Rapid Review: Weyward by Emilia Hart

 

Weyward by Emilia Hart 🕸️

This stunning debut features the interwoven stories of three generations of women who must find their inner strength and courage to battle a world of domineering men and difficult times. 

In 1619, Altha is about to face a murder trial for a crime she didn’t commit. Branded a witch, she expects to hang due to the feelings of the townsfolk about her and her late mother, who have helped and healed many with their tinctures and “potions” made from the flowers and herbs in their garden. 

During wartime 1942, sixteen year old Violet has been essentially hidden away in her family’s cold and dank estate by her iron-handed father, who claims Violet’s affection for insects and nature in general hearkens back to her own mother, a strange and mystical woman.  When Violet meets handsome cousin Frederick, things are set in motion to which there is no easy out. 

And in 2019, Kate is pregnant and on the run from an abusive and possessive boyfriend. She makes her escape to a faraway cottage recently bequeathed to her from a long lost aunt. Here at Weyward, she learns the gifts of the earth, and proves to herself that she is worthy and certainly does not need a man to make her life complete.  But will her past catch up to her? 

This book was so wonderful, I couldn’t put it down. I loved all three women and couldn’t wait for them to learn the lessons needed to kick to the curb the men who were making their lives miserable.  Full of feminism and magical realism, Weyward was a captivating treasure, a gift to be discovered and absorbed. 

And can we just give this book the Cover of the Year award right now?? 

Highly recommended!! 

Rapid Review: THE SOULMATE by Sally Hepworth

                      The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

Pippa and Gabe fell in love at first site and are now happily married with two daughters. They move to a beautiful house unfortunately located near a popular suicide location called The Drop—a cliff where the sad and desperate walk off to their imminent death. (Why anyone would move into a location like this when you have young children is beyond me but okay, let’s suspend our disbelief.)  

When Gabe talks someone on the ledge down and then does it a half dozen more times he’s basically hailed as the suicide whisperer. What a hero!! 

But one day, he’s unable to help a woman and she jumps (falls?) to her death.  

But when it’s discovered that Gabe knew the woman, the mystery of whether or not she jumped or was pushed begins to unravel Gabe and Pippa’s idyllic marriage—and soon the jumper and her wealthy husband start to figure into the mystery so prominently that the twists coming at the reader are so unpredictable that you’re not sure how the pieces could possibly all fit together for a straightforward ending. 

I really enjoyed this novel or domestic suspense. It’s told from multiple viewpoints and timelines which works exceptionally well here.  Not knowing who to trust, what skeletons are in whose closet and just what happened on that cliff make it a fast-paced and intriguing read.  All the secrets and lies are eventually revealed and the ending was a little shocking and yet perfectly revelatory. 

Will definitely look for more from Hepworth!! 

Rapid Review: The Last Party

 

THE LAST PARTY by Clare Mackintosh

Ffion Morgan and Leo Brady are two cops—the former from Wales, the latter from England—who are thrown together to solve a murder on the border of the two countries. 

 Rhys Lloyd, a local celebrity with a partial ownership of a lakeside resort area, has invited both the ritzy and townies alike to his New Year’s Eve party.  It doesn’t turn out to much of a fun party when he ends up dead in the lake, though.  

Ffion and Leo are on the task, after having spent a casual, no-strings-attached night together previous to the investigation. This makes for an awkward introduction but the two quickly find a bantering groove whilst they finagle through the boatload of possible suspects, because Lloyd was someone with a lot of enemies.

Part police procedural, part mystery, The Last Party dishes up a lot of drama, from estranged families to secret affairs to a bit of murderous intent.  It took me a while to get comfortable with this one, it’s a lengthy novel with a lot of moving parts.  It seemed like there were just scores of characters and an even longer list of multiple viewpoints. It was a bit much, at least till partway through. But I will admit wholeheartedly that the last third of the book had me riveted, I read late into the night to finish it and was sad when it was over.  

Ffion and Leo are really great and well written characters, with believable and sometimes heartbreaking flaws. Both seem to have issues in their private lives and getting to the bottom of those problems together really makes them a strong pairing. I’ll be anxious to see if Mackintosh continues with both characters in her next book in the series, as they do seem stronger as a team. 

This book had a bit of a Scandinavian feel to it, with a lot of story and many twists and turns.  I really enjoyed it and will definitely pick up the next in the series, due in July. 

Rapid Review: The Troop

 The Troop by Nick Cutter

I was warned. I was told it was true horror. And I will concur that it most certainly is. 

Basic premise is: a group of five stereotypical scouts and their scoutmaster head off to an island for a traditional weekend camping trip.  Not long after arriving, an unexpected visitor arrives by boat. The man is extremely gaunt, seems completely out of sorts, and is raving on and on about being hungry.  Scoutmaster Tim, whose day job is a town doctor, follows his Hippocrates Oath and sets out to help, which in doing so, opens up a whole great big can of worms. No, really. No….LITERALLY. 

Think of the most awful, most horrific scenario you can imagine. Are you picturing it? Now multiply that times ten. Or maybe a hundred.  Cutter spares nothing, digging into the horror and throwing it all over you like projectile vomiting.  You will not be able to tread lightly here. Be brave. 

What I loved most about this book was the depth of descriptions, from the scouts themselves to the abject horror that permeates almost every page.  You truly care about the scouts and their “predicament “. (Well, except one and you will know which one once you read.) You want them to be able to escape their inevitable, terrifying deaths. And I’m not giving anything away by saying there is death—this is a horror novel after all.  

After dealing with a pandemic these last three years perhaps it was the wrong (or maybe totally the right?) time to read this one. But if you think we’re just dealing with some coughs and a few face masks you’re fooling yourself. 

💥A word or two of caution: PLEASE be aware there is some triggering animal abuse described within, and it really put me off. I had to set the book down and decide if I wanted to continue. I did however, finish and enjoy The Troop.  But damn….this is a 100 percent HORROR novel. 

Now excuse me while I go take a shower and then look at pictures of kittens for a few days. 😸

Rapid Review: We Were Never Here

 We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz 

I grabbed this book as one my extra selections for BOTM last month and was immediately immersed in the story of Emily and Kristen, best friends since college and world travelers.  On a trip to Chile the two BFF’s—admittedly more like sisters—run into trouble when Kristen takes a backpacker to her hotel and he attacks her. Emily comes into the room and sees Paulo dead and Kristen completely out of sorts, spouting out that she had to kill him in self defense. 

What makes the circumstances even more surreal is the fact that last year’s girls trip to Cambodia was eerily similar when Emily was assaulted and her attacker ended up dead too.  How is it possible this could happen twice?? 

After burying the crime (literally), the two head to their separate lives—Kristen in Sydney and Emily thousands of miles away in Milwaukee. 

Emily tries to put the crime out of her head and go on with her life, which includes new boyfriend Aaron and her decent job at a pet food upstart, but the tragic last night in Chile keep haunting her. Texts from Kristen are vague and she acts as though all is fine, which bothers Emily even more.  

When information regarding Kristen’s past starts to surface, Emily has to push back thoughts that perhaps she doesn’t know her best friend as well as she thought. And when Kristen suddenly appears on her doorstep and continues to acclimate back into her life—almost relentlessly—the story takes a few twists and turns that kept me guessing! 

I loved this story of two best friends and a hidden crime (or two!) that they are both trying to deal with.  Emily appears to be the protagonist here but there were times I had to sit back and think…wait a minute….am I sure she’s on the up and up?  

This was my first book by this author, I’ll definitely check out her others. 

Rapid Review: The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

An intriguing first novel with a premise any rabid reader will find hard to resist. 

Alex is a 30 year old who has been down on her luck—a job she is just going through the motions for, a love life that is unsatisfying, and a year long, very spiteful estrangement from her best friend. When connections work miracles and get her a chance to be one of five lucky participants in a writer’s retreat at none other than Alex’s favorite author, she surprises herself by writing her way into the gig. 

Once at the famed home of wildly successful novelist Roza, all is not as it seems, for Blackbriar Estate holds secrets of its own. With  gourmet food and wine comes secret passageways and questionable “games”. Most surprising though is when Roza springs a big catch on the five lucky writers: during the month long retreat each of them has to produce an entire novel.  Besides the unlikeliness of that feat, Alex finds herself woefully dismayed to learn her ex-BFF Wren is one of the other four attendees. 

But dealing with Wren and their painful memories is really the least of her problems. When one of the others goes missing and staff at the house are acting odd, Alex and Wren find themselves in a battle for not just publication but for their very lives. 

This entire novel essentially takes place in one location, which is something I love in a good mystery/thriller.  Alex is a likable protagonist and though the book does leak into the outlandish at times, it’s a fun read—and quick read.  I could see this adapted into a movie with strong female leads, would be amazing. 

Looking forward to more from this author. 

Rapid Review: THE HAUNTING OF WILLOW CREEK

 The Haunting of Willow Creek by Sara Crocoll Smith 

In what can be accurately described as “southern gothic”, The Haunting of Willow Creek is the second book by this author that I’ve read. Her first, The Haunting of Orchard Hill, was one of my favorites that I’d read last year. 

In Willow Creek, we meet Birdie, an aspiring photographer invited to an artist’s retreat’s alongside four other talented artisans.

 Willow Creek mansion is your typical southern estate but has a particularly unsettling haunting associated with it. Birdie and her new friends come across all manner of sinister occurrences that test their sanity and make them question whether it is worth solving the underlying mystery—for not just their livelihoods but their very lives are at stake under the majestic willows that line the property and hold secrets ghastly enough to scare even the most strong-willed of inhabitants.

Crocoll Smith has such a stylish way with words. 

Her descriptions of places and characters bring you right inside the story.  While I did think her first book was a bit more intimate and haunting, this tale of friendship overcoming evil is still right in my wheelhouse. Anyone with a keen interest in malevolent ghosts, southern gothic settings and beautiful prose will find something to enjoy here. 

Rapid Review: THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED

I love a good gothic ghost story and John Boyne mostly delivers in this tale of foreboding doom. 

Eliza Caine is living a simple life as a school teacher in London.  Her mother lost during the birth (and subsequent death) of her little sister, Eliza has known nothing but her father’s love so it comes as a great shock when he succumbs to sudden illness. Unable to stay where she has put down roots, she accepts a position as a governess in the countryside in Norfolk.  

But almost immediately, things start to occur that make Eliza think of reconsidering the choice.  Even the trip to Gaudlin Hall is rife with trouble when she is nearly pushed in front of a train by an unseen presence.  Her arrival at the stately but crumbling old manor home has her unable to meet or even locate the parents of the charges she is to care for, and the children themselves are bright but seemingly unusual. 

As the next few days and even weeks go by, Eliza not only is still never introduced to Isabella and Eustace’s parents but no one on the property or even in the nearby town wants to discuss them.  The family lawyer does his best to evade her queries and the housekeeper as well as the carriage driver keep to themselves and outright avoid bumping into her. 

But some of the townsfolk eventually begin to open up and she learns of some of the depressing history of the home, including the fact that she is sixth in a line of governesses just in the last year—since an apparent tragedy struck the family.  Even more alarming is that four of the five women hired have died mysteriously. 

Eliza’s stay continues to be fraught with terrifying instances of violence, to the point that she knows for a fact that there is a presence in the house, and what’s worse is that there may actually be two. 

I’ve had this novel sitting on my TBR pile for quite a while, and thought it was time to get to it! Set in the time of Charles Dickens, it brought everything you’d expect from a gothic tale of ghosts and mystery—from dense fog, strange children, and a creepy old mansion to a young woman trying to escape the wrath of a vengeful spirit. 

That said, it did take an inordinate amount of time for the story to get going. I love a slow build up but I was halfway through before anything remotely scary happened. And scary is perhaps not the proper word, in fact.  Nothing here was terribly frightening but I did still enjoy the well-written story. It had obvious shades of The Turn of the Screw and Jane Eyre, that much was blatant yet welcome. 

All in all it was still able to purvey a lingering sense of dread throughout, and though I did guess where the ending was headed I still enjoyed the ride. 

Ten Questions With....... Horror Author James Newman

Over at The Crypt, I run a feature called "Ten Questions with....", which gives me the opportunity to interview some of the rising stars of horror - in particular indie directors, writers, producers, actors, and sometimes even the already famous and well-respected (such as Larry Fessenden). It's a great gig, and the best part is getting to know heaps of great people in the horror community.  

Before The Crypt was even in existence, it was my great pleasure to get to know author James Newman.  I first discovered his work when I happened across his 2012 homage to 80's pulp horror, THE WICKED.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and struck up a friendship after I posted a review here on the blog. 

James is also the author of such books as UGLY AS SIN, MIDNIGHT RAIN, ANIMOSITY, and the recently released 666 HAIR-RAISING HORROR MOVIE TRIVIA QUESTIONS. He is currently working on his next hair-raising novel, but since he's such a helluva nice guy, he took the time to answer some questions for us horror nerds.  Enjoy.

1) First, tell us a little bit about yourself.  How did you get into horror?

     I've loved this stuff for as long as I can remember.  My dad has always been a fan of sci-fi and horror, so I can remember him renting monster movies all the time -- the cornier the better!  Sometimes, though, he would accidentally pick up something with quality, something that left an impression on me.  I can remember seeing John Carpenter's original HALLOWEEN at the drive-in when I was just five or six years old, and not long after that THE EVIL DEAD scarred me for life.  That's a good thing, BTW.

     My mom says that since I was old enough to write, she remembers me drawing monsters and making up little stories to go along with my illustrations.  Not long after I learned to read I discovered those SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK books, and it was all downhill from there!

2) What makes someone want to write about the darker side of life?

     I wish I knew the answer to that. More intelligent folks than yours truly have written entire books about it.  You've heard it all before:  how we invent vampires, zombies, and werewolves to help us deal with the "real" monsters like terrorism, poverty, and disease.

     I do find the psychology behind it all rather fascinating.  But I don't know. 

3) Your book from 2012, THE WICKED, knocked my socks off.  What was your inspiration for such a dementedly wonderful novel?

     THE WICKED was my ode to those "evil in a small town" novels that were all the rage in the 80s.  You know the ones -- more often than not they had an evil kid on the cover, and the plot was usually about sinister goings-on thanks to an old Indian burial ground.  With THE WICKED, I wanted to pay tribute to those old books I grew up with -- the good and the bad -- but hopefully do a little better than those titles that have been forgotten over time simply because they weren't that good.  I wanted to create in (THE WICKED's protagonists) the Little family a group of real, three-dimensional characters with real relationships, real modern-life problems that the reader could relate to.  Once a writer is able to pull that off, the reader is willing to suspend disbelief when the demon comes along.

4)  I was raised in a small town and could always relate to novels such as THE WICKED, which always seemed to give small towns a bad name. The town of Morganville was so well fleshed-out that it felt like home to me, which is rather scary. Do you hail from a similar town?

     Yeah, for the most part.  I live in Hendersonville, North Carolina, which is a lot like Morganville in many ways.  I'd classify my hometown as a "minor city" more than a "small town", though.  It's a good place to live, a beautiful area, and nothing at all like the hotbed of demonic activity that is Morganville.  Thank God!  (laughs)

5)  I could really feel the vibe of 80's pulpy horror fiction in THE WICKED, which I loved.  Brought me back to my teen years staying up late reading into the night.  Who were some of your writing influences?

     Stephen King was the first, definitely.  From that era I also loved Graham Masterton's stuff (still do).

     Believe it or not, though, the more I've thought about it I've realized that the BAD novels of that time, with their gaudy foil-stamped-and-embossed covers, might have influenced THE WICKED more than the good ones (I'm sure the folks who don't care for my work are emphatically nodding right now!).  Those garish paperbacks from the 80s -- how could you not love that stuff?  It's like watching a Troma film.  You know it's not a "good" movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it's so much FUN! 

  6) Your 2013 offering, UGLY AS SIN, boasts nothing but 5 star reviews on Amazon and has gotten a boat-load of good press. As much a story about redemption as it is horror, it's a book that can step into other genres. Was this your intention?

      Absolutely.  Like MIDNIGHT RAIN (my first novel), UGLY AS SIN really isn't a horror story at all, per se.  And I didn't mean for it to be.  I've been calling UGLY "white trash noir", or a Southern thriller with a streak of pitch-black humor.  I liked to read stories in that genre, so naturally I enjoy writing them too.  That said, everything I write will always be very dark.  I don't think I could turn that off if I tried!   

7) Tell me a little about your other titles: ANIMOSITY, MIDNIGHT RAIN, and PEOPLE ARE STRANGE.

     ANIMOSITY is my "love letter to the horror genre", my most "personal" novel to date.  I'm really excited to see its release in trade paperback and audiobook next month.  ANIMOSITY is about a horror writer who finds the body of a murdered child while he's out walking his dog one morning.  Because of what he writes for a living, his neighbors start to turn on him, until eventually his life is in danger.  I think ANIMOSITY says a lot about how the "normal people" view those of us who dig this stuff, and asks the question, "What if your love of 'things that go bump in the night' put your life in danger?"

     MIDNIGHT RAIN is a coming-of-age thriller in the vein of STAND BY ME and Robert R. McCammon's BOY'S LIFE (my all-time favorite novel).  It was my first, and still holds a very special place in my heart.

     PEOPLE ARE STRANGE is my first -- and only, to date -- short story collection.  All of the stories in this one are about the crazy things people are capable of, no supernatural element at all.  I tend to write about that more and more these days -- how WE are the monsters -- because I think people can be the most terrifying fiends of all, sometimes.

8) Your latest, 666 HAIR-RAISING HORROR MOVIE TRIVIA QUESTIONS is an awesome compendium of horror trivia which will delight and stump even the most knowledgeable genre fans. What made you want to write this book?

     I've loved horror movies as far back as I can remember.  And I love trivia.  I also love being a huge show-off film nerd.

     I've been working on this project off and on for several years.  Finally, it came to be!

9) I've seen so many reviews and comments in which readers simply can't wait for your next novel. I happen to be in that crowd as well, so fess up: what are you working on now?

     At the moment, I'm about 3/4 of the way through a collaborative novella -- which actually might be a short novel by the time we're done with it -- with my good friend Mark Gunnells.  It's a coming-of-age horror novel called DOG DAYS O' SUMMER.  We're having so much fun with it, and can't wait for folks to read it.

     I've also been slowly but surely getting started on a follow-up to UGLY AS SIN, a new book featuring disfigured ex-wrestler Nick "The Widowmaker" Bullman. 

10) Ordinarily I would ask what some of your favorite horror films are, but in this case I will ask you about favorite horror books and/or authors.  Any lesser-known favorites to recommend?

     My favorite books:  the aforementioned BOY'S LIFE by Robert R. McCammon, LIGHTNING by Dean Koontz, CAGE OF NIGHT by Ed Gorman, THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Jack Ketchum, and CHRISTINE and THE SHINING by Stephen King.

     My favorite writers:  King, Joe Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Richard Matheson, Ray Garton, Bentley Little, Thomas F. Monteleone, Robert R. McCammon, and the short work of Nancy Collins.

     EVERYONE should be reading Gillian Flynn.  She makes me murderously jealous, she's so damn good.

Upcoming Must-Read: James Newman's 666 Hair-Raising Horror Movie Trivia Questions: Test Your Horror Acumen!

I'm not generally the type of blogger that makes a big deal about press releases and I almost never post the one sheets and DVD covers of upcoming films or books, etc.  There are news sites that are custom-made for things like that, and I typically leave them to their business.  But when an author I really like has something new coming out, I tend to make an exception.

James Newman - author of one of my favorite books in the last several years, The Wicked (review here) - has a new book coming out the end of this month, and I think it's something every horror fan will want to get their hands on.  I have a copy of said book that I am just getting down to reading, so a review will be forthcoming, but I wanted to make mention of the formal press release, as it does explain a bit of what you're in for. 

From the official press release: 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

NEW TRIVIA BOOK CHALLENGES GENRE FANS:  “THINK YOU KNOW HORROR MOVIES?  PROVE IT.”
666 HAIR-RAISING HORROR MOVIE TRIVIA QUESTIONS by James Newman

Ever been called a “weirdo” because you know more about Night of the Living Dead than you know about current events?  Do people look at you funny because you have no interest in reality-TV but you can name every film in which Vincent Price appeared?  Do you feel like an outsider because you’ve never cared about sports, yet you cheered at the top of your lungs when some kids played soccer with a severed head at the end of Hostel, Part 2?  If you would rather visit Count Dracula’s castle than take a trip to the beach . . . if you’d prefer hanging out with Pinhead, having lunch with Leatherface, or babysitting for Rosemary instead of spending time with your real friends and family . . . this book is for YOU.  Test your film knowledge with 666 Hair-Raising Horror Movie Trivia Questions compiled from over a century of genre cinema!

Now available from Post Mortem Press, 666 Hair-Raising Horror Movie Trivia Questions guarantees hours of fun for trivia-loving film fanatics who welcome a challenge.  Covering the history of the genre from silent movies like Nosferatu to modern-day blockbusters like The Conjuring, no bloody stone is left unturned in this collection of questions divided into seven categories:  Vampires, Zombies, Werewolves, Ghosts & Demons, Maniacs & Madmen, It Came From Another World, and Miscellaneous Madmen.  In the end, fans will grade themselves against the “Who Will Survive . . . and What Will Be Left of Them?” scoring system, proving once and for all whether they’re “Just Another Victim” or a true “Master of Horror”. 
  
Fangoria Editor Chris Alexander called 666 Hair-Raising Horror Movie Trivia Questions “a chump-stumping shock cinema party book of the highest horror order!”.  Adam Minarovich (“Ed” from AMC’s The Walking Dead, screenwriter of Chop and Pawn Shop Chronicles) said “(it’s) a must-read . . . worth crawling out of your grave for!”

About the Author:  James Newman has been obsessed with horror since he was just four years old, when his father took him to see The Incredible Melting Man.  His published works include the novels Midnight Rain, The Wicked, Animosity, and Ugly As Sin, and the collection People Are Strange. 
666 Hair-Raising Horror Movie Trivia Questions is scheduled for release on January 28, 2014.  For more information visit:  http://www.postmortem-press.com/666.php/, or the author’s official website:  www.james-newman.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
This is James' first non-fiction outing, and it looks to be something special.  After just reading the first few introductory pages, I know this is written by someone just like me: a crazy-obsessed horror fan whose life revolves around the next great horror film or novel.

I know this from comments like this one:  "I’d be willing to bet my entire DVD collection that nobody here in my little hometown in North Carolina lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps horror movies and horror literature like I do."  And this one, which I think encapsulates the reason that many of us watch horror in the first place:  "When things get to be too much in the real world . . . when the bills pile up, or the boss just chewed out three-quarters of your ass . . . what better way to push it all aside than losing yourself in Seth Brundle’s infinitely worse problems in Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly? Or to laugh at Ash’s splatstick escapades in the Evil Dead series? Step away from the real world for a while, won’t you, and pray that a van full of harmless hippies guilty of nothing more than believing in astrology and picking up hitchhikers ultimately survive The Texas Chainsaw Massacre . . . ."

When someone that feels this passionately about horror gives fans the gift of something a little different, a book that challenges us fans to see just how much we know about the genre we love so much, well that's what I call a must-read.  I love trivia, and when you combine that with horror, well I'm just over the moon.
After answering the first ten trivia questions (in the "vampires" category) correctly, I knew this was the book for me!

 It's going to be a blast, and I hope you'll join me!

The Never List: Fiction That's Frighteningly Close To Real-Life Horror

A book that by coincidence (?) was published right around the time that a man monster was given life in prison for holding three women hostage for a decade or more in Cleveland, The Never List has been touted as this year's Gone Girl - but by no means is as electrifying as the Gillian Flynn bestseller.  That said, this psychological thriller by Koethi Zan does have its satisfying moments.

Told from the perspective of Sarah, one of the victims of the story, it starts out introducing us to both Sarah and her best friend Jennifer.  The two teens had been tight for years, and even more so after the death of Jennifer's mother in a car accident when they were younger.  With her father a raging alcoholic, Jennifer ends up moving in with Sarah (the first of a moderate amount of convenient-to-the-story-line incidents) and her family.

The two young women spend an unreasonable amount of their time composing a "never list", in which they configure all the ways to prevent something awful befalling them. The list continues into their college years: Never get in a car with a stranger. Never park more than six spaces from your destination. Never go to the campus library alone at night.  They put  bars on the windows of their joint dorm room, chose housing on the first floor in the event of a fire, kept a rope ladder at the ready, carried pepper spray everywhere...the list was endless and always being added to.  Their paranoia extends to every aspect of their life.

One night they line up a car service (the one with the best record for no accidents, naturally) to pick them up after a party - because they would never drive drunk or risk riding home with a random fraternity brother. Unfortunately, the rule 'never get in a car with a stranger' must have flown out the window because the next thing you know, they are drugged by a gas leeching into the car and wind up in a dank cellar with two other girls.  When Sarah wakes up in her dark prison, Jennifer is no where to be seen. The two other captives, Tracy and Christine, are both naked, skin-and-bones, and have obviously been abused in more than one way for longer than imaginable. There is a large wooden box in one corner, and Sarah comes to realize Jennifer has been locked away in said box. What the four women endure from their captor is never fully elaborated on. I suppose we should be thankful for that. But we do get tidbits here and there, in memory flashbacks that torment Sarah's waking (and sleeping) hours.

The book shifts from the past - with the dark secrets of the dungeon-like cellar haunting Sarah - to present-day, in which her obsessive fears have turned to a monstrous, raging case of PTSD.  It has been ten years since she escaped the evil Jack Derber, a college psychology professor who apparently did his own kind of unsettling research.  The psychopath is about to go up for parole, and the FBI agent on her case has asked her, Tracy, and Christine to testify at his parole hearing and hopefully ensure that he stays behind bars where his repulsive and disturbed mind needs to be.  However, Sarah has never gotten over the fact that Jennifer did not get out alive from the ordeal, and is on a quest to find the body of her friend that Derber so often teased her about during her three year imprisonment.  Derber's sentence was reduced due to the fact that they never found Jennifer's body.

Sarah's life since her ordeal has been one giant agoraphobic nightmare. She never leaves her NYC apartment, even having most of her meals delivered. She can't (won't) drive. She works from home and keeps all her comforts - the ones she allows herself - right at hand.  So it's not without extreme trepidation that she gets herself involved in the case again.  Convincing the other two survivors isn't easy either, and she runs into more than one roadblock. But once again embroiled in the life of Jack Derber, Sarah finds that his creepy tentacles don't stop in the penitentiary, they reach out to choke the life out of everyone he has touched. And while investigating the years-old case, she finds that his influence extends to former colleagues at the college and beyond, leading to one too many vicarious situations - especially for someone of her limited social acumen and delicate mind-set.

The Never List is a quick read, admittedly I couldn't put it down.  The first two-thirds of the book went like lightning...I couldn't wait to find out what had happened in that cellar to make Sarah and her friends the way they were in present day. But my misgivings about the novel came near the end, when things were wrapping up in too neat a bow for the grueling storyline. The finale of the book felt incredibly rushed, like the author was trying to meet a deadline (or possibly tie-in to horrific events of the real-world?).  There is a twist in the last pages that I'll admit surprised me, but in retrospect if I wouldn't have been in such a rush (like the author, perhaps), I may have seen it coming.

Seeing as how this is Zan's first novel, I would be interested in seeing more from her.  This book, while lacking a perfectly crafted ending, did intrigue me and felt right in my wheelhouse (as a fan of dark fiction, of course) - and I would recommend it as a good read on a stormy evening.
*I have to add that while reading this novel I kept picturing the inevitable movie adaption and had my virtual cast picked out before book's end. I'm thinking if they tweak the ending, it could be a fairly decent horror thriller.

Joyland (2013): The Return Of The King

Every once in a great while, a book comes along that you are truly sad to see end. Everyone always says that, but how many people mean it?  It's been a long time for me. In fact, I'm trying to recall the last time I really hated to finish a book. One that I drug out reading for well longer than I intended. Maybe last summer when I read James Newman's The Wicked. I loved that book. I was also very enamored with John Harwood's The Seance from a few years back.

When I was a kid, I couldn't wait to get my paws on the newest Stephen King novel.  I gorged myself on his works, couldn't get enough.  And while I still love my favorite author, I haven't been nearly as excited about new releases, probably because I just tend to prefer his earlier (spookier) works. I still purchase every single one though, for completeness' sake. Which brought me to Joyland.

Joyland is brought to us courtesy of Hard Case Crime, for which King has penned another novel (The Colorado Kid). The Hard Case series emulates the crime novels of the 40's and although they are supposed to be more of a "pulp fiction",  honestly Joyland just doesn't fall in that category for me. Though it does have crime elements - in fact the story centers around a gruesome murder - it is much more a coming-of-age tale.  And with stories like The Body (adapted into the film Stand By Me), Carrie, Heart in Atlantis, Christine, and It (among others)  - we know King knows how to relate to the angst of growing up and making your way in the world.

The basic premise: Devin Jones is a naive college student who gets a summer gig at a North Carolina amusement park called Joyland.

Now, Joyland is no Disney World. It's not even a King's Dominion. It's more of a Kennywood Park (those of you from the Pittsburgh area know what I'm talking about) - an old-school independent park that thrives on tradition and yearly repeat customers.

From the moment Devin steps on the grounds, strange things begin to occur. Nursing a broken heart, he balks when the gypsy fortune teller tells him that relationship is well in the past and that he will meet a little girl with a red hat and a little boy with a dog and that both will have an important impact on his life.

He settles in to the summer job, taking unexpected pleasure in his duties as Howie the Hound - Joyland's honorary canine mascot. He dons "the fur" several times a day, dressing up in costume as a large dog and dancing for kids while parents take photos and enjoy the smiles on their children's faces.

As predicted, Devin meets the little girl in the red hat one day when she chokes on a hot dog. He saves her life, becoming an instant hero and the apple of the park owner's eye.  As the summer passes, Devin and his new-found friends, Tom and Erin (fellow employees that happen to fall in love) try to uncover the pieces of a puzzle involving of the death of a young woman at the park who died in the parks' Horror House several years ago at the hands of a mysterious stranger. All three friends become rather obsessed with the violent crime, and heed the rumors of a ghost haunting the park.

As the trio hopes to see the ghost of the deceased girl on the tracks at the Horror House, Devin finally meets the aforementioned boy with a dog. 
Mike is a charismatic youngster destined for a horrible death by way of an especially nasty type of Muscular Dystrophy. His mother Annie is a beautiful yet aloof caretaker for her sickly son, taking him from their seaside rented house to the shoreline every day to the edge of the water so he can watch the vacationers enjoy their time at the beach.

 As Devin begins a friendly relationship with the small family, the mystery of the murdered girl starts to unravel. Also integral to the plot is the fact that young Michael has a bit of the "shine" to him. He's touched with psychic intuition, and it makes a huge and very significant difference as the book continues toward the dare-I-say bittersweet finale. King has always had terrific character development, and things here are no different.  The main characters are very genuine and likeable, and the supporting cast of personalities make for entertaining interactions and plenty of eccentric "carny" action.  You just can't help but enjoy this story.

Joyland is a terrific summer read, full of boatloads of angst and peppered with just enough mystery to make you wonder how things are going to turn out. Fans of King's more horror-centric novels might be surprised when looking for the gruesome read they may be used to, as the novel is nearly bloodless. It does have its fair share of violence to keep the crime element alive.

One of the best things about Joyland is definitely the ending. (Not that I wanted it to end, mind you.) But sometimes I like a book to be tied up with a nice, neat bow. I like knowing what happened to the characters and how the events of the story affected and changed their lives.  An ambiguous ending works in many cases, but for this detective novel, its flawless finale was so perfect that I honestly started to tear up. I cannot even think of the last time a story made me feel that way.  It's just a great read, and King has got me psyched again. I can't wait for the end of September release of his upcoming Doctor Sleep, the long-awaited sequel to one of his most famous novels (and my personal favorite): The Shining.

The King has returned.

Book Review: The Asylum: More Gothic Victorian Greatness From John Harwood

~Review by Marie Robinson

John Harwood is one of those rare authors who hasn’t written a book I didn’t like. Well, except for two nonfiction books he wrote early in his career that I haven’t read… but in recent years Harwood has established himself as a horror novelist. Christine and I both loved his previous novel, The Séance, and we even gave it a brief yet positive review on the site.

Just this past May Harwood released his newest Gothic tale, The Asylum. Twenty-year-old Georgina Ferrars wakes up one day to find herself in a mental hospital in an English town she has never been to. What is even stranger is that she has checked herself under a false name and can remember nothing of the last several weeks. When she tries to gain correspondence with her uncle, her only remaining family member, she receives only a brief telegram back saying that Georgina Ferrars is presently there, and that she must be an imposter. Trapped within the confines of a madhouse where she is held by people who think her to be insane, Georgina must piece together the mystery of her life, those forgotten weeks, and the girl who claims to be her.

This three-part book goes between tradition narrative, journal entries, and letters, making it an interesting and stimulating read. Much like Harwood’s other novels, it is a genuine page-turner dripping with atmosphere unique to late Victorian London. Georgina is an interesting protagonist because although she seems to be an unreliable character (she is not even in a place to trust herself) you really want to believe her, and you inevitably finding yourself rooting for her, and yearning for the ever-building clues to unravel the mystery.

John Harwood has adopted this old-fashioned Gothic writing style in all three of his novels; you may think this means that the text is dry, brittle and cryptic (even though I, myself, love a traditional Gothic piece) but that certainly is not the case. Although an homage to an older style of writing, the words are fresh and alive, almost nostalgic in their cadence. I’m sure this is what Harwood is going for, and I’d be curious who he would cite as his influences; if I were to guess simply by the flavors I picked up in this book I’d say Poe, Wilde, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and definitely some Algernon Blackwood.

Bethlem Royal Hospital

While the asylum that Georgina is held at in the novel is considered to be highly humane and advanced for its time, there is many a reference to the notorious real-life London asylum, Bethlem. In the Victorian era it was more like a prison than a hospital; patients existed in deplorable conditions. They were much of the time unsupervised and “dangerous” patients were chained to the floor. Believe it or not, for the price of one pence the public was allowed access to walk around and few the patients like animals in a zoo—they could even prod at them through the bars with a stick! Since then it has become one of the leading examples of excellence in mental health, but it will forever be infamous for its grotesque beginnings.

Even though his sophmore title The Séance is still my favorite of his, I really enjoyed this book, and I sincerely hope Harwood keeps up his creepy tales!

The Lords Of Salem: Book Review

Review by Marie Robinson

Rob Zombie has played many roles—musician, director, actor—but in the case of his recent novelization of his newest film The Lords of Salem, he takes on the role of author.
The novel is split into two parts: the first taking place in 1692, Salem, Massachusetts; the second in the same city, but present day.

Zombie weaves some historical fact into his tale; character John Hawthorn was a very real and cruel judge that took a personal interest in the witch trials. In the novel, Hawthorn, accompanied by another judge by the name of Mather and two brutish brothers, is on a mission to stop a coven of witches from raising the Devil. After catching them in the act of ritual the witches are given a “trial” to try and have the Christ beaten into them. However, the leader of the coven, Margaret Morgan, curses the men’s bloodline before they set her ablaze.

This extremely graphic but undeniably gripping opening brings us to part two and our protagonist, Heidi Hawthorn. Along with being an unknowing descendant of John Hawthorn, she is also a local radio DJ and a recovering heroine addict. Poor Heidi’s struggles are far from over when she receives “a gift from the Lords”—a wooden box bearing an odd, cross-like symbol and a vinyl record. Whether the record is played at home or on the air, it gets the same reaction, hypnotizing the women of Salem into a trance that often ends in murder.

Our characters may be oblivious but something strange is happening in Salem, and Heidi is at the center of it all.

Lords of Salem was co-written with B.K. Evenson, an American author who often dabbles in horror and science fiction. This was no exceptional work of fiction, but it was still a fun, lofty read. I’m a big fan of Zombie’s work and I would absolutely pick up anything else he penned, but I think it is safe to say he is much more confident in his screenplay writing.

The characters—with the exception of Heidi—were only half-imagined. Some were given a bright spotlight that winked out of the end of the chapter. More effort should have been put into the characters and less into the pulpy text. While the extensive physical descriptions are lovely, they aren’t always necessary, and not really desired by myself, someone who likes to work for the story rather than have it all handed to me. There was a lot of beautiful, dark imagery but I was left wondering what it all added up to.

I don’t want to sound like I didn’t like the book and I don’t want to nit pick too much because I think The Lords of Salem was a decent work of fiction and a quick, exciting read.  You can pick it up at Amazon.com or your favorite bookseller.

The film is now out in theatres and is also available On Demand and on DVD in some places.

All I Want For Christmas Is A Good Ghost Story: Part 1

~ by Marie Robinson

Happy Holidays, everyone! Christmas is drawing ever near… There are some people who just love Christmas. Perhaps the most famous literary Christmas-lover was the great Charles Dickens.

Not only did he adore the holiday, he was a huge influence on it. I’m not kidding, this guy shaped Victorian Christmas. Tell me of a person who has never seen, read, or heard of A Christmas Carol and I will personally slap them. It was first published on December 17th, 1843 and sold over 5,000 copies by Christmas Eve. Over fifty film, theatre and television adaptations have been made. It is no wonder that Dickens considered A Christmas Carol to be his greatest achievement.

Before A Christmas Carol, Christmas in the mid-Victorian era was all about the Christ. And the mass. Come on, let’s be honest, no one wants to sit in church all fucking day. Of course, people were thrilled when Dickens came along and brought some secular fun to the season. He believed Christmas was all about being with family, dancing, laughing, giving to charity, and of course, telling stories.

If you don’t believe me that Dickens influenced Christmas, listen to Professor Hubert Lamb’s argument on the matter. He says that Dickens birthed the popular notion of a “white Christmas”. He went so far to prove his point and documented that a white Christmas occurred for the first eight straight years of Dickens’ life. Our bibliophile climatic researcher says that white Christmases are actually uncommon, but we have come to cherish them because of Dickens’ classic.

After the release of A Christmas Carol, the quintessential Christmas ghost story, Dickens decided to write a handful of others. He penned what were titled, “The Christmas Books” which included the short stories The Chimes (1844), The Cricket on the Hearth (1845), The Battle of Life (1846), and The Haunted Man (1848). Some are these are more supernatural than others, and most are hardly terrifying but he was determined and inspired to keep up the tradition. A few other Christmas ghost stories Dickens wrote are The Haunted House, Christmas Ghosts, The Trail for Murder and The Signal-Man which was adapted for the 1970 BBC mini-series A Ghost Story for Christmas. In reference to these tales author Peter Straub calls them, “A lively mixture of comedy, pathos, and the supernatural.”

A prototype of sorts to A Christmas Carol is The Story of the Goblins who Stole a Sexton. Released in December of 1836 it tells of a man named Grub, who is near identical to Scrooge, and chooses to go mope around in the graveyard on Christmas Eve. There he meets a ghostly figure who tells him how much his life is gonna suck if he doesn’t cheer up. If you wanted to take a simple moral from these stories it would be “Christmas is awesome!” But we know that Dickens was trying to say a little more than that. We get the Scrooge archetype yet again in A Haunted Man, where a grouchy old man is forced by a frightful apparition to reexamine his life. Dickens used this plot device to encourage a reassessment by his characters and his audience. He believes that the Christmas season is not only for nostalgia but also for change.

“…for we are telling Winter Stories—Ghost Stories, or more shame for us—round the Christmas fire; and we have never stirred, except to draw a little nearer to it.” –Charles Dickens, Christmas Ghosts

The Croning Review ~ Part Deux‏

~ by Marie Robinson

So last week I wrote up a review on Laird Barron's new novel, The Croning.  In relation to that review (which I seemed to have posted a bit prematurely), Mr. Barron, himself, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me!!

FWF:  What research did you do for this book?

LB:  I researched the history of the Olympia, WA region, and the Pacific NW in general; something I do for most of my stories that are set in those areas. I also looked into several international intelligence agencies--chiefly the CIA and Nation Security Agency.

FWF:  What is your favorite occult film?

LB:  The Exorcist and Session 9.

FWF:  What sparked your fascination with fear?

LB:  I’m not certain what the root cause might be, I only know that the attraction began in early childhood. My family read voraciously. We also entertained ourselves by telling stories--I discovered I had a talent for spooking my brothers with tales of the macabre and the uncanny. Perhaps I took a bit too much encouragement from their fright.

FWF:  A few of your stories feature a strong bond between protagonist and canine companion. We here at FWF are certainly huge animal lovers, would you say the same for yourself?

LB:  I love animals and have a soft spot for dogs in particular. My loyal companion Athena is a ten year old pit bull mix I rescued as a puppy. She’s been with me through thick and thin this past decade.

*Again, check out his new novel, The Croning, or any work of his if you haven't yet!! In my review I attached a link where you can read his story featured in Nightmare Magazine for FREE!!!

I would like to thank Mr. Barron for doing this for our humble little blog. Stay scary, dude!