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Susan Baker's "Old Soul" is a gem you must add to your reading list! It's raw, unique, compelling, and unsettling, with dark Japanese horror themes that guarantee nightmares!

The book weaves together multiple character testimonies, each horrifying, intense, dark, and sad in its own way. Lena's story touched me deeply, while Ursula's strange and heart-wrenching tale left me devastated.

This masterful paranormal horror follows an old soul hunting people to feed her eternal existence, but the background of this sinister being holds many mysteries. Through her victims' horrific stories, we piece together information about her: she appears to be in her mid-thirties, an enigmatic, charismatic woman with a German accent who never ages, moving from place to place. She takes Polaroid photos of her victims, who slowly become imposters of themselves, appearing possessed by an unexplained entity before losing their lives.

The story begins with a fateful intervention when Jake and Mariko miss their flight to London. Over dinner and drinks at an Osaka bar, they discover a chilling connection: both Mariko's estranged twin brother Hiroji and Jake's childhood friend Lena died under similar strange circumstances after encountering an eccentric woman who stripped away their sanity.

Jake's meeting with Mariko leads him to Germany, where he meets Hiroji's wife Sigrid, who sheds light on the strange circumstances of her husband's death. As Jake investigates similar cases, his search leads him to Theo, a dying sculptor in New Mexico, who might hold the key to these mysterious deaths and have an inexplicable connection to the woman.

Meanwhile, the woman, struggling with power issues, takes Rosa, a young influencer in her twenties who works as a hotel maid, to the badlands to film YouTube videos - but with a sinister hidden agenda.

Can Jake track down this woman who claims lives to maintain her immortality, or will he become her next victim? Who is she really? What are her capabilities? Is she evil, or something even more terrifying?

Overall, I was captivated by the unique storytelling and expertly crafted testimonies, each a perfect scary story for dark nights around a campfire. This strong 4.5-star read easily rounds up to 5! I recommend putting this book on your radar - but don't read it when you're home alone!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons for sharing this brilliant book's digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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