whenever you sign a lease, you should always check the fine print
From the author of "Asylum - 13 Tales of Terror", "After Darkness Falls 1 & 2" & "Abra-Cadaver" "Gated" is an Amazon UK Horror Chart #4 bestseller
Michael and Emily are a happy and contented English couple, a writer and a school teacher.
Their lives are complete when Emily falls pregnant, however their dreams are shattered one cold winter night by a car accident that robs them of their happiness.
To overcome their loss they up stick and move to Eden Gardens, a US gated community that offers "Heaven on Earth and Twice as Nice". The people are warm and friendly and welcome them with open arms. The town is a beautiful throwback to a bygone age, where the sun always shines and the sky's always blue.
As they settle into their new perfect lives, the circle is complete when Emily falls pregnant. The town is perfect, the weather is perfect and their lives are perfect.
But are the stares from their neighbours a little too intense, is the town a little too interested in their happy news, and is Eden all that it seems.
They are about to find out that paradise comes at a cost, and when you sign a lease, you should always check the fine print.
Excerpt
Michael checked his watch again, his eyes blurred and his vision swam. He felt dizzy and disorientated, and the world around him was full of vibrant colours and strange odours. He looked down at his feet, he was standing on the road some fifty feet from the woodlands and he felt that he was missing something. The bike! He looked around frantically, where was his bike? He’d cycled out here from the town, he’d reached the forest, and then…, his brow furrowed as his mind fogged. Had he gone into the woods? He thought that he had, but now he couldn't remember. He certainly didn't remember going in or coming out again. His watch told him that over two and a half hours had passed, but that surely wasn't possible, was it? He stared up at the woods; the trees loomed ominously across the horizon blocking the sunlight. The dark under the foliage was tangible, threatening, and strangely inviting. Giant spider egg sized goosebumps formed on his bare arms, and he shivered despite the day’s warmth that was greater from this distance away from the forest. His breath stilled and the world stood silent. He felt sleepy and his limbs hung heavy - one foot lifted and took an involuntary small step back towards the forest.
“Mr Torrance?”
Michael’s heart felt like it actually stopped. His chest hitched violently, and an acidic lump caught in his throat, it was only shock that prevented him from opening his lungs and screaming.
“Mr Torrance, are you alright?”
He turned slowly to face the enquiring voice, not knowing what to expect, but expecting the worst. An Eden Gardens’ deputy stood before him. The man was wearing the uniform brown pants and tan canvas shirt with a star badge shining on his chest. He was a little shorter than Michael, and rather more slender than would be expected in a police officer; his face was gentle with a somewhat feminine grace. His features were delicate, and his hair looked a soft natural blond. His shoulders were narrow and his chest slim. The uniform must have been the smallest that the department had to offer, but it still billowed around him like a sheet.
“Mr Torrance?” The deputy’s voice took on a harder, more demanding edge.
“Yes, yes, sorry,” Michael managed through a dry throat, “I was just, just miles away I guess.”
“Yeah, you looked it,” the deputy laughed, still watching carefully.
“Um, what are we doing here officer?” Michael asked, unsure of what exactly was going on in all senses.
Professional Reviews
ReadersFavorite.com
Gated by Matt Drabble is a horror novel as good as any you will find on the market today. The town of Eden was the epitome of good, old-fashioned, friendly small-town America. It sounded too good to be true. It was. However, Michael and Emily Torrance didn’t know that… yet. Having lost their first child when then pregnant Emily was hit in a freak accident, the Torrance’s thought a change would be good for them. Living in the wet, cold United Kingdom, the email they received about Eden sounded like just the change they needed: move to an entirely new country, in an idyllic town, with zero crime, excellent jobs with lucrative wages, and warm, sunny days the year round. What could possibly go wrong in a place like Eden? Even the name sounded heavenly. In fact, the town’s motto was, “Heaven on Earth, and Twice as Nice”. But Eden held a deep, dark secret; one that was anything but “Heaven on Earth, and Twice as Nice”.
Matt Drabble has written a number of horror novels, short stories, and short story collections. He is a gifted master of the genre, and will continue to make his mark for many years to come. Gated is as professionally written as anything written by the “big name” authors. In fact, Gated is such a well-written book I can’t help but wonder if “Matt Drabble” is a pen name being used by one of the “big name” authors. Whether it is true or not, Gated is a book all fans of horror must read. It is pure horror, all the way through, with a sprinkling of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. I expect to see “Matt Drabble” on the cover of some seriously frightening horror stories for a good, long time.
Soozy's Horror Page
As a previous reviewer on Amazon has stated, Matt Drabble’s ‘Gated’ is reminiscent of
Bentley Little’s ‘The Association’. However, whilst the setting is indeed of a
gated community in America, Matt Drabble weaves his own story that keeps readers
enthralled. Style-wise, I would go so far as to suggest that Drabble has indeed
got many of Bentley Little’s traits and this is a massive compliment as I adore
Bentley Little’s work. I picked up this book after a recommendation from a
friend and I am so glad I did. I was hooked straight away. I loved the picture
of the degradation of the larger towns, and how moving to Eden (the complex in
the story) was a different, idealistic way of life. Obviously, this isn’t the
case in the long run. It tells the tale of a couple who move from the UK to live
in Eden after a traumatic event. There are the regular characters (flirtatious
next door neighbours, bad cop, stern headmistress) and these are all
characterised amazingly well. The ideal, perfect setting…or so we are led to
believe. I cannot praise this book enough. It is one of those books that stays
with you long after you have read it – the imagery is that powerful. So why would
I only give it four stars out of five? As mentioned by the author in the synopsis above, the editing isn’t great. I must admit, usually, if I pick a book up and have to
struggle to make sense of it, I don’t continue and I steer clear of the author.
But the first chapter had me totally hooked. I couldn’t have stopped reading had I tried.
Examiner.com
Have you ever been in a situation, or met someone, that was just too good to be true? Everything was in all the right places, but something was just a little off. Matt Drabble’s novel, Gated, deals with the notion that sometimes “perfect” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Michael and Emily are your typical English couple. Except that Michael is a horror writer and Emily is a spunky teacher who is pregnant with their first child. However, when that child is taken away in a tragic accident, the Torrance family decides to relocate to America. After trolling the internet for a small town to settle in, Michael discovers Eden, “Heaven on Earth and Twice as Nice”. Unable to believe their good fortune, the couple packs up and moves across the pond.
When they arrive they are greeted by a stern set of security officers who are guarding the gates to the town. Although Michael and Emily are initially put off by this welcome, they immediately lose sight of their discomfort when they meet Casper Christian. His family built the town and sees to every matter personally. After moving into their beautiful mansion, settling into a comfortable friendship with their neighbors, and treated like an eagerly anticipated guest by the rest of the town, Michael and Emily feel like they’ve found the perfect place to start a new life.
The problem is that not everything is as it appears. There’s something dark and sinister under the plastic surface of Eden. Perfection is all well and good, but the Torrance’s discover that it also comes with a price.
There’s something engaging about this story. It’s a little predictable, in the sense that you know something bad is going to happen, but that’s about where the predictability stops. This book is definitely a story of good vs. evil, but don’t ever be too sure about who is playing on which team. Surprises are in store, and good ones. Michael and Emily are insightful characters that allow the reader to play with the “what ifs” in the story. Since Michael is a horror writer, he brings up questions that normally only exist in the reader’s head. He is their connection to the story. Throughout the book, Drabble drops in breaks that delve into the town’s history. This method of information gathering is brilliant for this story because it allows readers to fully appreciate what is happening to Michael and Emily.
