put an end to it? Or will he, like many before him, become a permanent resident of the school himself?

Rife with supernatural terror and intrigue, Dark Halls blurs the lines between horror and mystery—a whodunit that, when solved, proposes the even greater question of: how do you stop it?


What readers are saying about Jeff Menapace and his award-winning fiction:

“Menapace will become a household name along with Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Richard Laymon." ★★★★★

"I have been a lifetime reader of Dean Koontz, Stephen King, James Patterson, Lisa Gardner, and various other suspense and horror authors...I have found a new author to add to my list of greats." ★★★★★

"If you like Stephen King, Blake Crouch, or Dean Koontz, then you'll love Jeff Menapace. ★★★★★

“The best horror novel I've read in a long time. If you are a King, Koontz fan, this ranks right up there.” ★★★★★

"Compares to my favorite writers Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Saul." ★★★★★

"If you like Stephen King and Joe Hill, you will love Jeff Menapace. One of the best horror books I have read in awhile.” ★★★★★

"Excellent read! Similar to the style of Dean Koontz." ★★★★★


I hope you enjoy Dark Halls, my friends. This book is ideal for fans of authors who pen various types of horror, suspense, and mystery fiction! Authors like: Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Richard Laymon, Joe Hill, John Saul, Paul Tremblay, Blake Crouch, Brian Keene, Robert R. McCammon, Peter Straub, Clive Barker, Darcy Coates, Willow Rose, and many, many more. Happy Reading!
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  1. Print length
    292 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    November 3, 2019
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.73 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1704490324
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1704490328
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (November 3, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 292 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1704490324
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1704490328
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.73 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 1,881 ratings

About the author

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Jeff Menapace

Jeff Menapace

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A native of the Philadelphia area, Jeff has published multiple works in both fiction and non-fiction. In 2011 he was the recipient of the Red Adept Reviews Indie Award for Horror.

Jeff's debut novel BAD GAMES was a #1 bestseller that spawned four acclaimed sequels, and now the series has been optioned for feature film.

Free time for Jeff is spent watching horror movies, The Three Stooges, and mixed martial arts. He loves steak and more steak, thinks the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the greatest movie ever, wants to pet a lion some day, and hates spiders.

He currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Kelly and their cats Sammy, Bear, and Baby Girl.

Follow Jeff on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Goodreads, Instagram, BookBub, and Amazon:

https://www.facebook.com/JeffMenapace.writer

http://twitter.com/JeffMenapace

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmenapace

https://www.goodreads.com/jeffmenapace

https://www.instagram.com/jeffmenapace

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jeff-menapace

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004R09M0S

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
1,881 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this horror novel suspenseful with amazing twists, and one review notes its effective building of horror. The book receives positive feedback for its readability and writing style, with customers describing it as a fast-paced read that keeps them reading non-stop. Customers praise the character development, with one comparing the author to Stephen King, and appreciate the unexpected ending. The humor receives mixed reactions, with several customers finding it silly.

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112 customers mention "Suspenseful"93 positive19 negative

Customers find the book suspenseful, with an interesting and immersive storyline that keeps readers intrigued.

"Quite a nice, quick little horror story. Fast read, with a solid plot. The killer was a bit telegraphed, but it worked well for the story...." Read more

"...Finally, the gore. I have no problem reading about gore and violence, and felt that it added to the creepy atmosphere created by the author...." Read more

"...pace, neither too fast nor too slow, and there the building sense of horror is very effective...." Read more

"...It starts off well, building suspense and trying to make the characters realistic and relatable...." Read more

92 customers mention "Readability"88 positive4 negative

Customers find the book to be an amazing read by Jeff Menapace, with one customer noting how well the author maintains reader interest throughout.

"...The killer was a bit telegraphed, but it worked well for the story. Looking forward to more from the author." Read more

"...The writing style is breezy yet effective, and all the characters--Ryan, his friends, and the eventual villain--are drawn out very well, and I found..." Read more

"...And I will say I enjoyed this book, but it's not as good as reviews say it is...." Read more

"**NO SPOILERS HERE** Another impressive book by Jeff Menapace!..." Read more

44 customers mention "Writing style"38 positive6 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, finding it well written and easy to read, with one customer noting how the words flow smoothly.

"...The writing style is breezy yet effective, and all the characters--Ryan, his friends, and the eventual villain--are drawn out very well, and I found..." Read more

"...I enjoyed the dialogue and thoughts of the main character with enough sarcasm and humor for a few (for real) LOL moments...." Read more

"This book was very well written. This author is new to me but I'm not disappointed that I gave this a chance...." Read more

"...The writing held my attention throughout. I will read more Jeff Menapace!" Read more

37 customers mention "Character development"31 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one noting how the antagonist is all too human, and another mentioning that it surpasses Stephen King and Dean Koontz as a horror writer.

"...Ryan Herb was an enjoyable protagonist who I thought was the perfect amount of skeptical to lead the reader through this nightmare of a horror story...." Read more

"...The writing style is breezy yet effective, and all the characters--Ryan, his friends, and the eventual villain--are drawn out very well, and I found..." Read more

"...It starts off well, building suspense and trying to make the characters realistic and relatable...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the dialogue and thoughts of the main character with enough sarcasm and humor for a few (for real) LOL moments...." Read more

35 customers mention "Pacing"31 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing, describing it as a fast-paced read that kept them reading non-stop, with one customer mentioning it's perfect for late-night reading.

"Quite a nice, quick little horror story. Fast read, with a solid plot. The killer was a bit telegraphed, but it worked well for the story...." Read more

"The Good: This book is faced paced, and kept me on the edge of my seat...." Read more

"...of the school are revealed unfolds at just the right pace, neither too fast nor too slow, and there the building sense of horror is very effective...." Read more

"...So in all this made for a decent weekend read but nothing about it is all that memorable, so it was good but not great." Read more

19 customers mention "Page turner"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging, describing it as a page turner that's never boring.

"...Flipping kindle pages became a fun exercise as I went careening through the book!..." Read more

"...This one was a wild, incredible ride. This is my first Jeff Menapace book and it certainly won’t be my last...." Read more

"I enjoyed the fast pace of this story and it was never boring. I really liked the characters especially Ryan and Karl...." Read more

"...A real page turner! Highly recommend this book as well as the Bad Games series. Can't wait to read his other books!" Read more

12 customers mention "Predictable ending"12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the unexpected ending of the book, with one mentioning it gave them chills and another noting it kept them guessing until the end.

"...The ending also was great, lots of twists and turns and the very last page of the book is quite the mindfuck itself...." Read more

"...The cast of characters was so good, and the ending was not expected at all. Definitely one of my new favorite horror writers...." Read more

"...The ending gave me chills. Definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced horror, with a psychological twist, read." Read more

"...This is a very good read, not so “predictable”, and I’d love to look into more from this author!" Read more

7 customers mention "Humor"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the humor in the book, with several finding it silly.

"...I enjoyed the dialogue and thoughts of the main character with enough sarcasm and humor for a few (for real) LOL moments...." Read more

"...style but found this one a little amateurish, a good idea but a little ridiculous , didnt like the ending." Read more

"This was a fun one! So many twists that keep you on edge. The author does a fantastic job at keeping the suspense throughout the book...." Read more

"Poor writing. Tired horror tropes. Heavy handed and sophomoric attempts at humor. Correct guess at the culprit within 10 minutes...." Read more

I loved this book...
5 out of 5 stars
I loved this book...
I loved. I finished it in 3 days. Umm not 3 days, nights because I only read at night. Entertaining from the first sentence to the last. I wanted to finish reading it the same day because it is a very good one. Bloody, at times it gave me chills. I hope there is a second part of this book. A good horror book that gets to the point. But each person is different. I loved this book. It leaves me wanting more.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Adam Thayer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Short and nasty, in the best of ways.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Quite a nice, quick little horror story. Fast read, with a solid plot. The killer was a bit telegraphed, but it worked well for the story. Looking forward to more from the author.
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  • Kelsey B
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Twisted Nightmare of Great Horror!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The Good: This book is faced paced, and kept me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to know what was going on at Pinewood Elementary and what had happened in the past. Ryan Herb was an enjoyable protagonist who I thought was the perfect amount of skeptical to lead the reader through this nightmare of a horror story. Honestly I found most of the characters enjoyable, and genuinely felt upset when some came to harm. Finally, the gore. I have no problem reading about gore and violence, and felt that it added to the creepy atmosphere created by the author. But for those that don't like graphic descriptions or children involved in the violence would likely best skip this.

    Now is the moment I get to be a bit of a geek. I fully admit that I tend to be the person who loves a great backstory. This is particularly true when it comes to crime and/or paranormal stories. Is there a creepy village with a dark history? You bet I wanna know as much details as much as possible. Got a ghost with a tragic death? Gimme, gimme, gimme those good details. So I found this novel thoroughly detailed accounts of the elementary school's dark past.

    The Bad: Ok, there is a alarmingly large problem with this book. I can totally admit that it is what caused me to change my rating from the perfect 5 to a 4. The reveal of the evil source causing the troubles at Highland and eventually Pinewood became glaringly obvious long before it should have been revealed. I believe this was intentional by the author, as there was a reveal long before I anticipated. It does bring the fever pitch-like pace of the plot to a screeching halt. Its recovered, but I feel that it never reaches the same levels it had been at for a good chunk of the novel.

    The In Between: The romance. It didn't take away from the plot, but I could have done without it. Just my personal preference with these types of books.

    Overall: I can't lie, even with this books faults (and it does have one particularly large one), I absolutely loved it! I wish the reveal of the evil had been held of for a bit longer, as that would have made the book perfect to me. But I greatly appreciate what the author did and I'm glad that I read this book.

    Recommended for: I would recommend this book to someone who enjoyed dark horror or thriller books. Those who enjoy or don’t mind graphic descriptions of crimes and like a deep history behind the supernatural elements would also enjoy this book.
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  • Gunlord
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic supernatural horror!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This was much better than I was expecting. The premise is that Highland Elementary School had seen so many mysterious suicides and murders (of both students and teachers) that angry locals eventually burned it to the ground, but when it's rebuilt as Pinewood Elementary, the evil that drove so many to madness is still there. It's up to Ryan, an enthusiastic new teacher, to figure out what's haunting those halls before the school year starts and the terror begins again. He'll have the help of some old "veterans" who were around for all the chaos at Highland...but one of them might actually be responsible for it!

    Like I said at the start, MUCH better than I was expecting. The writing style is breezy yet effective, and all the characters--Ryan, his friends, and the eventual villain--are drawn out very well, and I found myself liking everyone I was supposed to like and hating the one I was supposed to hate. The way the mysteries of the school are revealed unfolds at just the right pace, neither too fast nor too slow, and there the building sense of horror is very effective. There's also some nice gore if you look for that in your horror novels. My only complaint is that I thought the reveal happened a little too quickly--just about halfway through the book you learn for certain who the villain responsible for the supernatural terror is. I wish there had been another twist before that, but ah well, not a big deal. Definitely not enough to take away from the 5 stars this was worth!
    7 people found this helpful
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  • pcast99
    3.0 out of 5 stars Started off intriguing but the payoff was rushed.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This was the first novel of Jeff Menapace I've so far read. And I will say I enjoyed this book, but it's not as good as reviews say it is.
    It starts off well, building suspense and trying to make the characters realistic and relatable. But the mystery element didn't really pay off that well and it wasn't all that original either. He uses a lot of familiar supernatural tropes and falls into the same trap a lot of modern horror writers find themselves in. In that he rushed his ending as apposed to trying to flesh out his story and add more depth to his characters while relying on too much violence and bloodshed instead of creative subtle scares.
    So in all this made for a decent weekend read but nothing about it is all that memorable, so it was good but not great.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Katie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Creepy Read
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    **NO SPOILERS HERE**

    Another impressive book by Jeff Menapace! This is his first novel in the paranormal suspense horror category and he’s a natural in this genre. I’m crossing fingers and toes for a follow up with these characters in the near future. I’ve read all Jeff’s books and this may be my new favorite.

    It was easy to relate to the main character as a brand new teacher and the anxiety of starting any new job. Add to that the creepy past of his new school and odd incidents right from the start and it’s no wonder he’s questioning everything and wondering if he made a mistake by accepting the job.

    I enjoyed the dialogue and thoughts of the main character with enough sarcasm and humor for a few (for real) LOL moments. It’s creepy enough for suspense horror lovers like myself to make this a fun, quick read. But make sure you have enough time to ignore the real world as you will probably say “just one more chapter” until it turns into “screw it—forget sleep”.

    The cover is weird as hell and after reading it, I understand WHY and WHAT it is! I highly recommend this one and wish you a “good luck” on keeping your fingernails!
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    What can I say? This book is just BRILLIANT!! I read it in one sitting, I just couldn't put it down. A fantastic story, told so well. Jeff is fast becoming my favourite author. I cannot recommend this book enough
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  • Lisa McClintock
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
    Reviewed in Australia on November 23, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I love Jeff Menapace’s books and this one is no exception - a thrilling roller coaster that will send shivers down your spine :)
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  • moacir colleoni
    1.0 out of 5 stars NÃO PERCA SEU TEMPO, NÃO TERMINEI
    Reviewed in Brazil on May 13, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    A ideia do autor pra história é interessante, contém todos os elementos de uma boa história de terror, porém não consegui ir além da metade do livro. Personagens superficiais, pouquíssimos detalhes sobre os mesmos, o autor não consegue criar uma atmosfera de suspense ou medo, os diálogos e as interações entre os personagens chegam a ser constrangedores de tão ruins. As partes onde o sobrenatural acontece, chegam a ser cômicas em vez de assustadoras, foi onde decidir não ir além.
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  • Tuan Nguyen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in Canada on February 28, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Great read from start to finish. Couldn't put it down. Loved all the characters. Horror fans will really enjoy this one.
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  • JD Parent
    3.0 out of 5 stars A gory haunted school read.
    Reviewed in Canada on June 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I want to start by saying this book cover is awesomely cool and creepy! It caught my attention, making me want the book before I even read the summary.
    As for the story itself, it was not really what I was expecting at all. I went in thinking of a creepy school with little demon ghost children haunting the halls. That was not the case, not really anyways.
    The writing felt a bit choppy when it came to time passings and chapter separations. Also the first half felt pretty 'mehh' for lack of a better word. The second half did pick up quite a bit and I really enjoyed the ending despite it being a bit far fetched.
    Overall, it was an okay read and while it did have some gory parts, it did not manage to actually freak me out. I think people who like more of a fiction based plot over a partly realistic feeling story might enjoy it more than I did.
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