The nitty-gritty: Laura Purcell delivers another chilling haunted house tale in this atmospheric and terrifying ghost story. “Their procession had a sick, decayed sort of grandeur to it. This was what it was, Belinda thought, to be master of The Bridge. A throne of rotten fruit and ashes.” House of Splinters is a companion novel […]
The nitty-gritty: Detour takes standard sci-fi tropes and twists them into a unique and outrageously entertaining story, complete with well developed characters and surprising emotional moments. The premise of Detour starts out in familiar territory: a rich billionaire is trying to fund the first trip to Saturn’s moon Titan, in hopes of finding a viable […]
The nitty-gritty: A multilayered horror story set in a dangerous town, A Box Full of Darkness expertly mixes carefully drawn characters, emotional relationships and ghostly terrors. “This was Fell, the town of graves where they shouldn’t be and a missing girl’s shoes placed neatly outside her dorm room door. Fell, which had swallowed my little […]
The nitty-gritty: Storms—both literal and metaphorical—are center stage in Rachel Hawkins’ latest, a multi-layered thriller with well drawn characters and deeply buried secrets. “What I found was something deeper, stranger, and far more twisted than I ever could have guessed. St. Medard’s Bay wasn’t a town with one mystery—they were many, coiled around one another […]
The nitty-gritty: Full of crackling energy and an intriguing mystery, Another One Bites the Past is a solid science fiction debut. Another One Bites the Past is a short novella with big ideas, and I quite enjoyed Vladimir Provorov’s futuristic tale that melds music and memory. I rarely agree to read self published books, but […]
The nitty-gritty: A quirky, feel-good story full of gods, scorpions and lovable characters, Snake-Eater is the perfect cozy end-of-the-year tale. “On the radio, a song was abruptly interrupted by DJ Raven announcing that the aliens had been in contact again and they had agreed to postpone the invasion if Raven played more Alice Cooper. ‘I […]
The nitty-gritty: Cosmic horror and urban fantasy collide in Jim C. Hines’ latest, a perfectly paced, heart-felt story with creepy monsters and humor galore. “The fourteen-inch Bowie had a bone handle and a blade sharp enough to cut a deal with a devil.” This is my first Jim C. Hines book, and boy, was this […]
The nitty-gritty: Ghosts both psychological and real haunt the pages of Christa Carmen’s latest, a unique, shiver-inducing take on the haunted house story. “So”—Adelaide’s eyes had that glint again, all fire and excitement—”what do you say? Shall we turn this place into a motherfucking haunted house?” This is my third Christa Carmen book, and while […]
The nitty-gritty: Secrets and lies come to light as a family grapples with the death of their matriarch and her demon infested house. “Our family scapegoat is gone. Whose fault will everything be now?” I always know what I’m getting with a new Rachel Harrison book, and Play Nice is right in her wheelhouse. Harrison […]
The nitty-gritty: A bite-sized cozy fantasy with plenty of heart, A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence brings together folklore, friendships, and a touch of romance. Stephanie Burgis has written another delightful entry in her cozy supernatural series, and I can’t get enough of these characters. The basic set up is that Margaret and Lord Riven were […]