The Apartment by S.L. Grey

Expected publication October 4
Available for preorder at amazon

Description
"Mark and Steph have a relatively happy family with their young daughter in sunny Cape Town until one day when armed men in balaclavas break in to their home. Left traumatized but physically unharmed, Mark and Steph are unable to return to normal and live in constant fear. When a friend suggests a restorative vacation abroad via a popular house swapping website, it sounds like the perfect plan. They find a genial, artistic couple with a charming apartment in Paris who would love to come to Cape Town. Mark and Steph can’t resist the idyllic, light-strewn pictures, and the promise of a romantic getaway. But once they arrive in Paris, they quickly realize that nothing is as advertised. When their perfect holiday takes a violent turn, the cracks in their marriage grow ever wider and dark secrets from Mark's past begin to emerge.

Deftly weaving together two complex and compelling narrators, S. L. Grey builds an intimate and chilling novel of a disintegrating marriage in the wake of a very real trauma. The Apartment is a terrifying and tour-de-force of horror, of psychological thrills, and of haunting suspense."

This story was a little slow to get going, and at first I thought I was going to be disappointed in it. I don't know when I've been so wrong.
When the book begins. the home invasion has already occurred and Mark and Steph are living in the aftermath. They have somewhat grown apart in the marriage, partially due to the break in, and partially because Mark had already faced some traumatic events before the break in ever occurred. The story is told in alternating points of view, switching back and forth between Mark and Steph. They no longer feel comfortable in their own home and do not seem all that comfortable with each other, at least not enough to confide in.
A friend suggests a getaway, but money is tight since Mark is the sole provider and Steph is a stay at home mom to their small daughter.
When an opportunity presents itself to stay in Paris free via a house swap website it sounds like a dream come true. They head off with high hopes that this will be just what they need to reconnect with each other and to put the trauma of the past behind them.
Those hopes are short lived. At this point the story picks up speed from a slow build to an avalanche of terror and suspense. From the minute they arrive there is a feeling that something is just plain wrong. The apartment is not at all what they expected and the building itself appears abandoned, except for a strange woman upstairs who has never heard of the people who supposedly live there, and who tells them this building is "not for living."
Circumstances go from bad to worse and the creepiness factor rises exponentially.
I have been reading adult horror since I was 11 years old and it takes a lot to scare me. S.L. Grey has succeeded in doing just that with The Apartment.
5 out of 5 stars from me
I received an advance copy for review

A Frayed Web by Jon Ripslinger

Description

Walter Bohannon fears love has blinded his mom. After his dad’s death, she reconnected with an old sweetheart, but Adam Kingsley may not be the same person she dated in high school. Even his teenage daughter doesn’t seem to know him very well.
Probing into Kingsley’s background, Walter discovers some disturbing things about his soon-to-be stepdad. Kingsley has secrets, and he might be willing to kill to protect them.

Can Walter convince his mother of the danger before it’s too late?

 

 

 

Walter has been man of the house ever since his dad passed away. Now suddenly out of the blue his mother is getting remarried to a man she hasn't seen in years, after reconnecting with him over the internet. Adam and his daughter move in as they prepare to become one big happy family, but Walter finds the whole thing suspicious and begins digging into Adam's past, at least when he is not busy lusting after his soon to be step-sister. This was a quick read at under 300 pages.

It caught my eye since I am a fan of movies like The Stepfather where clueless mom hooks up with Mr. not so nice guy. I am a bit confused as to who the target audience would be, it is less intense than what you may expect for adults but not quite as clean as books that are geared towards teens.

 

I received a complimentary copy for review

in twenty years by Allison Winn Scotch

Description

Twenty years ago, six Penn students shared a house, naively certain that their friendships would endure—until the death of their ringleader and dear friend Bea splintered the group for good. Now, mostly estranged from one another, the remaining five reluctantly gather at that same house on the eve of what would have been Bea’s fortieth birthday.

But along with the return of the friends come old grudges, unrequited feelings, and buried secrets. Catherine, the CEO of a domestic empire, and Owen, a stay-at-home dad, were picture-perfect college sweethearts—but now teeter on the brink of disaster. Lindy, a well-known musician, is pushing middle age in an industry that’s all about youth and slowly self-destructing as she grapples with her own identity. Behind his smile, handsome plastic surgeon Colin harbors the heartbreaking truth about his own history with Bea. And Annie carefully curates her life on Instagram and Facebook, keeping up appearances so she doesn’t have to face the truth about her own empty reality.

Reunited in the place where so many dreams began, and bolstered by the hope of healing, each of them is forced to confront the past.

20 years ago they were the 6 pointed star, 6 best friends sharing a house, and their hopes and dreams for the future. When Bea passed away, the remaining 5 drifted apart. Now reunited for the first time in more than a decade they must come to grips with the fact that life is what you make it and perhaps come to grips with the fact that if you get the things you think you wanted in your 20s it may not the perfect reality you envisioned.
4 out of 5 stars from me for this engaging summer read.
I received a complimentary copy for review.

Sleep Paralysis A Collection by Patrick Lacey

 

Description
Sleep paralysis: A transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, accompanied by powerful hallucinations and muscle weakness, preventing one from moving.

A website that specializes in suffering. A basement filled with secrets and bones. An apartment housing much more than just ghosts. These are the places between reality and the unknown. These are the stories that stay with you long after you've read them. These are the things that visit your dreams. And nightmares.

240 pages

Expected publication: July 2016 by Great Old Ones Publishing

This is a collection of 18 dark tales that manage to horrify and delight at the same time. While poking sarcastic fun at everything from  reality TV to those annoying telemarketer calls, the author never loses his grip on the good old fashioned creep out factor.
I enjoyed every story and I don't want to spoil any of them for you. My absolute favorites were the following...
 "Pen Pals" in which letters written by a 3rd grader travel much further than any postman delivers.
"Drowning In Filth" A popular host of a hoarders type TV show gets more than she bargained for when she is called to Amanda Cunningham's house.
"Lost And Found" in which a boy with a speech impediment finds his voice.. sort of.
"Send Your End" Was creepy as hell! Perhaps a cautionary tale of internet addiction.
In "Lynnwood Vampires" a father is concerned about the influence his daughter's new boyfriend is having over her.
In "Norton" a newly separated single father regrets letting his daughter bring home a stuffed animal.
"Cold Call" is the story of a woman having a devil of a time with harassing phone calls.
"Bad Egg" is about Laura, a woman who is heartbroken over her inability to conceive a child.
"Last Words" After the death of his father a man discovers some long hidden secrets.
"Lost Things" Henry, a homeless man finds a new purpose in life.
"The Boss" will make you think twice about complaining next time the local fast food place screws up your order. If they offer to fix it just let them.
"Mrs. Alto's Garden"  Kristen meets her new neighbor and learns some gardening tips that they don't teach you in home and garden magazines.
5 out of 5 stars from me

I received an advance copy for review.