EVIL: Short Stories of Horror by Kevin Bachar

 Ten-year-old Cassie is playing in the ball pit at a shabby fast-food palace when she feels something bite her leg and it doesn't want to let go.

The passengers on a cross-country bus trip make a stop that changes the lives of everyone on it, and reveals that one of the riders is hiding a horrific secret.

The locals in a remote mountain town know about the wind that supposedly can kill people; they avoid it at all costs. But when a young college meteorologist comes to study it, will he heed their warnings?

From the writer who brought you the best-selling short story collections DREAD, CREEP, and CURSED comes a new set of tales that will make you lock the doors and turn on the lights. EVIL forces you to confront the most terrifying element in our world - EVIL. In each story, we see how it manifests and then consumes those who dare to think they can battle it. In this book, GOOD doesn't triumph over EVIL; it runs away and cowers under the bed and hopes and prays it goes away and never comes back. Can you handle something that is filled with pure EVIL?

In an unusual mix, this collection contains dark tales, one novella, a drabble, and a singular factual account with names and places changed for privacy purposes.

There are serial killers, strange creatures, an unexpected ghost story and supernatural events that should please any palate. 

The author turns ordinary everyday situations, such as a quick stop for fast food or a visit to a mountain cabin, into hideous consequences.

I am not a flash fiction fan, and with a drabble being even shorter, that was the only part I could have done without. I am not usually a fan of stories told through emails or texts, but The Cabin, written in that style, turned out to be one of my favorites. It increased the suspense and created a scary, intense read. It made me feel like I was there and unable to help with a terrifying emergency situation. 

Another favorite was the novella length story Breezy. You'll think twice before the next time you say it's only the wind!

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to the author for the e-copy.

Get a copy

About the author

Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester

 

Three women. Three centuries. One legacy of fury, love, and a power that refuses to die

In this fiercely captivating novel, horror meets historical fiction when a curse bridges generations, binding the fates of three women. Anne Bolton, a healer facing persecution for witchcraft, bargains with a dark entity for protection—but the fire she unleashes will reverberate for centuries. Mary Shephard, a picture perfect wife in a suffocating community, falls for Sharon and begins a forbidden affair that could destroy them both. And Camilla Burson, the rebellious daughter of a preacher, defies conformist expectations to uncover an ancient power as her father’s flock spirals into crisis.

Dark Sisters is a captivating historical horror fiction that spans centuries of oppression against women and their ultimate revenge.

I loved the oldest timeline the best, with Anne Bolton in the 1700s, and I 

loved to hate her daughter, Florence, who chose to be blinded by religious dogma. This is where the curse comes from that plagues the women of Hawthorne Springs for centuries to come.

The women are subjugated under the guise of God's will by greedy, selfish men who hold a horrific secret. Any woman or girl who shows an ounce of backbone is sent off to "retreat" in order to be led back to the rightful path of knowing her place. This worked for centuries until a preacher's daughter refused to sit by and let her mother and her best friend suffer.

If you are in the mood for a witchy supernatural tale of greed, feminine rage, and betrayal,  here you have it. Find out for yourself if the dark sisters are something to be feared or revered. 

My thanks to St Martin's Press for the invitation to read this book.

Get a copy

Best Horror of 2025

 I've made my list, I've checked it twice, the following books are more creepy than nice!

Another year of great books has gone by, and I have been privileged to have a front-row seat for some fabulous reading. These are my picks for the Best Horror of 2025. The title links will take you to the book synopsis, review, author information if available on Goodreads, and Amazon page. If you're looking for something spectacular to read, allow me to recommend any or all of these eighteen books. Yes, you read that right, my list is even bigger this year.

The Poorly Made and Other Things by Sam Rebelein    The Night Birds by Christopher Golden

What Fresh Hell Is This? Dark Tales by Del Howison    Scurry by Seann Barbour

Nerve Endings by Kealan Patrick Burke      At Dark, I Become Loathsome by Eric LaRocca

Urban Legends: Three New Tales of Terror    Cottonmouth By Kealan Patrick Burke

Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moulton                    Dark Roads Traveled by Tony Tremblay

                                  The Burning Class by Luisa Colón           

  The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi

Bloody Bones by Garrett Boatman      The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale     Tainted Towns by Victoria Williamson

Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson                Steel Machines by Dan Franklin        

Humbug by Luciano Marano

 A terrifying new take on the most famous ghost story of all time.

From award-winning author Luciano Marano comes Humbug—a gruesome, noir-infused reimagining of A Christmas Carol that blends supernatural horror, crime thriller, and psychological suspense into one unforgettable holiday nightmare.

In modern-day Seattle, Detective Stuart (Scrooge) Caine is a jaded homicide cop on the edge of burnout. Every Christmas brings another murder, but this year’s case is different. A brilliant psychopath—dubbed “Humbug” by the press—has made a tradition of killing an entire family every December 25th. With the investigation going cold and his career slipping away, Scrooge receives a visitation on Christmas Eve that shatters his The ghost of his former partner, Marley, and three monstrous spirits—manifestations of history’s most notorious unsolved Jack the Ripper, Zodiac, and The Cleveland Torso Murderer.As the line between nightmare and reality blurs, Scrooge is forced to confront his past, his sins, and the darkness waiting for him on Christmas morning.

Humbug is a chilling holiday horror novella—a macabre fusion of ghost story, police procedural, and psychological redemption tale—perfect for fans of A Christmas Ghost Story, Candy Cain Kills, and Hark! The Herald Angels Scream.

Sometimes, the ghosts of Christmas past don’t come to save you…they come to collect.

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Where Stories Come Alive!

A hardboiled cop dubbed "Scrooge" by the media, who hates Christmas, is on the hunt for the "Humbug" killer. So nicknamed due to his penchant for murdering an entire family every Christmas.
When he is taken off the case, he is visited by the spirits of three murderers, plus his deceased partner, Marley. Can they help him open his heart to the season? And more importantly, can they lead him to the killer?

This modern-day take on the Dickens classic is a much darker and gorier version. It has been decades since I read the original, but I still watch several of the movie versions every year. The spirits here are far less benign, and the streets more dangerous. If you like retellings with a malevolent twist or are a fan of holiday horror, this is for you. At its heart, this is still a story of redemption, but the path to get there is harsh. 

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Crystal Lake Publishing for the e-ARC

Get a copy