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Family Business

A horror full of creeping dread from the mind behind Thirteen Storeys and The Magnus Archives

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Family Business

By: Jonathan Sims
Narrated by: Jonathan Sims, Rachel Petladwala
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Summary

 A bone-chilling horror from the acclaimed writer of THIRTEEN STOREYS and hit horror podcast THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

JUST ANOTHER DEAD-END JOB.

DEATH. IT'S A DIRTY BUSINESS.

When Diya Burman's best friend Angie dies, it feels like her own life is falling apart. Wanting a fresh start, she joins Slough & Sons - a family firm that cleans up after the recently deceased.

Old love letters. Porcelain dolls. Broken trinkets. Clearing away the remnants of other people's lives, Diya begins to see things. Horrible things. Things that get harder and harder to write off as merely her grieving imagination. All is not as it seems with the Slough family. Why won't they speak about their own recent loss? And who is the strange man that keeps turning up at their jobs?

If Diya's not careful, she might just end up getting buried under the family tree. . .

People can't look away from Family Business:

'Great horror novel that gets scarier by the page!' Netgalley reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Sims is a master of the horror genre . . . perfect for Halloween reading' Netgalley reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Very much in the style of Stephen King . . . [this story will make you] fear to turn the page. A great read' Netgalley reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Family Life Genre Fiction Ghosts Horror Supernatural Thriller & Suspense Haunted Scary Paranormal Suspense
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Critic reviews

A very readable, very powerful novel which drew me in and didn't let go until the terrifying end
A triumph, thriving on relatable fears, hyper-realistic dirty homes, and understandable grief. This novel has the momentum of a train with no breaks
A great Halloween read I found difficult to put down. A realistic setting, with likeable characters and some genuinely icky and creepy moments along the way
Family Business is a story about keeping secrets and remembering loved ones, told in a plain, unfussy style whose groundedness makes the book's unfolding sense of dread all the more tangible
I can't put into words just how cleverly written Family Business is. It completely blew me away
All stars
Most relevant
I enjoyed this audiobook. The opening was a little hard to get into for me, and I feel Jonny Sims has improved at writing endings from his previous works (Magnus Archives and Thirteen Storeys). It was spooky and felt somehow inevitable from the beginning. There were no plot twists or shocking reveals, but the story felt fundamentally satisfying and complete nonetheless. I look forward to reading Jonny's next work.

Enjoyable

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Rachel Petladwala does a great narration, and there are fun appearances by JS too. This is a satisfying story which feels like an extended Magnus Archives standalone, but will appeal to newcomers to Sims’ work.

Very enjoyable

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Like Sims previous work, this was a consistently captivating novel, written in distinctive style with both plot and characters that more than lived up to expectations. The narrators performance was excellent also, illustrating the main character's personality well through tone and pacing. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a story with both conventional horror aspects and Sims own brand of chilling storytelling.

Excellent Story, Compelling Narrator

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I loved 'Thirteen Storeys ' so was delighted to see that Johnathan Sims had a second novel. I was initially disappointed as I found it a wee bit boring and found Diya, the protagonist not someone I could warm to. By Chapter 4 however my reservations had disappeared and I was drawn into this world of cleaning up for the dead and the eerie Mr Bill.
Just one question remains - did Harry have a name change to Dave towards the end or did I miss something?

Stick with it

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this was a really interesting take on hauntings, ghosts, monsters and memories. it had some remarkably visceral scenes. i loved how it explored human connection, love and grief, and how the real horror lies in forgetting someone dead, not the death itself. also the narration was reall, good and i love Jonathan Sims giving the voice to the villain.

Horrors of Being Forgotten

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