American Rapture

American Rapture is an uneven overly long horror thriller combining Stephen King’s Carrie with the real life Covid-19 epidemic, if it was made infinitely worse. Novels written during Covid all have a dark heart but this one is the darkest. After infection, everyone starts raping anyone nearby. Then they dieContinue Reading

In the Mad Mountains

If you, like me, love the televised adaptations of Lovecraft because you just can’t wade through the thick formal Lovecraft prose, this book will be a treat. All the creepy atmosphere and thought-provoking plots with none of the convoluted wordplay to untangle. In the Mad Mountains definitely gives off VictorianContinue Reading

Where I End

Where I End is scarily not politically correct. The bedridden mother is called a bed-thing and treated as a soulless burden. The protagonist is called a soul-stench but casually mentions her many rapes as a child by the repulsed but sexually aroused island men. The book’s entire mood is distasteful.Continue Reading

The Night Guest

The protagonist in The Night Guest is tired all the time. She also awakens with muscle aches and even bruises some nights. When she accidentally leaves her fitness watch on one night, she discovers that she has done 40,000 steps while she was asleep. How can she stop this sleepwalking?Continue Reading

Alley

With ten eerie tales, Alley is a fascinating look into Japanese fears. With serial killers, ghosts and demons, most horror sub-genres are represented. My favorite story, Blessing, even has a mystery to solve within it. Many of the stories are unique enough to be remembered long after the story isContinue Reading

The Eleven

An intern from a gossip magazine is sent to interview a reclusive author. The author recounts a harrowing story of his life and his connection to a cult called The Eleven represented by the symbol XIIX. This is no ordinary cult. The Eleven is a great example of why IContinue Reading

The House of Last Resort

Becchina, a small Italian town, is dying. Its youth move to the cities as fast as they can. Its elders are dying of old age. To counter this trend, the town’s mayor is selling abandoned villas for only a single euro. It is a deal that Kate cannot pass up.Continue Reading

Hemlock Island

Hemlock Island begins with an intriguing, but not very original, premise. Laney has recently divorced her husband, Kit. She refused alimony but agreed to keep the remote private island where they lived. Unfortunately, she cannot maintain such an elaborate estate on her teacher’s salary. She has been renting out theContinue Reading

Looking Glass Sound

Looking Glass Sound is a chameleon of a book. It begins as a coming-of-age tale set in a creepy, almost gothic setting. There is, of course, a serial killer and a child peeper loose that may or may not be the same person. It also has a literary fiction styleContinue Reading