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: Mystery and horror combine with gothic literary elements in this excellent, atmospheric tale. If you haven’t discovered Christa Carmen yet, now’s your chance. In Beneath the Poet’s House, Carmen sets her literary, gothic mystery in Providence, Rhode Island and centers it around 19th century poet Sarah Helen Whitman’s famous house at 88 Benefit […]
The nitty-gritty: Cynthia Pelayo’s latest love letter to historical Chicago is infused with ghosts, fairy tales and an intriguing mystery, perfect for genre fans who love surprises. Forgotten Sisters was such a unique reading experience, and I’m so glad I’ve finally read a book by Cynthia Pelayo. This is a weird, spooky ghost story with […]
The nitty-gritty: Fans of eerie, gothic fiction will not want to miss The Daughters of Block Island, a contemporary thriller dripping with atmosphere. “She looks back to see White Hall looming behind her like a haunted house. Like a nightmare. Like the cover of a horror novel. It bares its teeth, beckons her through the […]
The nitty-gritty: With colorful characters and an intriguing setting, What Never Happened is a fun mystery with some great twists. Rachel Howzell Hall is a new author for me, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read her latest book. This was a fun, boisterous, guilty pleasure of a story. It’s not perfect, […]
The nitty-gritty: Zoje Stage’s latest should have worked, but too many disconnected elements made for an overall confusing and lackluster thriller. I had high hopes for Mothered, since I’ve had such good experiences with Stage’s other books, but unfortunately this didn’t completely work for me. The premise is great: a woman struggling to pay her […]
The nitty-gritty: Non stop action and larger-than-life characters make Andrew Mayne’s latest a thrilling, hard to put down series opener. Well, this was a lot of fun! I’ve read and reviewed all four books in Mayne’s The Naturalist series, which focuses on super smart Dr. Theo Cray, a compu-biologist who is really good at catching […]
The nitty-gritty: Compulsively readable, Andrew Mayne’s thrilling series is just getting better and better. If you haven’t started this series yet, then my question is, why not? I am enjoying the hell out of Andrew Mayne’s The Naturalist series, and it’s clear after finishing this fourth book that he isn’t even close to being finished […]
The nitty-gritty: Mayne continues his series about computational scientist/serial murder catcher Dr. Theo Cray, with another stellar entry that will terrify readers with its “what if?” premise. Well, Andrew Mayne has done it again. Damn these stories are so much fun! I decided on a whim to pick up Murder Theory over the weekend and […]
The nitty-gritty: A fast and furious science-based space thriller with plenty of surprises. The minute I read the synopsis for Obscura I knew I had to read it, and I’m so glad that I did. This was a fast-paced, twisty mystery in space that kept me guessing and scared the pants off me more than […]