One of Us by Dan Chaon

August 15, 2025

One of Us by Dan Chaon

After the death of their mother, twins Eleanor and Bolt flee to an orphanage to escape from the clutches of their murderous fake uncle Charlie. They find themselves on an orphan train headed west, and somewhere in Iowa, they are "adopted" by a carnival owner who specializes in circus sideshow acts. They find a new family among the carnival folk, even though they feel they are not special like the others. But Charlie isn't letting go that easily.

Dan Chaon takes us on a creepy journey through a carnival sideshow and the performers who work there. Like carnivals and circuses aren't creepy enough, he had to toss in a serial killer. Will appeal to readers who enjoyed Geek Love or Nightmare Alley, but with a horror slant.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

A carnival sideshow

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

July 26, 2025

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Minerva is a graduate student at a New England university, dependent on scholarships and on-campus jobs to afford staying there. She is originally from Mexico, and there is a history of witchcraft passing down through her family from her great-grandmother Alba. Minerva loves horror fiction and become fascinated by an obscure horror writer who attended the same university. While researching the writer's life and work, Minerva becomes aware of strange forces haunting the campus and the town.

Not your typical story of witches and warlocks. Three main characters: Alba, Beatrice, and Minerva, each with her own timeline, which can be a little confusing. Overall creepy, dark, and atmospheric. I am not a huge horror fan (although I read more horror than I think I do), but I really enjoy Moreno-Garcia's modern gothic fiction. I could not put this one down. Will appeal to readers who enjoy horror mixed with folklore and multigenerational stories. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson

June 20, 2025

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson

At the edge of Chicago, there is a Station with a lighthouse that guides the dead to the afterlife. Nera is the daughter and apprentice of Harosen, the ferryman who takes souls across Lake Michigan to the Veil, the entrance to the afterlife. Their dogs guide the souls to the Station and stay with them as they cross over, but some souls don’t want to leave the station, choosing to wait for a loved one. Others fear even beginning the journey, becoming wandering Haunts. When a living woman named Charlie is somehow able to cross the portal to the Station looking for her dead sister, Nera is forced to confront how little she knows about the Station, the city, and her own life.

Let me start by saying, the dogs are the best part! I really wanted to like this more than I did. The first half went quickly, but the second part dragged. Charlie is looking for her dead sister but it takes forever for her to actually get started, and then she gets her answer in one sentence. The waystation is wonderfully creative, as are the dogs and the souls waiting for loved ones. Marketed as a queer fantasy about love and grief, which I think is a fair description. Fans of TJ Klune’s Under the Whispering Door may enjoy it, but I found this to be far darker. Klune’s novel is much sweeter and warmer. 

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The pumping station out in Lake Michigan - I wonder if this gave the author for the idea of a gateway to the afterlife out in the middle of the lake

A Conventional Boy by Charles Stross

June 7, 2025

A Conventional Boy by Charles Stross

Welcome to Camp Sunshine. It rains a lot. Specializing in cult deprogramming, Camp Sunshine is part of The Laundry, the government department that defends Great Britain from occult threats. Most residents stayed a few months, were rehabilitated, and returned to society. But Derek has been there since 1984, when he was rounded up with some of his mates as part of the Satanic Panic, since they were avid Dungeons & Dragons players, and therefore cultists. Due to what was essentially a clerical error, it took the government too long to realize he was just a harmless nerd, and by that time he was institutionalized. But after many years at Camp Sunshine, Derek gets his hands a local newspaper with an announcement that DiceCon, an annual gaming convention, would be coming to one of the local towns. Derek decides that no matter the consequences, he is going to DiceCon. 

Part of the Laundry Files series. I haven’t read any of the series because it seemed like it was a little too science-geeky (don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against geeky types since I lean toward the nerdy myself), but this was so entertaining that I am rethinking that. Derek has been incarcerated at Camp Sunshine, a cult deprogramming center, for over 20 years, and he interprets everything through a gaming lens, quickly finding a gaming parallel to any unfamiliar situation (enthusiastic women with big boobs trying to sell him something? Obviously a Wandering Monster encounter). Creative and entertaining, recommended for sci-fi/fantasy/horror readers who like a little humor in their reality. 

If you don't know what the Satanic Panic was, look it up on Google and spend a couple of hours down the rabbit hole.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Nerds, er, fans at a gaming convention

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

March 19, 2025

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

Montana 1915: Adelaide Henry is a "lone woman," a single woman who purchases a plot of land and becomes a homesteader. She leaves everything behind in California, especially her family, her sins, and her past, travelling only with a large heavy steamer trunk. She purchases a desolate plot far away from any neighbors, yet they find her anyway, and Adelaide gradually becomes part of a community. She soon realizes that many people come to Montana to escape the past and start over. Yet Adelaide is hiding something far worse than most of the and when her secret comes out, people start to disappear.

Genre blending fiction, part well-research historical fiction, part horror. Good descriptions of survival on a lonely homestead near a small town. In the early 20th century, Montana was one of the few places where a single woman could own land and homestead without a man to co-sign for them - even Black women like Adelaide could own land. Like others, I kept reading to find out what was in the trunk. A look at the American frontier like you've never seen it before, a suitable if unusual choice for Women's History Month.

Montana homestead, 1915

We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Keller Croft

October 8, 2024

We Love the Nightlife by Rachel Keller Croft

In the 1970s disco scene in London, 100+ year old vampire Nicola spots Amber and knows she is her soulmate, and that she has to have her. She'll do anything for Amber, including killing Amber's husband. For her part, Amber adores the way Nicola makes her feel special. But will she feel the same way 50 years later?

Grrrl power! Usually vampire novels feature dark smoldering broody guys, but this one is about the girls who hunt the night. Imagine being trapped for eternity with someone you don't even like anymore, who will kill you if you try to leave, and you can't even ghost them because they can always find you. Vampires, toxic female friendships, disco - what's not to like?? This character driven story was part of my seasonal reading for the spooky season, recommended for readers who enjoy horror in general and vampire books in particular.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

A 1970s era disco

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

June 3, 2024

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

After 20 years of struggling, writing mostly B-level horror films, Misha has been nominated for an Oscar for one of his short films and has finally landed a gig as a screenwriter on a successful television show. He has a boyfriend that he is crazy about and friends who care about him. But as soon as two gay characters fall in love, the studio heads instruct Misha to kill them off since they think it will improve the show's arc. Misha is pissed about this and refuses to kill off the characters, which may cost him his job. But that's not the worst of it -- characters from Misha's horror films (The Smoker, Mrs. Why, Black Lamb, The Bride) are stalking him and his friends.

This was one of my selections for Pride Month 2024. I'm not a huge horror fan (although I do seem to read more horror than I think I do) but this was pretty entertaining. BTW, the Bury Your Gays trope is a literary trope where a gay character dies tragically, usually right before or right after declaring their love for another gay character. The really screwed up part is that the surviving gay character "realizes" that they're not really gay at all, and they console themselves by falling in love with a straight character. Horror fans will enjoy the dark humor as well as the creepy characters.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Movie studio

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk

December 21, 2023

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk

A female vampire escapes from Europe and arrives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She describes her fight to survive, and as she watches the city change over the centuries, she decides to imprison herself in a deserted mausoleum in an old but famous cemetery. In the present day, a woman who works for a publishing house is trying to deal with her mother's terminal illness. After her mother gives her the deed to a mausoleum and a key, the woman finds herself inexplicably returning to the cemetery repeatedly. As they face fear, loneliness, and longing, the two women find themselves drawn to each other.

I am not a huge horror fan and this novel is not something that I normally would pick up, but once I started reading Thirst, it was hard to put down. The writing and the translation are both excellent. Set in two different timelines, it's a vampire story combined with feminist themes. The author is one of the new voices in Latinx literature. More sensitive readers should be aware that there are some erotic/explicit scenes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

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Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires - Eva Peron is interred here 

Kismet by Amina Akhtar

October 26, 2023

Kismet by Amina Akhtar

Ronnie Khan moves from Queens, NY, to Sedona, AZ, to follow her friend, wellness fanatic and wannabe guru Marley Dewhurst. Ronnie wants to escape her family and pursue her own wellness journey. But Ronnie hates every minute of the wellness regime and almost everything about the desert, except the birds. Early one morning while the two women are out on a hike, they find human remains out in the desert. It turns out to be a well-known wellness coach, and Marley sees it as an opportunity for her to grow her following and get free publicity. But that's not the only body that turns up, and Ronnie starts to wonder if there is a serial killer on the loose.

This was an Amazon First Reads freebie, and fairly typical of the monthly offerings. I rarely download any of the free books, but this one sounded like a decent thriller and something that I would enjoy reading. I hesitate to call this a thriller or suspense, since there wasn't any. Overall it was disappointing, since none of the characters are likeable and appear to be caricatures, and they are all shallower than a puddle. I really didn't care what happened to any of them. Not recommended.

Scenic Sedona

Vampires of el Norte by Isabel Canas

September 14, 2023

Vampires of el Norte by Isabel Canas

Growing up on Nena's father's ranch in Tejas (Texas), Nena and Nestor were inseparable as children. But when they were 13, Nestor flees from the ranch, believing that Nena is dead and that it is his fault. Nine years later, Nestor returns to find Nena alive and grown, working as a healer. But the peaceful life of the ranch is threatened by the whites from the north as well as a supernatural creature that steals souls as well as lives.

It's almost fall, so it's time for some seasonal reading, in this case Mexican gothic. Full of folktales, legends, and family stories with a romance thrown in. The vampires in the story aren't only the supernatural kind. If you like the novels of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, you'll enjoy Vampires of el Norte.

The chupacabra, which figures in Mexican folklore and may be the vampire in the story

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

August 19, 2023

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

David lives with his father, his new stepmother, and his new half-brother. He is a lonely child, desperately missing his dead mother and feeling unwanted by the rest of the family. He loses himself in books, mainly fairy tales, until one night, he wanders into the garden following the sound of his mother's voice, and is swallowed by a tree. The tree turns out to be a portal to another world that David calls Elsewhere. There are familiar fairy tale figures but they appear and act differently than they did in the stories he read. David wants to go home more than anything, but first he has to find the king, who has a book that may hold the answer on how to get there.

Grimm's Fairy Tales (the original gruesome ones) meets the Wizard of Oz. David is on a quest where he meets people who help him and others who try to hinder him. He feels his mother's death is somehow his fault, even though she died after a long illness that sounds like cancer. At the same time, he feels abandoned, and that if he would just disappear, his father could have a new life with his new family.

I read this book when it first came out and decided to re-read it before I get the sequel (The Land of Lost Things). While there is a lot going on here about the psychology of fairy tales and mythology, you can also read the book just for the enjoyment of David's story. The sequel is coming out in the fall of 2023.

A fairy tale cottage

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

July 13, 2023

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Monserrat and Tristan work in the Mexican film industry: Monserrat is a struggling sound editor in a male-dominated field, while Tristan, a former soap opera star until his career was cut short by a car accident, takes whatever work he can get, mostly doing voice-overs. When Tristan moves to a new apartment, he makes the acquaintance of legendary horror movie director Abel Urueta. Urueta convinces them to dub in the voices on an old piece of black and white film, and their luck appears to change for the better. But then bad things start to happen, and they realize that they may have unleashed evil powers that they can't control.

Contemporary horror fiction with lots of history about the Mexican film industry. Silver nitrate was used for black and white film production in the golden age of cinema, and while it produced beautiful images, it is highly flammable. Silver was also used in occult rituals. Recommended for readers of horror fiction or anyone interested in the film industry.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Still from a low-budget Mexican horror film

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

December 11, 2022

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

Louise and her brother Mark have never gotten along. When their parents are killed in a car accident, they leave a controversial will that gives Mark the house, furnishings, and money, while leaving Louise with her mother's "artwork." After some bickering, they agree to sell the house but first they have to clean out all their mother's junk: dolls, puppets, puppets that look like clowns, paint by number pictures, string art, even a set of stuffed squirrels from when their mother took a taxidermy class. There are strange noises coming from the attic, and the dolls and puppets appear to be moving around. At first, Louise and Mark suspect that the other one is screwing with them (because that's what siblings do). But when a realtor does a preliminary walk-through, she tells them that the house has weird vibes and that they need to do a spiritual cleansing to get rid of the negative energy if they ever want to attract a buyer.

This is a really creepy book that has a cohesive storyline. Horror fans should really enjoy it but they'll probably want to read it in the daytime with the lights on.

(For me, dolls and puppets are in the same category as clowns, monkeys and mimes, when it comes to creepiness. I was creeped out before the actual horror even started. I would have packed it all up in trash bags and driven to Indiana (or maybe Ohio, since Indiana might not be far enough) to get rid of everything.)

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The television in the novel keeps coming on by itself, and it's always playing the Home Shopping Network selling dolls

Gallant by V. E. Schwab

June 22, 2022

Gallant by V. E. Schwab

Olivia Prior grew up in the Merilance School, essentially an orphanage for girls. All she has left from her mother is a journal that has several pages ripped out. But then a letter arrives, inviting her to Gallant, her mother's family's home. But when she arrives, no one is expecting her or admits to having invited her. Her cousin is hostile toward her, and Olivia sees shadowy figures, but she is not about to leave until she gets some answers. One day, Olivia crosses through a gate at the bottom of the garden and finds herself in an alternate version of Gallant.

The atmosphere is gothic and the writing is good but the plot is sketchy. The main theme is that everything has a mirror image that is the opposite. I like Schwab's adult books better than her YA books. It didn't really hold my attention, although I did like the cover.

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw

June 17, 2022

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw

Dr. Greta Helsing (descendent of Abraham Van Helsing, the vampire slayer) has a very specialized practice. She is a doctor to the undead and the supernatural, treating mummies for bone loss, vampires for garlic poisoning, and chronic bronchitis in demons. Her practice is family tradition, a field of medicine unknown to most humans. When a cult of monks begin killing humans and supernaturals alike, Greta must stop the cult to save her patients, her practice, and herself.

Fun and creative. A new take on the horror story, where the undead are integrated into society and live among us as productive citizens. There are clever references to classic horror tales - the undead usually don't care for the way novelists portray them. Recommended if you enjoy a non-traditional spooky story.

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

October 5, 2022

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Charlie Reade is a high school student who lives down the hill from the neighborhood "psycho" house (every neighborhood had one when I was growing up). A reclusive old man named Howard lives there with his "vicious" dog. On his way home from school one day, Charlie hears the dog barking frantically, screws up his courage and goes to investigate. He finds Howard on the ground, having fallen from a ladder. He calls 911 and offers to care for Radar, who turns out to be a sweet elderly dog, while Howard is in the hospital. He quickly falls in love with Radar and continues to care for her (yes, Radar is a girl) and also for Howard when he comes home from the hospital. When Howard dies a few months later, he leaves everything to Charlie, including the source of his wealth, and Radar. But before his death, Howard tells Charlie a bizarre story about a parallel world where there is a sundial that can turn back time. With Radar's time rapidly coming to an end, Charlie sets out to find the mysterious world and save Radar.

Spoiler alert: Radar the dog is fine at the end of the book. As a librarian, this is the question I am most often asked when there is a dog in a book: is the dog okay?

The first half of the book is really good, with all the things that we love about Stephen King: great characters with well-imagine backstories, a search for redemption and a promise to fulfill, a worthy quest, and a wonderful dog. Second half, not so much. As long as Charlie is on his quest to save Radar, the story is great. Once SK delves into the darker disturbing side of the fairy tale world, it becomes a much different story. It's like King had ideas for two different books and decided to mash them together. I wish he had ended the book with the end of Charlie's quest - it still would have been over 300 pages long.

King said he wanted to write something during the pandemic that made him happy. If the imagery in the second half of the book made him happy, the pandemic went on a little too long. I shudder to think about what goes on in his mind. Stephen King fanatics won't care, they'll read anything he writes. Still, the first half of the book is worth the price of admission.

Love the cover art of Charlie, Radar, and the well.

Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peterson

December 26, 2021

Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Petersen

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Queen of Halloween, reveals all in this entertaining autobiography. From her childhood in Kansas to being a showgirl in Las Vegas to comedienne, and finally to late-night hostess of vintage horror films, we travel with Elvira as she meets iconic celebrities, works at comedy clubs, and creates her now-famous image.

Scarred as a toddler by burns, Elvira shows us that whether scars are physical or emotional (and she had both), they can be a blessing or a curse. At 70 years old, she still looks great and enjoys what she does, and has at long last found real love.

Fun, heartbreaking, honest and shocking, this is Elvira at her campy best. Fans of celebrity bios will enjoy this honest look at a Hollywood legend.

Elvira (aka Cassandra Peterson)

Bloodless by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs

September 18, 2022

Bloodless by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs

On their way back to New York following the successful completion of a case, FBI Special Agents Aloysius Pendergast and Armstrong Coldmoon are diverted to Savannah to investigate an unusual death. The body of a hotel manager has been found completely drained of blood with no rational explanation how it was done. When a second body, a college student, is found a short time later in the same condition, the media quickly dub the killer The Savannah Vampire. Yet there seems to be a connection to the FBI's oldest unsolved case. The investigation takes the two agents and Constance Green, Pendergast's mysterious ward, on a desperate hunt through Savannah's landmark buildings and cemeteries.

This is the 20th book in the Agent Pendergast series (I missed #19 somehow and have it on order at the library). I always enjoy the Pendergast novels, especially the audiobooks. The narrator gets Pendergast's intonations just right. Although the books are classified as mysteries, there are frequently supernatural overtones, and this one leans pretty far into the paranormal. It sounds like the next book may involve time trave back to the 19th century.

Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, where some of the action takes place

The statue of the girl with the birds that two of the characters are trying to find at Bonaventure. The statue graced the cover of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," one of my all-time favorite nonfiction books. The statue was moved out of Bonaventure over 20 years ago.

Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw

August 20, 2022

Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw

Dr. Greta Helsing, physician to paranormal beings, has been invited to a conference in Paris to present a paper about her work. Her good friend Edmund Ruthven the vampire accompanies her to spend a few days in Paris. But they observe some strange happenings, even with a supernatural conference in town. Little supernatural animals are turning up, as well as ghosts of the long-dead, demanding to know where the rest of their body parts are and a rogue vampire coven (they are all linked). Ruthven returns to England to deal with a structural issue at his family home, expecting to pick Greta up at the airport on Monday. But Greta disappears into thin air, and Ruthven and vampyre Sir Francis Varney (yes, that's vampyre with a y, and he gets all starry-eyed over Greta) travel to Paris to search for her in the Paris catacombs with the help of an amiable werewolf and a pair of psychopomps.

Such a fun and clever series! Vivian Shaw has put a lot of thought into the characters' backstories as well as adding new characters that make sense. This is the second book in the series (first book was Strange Practice) with a third book to follow.

FYI, there are urban explorers called cataphiles who explore the catacombs, take people on tours, and even hold parties and picnics there. The catacombs were created when the Paris cemeteries got too full to hold any more bodies, so the existing graves were excavated and the bones were hauled down to crypts below the streets of Paris.

The Paris Catacombs

Magical Midlife Madness by K. F. Breene

June 2, 2021

Magical Midlife Madness by K. F. Breene

Jacinta was married for over 20 years and was preparing to settle down to comfortable (boring) middle age with her husband, now that their son is off to college. But her husband up and leaves her for a trophy wife, which doesn't upset her all that much but does disrupt the plans she's made. She is at loose ends and when her BFF offers her the chance to house-sit for the BFF's aunt, Jessie jumps at the chance. She had visited the house as a child with her BFF's family and looks forward to seeing it again.

But the house, the town, and its denizens turn out to be a little - well, odd. There are three elderly caretakers including Mr. Tom, a cape-wearing butler who doubles as a life coach, a geriatric neighbor who throws rocks at Mr. Tom and can drink all the men under the table, and the studly owner of the town's only bar who is a shapeshifter and the unofficial mayor of the town. The vampire gardener brings one of his victims through the backyard the morning-after doing the Drag of Shame.

Creepy old house - love this picture!

Great characters, decent humor, romance is kept low-key. This is the first book in a series (Leveling Up) that features 40-something main characters who actually (gasp!) still have a sex life as well as a real life.