“Queen of the Hunt” by Adrian Cole
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories (2018) edited by Stephen Jones
Readers unfamiliar with The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories may prefer to read these notes only after reading the anthology.
Detective Inspector Craig investigates the brutal killing of a local man, only to find himself entangled in a dark world of ancient rituals and supernatural forces.
Setting: Rural England, with a focus on fields, woods, and a barn.
Characters: Craig, a detective inspector; Phillips, a dog handler; Maud, Craig's wife; Phoebe Poulter-Evans, a widow; Clara, Phoebe's partner; Mavis, a friend.
Halloween seen as: A time when ancient forces are unleashed, blurring the lines between reality and the supernatural.
Style: Dark fantasy, with a focus on the power of the natural world and ancient mythology.
Point of view: Third person, primarily from Craig's perspective.
Jay
