Carnival by William W. Johnstone

The locals were ecstatic when the carnival pulled into Holland, Nebraska. They shrieked in delight on the lightning-fast rides. They gasped in shocked fascination at the chilling collection of freaks and human oddities. But all the while, piercing red eyes glared out at the townies from the shadows of the midway. Eyes that burned with vengeful hatred. Eyes that lusted for blood . . .

Only Mayor Martin Holland and his beautiful teenaged daughter Linda could feel the air of “wrongness” that hovered over the fairgrounds. Then the killings began—and their worst nightmares quickly came to life. Night after night a new victim was found, his insides smoldering, his face contorted in a gruesome death mask of hideous agony. Soon, for Martin, for Linda, for the entire plagued community, there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Nebo's Carnival of Dread had come to town. And the horror show was just beginning!




It's been 34 years since a Carnival last came to town. Nobody wants to talk about the horror of it all. The fire, the rape, the beaten bodies and tortured animals. Some don't remember what happened that final night, some choose not to remember what they did to those carnies in the name of vengeance for a crime they never committed.
Now all these years later the carnival is back. Some of the townspeople know there's something wrong with it. Others feel compelled to go to the fairgrounds even though they don't know why. 
This book was first published back in the 80s and I believe I read it then. My mother was a huge fan and had all of Johnstone's books up until he switched to writing westerns. The funny thing is that once he switched my father became a fan. I've been on a mission to collect as many of these oldies as I can and am attempting to reread them all. This one does feel a bit dated but as someone who loved the schlock of 80s horror I am still a fan. This is one of those classic good against evil stories, with those who may find redemption and those who are beyond hope of redemption all thrown into the mix with sex and gore and demons. 
4 out of 5 stars

About the author
William Wallace Johnstone was a prolific American author, mostly of western, horror and survivalist novels.
Born and raised in southern Missouri, Johnstone was the youngest of four children. His father was a minister and his mother a school teacher. He quit school when he was fifteen and worked in a carnival and as a deputy sheriff. He later served in the Army and, upon returning to civilian life, worked in radio broadcasting for 16 years.
Johnstone started his writing career in 1970, but did not have any works published until 1979 (The Devil's Kiss) and became a full-time writer in 1980. He wrote close to two hundred books in numerous genres, including suspense and horror. His main publication series were Mountain Man, The First Mountain Man, Ashes and Eagles and his own personal favorite novel was The Last of the Dog Team (1980). He also authored two novels under the pseudonym William Mason.
Johnstone had lived for many years in Shreveport, Louisiana, yet died in Knoxville, TN, at the age of 65

If It Bleeds by Stephen King

From #1 New York Times bestselling author, legendary storyteller, and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary collection of four new and compelling novellas—Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, The Life of Chuck, Rat, and the title story If It Bleeds—each pulling you into intriguing and frightening places.

The novella is a form King has returned to over and over again in the course of his amazing career, and many have been made into iconic films, including “The Body” (Stand By Me) and “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (< font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Shawshank Redemption). Like Four Past Midnight, Different Seasons, and most recently Full Dark, No Stars, If It Bleeds is a uniquely satisfying collection of longer short fiction by an incomparably gifted writer.

I've been undecided whether to bother leaving a review or not. It's not like Stephen King needs my input or opinion to boost his book sales. I will just say I enjoyed the first story the most because I like coming of age tales with a spooky twist. The last story didn't do it for me at all. Stories of writers striking deals with...whatever in order to write a great book have kind of played out and been done to death. The second and third stories were just ok. If I rated the 4 stories in order of appearance it would be 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars and 2 stars. For me the stories grew progressively worse. If I add that up and divide it by 4 stories I would rate the book at 3.5 stars.

Hunger Pangs by Scott J. Moses

"Thinking is like life, some insatiable hunger you'll never quite satisfy."

1959: A grieving lawman bargains with darkness to reunite his family.
1960: A traveling exorcist takes a case where the traditional means of expelling evil have failed.
1969: A haunted widower picks up a hitchhiking hippie.
1985: Siblings flee their horrid past, and the curse in their blood.
2020: An immortal longs for her life in the sun.

In his debut collection, Scott J. Moses presents thirteen tales of supernatural horror and everyday woe.





The aptly titled Hunger Pangs is a collection of tales filled with hunger. Hunger for what might have been, hunger for what can never be, hunger for human flesh, and in the title story a hunger for blood. Most are filled with themes of loss, and the horror of grieving that loss.
All were well written  and quite original although not necessarily as scary as I had hoped. I would recommend it for fans of dark fiction but perhaps not for hard core horror fans.
4 out of 5 stars I received an advance copy for review

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About the author
Scott J. Moses is a Baltimorean writer of horror and dark fiction. His short fiction has appeared in STORGY, The Cabinet of Heed, Coffin Bell, & elsewhere. His debut collection Hunger Pangs was published in 2020.

Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker

One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life.

She doesn't want to be found.

Or at least, that's the story.

The car abandoned miles from home.

The note found at a nearby hotel.

The shattered family that couldn’t be put back together.

They called it a “walk away.”
It happens all the time.

Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over.

But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke?


 Molly Clarke is living her life buried under the constant pain of her grief, and I felt it. Her days are endless guilt and torment. Knowing that her husband doesn't love her anymore but still loving him anyway. Believing that her children would be better off without her, and they certainly act as if they wish she were gone. It is on one such night, in the height of a storm, when she considers the possibility of walking away from her life. That is the question, should she stay or should she go? But that choice is taken from her, it is not she who decides whether she will return home on this night. I loved probably the first half of this book. I believed in Molly and her pain was real to me. The twists and turns took my breath away, but as we reached the final reveal the reasoning behind what happened to Molly felt foolish and senseless, and largely disappointing.
3 out of 5 stars
I received an advance copy for review.

About the author
Wendy Walker is the author of psychological suspense. Her novels have been translated into 23 foreign languages and have topped bestseller lists both nationally and abroad. They have been featured on The Today Show, The Reese Witherspoon Book Club, and The Book of the Month Club and have been optioned for television and film.

Don’t Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Featuring stories from R.L. Stine and Madeleine Roux, this middle grade horror anthology, curated by New York Times bestselling author and master of macabre Jonathan Maberry, is a chilling tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Flesh-hungry ogres? Brains full of spiders? Haunted houses you can’t escape? This collection of 35 terrifying stories from the Horror Writers Association has it all, including ghastly illustrations from Iris Compiet that will absolutely chill readers to the bone.

So turn off your lamps, click on your flashlights, and prepare—if you dare—to be utterly spooked!

The complete list of writers: Linda D. Addison, Courtney Alameda, Jonathan Auxier, Gary A. Braunbeck, Z Brewer, Aric Cushing, John Dixon, Tananarive Due, Jamie Ford, Kami Garcia, Christopher Golden, Tonya Hurley, Catherine Jordan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Alethea Kontis, N.R. Lambert, Laurent Linn, Amy Lukavics, Barry Lyga, D.J. MacHale, Josh Malerman, James A. Moore, Michael Northrop, Micol Ostow, Joanna Parypinksi, Brendan Reichs, Madeleine Roux, R.L. Stine, Margaret Stohl, Gaby Triana, Luis Alberto Urrea, Rosario Urrea, Kim Ventrella, Sheri White, T.J. Wooldridge, Brenna Yovanoff


"He reaches for me and I'm sure he plans to pull out my intestines and wear them like a scarf, but instead he pats my head."

When my son was in middle school I bought him the set of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. After he read them I did too. Don't Turn Out The Lights is exactly the kind of story collection that I would have bought for him when he was younger and that he would still keep on his book case now that he is grown. Whether you have kids or are a kid at heart these stories are a spooky journey into otherworldly realms, sometimes with a moral to the story, such as being careful what you wish for in Jingle Jangle. One of my absolute favorites was "The Neighbor" when a lonely boy finds a playmate but all is not as it seems. Some reveal some hidden dangers in social media or text messages from strangers such as in The House On The Hill or the even more terrifying "Tag You're It" where a boy has a creepy social media stalker from which there is no escape. I also loved that each story has a spine tingling illustration. This was such a fun read and for me it was like a trip down memory lane and something brand new all rolled in to one.

4 out of 5 stars
I received an advance copy for review.

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Last Case at a Baggage Auction by Eric J. Guignard

1963 Detroit is a hotbed of gambling, and the weekly baggage auctions keep a busy trade. Charlie Stewart and Joey Third are skilled in the art of successful bidding, but when Joey lands a mysterious suitcase, the thrill of winning turns to terror once they realize they’ve opened something sinister.

Inside the suitcase is an antique gramophone, and the music it plays is unlike anything they’ve heard before. A chanting voice speaks to them in strange words, evoking visions of a dark, frozen land. It’s a voice that makes them sick with addiction, and it continues chanting in their heads even when the record stops playing.

Charlie sets out to solve the mystery of the unholy music and how to turn it off forever. But the urge to listen grows stronger, and the more it plays, the more the aural virus spreads, until people begin to vanish . . . feeding an apparition that seeks immortality.


This was a short and spooky read. I had actually heard of these auctions before. I think I saw it on some reality show my husband may have been watching. People bid on abandoned or unclaimed property, forgotten or left behind by their owners or sometimes just lost by baggage handlers. You never know what is inside or what you've won until you open it later. Charlie and Joey are pals who live in the same run down apartment building and attend these auctions together. Occasionally they make some money off their finds, but more often than not the suitcases and their contents just pile up in their messy apartments. After one such auction, they open an antique gramophone and some strange looking homemade records. The music is horrible and the chanting is quite unnerving, but the more they listen, the more they feel compelled to keep listening. Charlie takes a record to someone who may be able to decipher what the chanting is saying, but Joey stays holed up in his apartment with the gramophone and other records, and the more he listens the more he begins to change. Even though Charlie is a good person with a big heart, he does have a habit of being late and a bit absent minded so I'm not sure I would want to count on him in a situation where time is of the essence. Just ask his girlfriend who has often been left waiting for him, or the neighbors in his building who can hear the chanting coming from Joey's apartment and are now compelled to keep listening. 
As a reader who loves both horror and historical fiction I found this ominous tale to be right up my alley.
4 out of 5 stars
I received a complimentary copy for review.

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About the author
ERIC J. GUIGNARD is a writer and editor of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles, where he also runs the small press, Dark Moon Books. He’s twice won the Bram Stoker Award (the highest literary award of horror fiction), been a finalist for the International Thriller Writers Award, and a multi-nominee of the Pushcart Prize.

He has over one hundred stories and non-fiction author credits appearing in publications around the world. As editor, Eric’s published multiple fiction anthologies, including his most recent, Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror , and A World of Horror , a showcase of international horror short fiction.

He currently publishes the acclaimed series of author primers created to champion modern masters of the dark and macabre, Exploring Dark Short Fiction ( Vol. I: Steve Rasnic Tem ; Vol. II: Kaaron Warren ; Vol. III: Nisi Shawl ; Vol. IV: Jeffrey Ford ; Vol. V: Han Song ; Vol. VI: Ramsey Campbell).

Also through SourceBooks he curates the new series, The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics with co-editor Leslie S. Klinger.

His latest books are his novel, Doorways to the Deadeye and short story collection, That Which Grows Wild through Cemetery Dance.

Outside the glamorous and jet-setting world of indie fiction, Eric’s a technical writer and college professor, and he stumbles home each day to a wife, children, dogs, and a terrarium filled with mischievous beetles. Visit Eric at: www.ericjguignard.com, his blog: ericjguignard.blogspot.com, or Twitter: @ericjguignard.

Misfits by Hunter Shea

During the height of the 90s grunge era, five high school friends living on the fringe are driven to the breaking point. When one of their friends is brutally raped by a drunk townie, they decide to take matters into their own hands. Deep in the woods of Milbury, Connecticut, there lives the legend of the Melon Heads, a race of creatures that shun human interaction and prey on those who dare to wander down Dracula Drive. Maybe this night, one band of misfits can help the other. Or maybe some legends are meant to be feared for a reason.

 

I usually shy away from comparing one author to another but what is most on my mind is that this has some similarities to a few Edward Lee books I've read, except that Misfits is 100 times more terrifying and 100 times less nauseating than those. It also has realistic characters that I actually cared about. I mean seriously I want these people to be OK! I loved everything about this book, from the time period, to the deep and abiding friendships among these 5 high school age kids who would literally lay down their lives for each other if necessary. I suppose that is exactly why they find themselves on a ghastly collision course with horror on Dracula Drive.

"Dare to walk down Dracula Drive,
In day or night, you won't survive.
They wait in trees and hide below,
Hungry for people too blind to know."

I do not scare easily, but from the first mere glimpse of Dracula Drive at the beginning of the book I had the most eerie feeling like someone just walked over my grave. As the story went on I was almost afraid to turn the page, but before I knew it I was reading faster and faster almost like I needed to escape the book before the melon heads could get me.

5 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy for review.
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About the author
Hunter Shea is the author of over 25 books, with a specialization in cryptozoological horror that includes The Jersey Devil, The Dover Demon, Loch Ness Revenge and many others. As part of the new horror line at Flame Tree Press, his novel Creature has gained critical acclaim. His novel, The Montauk Monster, was named one of the best reads of the summer by Publishers Weekly. A trip to the International Cryptozoology Museum will find several of his cryptid books among the fascinating displays. Living in a true haunted house inspired his Jessica Backman: Death in the Afterlife series (Forest of Shadows, Sinister Entity and Island of the Forbidden). In 2011, he was selected to be a part of the launch of Samhain Publishing’s new horror line alongside legendary author Ramsey Campbell. When he’s not writing thrillers and horror, he also spins tall tales for middle grade readers on Amazon’s highly regarded Rapids reading app.
An avid podcaster, he can be seen and heard on Monster Men, one of the longest running video horror podcasts in the world, and Final Guys, focusing on weekly movie and book reviews. His nostalgic column about the magic of 80s horror, Video Visions, is featured monthly at Cemetery Dance Online. You can find his short stories in a number of anthologies, including Chopping Block Party, The Body Horror Book and Fearful Fathoms II.

A lifetime New Yorker, Hunter is supported by his loving wife and two beautiful daughters. When he’s not studying up on cryptozoology, he’s an avid explorer of the unknown, having spent a night alone on the Queen Mary, searching for the Warren’s famous White Lady of the Union Cemetery and other mysterious places.
You can follow his travails at www.huntershea.com.

Shadowy Natures: Stories of Psychological Horror Edited by Rebecca Rowland

With its twenty-one stories of serial killers and sociopaths, fixations and fetishes, breakdowns and bad decisions crafted by authors as diverse as their writing styles, Shadowy Natures leads fans of psychological horror down dark and treacherous roads to destinations they will be too unsettled to leave. 
            Under the tutelage of a charismatic caretaker, a young boy learns that the rules don’t apply to “exceptional” people; under the blinders of parental love, a parent considers the after-effects of his daughter’s criminal exoneration. One suburban dad finds himself inexplicably drawn to something he spies while walking the family pet, and another discovers buried compulsions awakened by his daughter’s dental deformity. Sorting through a deceased relative’s belongings, a family stumbles upon a horrific treasure, as a drifter with a dark secret wanders the Old West. While a military officer spends his days delivering despair, a procrastinator is consumed by guilt after making a deadly mistake, and a businessman stumbles upon a bizarre family photo gallery. Postpartum paranoia and isolation threaten one mother’s sanity until an outside threat pushes her over the edge while another mother picks at her son’s psychological scabs until he scrambles for release. Urban blight bears down on a convenience store owner; a middle-aged man takes a terminally ill acquaintance captive to avenge his lover’s death; a depressed suburban housewife makes a strange new friend, and a neglected teen finds solace and inspiration in a vicious classmate’s company. When her brother moves back into the family home, a woman becomes consumed by what he leaves behind; when a man disappears, his sister considers the warning signs he may have been leaving since childhood. One couple abandons urban life for the isolating wilderness while another plays a dangerous game, hoping to rekindle their relationship. While one son revisits the scene of his father’s horrific crime spree, another returns home to ponder his family’s well-hidden secret. From unique twists on traditional terror tropes to fresh frights found in the most innocuous of places, these tales will surprise and unnerve even the most veteran horror fans.

These 21 dreadfully dark tales held me captive from first to last story. This is unusual for me, for as much as I love anthologies I nearly always find myself skipping one or 2 stories in a book of this size. I never hold that against them, it's only the law of averages that deems not every story can be a winner with every reader. Somehow, Shadowy Natures beat those odds, at least with me. The only negative thing I could say, is that some of the endings were a bit vague for my tastes, but even then it did not take away from the fact that I enjoyed the story. Some readers may take offense at the subject matter in a few of the more gruesome tales. Don't say I did not warn you. A few of my favorites were: "Heart Skull Heart" by Bryan Miller  a contemporary tale that could have easily been ripped from today's headlines. Being based on reality made it all the more unsettling.
"The Wolf Gang" by Barrie Darke begins innocently enough as a man goes home with a coworker after a long day in hopes of a good night sleep, before an early start in the morning. It's not long before I questioned his judgement because if it were me I would have been too scared to sleep in that house. "In A Mother's Eyes" by Andrew Punzo Finds a lieutenant making the sad visit to inform a mother that her son was killed in action and getting a quite unexpected reaction. "Maternal Bond" by KC Grifant in which a new mom battles lack of sleep and postpartum depression really got under my skin as I recalled my own earliest days of coping with a baby who cried non stop. "Ring Rock" by James Edward O'brien is told from the point of view of a man who went along with his wife's wishes to purchase her dream home even though for him it was a nightmare come true. "Accessory" by K.N. Johnson pretty much blew me away. It was not what I expected from a simple beginning of a girl who was born unwanted to a father who only wanted boys.  This  was a twisty psychological horror that I won't soon forget "Itch" by Louis Stephenson was high on the gross out scale. after reading it I think I may have even grossed myself out by using that word.. scale. Yuck.  "Walking On Knives" by Mathhew R. Davis tosses us into the midst of a stale marriage looking to spice things up and finding the wrong kind of excitement. "Like Abigail Winchell" by Christina Delia takes a look at the fine line between friends and frenemies, be they real or imagined.
If I have not singled out other stories it does not mean I did not enjoy them, only that these are the ones still embedded in my mind, and that days after finishing this book I can still recall them off the top of my head. 

I received an advance copy for review.

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