Even though I've heard this before I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, can't wait for the next episode to drop! Love all of Paul's stories. Thanks Paul

Closet Treats stands out from other horror podcasts due to great writing and quality recordings. I found the story very suspenseful and chilling, sometimes downright terrifying. I don't want to look in a dark closet ever again.

This story is pretty predictable. Also, the author needs to do some research on psychosis and epilepsy before writing about a character who suffers from them.

Subscribed to this on a whim, I liked the title and figured I'd give it a shot. Wow, I'm glad I did. Very well written story and the narration by the author is excellent. This podcast is on par with the likes of Scott Sigler, JC Hutchins, Phil Rossi, et al, and Paul belongs in that exclusive club. Looking forward to Paul's other podcast books.

great story! Loved it! the only thing is IMO the climaxes were not fleshed out and cut short. Missed the boat on that one but it didnt hurt the story. Waiting on the next one.

This book feels like it started off as a novella(like Tattoo), but got bloated into a full length novel along the way. Which isn't to say the story is bad, there just isn't enough there to fill 17 episodes. The book is slow out of the gate, the story limping along for a few hours without anything really happening. It's not terrible, but hardly engaging horror either. Finally by about episode 12 the story gets moving, and then it's pretty good before coming to a cookie-cutter ending a couple episodes later. It's worth a listen, if only because the last third of the story is pretty good.

Some podcasts have great stories, but a poor reader . .. some have a great reader, but poor production etc. Closet Treats satisfies on all aspects. You are guaranteed to be disapointed after the final episode. . . because there are no more to listen to! "Treat" yourself and give it a listen.

Excellent story. I found it after it was completed, so I was able to download and listen to the whole thing. I kept it on all day, and I found myself interested in what the next chapter would reveal. My only complaint is that the the narrator can't do a good impression of a child's voice: the tone of his child/female impressions sound like the same person and his attempt to sound like a little kid was very over the top, so it pulled me away from the story whenever "Alan" had a speaking part. I would have rather the narrator not tried so hard and let me do the imagining. That said, it was the only thing I didn't like, and the story itself was creative and entertaining. I look forward to seeing what else the author will have to offer.

An excellent listen and well read by the author. Great character details, an interesting story with plausible plotlines and overall a real page turner! Can't wait to listen to more offerings by PEC. A MUST download for anybody that can handle the dark alone!

At first I thought this couldn't be horror...I'm not scared yet. Then I listened to a few episodes and urned off the lights to go to bed. I haven't been afraid of my closet since I was a child...thanks to this author, I'm checking it out of the corner of my eye again. Some truly horrific moments that offers chills, feelings of helplessness for the characters and a desire by the reader to understand more about what was truly real and what wasn't. Devastatingly beautiful ending leaving me hoping for more. Really nice work on this novel!

Review for Closet Treats by Paul E. Cooley I knew in advance that Closet Treats was a horror story. That is Paul E Cooley's specialty and why he has very loyal fans following him. I have listened to and enjoyed other stories penned and recorded by him. I am a fan. This novel is well written, engrossing, and professionally recorded as a serialized podcast. I recommend it to others looking for R rated entertainment that will have you wondering as you walk by your closet or hear ice cream truck chimes. That being said, it was a difficult one for me to listen to. Paul does not believe in happy endings, he warns you-- believe him. In Closet Treats, he takes you into the mind of a man who was violently abused as a small child. Kidnapped and sexually abused. The sexual abuse was not described but you are set into the closet with Troy as he experiences it. The author, Paul, goes into Troy's mind as an adult and relives this abuse. Paul has done his homework on the feelings and thoughts that may accompany this abuse. Paul leads you to believe Troy has overcome most of his fears and is trying to lead a normal life. He married Carolyn and has a son, Alan, whom he adores and dotes over. As you move on into Troy's world you are led further and further into the labyrinth of his mind. Lost time, hallucinations that drove him to an institution a few years earlier, becoming more frequent now and a new monster to face in the ice cream man. All remnants, the reader believes, of his childhood abuse. This tale of psychological horror and mystery continues with Carolyn and Alan becoming pawns in a game of chess, played by Troy and the ice cream man, where checkmate means death. At the end of this tale we know that Alan has the same impossibly difficult trial to follow that his father had to walk and we tremble with what is in front of him, his trials beginning at such a young age, repeating his father's history. My past volunteer work with foster children made this a difficult story for me. I have wondered what fears lingered in the minds of the children I worked with who had been abused in so many ways. Would they be able to live normal lives as adults? All my memories, questions and worries at that time were brought back into play. This story is fiction but sadly based on real lives. Now to the actual recording process. Mechanically, it is easy to listen to. The level of Paul's voice is good and he has fun with the different voices he creates. Excellent editing, I did not catch any mistakes left in the recording. The one thing I did not like was that Paul comments at the beginning of each episode. The bumper is good and I like to know a bit about that, but the rest should go at the end of the episode. I was listening in the car and had to turn the volume down until the announcement of the episode. One major reason is that what he talks about though important at the time to him and his fan club is dated information. It is not relevant to me now nor will it be to future listeners. In summary, Paul warns you that he does not like happy ending. LISTEN to him. It is true. Closet Treats will be in your mind for days after you finish it, and maybe in your nightmares as well.

It's one thing to inspire a fear of the dark...but this story gave me a prolonged case of the creeps...in the middle of the day. Now everytime I hear that damned ice cream truck drive by, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I instictively look to the door to make sure it's locked. I am a big fan of all things horror, and the creepier the better. This story exceeded my expecations...especially with an end that left me saying "wait...what...what about...oh no..." Thanks for that Cooley...now be a pal and give me your mailing address so I can forward my therapy bills.

So, I caught up with the author. Booo!! It was just getting to the good part!! I am going to have to wait for the next episodes for at least a week and that kills me! This is an amazing podiobook that I stumbled on and I haven't been able to stop listening. Definitely need to check this out!!

This story is one eerie piece of work. I dont know what to think about the main character in this story. Is Trey just plain nuts or is there something more sinister lurking in the shadows or should I say closet? All I know is that the author has got my full attention trying to guess what the next suprise twist may be in the coming episodes. As a caveat, the ice cream truck in my neighborhood plays the same music! *Shiver* that and I cant get the creepy Scooby Doo song out of my head....

Man I couldn't wait for the following chapters. The book was great. I enjoy listening to it @ work keeps me focused.

This is not a novel with cookie cutter characters getting killed in various gory manners. If you are tired of that overused trope look no further. Paul has written an amazing psychological horror here with well fleshed out characters; characters that you will grow to care about. The horror here is within the mental landscape and will stay with you long after the episodes end. I was listening while in my bed and when the "Ice Cream Man" spoke, I sat upright in my bed and reached to turn on the light! Thank you Paul, this is exactly the sort of horror that I have been looking for!

Closet Treats will make you think twice next time you're in the mood for Ice Cream, next time you open the closet door with the lights off. The next time you close your eyes. The author does an eerily good job of getting inside the head of the average reader and playing with the chords of thier most primal fears. An Excellent listen, very professionally mixed and the audio quality is outsanding.

The author toys with the most basic fears: loss of self, of a loved one... of a child. Good writing, sympathetic characters built of the stuff of real life, of your neighborhood or one not far away, and a self-doubting protagonist who doesn't know how far he can trust himself, or how to keep the ones he loves safe. Scary, profane, unflinchingly rooted in character's physical pain, and physical jeopardy beyond the stereotypes of horror, Closet Treats will keep you up at night...and keep you coming back for more.

Tired of horror forsaking scariness for gore? Check out Paul Cooley's Closet Treats (or any of his other stuff, too). Paul's stories aren't without gore, but the emphasis is on creeping out the reader/listener the old fashioned way: by being creepy.