Book Review: Horrorstor

 

Ratings: 4/5

From Goodreads: Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, Horrorstör delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve.

Designed by Andie Reid, cover photography by Christine Ferrara.

This Review is Spoiler Free

Ah, the horrors of working retail.  

Amy is just trying to get through her shift without getting fired while working at Orsk.  When she's called in by her manager, she fears the worst, but is asked to stay behind for an overnight shift to investigate the weird happenings in the store.  Her manager Basil suspects the vandalism is likely the work of petty criminals or maybe bored teenagers.  He is wrong.

This book is a whole experience.  I cannot recommend enough reading the physical copy if you can.  The book is formatted to resemble a catalog, and every page is just filled with so much attention to detail and realism.  This novel reads both as a love letter to the horror genre (particular the paranormal!) and an honest examination and takedown of corporate America.  

Truly horrifying at times yet also laugh out loud hilarious at others, Horrorstor is definitely worth the hype!  

Book Review: The Troop

 

Rating: 4.5/5

From Goodreads: “The Troop scared the hell out of me, and I couldn’t put it down. This is old-school horror at its best.” —Stephen King

This “grim microcosm of terror and desperation haunting” (Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author) follows a scout troop on a terrifying fight for survival when they come across a mysterious—and deadly—stranger in the Canadian wilderness.

Once every year, Scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a weekend camping trip—a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story around a roaring bonfire. But when an unexpected intruder stumbles upon their campsite—shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry—Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more frightening than any tale of terror. The human carrier of a bioengineered nightmare. A horror that spreads faster than fear. A harrowing struggle for survival with no escape from the elements, the infected…or one another.

Part Lord of the Flies, part 28 Days Later—and all-consuming—this tightly written, edge-of-your-seat thriller takes you deep into the heart of darkness, where fear feeds on sanity…and terror hungers for more.

Spoiler Free Review!

Nick Cutter is a phenomenal writer.  This book felt was the literary equivalent of witnessing a car crash - disgusting, terrifying, but impossible to look away from.  

When an emaciated, sick man stumbles into a boy scout retreat, the doctor leading the troop feels like he must help.  However, when The Scoutmaster lets the man into the camp, he never could have predicted the horrors that would soon follow.

The Troop is body horror done well.  Definitely my least favorite horror subgenre, I never would have thought I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did.  While there were a couple passages I wouldn't mind having some brain bleach for, even for the squeamish, this book is not worth passing up!

So, not particularly a spoiler, but more of a trigger warning.  Please be aware that this book contains graphic animal abuse scenes.  I had to skip a few of them, and I highly recommend if you are sensitive to the subject matter that rather than avoiding the whole book, you also skim those passages.  

Overall, this was a read I will not soon stop thinking about.  Cannot wait to read more by Nick Cutter!

Book Review: Black Tide

 

Rating: 5/5

From Goodreads: KC Jones’ Black Tide, a character-driven science fiction/horror novel that explores what happens after a cataclysmic event leaves the world crawling with nightmares, will be published by Nightfire in May 2022!

A story with a cinematic feel, Black Tide is Cujo meets A Quiet Place.

It was just another day at the beach. And then the world ended.

Mike and Beth didn’t know each other existed before the night of the meteor shower. A melancholy film producer and a house sitter barely scraping by, chance made them neighbors, a bottle of champagne brought them together, and a shared need for human connection sparked something more.

After a drunken and desperate one-night-stand, the two strangers awake to discover a surprise astronomical event has left widespread destruction in its wake. But the cosmic lightshow was only a part of something much bigger, and far more terrifying. When a set of lost car keys leaves them stranded on an empty stretch of Oregon coast, when their emergency calls go unanswered and inhuman screams echo from the dunes, when the rising tide reaches for the car and unspeakable horrors close in around them, these two self-destructive souls must find in each other the strength to overcome past pain and the fight to survive a nightmare of apocalyptic scale.

Black Tide by K.C. Jones was unlike anything I've ever read before. Cosmic Horror, Sci-Fi, Morbid Humor, and a Romance all into one, this book had me hooked from the first page.

Beth is a self-proclaimed (and mother proclaimed) human car-wreck, and while house sitting/dog watching in the PNW, she meets Mike. After a one night stand, the two of them wake up in a fractured and horrifying new world. Together with Jake, the adorable (and perfect and amazing and all the good words) dog Beth is watching, they go to investigate the strange meteorites that fell from the sky the night before. However, when Beth loses their car keys while they're searching the beach, they are trapped in a hellscape.

I loved this book. It was unlike anything I've ever read before. Wholly original, terrifying, and even funny at times, Black Tide is a summer read unlike any other. K.C. Jones does a fantastic job at creating a character study of both Mike and Beth. They both felt unique and well rounded, and I couldn't help but root for them both throughout. The pacing was absolutely perfect, and I read this in one sitting, totally unable to put it down. This story is chilling and unnerving and I cannot recommend it enough!

*I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

~ Charlotte

Book Review: Suburban Hell

 

Rating: 5/5

From Goodreads: Bad Moms meets My Best Friend’s Exorcism in this lite-horror-comedy about a group of women in the Chicago 'burbs, whose cul-de-sac gets a new neighbor: a demon.

Amy Foster considers herself lucky. After she left the city and went full minivan, she found her place quickly with neighbors Liz, Jess, and Melissa, together snarking the “Mom Mafia” from the outskirts of the PTA mom crowd. So, one night during their monthly wine get-together, the newfound crew concoct a plan for a clubhouse She Shed in Liz’s backyard – the perfect space for just them, no spouses or kids allowed.

But the night after they christen the space with a ceremonial drink, things start to feel…off. What they didn’t expect was for Liz’s little home improvement project to release a demonic force that turns their quiet suburban enclave into something out of a nightmare. And that’s before the Homeowners’ Association gets wind of it.

Just as Liz is turned into a creepy doll face overnight, cases of haunting activity around the neighborhood intensify, and even the calmest moms can’t justify the strange burn marks, self-moving dolls, and horrible smells surrounding their possessed friend, Liz. Together, Amy, Jess, and Melissa must fight back the evil spirit to save Liz and the neighborhood…before the suburbs go completely to hell. But at least they don’t have to deal with the PTA, right?

I'm always a sucker for a good horror comedy, and Suburban Hell didn't disappoint!  Amy and her friends Jess, Melissa, and Liz look forward to their monthly ladies nights, drinking bad wine and unwinding from the stress of their lives.  When Liz decides to break ground on a She-Shed in her backyard, a special space just for the four of them, all hell breaks loose.

Literally.

Filled with the usual fun horror tropes - Ouija Boards, Exorcisms, Creepy Kids, Creepy Kids Drawing *shudders,* this book was a blast from start to finish.  But at the core, this is a book about friendship and the importance of community and support.  At times gripping and creepy, at other times, totally poignant and moving, Suburban Hell is a fun, morbid time!

*I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

~ Charlotte

Book Review: Look What You Made Me Do

Rating: 3/5

From Goodreads: A gripping thriller about a woman who must help cover the tracks of her serial killer sister -- only to discover her sibling isn't the only serial killer in town . . . and they're both next on his kill list.

Carrie wants a normal life.
Carrie Lawrence doesn’t need a happily ever after. She’ll just settle for “after.” After a decade of helping her sister hide her victims. After a lifetime of lies. She just wants to be safe, boring, and not trekking through the woods at night with a dead body wrapped in a carpet.

Becca wants to get away with murder.
Becca Lawrence doesn’t believe in happily ever after because she’s already happy. She’s gotten away with murder for a decade and has blackmailed her sister into helping her hide the evidence—what more could a girl want?

But first they have to stop a serial killer.
When thirteen bodies are discovered in their small town, people are shocked. But not as shocked as Carrie, who thought she knew all the details of Becca’s sordid pastime. When Becca swears she’s not behind the grisly new crimes, they realize the town has a second serial killer who has the sisters in his sights, and what he wants is…Carrie.

From the premise of this book alone, I knew it would be a fun book.  I'm a sucker for a well paced thriller, and Elaine Murphy delivered!  This was a one sitting read for me!  Look What You Made Me Do is a darkly humorous tale of a toxic sister relationship.  

That being said, be prepared to suspend your disbelief...quite a bit.  I definitely enjoyed reading it, but there were absolutely portions where I found myself thinking, "really?"  As the book goes on, it gets more and more outlandish, and honestly while I think the ending of the book was fantastic, most of the last 30ish% had me scratching my head a bit.  

However, this book was absolutely a ton of fun to read, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a fast paced thriller!

~ Charlotte

Book Review: Blood Sugar

 

Rating: 4/5

From Goodreads: An utterly delicious debut thriller that tells the story of the most likable murderess you will ever meet, perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Jessica Knoll.

“I could just kill you right now!” It’s something we’ve all thought at one time or another. But Ruby has actually acted on it. Three times, to be exact.

Though she may be a murderer, Ruby is not a sociopath. She is an animal-loving therapist with a thriving practice. She’s felt empathy and sympathy. She’s had long-lasting friendships and relationships, and has a husband, Jason, whom she adores. But the homicide detectives at Miami Beach PD are not convinced of her happy marriage. When we meet Ruby, she is in a police interrogation room, being accused of Jason’s murder. Which, ironically, is one murder that she did not commit, though her vicious mother-in-law and a scandal-obsessed public believe differently. As she undergoes questioning, Ruby’s mind races back to all the details of her life that led her to this exact moment, and to the three dead bodies in her wake. Because though she may not have killed her husband, Ruby certainly isn’t innocent.

Alternating between Ruby’s memories of her past crimes and her present-day fight to clear her name, Blood Sugar is a twisty, clever debut with an unforgettable protagonist who you can’t help but root for—an addicting mixture of sour and sweet.

Spoiler free review! (Well, except for one EXTREMELY mild spoiler that doesn't affect the plot but talks about something specific that happens later on in the book)

Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild was absolutely captivating. Brilliantly written, and impossible to put down, I read this in nearly one sitting, stopping only to go to work, then immediately resuming. Written from the perspective of Ruby, a woman who at age thirty has already killed three people, who is now suspected for killing her husband.

Except, despite being guilty of three murders, her husband's is not one of them.

Alternating between the past of Ruby's life, as well as the present during the investigation of her husband Jason's death, Blood Sugar is a heart pounding thriller and I cannot recommend picking this book up enough. Sascha Rothchild does an excellent job of creating a moral grey area throughout the story.

Okay here's the mild spoiler. Stop reading if you don't want a mild spoiler!

This literally has nothing to do with the plot, but I literally nearly burst out sobbing with nostalgia because at one point, Ruby and Jason's cat develops diabetes, and so the cat and Jason both have to take insulin together. Why did this make me nearly sob? Because this exact scenario (minus the murder investigation) happened to my grandfather and his cat. We used to call them diabuddies. That is all.

Anyway, my own personal nostalgia aside, this book is fantastic, and I definitely recommend reading this twisty and well paced thriller!

*I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.

~ Charlotte

Book Review: The Book of Cold Cases

 

Rating: 4/5

From Goodreads: In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect--a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.

Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases--a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea's surprise, Beth says yes.

They meet regularly at Beth's mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she's not looking, and she could swear she's seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn't right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?

A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel.

This review is spoiler free!

This was my first book by Simone St. James, and it certainly won't be my last! A true-crime based thriller with a touch of the paranormal? I was hooked as soon as I heard the premise!

The Book of Cold Cases is the name of a true crime blog ran by doctor's office receptionist Shea Collins. True Crime has been an obsession for her since her harrowing near-death experience as a child when she was kidnapped and nearly murdered in her hometown. However, the man who nearly killed Shea is only one of the two most famous murderers in her town. The other is Beth Greer...maybe? A woman who'd been legally acquitted but still always condemned by the court of public opinion in regards to the murders of two men in the seventies.

When given the opportunity to interview Beth, who famously has dodged interviews for years, Shea begins to realize that there is a lot more to the "Lady Killer Murders," then she ever could have imagined.

The Book of Cold Cases is a truly atmospheric read, flashing back from memories of the seventies, to present day, from Beth's perspective and back to Shea's. With such a disjointed narration, it would be easy to assume the book could feel unsettled or hard to follow, however the narration style fits so well for the masterfully plotted story.

Whether you love reading about True Crime or are a fan of modern day ghost stories, I cannot recommend The Book of Cold Cases enough for a fun, well paced read! 

~ Charlotte