Sallow Bend by Alan Baxter

Jun 15

Sallow Bend is a supernature thriller, horror novel by Alan Baxter. It weighs in at 336 pages and was published on August 19, 2022 by Cemetery Dance Publications.

Strange things are happening in Sallow Bend. Another child has gone missing, and this time around the result is different. But not for everyone.

This is the first novel length book I’ve read from Alan Baxter. Prior to Sallow Bend, I’ve enjoyed his short stories and novella length works. I jumped at the chance to get a taste of his novel writing, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I know I’ve gotten my hands on a good book when I have to force myself to go to bed. I was sucked in to Sallow Bend by hefty amounts of suspense and intrigue throughout the book. Baxter did a masterful job weaving the lives of vastly different groups of characters together into a cohesive story.

Heads up - there’s a bit of discussion in this book about autism. The subject can sometimes make me bristle, being the mother of an autistic child, but Baxter did a great job introducing autism without focusing on it as a negative. It was handled in a respectful and positive manner.

There are a lot of interesting characters in this book. I instantly latched on to Caleb Jackson, a loner who lives under the local school’s assembly hall rent free as a janitor and night security guard. Caleb is extremely sensitive to social cues and can read people based on their facial expressions and body language. I could feel his discomfort when dealing with everything and everyone Baxter throws at him throughout the story.

Caleb reluctantly befriends Tricia Brent, a mother whose son went missing a year prior. She attempts to heal herself and her grief by joining the town in the search to find its newest missing child. Tricia takes Caleb under her wing, whether he likes it or not. Their unlikely friendship propels the story forward as they work together to solve an unfolding mystery and shed light on Sallow Bend’s mysterious past.

It’s not enough that we have a community of people experiencing a cycle of horror and weirdness. We also have a traveling carnival rolling into town for a few weeks, adding even more depth to the oddities and curiosities happening in Sallow Bend. Talk about an assortment of characters! I particularly loved figuring out what makes Saul tick. I also loved the premise that the people who are considered “freaks” or “different” by many of the other characters are the only ones who can truly see what’s happening around the town.

Baxter drops hints and clues along the way to keep readers enthralled. It’s never too much, though. The bits don’t dumb down the story or give it away, instead keeping readers engaged, curious, and hungry for more.

The supernatural aspects of this book were believable and entertaining. The characters that fall into this realm were well-written and provocative. I leaned into their storylines the most. There was an underlying excitement and energy that fueled these characters and their interactions with others. I’d even go so far as to suggest at least one of them could have a short story collection similar to Baxter’s Gulpepper books.

Speaking of which, I had moments while reading Sallow Bend that my mind wandered to thoughts about The Gulp and The Fall. Baxter has a way of creating small towns with dubious pasts. He did a fantastic job transporting me yet again to a place where strange things happening and spooky secrets are the norm. I definitely want more.

The ending was satisfying and answered all of the questions the author promised throughout the story. I felt a hint of wonder remaining as I turned the last page of the book. Another great read from Alan Baxter!

Need more Alan Baxter? Here are just a few of his available titles:

Served Cold podcast & interview with Alan Baxter from Unsettling Reads:

My first taste of Baxter’s work was Served Cold. I fell in love with the cover when I saw it on social media, snatched it up, and I haven’t looked back since. Though I have read it, it’s not currently on this website. It was the first book we read and reviewed on our then-running Unsettling Reads podcast. That episode is still available on Spotify - CLICK HERE.
We also interviewed Alan Baxter. I fear I sounded like a total fangirl, but you can also listen to that interview if you CLICK HERE.

Who is Alan Baxter?

Alan Baxter is a multi-award-winning author of horror, supernatural thrillers and dark fantasy liberally mixed with crime, mystery and noir. This Is Horror calls him “Australia’s master of literary darkness” and the Talking Scared Podcast dubbed him “The Lord of Weird Australia.” He’s also a martial arts expert, a whisky-soaked swear monkey, and dog lover. He creates dark, weird stories among dairy paddocks on the beautiful south coast of NSW, Australia, where he lives with his family and other animals.