Currently reading
Some Will Not Sleep: Selected Horrors
Exorcist Falls: Includes the novella Exorcist Road
Something Violent
**SPOLIER WARNINGS AHEAD**NOTE: Once the synopsis is up here on GR, this really won’t be a spoiler at all, but since I didn’t hide it, use caution and read further at your own risk.
Ron McClure, marriage counselor to the stars, just got roped in to do a little pro bono therapy work. It is an offer he can’t refuse, if he wants to live thru the session. He better be damn good at his job too. His life just may depend on it.
Jody and Seth were madly in love. Bathing in the glow of one another, drenched in blood. Some of the ole spark is gone, however, and the sex and murder just isn’t enough anymore. Time for some counseling. They know just the guy.
This was a well written, quick and enjoyable serial killer romp with a True Romance / Natural Born Killers vibe to it. I don’t know why, but I am a little surprised that I liked it as much as I did. It could have been a hot cheesy mess, but it wasn't. Kudos to Rufty for pulling it off.
*As a member of the DarkFuse Readers Group, I received an advanced copy of this title thru NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Queen of Bedlam
I listened to this one on audio and loved everything about it. This is shaping up to be an epic series. Matthew Corbett. Robert McCammon. That's all you need to know.
Highwayman
After the loss of his daughter and a horrible plane crash that left him shattered and on life support, Karl finds himself wandering in The Land Between Midnight. His wife Bethany, is home battling against her own conflicted feelings of despair and the days gone by that were full of hope and promise.If they are to survive individually, they will need to find a way to search out and fight their own demons separately. Only then will they have a shot at redemption. Only then can Karl and Bethany get the justice (and revenge) they seek.
I am a big fan of Craig Saunders and the Highwayman is a good tale, but honestly, a wee fantasy-ey for me and I may have got confused a time or two in the Fog-World. It was still an entertaining read and written well, as I knew it would be from Saunders. 3+ Stars
Unidentified
40 years ago, Karl and his friends saved their little town of Wray from an unknown entity that was mutilating cattle and snatching local children.Now it’s come back and Karl and his friends must do it again. This time, they need to finish the job.
McBride knows how novellas are supposed to be done. Even in shorter formats, he skillfully develops characters and story lines that go much deeper than just the word count.
Excellent as usual. Highest Recommendation.
Behind Her Eyes
I unexpectedly received an ARC of this one in the mail. There are few things I like better than getting a surprise book. I have also been meaning to give Sarah a try and have heard nothing but good things about her work. The stars aligned, so I jumped right in.Louise has a drunken kiss with a-man-from-the-bar.
Turns out he’s married.
Crap.
And her new boss.
Double crap.
She’s also his wife’s new bestie.
This can’t end well.
“Life isn't a romcom.”
No shit.
Compulsively readable. Smartly written. Expertly woven. Slowly revealing plot lines that crash together and then get ripped apart again. The writing appeared effortless and smooth. Spot on dialog and great characterizations. Very well done all around. 4.5 Stars
Dream Woods
This ain’t no Walley World. The gears of these rides are oiled with human blood.If your marriage is on the rocks and you feel like the family is falling apart, what could be better than taking a little road trip to your favorite amusement park as a kid. Sure, it was closed down years ago due to a series of brutal murders, but it has just reopened and I’m sure they cleaned up most of the body parts and gore by now. Maybe. Or maybe, it’s just reopening for round two.
There’s something about amusement parks that are inherently creepy. Could be the carnies, or run down rides, or clowns. Everybody knows clowns are scary as f*ck. Could also be the ratty ass mangy bear mascot named Sebastian. I would steer clear of amusement parks completely except for the fact that they have deep-fried chocolate covered pickles wrapped in bacon. Yummy.
This was a quick read and a fun ride, well written and quick moving. I enjoyed the building creepy factor as the truth about the park is revealed and long buried secrets come bubbling to the surface. I’m afraid it’s not all cotton candy and rainbows at Dream Woods. 3.5+ Stars
Savage
From one of the all-time horror greats, comes Savage - a historical fiction / adventure / thriller / western. Huh? Not at all what I expected. And that wasn't a bad thing at all, just a different vibe from the usual Laymon bloodbath. Don’t worry, it still had the appropriate amounts of shredded flesh. There were also some great characterizations and plenty of serial killer tracking hijinks and general mayhem which made it read much faster than its 430+ pages. I do loves me some Laymon.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Well, I had this thing all kinds of wrong. I knew some shenanigans were afoot, but I had it pretty much backward from the beginning. Not sure how that happened because the clues were there the whole time. Ok, I do know how it happened…that’s how it was written. Duh. I’m slow on the uptake sometimes.Taking my friends Edwards advice, I listened to this on audio versus reading it and I think it made a world of difference. It was perfect for audio. The ending really nails that fact. I’m not sure how it would have read, but I have a feeling I would have been confused and possibly pissed. With the audio, the reveal made sense and I got what was going on right away. I almost want to listen to this backwards per Edwards suggestion, but don't think I have the gumption to do it. Maybe one day.
The narration for this was very good - the pacing, the cadence, the tone, everything fit like a glove. Perfect for the story. I really liked it. It was strange, off-putting, and engaging all at the same time. I have a funny feeling people are either going to love this one or completely hate it. I for one, thought it was very well done and I dug it.
“It's a no mirrors day for me.”
Mongrels
I have read SGJ before and really liked his style, but this one just wasn't for me. The writing was choppy and hard to follow. While the premise was promising and the characters were mildly interesting, it ultimately fell flat for me. Bummer.
Satanic Summer
This being my first Prunty, I wasn’t sure what to expect and was more than pleasantly surprised how well this was written and how effortlessly the characters were fleshed out. There was a whole lot more sex and violence than I was anticipating and no shortage of offbeat, dark humor either. All of this added up to an enjoyable wild and whacky ride.Doug Backus has been raised as a good, God fearing, Christian young man. For 18 years he has managed to shy away from sinful activities, minus the occasional beer and masturbatory fantasy. Doug and his friends are going to need all the goodness they can muster to fight off the terrible evil threatening to destroy the small town of Clover, Kentucky. Once a quiet little town, now plagued with murderous Satan worshippers bent on preforming a centuries old ritual to literally open the gates of hell.
An Old Milwaukie condom sculpture, penis sniffing Pork, goat home delivery, Chainsaw Enema, stink hand Perry and an old fashioned bloody orgy revival. Let the good times roll! A solid 4+ Stars and highly recommended.
Redheads
Their goal was simple: to kill an animal.For a debut novel, this was extremely smart and well thought out. Engaging characters with lots of action and blood that didn't get lost in the story or overpower it either. 4+ Stars and Highly Recommended! Looking forward to reading more from this author.
The Grieving Stones
I listened to this one on audio and it was excellent. The writing was dark and brooding and the narration by Chris Barnes really added some extra atmosphere. There were some good characterizations, as well for such a quick work, which clocked in at just under 3 hours.A field trip group therapy session to a place called Grief House may not have been the best idea. Just sayin’.
Angel of the Abyss
What’s not to love about spelunking abandoned asylums, inbred squid worshippers, infernal harmonic sing-a-longs and secret government agency cover-ups. Oh yeah, almost forgot the black hole sun hovering over Boston and the Old Ones that will emerge from within the dark star to fulfill their destiny of reigning terror, mayhem and world domination.An action packed Lovecraftian tale with a well-drawn cast of characters and an engaging plot line. Very well done. Looking forward to the next one in the series.
The Devil Crept In
I am a big fan of Ania Ahlborn. She has been consistently good since her debut novel Seed. The Devil Crept In is no exception. There were some truly excellent and unique characterizations here, as well as, a trademark Ahlborn ending, which fit the story perfectly. I highly recommend anything that she puts out there. 4+ Stars! 
DarkFuse #5
As a subscriber to Darkfuse Magazine, I read all but one or two of these on-line prior to getting the collection. This was a very good mix of stories and a good introduction to some new-to-me authors. I think I may have dry heaved once or twice while reading these twisted tales. Thanks, Mike Thorn! (That was a compliment, btw.) Darkfuse 5 is a worthy addition to the DF anthology series and I look forward to more from Darkfuse as always. With DF's help, slowly but surely, I am getting over my phobia of short stories even though they may be traumatizing me in the process. (That was another compliment, btw.)
A Monster Calls
This one has been on my tbr for a year or two (or four) and I was not in a big hurry to get to it because of the whole “YA” thing. Not usually my bag. Luckily for me however, it went on sale and the audio was made available for a cheap add-on. I am a sucker for a deal, so I snatched it up and started listening to it right away.Damn, it was good. Really good.
I didn’t read the synopsis. Didn’t watch the movie trailer that just came out and really didn’t know a damn thing about it before I started giving it a listen. I was more than pleased with both the story and the narration. Packed with emotion and surprising in its depth, “A Monster Calls” is much more than your average YA fairy tale. It tackles how we deal with the overwhelming fear of losing someone we love and how that same love can set us free. All you have to do is tell the truth.
