Book Review: No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill

I was first introduced to Adam Neville through the Netflix adaptation of The Ritual. Sometime later, I picked up the novel, and I was completely blown away by what he can do with horror writing.

The book is grimy, unsettling, and has a depth and texture that the movie simply lacks, especially if you’ve read the source material. The second half of the novel, in particular, diverges drastically from what the Netflix adaptation delivers.

I found myself in the mood for a good ghost story. So, in my usual “find a new book to read” fashion, I jumped on Google and searched for the best new ghost stories. Sure enough, No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Neville popped up. Immediately, I thought, “The Ritual was brilliant, this is the book I’m reading next.” And I could not put the damn thing down. Neville has crafted a truly ghastly story that is completely and utterly creepy from start to finish.

One Gets Out Alive tells the story of Stephanie Booth, a young woman utterly cash-strapped, who moves into a house at 82 Edgehill Road. Things unravel slowly at first, with the typical ghost story elements, but then the book takes an absolutely malevolent turn. For much of the novel, I was completely horrified and disgusted by Neville’s ability to craft ghastly human characters, much like the rock band in The Ritual freaked me out. The human antagonists in No One Gets Out Alive are vile, disgusting, wretched, and truly terrifying. Then, in typical Adam Neville fashion, the story takes another fascinating turn with the introduction of a far more malevolent force. I don’t want to give too much away, but the novel veers toward a kind of Lovecraftian, eldritch horror as the true “big bad,” Black Maggie, comes to the fore.

The novel is best examined in parts, because the story takes some drastic shifts. Initially, it’s a grim, ghostly tale, but the ghosts aren’t the main threat. Then it pivots to focus on the human antagonists, who are utterly terrifying, vile, and unimaginable in their cruelty. Later, the story takes another turn as it becomes clear that these humans are serving a far more eldritch, supernatural force. The last quarter of the book almost reads like a new story, different location, new characters, a shift in pacing and style, but it’s intrinsically linked to the overall narrative.

Much like The Ritual, Nevill seamlessly weaves these parts together, using the characters’ investigations to flesh out the story.

I couldn’t put it down. This is easily one of the best horror novels I’ve read. Nevill is 2 for 2 in my experience, and I can’t wait to read more of his work.

If you get the chance, pick up No One Gets Out Alive, it’s a ghost story that evolves into full-blown Lovecraftian horror.