The nitty-gritty: An atmospheric, eerie tale with a fairy tale vibe, Starling House will delight readers with its fantastical mysteries, subtle romance and heartfelt friendships. “It’s something about the way the shadows fell in Eden, after Eleanor died. It’s the way everything soured: the river ran darker and the clouds hung lower; rich coal seams […]
The nitty-gritty: Two paranormal mercenaries for hire try to outwit a demon in this short but lively story with plenty of humor and heart. This is my first Richard Kadrey book, and I’m not sure why I waited so long to check him out. The Pale House Devil is a fun, funny paranormal story with a […]
The nitty-gritty: Evil apples take on the residents of a small town in Chuck Wendig’s latest, a tension-filled, bloody tale of survival. “This is the apple in your hand. Some would say it is so red that it looks black, but that’s not quite right. It’s the color of wine and offal, of liver soaked […]
The nitty-gritty: Vivid imagery, body horror and the terrors of parenthood combine in this bizarre and heartbreaking mystery. “You looked like a ghost in your sonogram. The second I saw the foggy outline of your lima bean body, I remember wondering to myself, Is this boy gonna end up haunting me? Your mother thought you […]
The nitty-gritty: Being a radio DJ is a killer job in this lively, bloody and humorous take on slasher movies. This might be the first horror story I’ve read that revolves around a radio show, and I thought Maria Lewis did a great job of taking the slasher trope and making it fresh and new. […]
The nitty-gritty: An unexpected and bloody homecoming awaits the protagonist of Black Sheep, Rachel Harrison’s latest, a thoroughly entertaining surprise of a story. “All happy families are alike, I thought. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Once again, Rachel Harrison has surprised and delighted me with an outstanding story that did not […]
The nitty-gritty: Horror, music and nostalgia combine in surprising ways in this chilling debut. “A sound unlike anything any of them had ever heard bloomed through the air like black ink on wet paper. It no longer came from the PA speakers; it came from everywhere. It came from the floor, the ceiling, from the […]
The nitty-gritty: Beware the month of September, when the ghosts come out and the walls bleed, in this outstandingly creepy and heartfelt story about coping with all of life’s challenges. “I put my hand in hers and saw the whole scene from the night she died—the candles and the dining room and the laughing man […]
The nitty-gritty: A weird and bloody tale with plenty of surprises, Hailey Piper’s latest is a nightmarish trip to Hell and back. This is my first time reading Hailey Piper, and I’m not sure why it took me so long! Cruel Angels Past Sundown has such an interesting mix of elements, and it did not […]
The nitty-gritty: A heartbreakingly beautiful story with an unrelenting sense of danger, Whalefall surprised me in every possible way. “Hope collapsed every morning at six a.m.: Sleepers, arise! Jay began to see Dad’s siren as the opening punch of a boxing match, Mitt Gardiner versus his life. Dad didn’t want the house, not really. He […]