Pros: It seems predictable… until it really, really isn’t Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts: A Novel is a book I’ve repeatedly seen recommended on Book Twitter, and finally I decided I…
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Review: “A Terrible Beauty,” Nancy Baker
Pros: Intimate, engaging relationship drama Cons: A little predictable, but it’s the journey that matters Rating: 4 out of 5 Nancy Baker’s A Terrible Beauty is a gender-swapped “Beauty and the Beast” in which the Beast is a two-thousand-year-old vampire…
Review: “Ruination,” Ike Hamill
Pros: Intriguing blend of trauma and mysticism Cons: Slow sometimes Rating: 4 out of 5 Ike Hamill’s Ruination introduces us to a music journalist who’s looking into an old band called the Brothers Ruination. He finds some intriguing hints as…
Review: “The Twisted Ones,” T. Kingfisher
Pros: It took me an hour to come down off of the adrenaline high! Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 T. Kingfisher’s The Twisted Ones blends rural folktale with horror and a found-manuscript aspect. It’s written by Melissa, called…
Review: “Until Death,” Kari Kilgore
Pros: Intriguing tale Cons: Slow and ordinary at first Rating: 4 out of 5 In Kari Kilgore’s Until Death (The Death and Redemption Series), Leo Sabov must watch his wife Maria die, a victim of her own alcoholism. After being…
Review: “Missing White Girl,” Jeffrey J. Mariotte
Pros: Very original Cons: Not entirely engaging Rating: 3 out of 5 Jeffrey J. Mariotte’s thriller Missing White Girl starts out seeming entirely ordinary, but it’s really a paranormal thriller. (This can feel discordant if you don’t know it up…
Review: “The Haunting of Hill House,” Shirley Jackson
Pros: Holy hell this story sucked me in! Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (Penguin Classics) has Dr. Montague preparing to spend some time in the supposedly-haunted Hill House. He finds two…
Review: “The Invited,” Jennifer McMahon
Pros: Fantastic sense of place and wonderful characters Cons: … Rating: 5 out of 5 Jennifer McMahon’s The Invited: A Novel introduces us to Helen and her husband Nate, circa 2015. They’re both teachers–Helen’s a historian–and they’ve gotten it into…
Short Take: “The Copycat Murders,” William Meikle
Pros: Taut and intriguing Cons: … Rating: 4.5 out of 5 William Meikle’s work always seems to migrate to the top of my TBR pile. His novella The Copycat Murders is no exception! It starts several steps into the story,…