All Hallows

Golden’s (Road of Bones) latest is a Halloween treat with a decidedly deadly center. It’s 1984 in Coventry, MA. Tony Barbosa’s Haunted Woods attraction is a yearly tradition, particularly for the families on Parmenter Road, but this is no ordinary Halloween night. It’s a night of secrets laid bare, of families coming apart, and of odd children in creepy costumes emerging from the woods, pleading to be saved from something called the Cunning Man. Once the sun rises on November 1, Parmenter Road and its families will have forever lost their innocence. Some might be tempted to dismiss this work as merely an homage to Stranger Things, but Golden’s story smartly reveals the rot brimming beneath the mask of suburban mores. Golden’s novel juggles multiple characters, and Ronnie Butler’s and January LaVoy’s narrating talents give these characters, from human to not-so-human, unique voices and authentic emotions.