This is one of the short stories in the “Into Shadow” collection, and the fourth one I have read so far. Like the rest of the collection, it is a mixed bag: some stories really impressed me, while others completely lost me. Unfortunately, this one fell into the latter camp.

„It’s business as usual on the set of another cheap sword-and-sandal production by Pharos Pictures—until the lead actress suddenly falls into a deep, mysterious sleep. Jordan Harper can talk down high-strung starlets and knock sense into stuntmen, but this…this is the kind of uncanny problem that he’d usually bring to Mrs. Hope. Unfortunately, the preternaturally capable secretary is on a business trip with the studio head. Harper must get to the bottom of the mystery on his own before another cast member succumbs—or worse, they blow the budget.“

Blurb

I did like the creepy undertone of the story, which gave it some atmosphere. But overall it felt as though I was constantly missing a piece of the puzzle. The characters, ordinary people and not adventurers or occult experts, seemed to accept the strange events far too easily. That made it difficult for me to connect with them or to care about what was happening. Without that emotional hook, the story just did not work for me.

In the end: a promising idea, but for me it was a “No”. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️