22 Dutch Rd. by T.C. Schueler was absolutely top shelf. The hero, Billy Buchanan, has to go back to his home town to help with his late father’s estate at 22 Dutch Rd. and to receive a small interim check. Billy and his mom need to the check to stave off the financial wolves. When he arrives at the estate, he is surprised by the ring of eight-foot carved stone statues of warriors ringing the manor house just inside the property line. That’s about the only normal part of 22 Dutch Rd. Everything that followed was … well, was …  bordering on the bazaar, starting with having the statues seeming to turn to follow him with their gaze.

I especially liked that Schueler took his time telling, or rather showing the story in words as though he was describing a movie. His presentation was very in depth. He told of the characters mental states, feelings, interactions, and the effects they had on each other. The extra insights definitely added to the story line. I mean, he took several pages to describe a simple hand of high-stakes poker that played to the story. Several pages - and every word was captivating and important to later scenes.

The ending was what made it all. Several tiers if cliff-hanger upon cliff-hanger. Even after the credits rolled (as it were) closure was brought to some of the plot elements and to the surviving characters.

I have just three words for T.C. Schueler: Unique, Unique, Unique. A great mix of light horror and sci-fi. I think that this book would make a visually stunning movie. I am now a big fan and can’t wait for his next book. Jeff Bailey, author of Not On My Watch.