Dark Screams: Volume Six by Brian James Freeman (Editor), Richard Chizmar (Editor)

Description
Stephen King, Lisa Morton, Nell Quinn-Gibney, Norman Prentiss, Joyce Carol Oates, and Tim Curran plunge readers into the dark side in this deeply unsettling short-story collection curated by legendary horror editors Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar.

THE OLD DUDE’S TICKER by Stephen King
Richard Drogan has been spooked ever since he came back from Nam, but he’s no head case, dig? He just knows the old dude needs to die.

THE RICH ARE DIFFERENT by Lisa Morton
Even though she made her name revealing the private lives of the rich and famous, Sara Peck has no idea how deep their secrets really go . . . or the price they’ll pay to get what they desire.

THE MANICURE by Nell Quinn-Gibney
A trip to the nail salon is supposed to be relaxing. But as the demons of the past creep closer with every clip, even the most serene day of pampering can become a nightmare.

THE COMFORTING VOICE by Norman Prentiss
It’s a little strange how baby Lydia can only be soothed by her grandfather’s unnatural voice, ravaged by throat cancer. The weirdest part? What he’s saying is more disturbing than how he says it.

THE SITUATIONS by Joyce Carol Oates
There are certain lessons children must learn, rules they must follow, scars they must bear. No lesson is more important than this: Never question Daddy. Or else.

THE CORPSE KING by Tim Curran
Grave robbers Kierney and Clow keep one step ahead of the law as they ply their ghoulish trade, but there’s no outrunning a far more frightening enemy that hungers for the dead.


For me, the absolute stars of this compilation are "The Rich Are Different" by Lisa Morton in which a writer accepts an invitation to a birthday party from a very wealthy and very different sort of fan.
"The Comforting Voice" by Norman Prentiss offers no comfort at all. In fact it set my teeth on edge and made my skin crawl, in the most delightful ways. Josh and Cheryl are new parents, which under the best of circumstances would be an uncomfortable time to take in a sickly relative. When the new baby has constant fits of inconsolable crying, and the relative is your estranged and abusive father-in-law, it's about as comforting as nails on a chalkboard. This tale had my anxiety levels through the roof and I loved it. These two stories alone are worth more than the cost of admission. 5 stars to both.
"The Corpse King" by Tim Curran is the longest story in this collection. It's a creepy tale of best buddies and grave robbers Kierney and Clow who find that not everything under the ground is lifeless. 4 stars
"The Manicure" by Nell Quinn-Gibney Has me eyeing my nail scissors distrustfully while I consider buying one of those as seen on tv doodads that files them instead. Another solid 4 stars.
"The Situations" by Joyce Carol Oates is one I have read previously in another collection and though I like much of her work this one just didn't quite do it for me then or now. 3 stars
"The Old Dude's Ticker" by Stephen King is a 1970s version of the Tell Tale Heart by Poe. Sometimes the classics are best left alone. It was ok, but not one of King's best efforts. 3 stars.
All in all this is a good collection of sinister stories that are certain to jangle your nerves.

I received an advance copy for review

The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond

Description

In this relentlessly paced novel of psychological suspense, New York Times bestselling author Michelle Richmond crafts an intense and shocking tale that asks: How far would you go to protect your marriage?

Newlyweds Alice and Jake are a picture-perfect couple. Alice, once a singer in a well-known rock band, is now a successful lawyer. Jake is a partner in an up-and-coming psychology practice. Their life together holds endless possibilities. After receiving an enticing wedding gift from one of Alice s prominent clients, they decide to join an exclusive and mysterious group known only as The Pact.
The goal of The Pact seems simple: to keep marriages happy and intact. And most of its rules make sense. Always answer the phone when your spouse calls. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly. Plan a trip together once per quarter. . . .

Never mention The Pact to anyone.

Alice and Jake are initially seduced by the glamorous parties, the sense of community, their widening social circle of like-minded couples.
And then one of them breaks the rules.
The young lovers are about to discover that for adherents to The Pact, membership, like marriage, is for life. And The Pact will go to any lengths to enforce that rule.
For Jake and Alice, the marriage of their dreams is about to become their worst nightmare.

Most people start their marriage expecting it to last forever. That tends to be a given. We stand before God, or at least a state sanctioned judge and make our vows. We promise to love honor and cherish forsaking all others until the end of our days. What if there were consequences for not strictly adhering to the ideals set forth by such a union? Well there already are, divorce for one.. but what if there were actual punishments? prisons? torture tactics? Therein lies "The Pact"
Jake and Alice receive an invitation to join the pact as a wedding gift. It seems silly at first, and then it seems fun, so they decide to join, not realizing how serious the members take this way of life. When Jake begins to suspect this cheery façade of like minded happily married couples is actually something far more sinister it may already be too late!
I enjoyed this thriller, and found it straddled the fence between psychological suspense and horror quite well.

I received an advance copy for review.

Fred and Rose The Full Story of the Gloucester House of Horrors by Howard Sounes

Description

The definitive account of one of Britain’s most notorious killer couples, who loved, tortured, and slayed together as husband and wife.

From the outside, 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester, England, looked as commonplace as the married couple who lived there. But in 1994, Fred and Rose West’s home would become infamous as a “house of horrors” when the remains of nine young women—many of them decapitated, dismembered, and showing evidence of sexual torture—were found interred under its cellar, bathroom floor, and garden. And this wasn’t the only burial ground: Fred’s first wife and nanny were unearthed miles away in a field, while his eight-year-old stepdaughter was found entombed under the Wests’ former residence.

Yet, for more than twenty years, the twosome maintained a façade of normalcy while abusing and murdering female boarders, hitchhikers, and members of their own family. Howard Sounes, who first broke the story about the Wests as a journalist and covered the murder trial, has written a comprehensive account of the case. Beginning with Fred and Rose’s bizarre childhoods, Sounes charts their lives and crimes in forensic detail, constructing a fascinating and frightening tale of a marriage soaked in blood. Indeed, the total number of the Wests’ victims may never be known.

A case reminiscent of the “Moors Murders” committed in the 1960s in Manchester by Myra Hindley and Ian Brady—as if Hindley and Brady had married and kept on killing for decades—Fred & Rose “is a story of obsessive love as well as obsessive murder” (The Times, London).

This factual account of the lives of Fred and Rose West, begins before either of them were born. It begins with their families and the awful conditions they were born into and leads to their subsequent meeting, and the sharing of their proclivities for depravity and debauchery.

I would agree with the description that it was a fascinating tale, however it left me with more questions than answers. I found some of it very difficult to believe. I am not saying I don't believe they were perverted and twisted child molesters and murderers, I just can not understand the actions of some of their adult victims. I don't understand, nor was it explained why Fred's former wife would show up to claim her children but then leave without them. 

While I can understand the ease with which they manipulated young girls who had no where else to turn I don't understand how they could have gotten away with murder and torture for so long, or why for instance borders in their home would hear screams and never look into it. Rose is described as fat and dim witted. Fred is described as fat, ugly, vulgar, crude, having the features of a monkey, a smile which showcases his obvious lack of hygiene, and yet he is also described as able to charm people, particularly women. That makes no sense to me. There was at one point a friendly relationship with a neighbor woman who would watch their children while they went out looking to pick up young girls. When they told this woman their young child was not a virgin, when they tried to get this woman to have sex with the both of them, and she was supposedly not interested in such a relationship so I do not understand why she returned to their home almost daily to "have tea" with them even after the point of one time being attacked and handcuffed by Fred. Why did she continue to return to their home and ultimately become another of their victims? It is said they carried on some semblance of normal life and yet they thought nothing of keeping their daughter out of school many times due to her injuries from their physical and sexual torture. There was several hospital visits but nobody ever looked into it further. People in the neighborhood seemed to know the family was not normal yet nobody including police did anything for years even though Fred already had a criminal record.
 Rose and Fred both were terrible liars but it seems no matter how far fetched an excuse they would give, nobody dug any further for years.
This book left me unsettled, with more questions than answers.

I received an advance copy for review.


 

The Graves by Pamela Wechsler

Description

Abby Endicott, the chief of the District Attorney’s homicide unit in Boston, returns in the heart-racing follow-up to Mission Hill. Things are looking good for Abby: she’s top pick to be the next District Attorney, and her musician boyfriend Ty has moved in, despite her upper crust family’s objections. But a serial killer is on the loose, and with two college-aged girls dead and another missing, time is running out. When the sons of a prominent government official are linked to the murders, Abby pushes back, stopping at nothing to find justice for the girls. This time, the killer could be right under her nose, and she may be the next victim.
In The Graves, former prosecutor turned television writer Pamela Wechsler delivers a tense and enthralling Boston-set thriller about the intersection of power, privilege, and justice.


Pub Date 02 May 2017

There's a murderer on the loose in this suspenseful mystery/thriller and Abby Endicott is determined to bring him to justice. Balancing career with romance and family drama is no easy feat, but if anyone can manage it the strong willed Abby can. The tension builds as Abby gets closer to unmasking the truth. This was a dramatic twisty page turner.

I received an advance copy for review.