Horror Thriller

Review: Turn Off the Light at Jacquie Walters

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Turn Off the Light: A NovelTurn Off the Light: A Novel by Jacquie Walters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Turn Off the Light is a Horror novel from Jacquie Walters that blends many different subgenres. It’s part Domestic, part Paranomal Mystery, part Historical, part Thiller and part Haunted House. That sounds like a lot, but I felt like Walters effortlessly put it all together.

This engrossing story is set on the Coast of Virginia, and features both a past and present perspective. I didn’t know what to expect going in, I’m not even sure I read the synopsis, but I ended up really, really enjoying it.

At the heart of the story is one of my favorite tropes, a character returning to their hometown after a long period away, and ending up embroiled in some sort of mystery.

We follow Claire, who is returning to her childhood home to assist her sister and bro-in-law with the care of their ailing father. The house itself has a lot of history, and something about it has Claire unsettled. She’s not sleeping well, hearing things and sensing things that may, or may not, be there.

Walters also brings us a past perspective, Edith, a healer with knowledge that isn’t necessarily encouraged, or appreciated, by her tight-knit, religious community.

Edith’s perspective, as a woman working with natural healing in the past, goes about as well as you would expect. She faces many discriminations against her, but she’s still driven to help all she can with her unique skills.

As a Reader, it’s clear that these two women, they’re going to be connected, but how is it even possible?

Walters succeeded in pulling me along, into both Claire and Edith’s lives, as we barrelled towards the answers held within the conclusion.

Walters did a great job of presenting both the current perspective and the historical perspective, and ultimately connecting them. I enjoyed Dearest, it was fine, but this one was definitely more to my taste as far as content.

I did feel a bit more intrigued by Claire’s perspective, but Edith’s was necessary in order to make the story work. This was reminiscent to me of things I have enjoyed from Jennifer McMahon and Simon St. James, so if you’re a fan of those authors, I would recommend checking this out.

There was quite a bit of mystery as well, and Walters did a great job at pacing the reveals. At no point did I feel like I knew all of the answers. I didn’t know what was happening until Walters was ready to show me, which was nice.

Thank you to the publisher, Little, Brown and Company, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m jazzed about my experience with this one.

I’m definitely looking forward to picking up more from Jacquie Walters. I’d love to see more from her in this lane.

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Review: I Am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily Zinnikas

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I Am the Monster Under the BedI Am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily Zinnikas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

I Am the Monster Under the Bed is an Adult Horror novel following an MC named Willa. When she was a child, she had an invisible entity living under her bed. She would talked to it and about it, saying a lot of creepy things that had her parents frazzled.

Through past perspective chapters, the Reader learns a bit about that time in Willa’s life, and how those experiences shaped the adult she would become.

Another formative experience for Willa occurred when she was a Senior in high school. She went into the woods with six other teens and was the only one to walk out. That’s right, the other six died in the woods that night.

This incident devastated their small town of Rapture, Maine, and Willa took the brunt of the blame, becoming a social pariah in an instant. She was always considered strange, but that night catapulted her to a new level of infamy.

The case went unsolved, with most locals thinking Willa was responsible for the deaths. They considered her a killer. Willa left town and started a career as an artist under a different name. She’s tried hard not to look back.

In the present perspective, Willa is now 32-years old. She’s been successful in her pursuits as an artist, though she lives a reclusive life. After an expose exposes her as the sole survivor of the Rapture Mystery Slayings, it seems Willa’s wall of privacy has been shattered.

In the midst of all this, she receives a call from an old classmate that her beloved art teacher has passed away. This is a woman who changed her life, and Willa feels compelled to return to Rapture to pay her respects.

With a great amount of trepidation, Willa returns to the small town she thought she’d never see again. The reception is mediocre, at best, and hostile at worst.

The narrative shifts back and forth between past and present, filling out the whole picture of Willa’s life and the truth of the goings on in Rapture. I did like this. It’s a good story, but I’ve been torn on how to rate it.

My experience with the novel could best be described as unbalanced. There were moments Zinnikas had me completely dialed in and then others when I was slightly rolling my eyes. I was also confused at times, which I attribute more to the way the story was put together than to the actual plot, or characters.

I feel the audiobook production could have done more to make the past/present perspectives more distinctive from each other. It was tough in the audio to really feel grounded within the story, but yeah, it was still good.

I’m so torn. My heart says round up to 4-stars, but my head is saying 3.5-stars is a more realistic rating based on my experience. The concluding bits also dipped a wee bit into eye-roll territory, which is never a good thing.

Overall, I did love the concept of this story, as well as the building of tension. I also really enjoyed Willa as a main character and thought that she had a compelling backstory.

What let me down was the execution of the past/present perspectives as a whole, and the concluding action scenes. I am pleased with the experience for the most part though, and will pick up any future works by Zinnikas.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This is a great read for the Spooky Season!

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Review: We Are for the Dark by Gretchen McNeil

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We Are for the DarkWe Are for the Dark by Gretchen McNeil
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

We Are for the Dark is an Adult Religious Horror novel from Gretchen McNeil. I’ve never read and Adult novel from McNeil, and actually mistakenly went into this believing it was YA. You might ask, didn’t you read the synopsis?

And my answer to that would be, no, I did not. I’ve had enough success with McNeil in the past to jump on anything new she has releasing.

That assumption was quickly corrected based on the content and perspectives given at the start of the story, and I was excited to see how McNeil would deliver in this age group.

The story is set on a remote Newfoundland island and I was instantly drawn into that setting. I live on an island and love island set stories in general.

We follow two characters, Miriam Rideout, a Junior Constable from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, and Father Shane Ryan, a FBI Agent turned Catholic Priest.

Father Ryan gets summoned to the island by His Eminence Cardinal Jacobs. Father Ryan is newly-ordained and he has no idea why this man of prominence would want to meet with him. It becomes clear that His Eminence is aware of Ryan’s past in the FBI, and he needs his help investigating the mysterious disappearance of a local priest.

Weeks prior, Constable Miriam Rideout fielded a call from the island, a frantic priest begging for help. During the call the line went dead, leaving Rideout very unsettled. No further reports or calls came in from the island and Rideout was left scratching her head.

She appeals to her higher-ups for permission to travel to the island and do a wellness check on the caller, but her appeal is denied. After which, Rideout decides to take some vacation time and books her travel to the island. She feels like something is wrong, and she’s not going let her boss deter her from helping someone in need.

Rideout and Ryan’s paths end up crossing once they’re on the island. The outsiders amongst a sea of locals. It’s clear to both that something is very off with the island, but what? And are Rideout and Ryan now in danger too?

Though they don’t trust each other at first, neither one of them is a dummy and they know their alliance is necessary. Something ancient lurks on this island, an entity to which the locals may be in service, and they have no intention of letting these newcomers leave.

This was good. I really enjoyed the setting and the atmosphere was great, but there were also aspects that I wasn’t as crazy about. Some of the action towards the end became a little muddled as the paced increased, but overall it’s a solid story.

I liked the working relationship between Rideout and Ryan, but even that went too far after a certain point. To me, it didn’t make sense, especially considering the circumstances they were facing, but what do I know. I’ve never been trapped on an island by crazy islanders before. I am in the crazy islander. ((kidding, kidding))

I would recommend this for Readers who enjoy Religious Horror, or Horror Thrillers in general. Particularly if you’ve enjoyed things like Harrow Lake and The Wicker Man. The atmosphere is where it’s at with this one, so Atmosphere Girlies, like myself, so definitely check it out.

Thank you to the publisher, Recorded Books and DAW, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m happy to see McNeil in the Adult space and am looking forward to further releases in this lane.

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Review: Pictures of You by Josh Malerman

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Pictures of YouPictures of You by Josh Malerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Most of the time that I land on Outlier Island it’s because I dislike something most other Readers are enjoying, but in this case it’s the opposite.

Almost everyone I know who has read this, has hated it. It’s with pride I say, I really enjoyed it.

Am I deluding myself thinking I’m right though, and everyone else wrong? Not at all. I understand why people aren’t having a great time with it. Further, reading is subjective. IMO, there’s no right or wrong.

This story follows a couple, Emily and Jack, who are in a fairly new relationship and they’ve taken a weekend trip to a small Michigan town for a little fun and romance. They head out on the town, bar-hopping, having drinks and that’s when their nightmare begins.

The next morning, as Emily wakes up, she finds herself in a strange room with no memory of how she got there. She may be groggy, but it’s pretty clear it’s not their hotel room and Jack is nowhere to be found.

Staring at her through an empty picture frame is a woman who claims she’s an artist, and that Emily is her latest masterpiece. Emily is trapped. For reasons I won’t go into here, she’s unable to free herself, and where is Jack?

As mentioned above, I enjoyed my time with this. I felt it was unique, and yes, macabre, a goal of the artist in the story. I was fully committed to this story once I started and man, did it make me think.

By this I mean, I was putting myself in the shoes of these characters. What would I do if I was Emily? It’s something you could actually picture ((no pun intended)) happening. The world is strange, with a lot of strange people in it and you just never know, do you?

As a Horror novel exploring a nightmare scenario, I feel like Malerman did a great job bringing this to life. Sure, there’s a lot of artsy talk in it, but I do tend to enjoy narratives following artists, so that wasn’t really a bad thing for my tastes. Even though I’m by no means an artist, the process and psychology behind art and artists does fascinate me.

I read the majority of this in a day. It’s the type of weird I enjoy, and explored topics I enjoy. I also liked Emily and Jake’s relationship. It brought me back to the early years in my own relationship, when the world was our oyster.

Overall, not everything Malerman writes may be for me, but in this case, I consider this a win; a work of art.

Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Malerman certainly took a risk with this one, and I appreciate the efforts.

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Review: Black Point by Jacqueline West

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Black PointBlack Point by Jacqueline West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Black Point follows Lucia Sorenson, a teen living in a small Wisconsin town set on the banks of the Mississippi River. Lucia’s Mom has been pushing her hard to apply to colleges for next year and to get out of town as soon as she can, but Lucia doesn’t want to leave.

Lucia’s aging Grandfather runs a local Viking Museum that houses a record of the town’s history and Norse traditions. Lucia feels it’s important for her to remain in town and to help keep the Museum running.

There’s no doubt the town is changing, and Lucia wants to do her part to help keep the memory of where they came from alive. One significant change is the fact that the Black Point Hotel, a 150-year old landmark property, that’s been vacant for decades, has recently been purchased by an outsider (boo, hiss) and is being renovated.

Lucia meets the new owner’s teenage nephew, Max, and they have a bit of an instant attraction. As the two grow closer, chatter around town increases about these newcomers. That’s sure to happen in a small town, but Lucia finds getting to know Max a fascinating prospect. Maybe the outside world does have something to offer afterall.

Max ends up discovering some unsettling things within the hotel, but Lucia doesn’t want to believe her beloved town could be harboring sinister secrets. As the river rises though, more secrets are brought to the surface, and it’s clear the town’s dark past can no longer be denied.

Will Lucia ignore the truth, or will she finally be the one to bring it to light? And will her new friend help her, or end up being her biggest liability?

This was good. I found it entertaining and enjoyed the classic creepy town vibes that West delivered. I liked the characters and overall concept, but would have like almost everything to be a bit more well-developed. It felt a bit too surface level, especially in the later half, IMO.

I feel like West could have leaned even more into the development of the mysteries of the town, and actually even more into Lucia and Max’s new friendship. It all went very, very quickly, and then the concluding bits got slightly muddled once the action picked up.

At the end of the day though, it was an entertaining read targeted perfectly for the YA crowd. I think a lot of Young Readers will really enjoy this one, particularly those who already enjoy Horror Fiction.

I do actually think this could translate well to the big screen. I’d definitely watch this movie. I think the atmosphere alone could make a fun flick. Maybe that’ll happen someday. Great concept; not my favorite execution, but a really strong showing, nevertheless.

Thank you to the publisher, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

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Review: The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt

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The October Film Haunt: A NovelThe October Film Haunt: A Novel by Michael Wehunt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The October Film Haunt is a fascinating novel, but really hard to rate. I was so interested in the content and ideas being explored here, but also felt unmoored in the story and frequently confused (not in a good way).

I listened to the audiobook and it was a great production. There’s dual narration, with effects, and creepy voices for the monsters. The atmosphere, as well as Wehunt’s ability to get under my skin in certain moments, were my favorite aspects of this, enhanced via the audio format.

I did really enjoy Jorie’s perspective. Her life in Vermont with her young son was compelling, as were her reasons for being there. I found her perspective the easiest to track by far and also found the creepiest moments centering around what was happening to her in the present.

I also enjoyed the other perspectives and sections that Wehunt included, but they did feel more like vignettes and each time one would arise it would sort of kick me out of the story and then I had a difficult time recentering myself.

I think maybe the most effective way for me to have read this would have been to immersion read it; listen to the audio while following along in my hard copy. This was the method I used for Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay and I feel like that was such an exceptional experience. It definitely could have helped me here as well.

I believe this was Wehunt’s first full length novel. I could be wrong on that, but that’s my understanding. I know he’s had great success with his short fiction, and I am planning to check some of that out. I do own his collection, Greener Pastures, which I’ve heard excellent things about.

I feel like this had so many great things going on, but perhaps too much. A bit more focus on Jorie and the main events, with glimmers of what led her there, could have been a more successful construction for me.

Overall, I did enjoy this. I’m jazzed to read more from Wehunt, because clearly he has a passion for Horror and a limitless imagination. The imagery is also excellent. Should I round up? I’m gonna think on it. I might. Don’t be surprised if you see an update on this at some point in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I put off reading this for a while due to some early mixed reviews, but I’m so happy to have finally picked it up.

I’m looking forward to Wehunt’s upcoming release, Nightjars, and plan to read it soon. It sounds amazing. I have no doubt Wehunt is going to deliver all the creepy vibes!

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Review: Dead First by Johnny Compton

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Dead FirstDead First by Johnny Compton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dead First follows P.I., Shyla Sinclair, who at the start of this novel gets invited to the mansion of eccentric billionaire, Saxton Braith. As it turns out, Braith wants to hire Shyla, based on her reputation for taking on peculiar cases.

Shyla enters the meeting a bit suspicious. What does Braith want with her? They run in such different worlds.

Their encounter takes a startling turn when Braith’s assistant jams a metal rod through the back of his skull. He’s dead. Wait, no he’s not. He’s been resurrected.

That’s right. Braith cannot die and he doesn’t know why. This display by Braith and his assistant was done solely to convince Shyla of their claims. He wants her to dig into his life and try to figure out why he’s immortal.

Therein lies the case at the heart of this novel. I was intrigued by this set-up, and right away enjoyed the gritty Crime Fiction tone Compton was bringing to the story.

Shyla, as well, is intrigued by Braith’s claims and the opportunity to look into it. What she doesn’t like is that he basically blackmails her into taking the case, whether she wants to or not. Braith has done some digging on Shyla and knows her darkest secrets.

She can either help him, or risk losing everything?

Shyla ends up pairing up with her, I believe, ex-girlfriend, and sometimes work partner, Jihn, a psychic, for the case. Also along for the fun is Braith’s employee, Remy.

This is an intriguing supernatural mystery, and as mentioned above, I did really like the overall tone of the story. However, I think where it lost me was including so much backstory for Shyla. I get in a way why her past is included, the events obviously shaped her as a character, but those sections slowed the pace way down for me.

Because of my mixed interest in the various plot angles, the pace went from high to low, and with it, my enjoyment level did as well. Up, down and all around.

Even though I’ve rated this as a mid-story, I still can appreciate the quality of Compton’s writing and his creativity. I do love the rhythm of his sentences, and his descriptions of the horror bits, when they pop up.

I think if this had just been a little more singularly-focused on the mystery of Braith and his past, I would have enjoyed it more. For me, it felt like it was trying to do too much with the characters and it ended up detracting from the main plot.

With this being said, this is completely a personal taste assessment. You could read this one and it could knock you out of the park, so don’t just take my word for it. If it sounds interesting to you, give it a go. It’s worth it.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I’m still waiting for Compton to match The Spite House. Though this didn’t, I’m still glad I picked it up, and look forward to whatever he releases next. We’re on a journey.

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Review: The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes

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The Secret Dinner: A NovelThe Secret Dinner: A Novel by Raphael Montes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

When I picked up The Secret Dinner, I’ll be honest, I expected a typical dinner party Thriller, but Raphael Montes definitely had something different in mind.

I went on a journey with these characters and could not put this down once I started it. This is Hostel II meets Tender is the Flesh, dishing up plenty of food for thought.

This story was originally published in 2016, but has just recently been translated to English. It follows four friends living together in Rio, who find themselves in dire straights and in desperate need of money.

Through a series of interesting interactions, they develop an unorthodox plan to get the funds they need, but it’s not exactly above-board. They decide to host secret dinner parties, a recent trend among the elite, and it sucks them into dark places they never expected to find themselves in.

What starts as a bit of a half-joke, ‘get rich quick scheme’, quickly spirals out of control. Our main narrator is Dante, and he relays to us just how wildly-unruly their lives become because of these parties.

They started on a slippery slope as is, and are now steamrolling downhill with haste. I couldn’t believe the lengths they were going to, and it certainly pushed their friendships past the limit.

When I got to the concluding bits, I was shook. I loved how far Montes took this. I get this might not be for everyone, but as a Horror Reader, it’s definitely to my tastes.

I would compare the dark and gritty nature of this story to something like The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias, or Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson.

The characters here, as in both of the stories mentioned above, are so well-developed. Their desperate circumstances were understandable, but man, the lengths they went to in order to get out of them…yikes.

The Epilogue had my jaw on the floor. I actually read it twice, because it was that good. I couldn’t believe it. I never saw what was revealed coming. Well done, Montes. Well done.

I would recommend the audiobook as well if you’re going to pick this one up. I thought the narration by Andre Bellido and André Santana felt so authentic and true to the story. It felt like I was listening to a friend telling me a story of something wild that had happened to them.

And when I say wild, I mean, WILDDDD!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio and Celadon Books, for providing me with copies to read and review. This was such a surprising treat.

I’m so happy to have read it!

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Review: Marion by Leah Rowan

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Marion by Lean Rowan is a modern-feminist retelling of Robert Bloch’s 1959-Horror Classic, Psycho. Rowan’s version is the Villain Flip that I never knew I needed.

I enjoyed this a lot. More than I expected actually. I appreciated Rowan’s creativity, as well as all the nods she gave to the original story whilst truly making it her own.

We follow two perspectives, “Marion”, which was the name of the MC in Hitchcock’s adaptation of the novel, though Bloch’s original protagonist was Mary, and a young private investigator named Hannah.

Marion works at an ad agency in NYC, and ends up having a large sum of money come into her possession, given to her by her boss to deposit, and decides, after a hassle at the bank, to take the money and use it to help her sister, Lauren.

She flees with the money on a bus to Saratoga Springs, but the bus ends up breaking down and she finds herself stranded, late at night, far from her final destination.

It’s through this series of unfortunate events that Marion eventually finds herself at the small roadside motel that’s own and run by Norm.

From there things evolve fairly true to the original, but when the infamous shower scene kicks off, Marion gets the upper hand, kicking Norm in the balls, grabbing the knife and stabbing the life out of him.

Now Marion’s not just a thief, she’s a murderer as well. My, my, my, how quickly things can escalate.

Hannah, the private investigator, is on the hunt for a missing girl named Emily. She’s dogged in her efforts and ends up at the hotel in the aftermath of what went down with Marion.

These two perspectives weave back and forth, building out the bigger picture and carrying us towards the wild, and IMO, satisfying conclusion.

I did definitely enjoy Marion’s perspective more, but I always like an investigator as well, and Hannah supplied that for me. I would say some of the messaging from Hannah’s perspective was a little heavy-handed, but for the most part, it was well-done.

Personally, I wish it would have been set in the same time period as the original, the modern setting and the incorporation of Covid, was sort of a downer for me. I also feel like the twist of Marion getting the upper hand would have been more impactful in a historical setting.

Other than those minor things, I think this is a great debut. I loved the creativity and the way Rowan played true homage to the original, while also making it enough of her own story to feel original. I’m looking forward to reading more from her.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. It’s a macabre delight!

Review: Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die by Mallory Arnold

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Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die: A NovelCross My Heart, I Hope You Die: A Novel by Mallory Arnold
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die follows three women, Cham, Ruby and Nora, who through a very odd twist of fate, all discover that they’re dating the same man.

None of the three had any idea, or suspicions. He’s that good of a liar, apparently. Furious and disappointed, the three get together and over drinks hatch a revenge plot.

They lure him to a remote cabin at the top of a snow-covered mountain, planning to scare the living daylights out of him. Things don’t go quite as planned, and he’s killed, but no one is admitting to the dastardly deed.

They’re stranded at this cabin now, at least for the overnight and suspicions are starting to grow. How well do they even know each other? They just met.

With pressure mounting, they need to figure out if one of them is a murderer, or if they’re not as alone on this mountain as they thought they were.

I had fun with this, I did. The beginning, in particular, I found so intriguing. Did Arnold ultimately do too much, though? That’s the question I’m asking myself.

When do we cross from camp to cheese? I feel like at a certain point, this novel sort of crossed that line into less enjoyable territory for me.

There’s no denying that it’s an entertaining story and I did enjoy it more than Arnold’s last book. I love an upward trajectory with an author. I think this had a fun concept and some truly gripping scenes.

At the end of the day, it was a bit uneven for me though, as far as my enjoyment level. Therefore, I feel like the 3.5-star rating is the most fair.

This is purely an assessment based on personal taste though, and I know so many Readers have loved this one. I’m down for anything Arnold writes next. This had a lot of great aspects, and is sure to bring some chills into your life.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Overall, I had a good time with this. It’s a fun Winter Thriller!

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