The Darkest Veil by Catherine Cavendish

We are The Thirteen. We are One
4 Yarborough Drive looked like any other late 19th century English townhouse. Alice Lorrimer feels safe and welcomed there, but soon discovers all is not as it appears to be. One of her housemates flees the house in terror. Another disappears and never returns. Then there are the sounds of a woman wailing, strange shadows and mists, and the appearance of the long-dead Josiah Underwood who founded a coven there many years earlier. The house is infested with his evil, and Alice and her friends are about to discover who The Thirteen really are.


As this story does not take place in the United States I may be a bit off on the terminology. A small group of young women are renting what is referred to as a bed sit which I believe is some type of rooming house, or perhaps what we would call studio apartments in a spooky old house with a dark past.
There already seems to be some supernatural activity going on, but after the girls hold a seance with a make shift Ouija board things begin to escalate. One young woman is so upset that she moves out immediately and one just disappears...leaving nothing but a dress behind. It's hard for me to say more without giving too much away, but there was a creepy atmosphere throughout the story and I never saw that ending coming.
4 out of 5 stars
I received a complimentary copy for review.






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And a Dark Horse Dreamt of Nightmares by Keith Anthony Baird

A collection of strange tales for those who like horror, the supernatural, and science fiction. These six short stories explore some classic themes in contemporary settings. All have a dark vibe which creates the overall tone of the collection.

The book opens with 'The Sable Lane Catering Company' which puts blood, gore, and terror immediately on the menu with a snapshot of a serial killer serving up something special for his sadistic clientele.

Next up is a pure 80s horror homage, with 'John: Carpenter' giving a direct nod to the movie director's catalogue of work.

'Skullcherry Orchard' sees a paranormal investigation take a turn for the worst in rural North West England. It's a traditional ghost story given a contemporary flavour.

Story number four is rooted in the occult practices of the Nazi regime circa WWII and proves a terrifying and tragic turn of events for those who want to know just 'What's In The Box?'

No book of dark tales could be complete without a reworking of the time-honoured vampire saga, and 'Mother Rain and Father Wolf' does just that. Presented as a warning to those who would meddle in the truth which lies behind a mythology, it chronicles age-old revenge on the Church.

Lastly, 'Floor 9' is a sci-fi piece which is quite simply designed to mess with your head. It has a split narrative and is a tad on the trippy side, and hopefully just good fun.

If you purchase and enjoy this book of shorts, then please consider my full-length novels: The Jesus Man & Nexilexicon, both available in ebook, audio, and paperback via Amazon. Thank you! KAB

Full disclosure, I did not read the last story in this collection, partly because I am so far behind in reviews and partly because Sci-fi is something I need to be in the mood for and my current mood is OMG the holidays are coming and I have a million things to do. That being said, I did enjoy the 5 stories I read. They are dark and deeply disturbing. I will just touch briefly on my favorites. "Skullcherry Orchard" was a spectacular read for me probably because I love all those paranormal investigation shows and this story has a lot more to offer than people whispering WHAT WAS THAT. I would definitely avoid eating the cherries though. I also loved the first story "The Sable Lane Catering Company' though at times I had to peek at it through my fingers for fear of what I might see next. It is extremely gruesome and if you like to snack while you read you may not want to eat while reading this one. Also it's not nice to play with your food!

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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Off The Grid by John Hunt

Graham Richards was shopping with his family at an outlet mall when an active shooter began indiscriminately murdering people with a rifle. Graham was shot in the face and when he woke up in the hospital, his family was dead. And now, all he wants is to be left alone. Living out in the woods, growing his own food, and using solar power for his energy needs, he hopes to live the rest of his life in obscurity. But when a little girl goes missing in the nearby town, the strange, scarred man in the lonely cabin is the first suspect and Graham finds himself being pulled back into the world he wanted to leave behind.



This story begins like any ordinary day in America, which unfortunately means a mass shooting at a shopping mall. From there the twists are anything but typical after shooting survivor Graham, becomes a suspect in the disappearance of a child. Graham has been living off the grid ever since recovering from his injuries, and his loner status along with living out in the woods as far from prying eyes as possible causes some suspicion. Graham has reasons for wanting solitude. Aside from the emotional trauma of losing his family, and the physical deformity, there is the pain of his injuries, and a deeper darker pain. The shooting didn't just rob him of his family, it also left something behind. Graham is changed in inexplicable ways and Detective Jodie Reyes is determined to get to the truth.
This was a fast paced, action packed, twisty thriller.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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The Pineys by Tony DiGerolamo

From the creator of the Jersey Devil comic book comes a story about four cousins cursed by their ancestors, brought together by destiny and trying to keep South Jersey from going to Hell.

In 1732, Mother Leeds gave birth to the infamous Jersey Devil, which has roamed the Pine Barrens ever since.

Or so the story goes…

The truth is, Mother Leeds was a witch and opened the portals to Hell unleashing hundreds of devils into woods. But the villagers next door in Abe’s Hat noticed and formed a secret hunting society to track down the fiends and send them back to the Abyss. Their descendants continue the Hunt in secret to this day.

So grab your pork roll, put on your Piney Power hat and join the hunt, because the Galloway cousins are coming to save you whether you like it or not.

If only Lewis hadn't stopped to look for a gas station.. what an escapade he would have missed! The village is over run with shape shifting devil spawn who can take on the appearance of those they bite.This is a darkly comedic/horror adventure featuring undead stripper ghouls, the corpse of a witch, and a visit to hell. It was a quick read with lots of action. Though not my usual type of read I found it quite entertaining.
I received a complimentary copy for review.
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About the author
Tony DiGerolamo is a New Jersey screenwriter, novelist, comic book writer, game designer and comedian. He is best known for his work on The Simpsons and Bart Simpson comic books. He has also been a joke writer for Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, a scriptwriter for Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and a blogger for Comedy Central’s Indecision website. He has written the screenplays including Mafioso: The Father, The Son starring Leo Rossi.

The Poor and the Haunted by Dustin McKissen

As a child Jimmy Lansford and his sister Kelly suffered crushing poverty, their father’s unexplained and frightening suicide, and their mother’s constant abuse and cruelty. Having grown to be a successful adult, Jimmy must contend with the sudden re-emergence of memories from his childhood in Oklahoma and unexplainable events occurring inside his own home. Is it more than memories that haunt Jimmy? Did his parents suffer from mental illness and addiction, or were they possessed by something even worse—and has that presence arrived to take Jimmy?

The first horror novel from acclaimed author and journalist Dustin McKissen explores the nature of hauntings, the ghosts from our past that haunt our present, and the unbreakable bond between siblings who learn early on they can only rely on each other.

Well...

This was not an altogether bad book, but it is misleading to call it a horror novel. It isn't. It is the story of a man who was raised in an abusive and neglectful home by drug addled parents living in a poverty of their own making. It is a story of strength and love, it is a story of how this man escaped these awful circumstances, attended college and built a life for himself. It is a story of stopping the cycle of abuse, raising his own children with his wife and making a real family. It is also the story of how his upbringing still haunts him. But even throwing a ghost in the mix does not make this a horror novel.

3 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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About the author
Dustin McKissen is an award-winning journalist, author, novelist, and short story writer. "The Poor and The Haunted" is his first horror novel. He lives in Bellingham, Washington with his wife and three children.

Raven Lane by Amber Cowie

The truth can bring out the worst in the best of friends.

Esme and Benedict Werner have an idyllic life in a tight-knit community until an accident in their cul-de-sac ends in the tragic sudden death of one of their dearest neighbors. After vindicating eyewitness accounts morph into contradictory memories, suspicion, and unaccountable accusations, Benedict is arrested. Esme’s life, too, is changed forever.

As the neighborhood largely turns against her and her family, Esme has time to think about her past and what to do next. Then her fellow residents start looking deeper, questioning one another, and themselves, about hidden lies and betrayals.

Esme has more than her share of secrets. And the consequences of what happened on that fateful late-summer evening on Raven Lane are far from over. When the mask of civility slips, can friends and neighbors recover from seeing the monstrous truths beneath?


Drugs, family dysfunction, and sexcapades of the semi wealthy and formerly famous play a big role in this domestic drama. I had high hopes for this one and while it started out well enough the pace was rather slow and the story dragged out longer than necessary. I would have enjoyed it more if any of the main characters had been likable. Perhaps others may enjoy it more than I did, I didn't really feel invested in the outcome.

I received an advance copy for review.

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The Captivating Flames of Madness by Jeff Parsons

This book's title comes from the reality that - like a moth to the flame - we're all just one event, mishap, or decision away from things that could change our lives forever.

What would you do if fate led you astray into a grim world where you encountered vengeful ghosts, homicidal maniacs, ancient gods, apocalyptic nightmares, dark magic, deadly space aliens, and more?
If you dare, why not find out?

Read for yourself the twenty-two gloriously provocative tales that dwell within this book - but be warned, some of my dear readers have experienced lasting nightmares...


I'm afraid this book did not quite live up to my expectations. As an avid horror reader, if you promise me nightmares I'm expecting something far scarier.
While I did enjoy a couple of these stories, for the most part I found them more disturbing than frightening and more draggy than dramatic. The thing about short stories is that you have limited time to engage the reader before the ending. Only a couple of these stories hooked me right away. Others may enjoy this more than I did, but I found myself wanting to skim or skip ahead in search of a scare that never really materialized.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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Hearthstone Cottage by Frazer Lee

Mike Carter and his girlfriend Helen, along with their friends Alex and Kay, travel to a remote loch side cottage for a post-graduation holiday. But their celebrations are short-lived when they hit and kill a stag on the road. Alex's sister Meggie awaits them in the cottage, adding to the tension when her dog, Oscar, goes missing. Mike becomes haunted by a disturbing presence in the cottage, and is hunted by threatening figures in the highland fog. Reeling from a shock revelation, Mike begins to lose his grip on his sanity. As the dark secrets of the past conspire to destroy the bonds of friendship, Mike must uncover the terrifying truth dwelling within the walls of Hearthstone Cottage.



Two couples head off for a celebratory post graduation stay at Hearthstone cottage. Their vacation  starts off with a bang when they have a car accident near their destination, totaling their car and leaving them without means of escape should there be any spooky happenings, and there will be!  There is something very wrong with this cottage and with the village itself.
After that  literally smashing beginning the pace did slow down quite a bit, but rapidly accelerated at about the halfway point when Mike explores the village on his own after his girlfriend is gone for an unusually long time in a borrowed car. It was at this point that the spooky atmosphere really kicked into overdrive.

I received an advance copy for review.

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About the author
Frazer Lee’s debut novel, The Lamplighters was a Bram Stoker Award® Finalist for ‘Superior Achievement in a First Novel’. His other works include 'The Jack in the Green', 'The Skintaker' and the 'Daniel Gates Adventures' series.

One of Frazer’s early short stories received a Geoffrey Ashe Prize from the Library of Avalon, Glastonbury. His short fiction has since appeared in numerous anthologies including the acclaimed ‘Read By Dawn’ series.

Also a screenwriter and filmmaker, Frazer’s movie credits include the award-winning short horror films ‘On Edge’, ‘Red Lines’, ‘Simone’, 'The Stay', and the critically acclaimed horror/thriller feature (and Amazon #1 movie novelization) ‘Panic Button’.

Frazer lectures in Creative Writing and Screenwriting at Brunel University London and Birkbeck, University of London. He resides with his family in leafy Buckinghamshire, England just across the cemetery from the actual Hammer House of Horror.

Connect with Frazer:
Official website: www.frazerlee.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorFrazerLee
Twitter: www.twitter.com/frazer_lee

Those Who Came Before BY J.H. Moncrieff

People are dying at Strong Lake, and the worst is yet to come.

An idyllic weekend camping trip is cut short when Reese Wallace’s friends are brutally murdered. As the group’s only survivor, Reese is the prime suspect, and his story doesn’t make much sense. A disembodied voice warning him to leave the campground the night before? A strange, blackened tree that gave him an electric shock when he cut it down for firewood?

Detective Greyeyes isn’t having any of it―until she hears the voice herself and finds an arrowhead at the crime scene―an arrowhead she can’t get rid of. Troubling visions of a doomed Native American tribe who once called the campground home, and rumors of cursed land and a mythical beast plague the strangest murder case she’s ever been a part of.

Two couples prepare to spend the weekend in a cursed campground. Only one young man survives the slaughter that first night.
The events that follow reveal the mystery of what happened to the first Native Americans who disappeared from this land so many years ago. The author does a brilliant job of weaving together a story of historical fiction, Native American folklore and supernatural horror with a dark and ominous atmosphere. We would all do well to remember those who came before.
5 out of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy for review.


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About the author
J.H. Moncrieff's City of Ghosts won the 2018 Kindle Book Review Award for best Horror/Suspense.

Her work has been described by reviewers as early Gillian Flynn with a little Ray Bradbury and Stephen King thrown in for good measure.

She won Harlequin's search for “the next Gillian Flynn” in 2016. Her first published novella, The Bear Who Wouldn’t Leave, was featured in Samhain’s Childhood Fears collection and stayed on its horror bestsellers list for over a year.

When not writing, she loves exploring the world's most haunted places, advocating for animal rights, and summoning her inner ninja in muay thai class.

To get free ebooks and a new spooky story every week, go to http://bit.ly/MoncrieffLibrary.