The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol by Kevin Purdy

Decimus Croome is a dastardly curmudgeon who hates all holidays but especially despises Halloween. He is content to live in his gloomy old house and avoid all human contact whenever possible. He even shuns his own daughter and grandson. But Croome's life changes one memorable Halloween when four ghastly spirits visit him to reveal the misery he has inflicted upon his friends, neighbors and family members.

Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, The Legend of Decimus Croome is bound to become a Halloween classic for readers of all ages. Follow old man Croome as he is visited by the lovely but disturbing spirit of his dearly departed wife. She warns him of three spirits yet to follow. And oh what spirits they are. Each one is more frightening than the last as they deliver a chilling message for Croome and his fellow Halloween humbugs.

The Ghost of Halloween Past is a truly horrifying yet disturbingly hilarious spirit who delivers Croome to his distant and not-so-distant past. Along the journey, Croome is warmed with nostalgia then terrified by painful memories from Halloweens gone by.

The second spirit is a shape-shifting witch who breaks every stereotype about witches while nearly driving Croome insane with her wild antics and slapstick delivery. As the Ghost of Halloween Present, she takes Croome on a crazy magic carpet ride that reveals his negative influence on those closest to him. The witch also introduces Croome to the magic of Halloween on enchanted visits further afield.

The third phantasm delivers the final glimpse of Croome's diabolically repulsive life and the future that is in store for him if he doesn't change his wicked ways. Croome is forced to confront the impending consequences of his cruel and heartless lifestyle. He is spirited away to a bleak future including a terrifying visit to a desolate cemetery.

Throughout this delightful and spooky Halloween novel, you will be haunted by ghosts, inspired by a brave young leukemia patient and entertained by a precocious feline named Black Magic.

Join Tommy Bobbich, Decimus Croome and a whole cast of ghosts, witches and ghouls in this modern day holiday story that is sure to provide you with chills, laughs and even a few touching moments as you read The Legend of Decimus Croome: a Halloween Carol. You will never look at Halloween the same again.

At the time of this review this book is currently #303 in Children's Spine-Chilling Horror in the Amazon rankings and while it is a little less than I had hoped for as far as chills and thrills I think it is appropriately spooky for middle grades. Decimus Croome  is a crotchety old man, though not nearly as cold hearted as scrooge since he does have some small glimmer of affection towards his grandson even before the spirits come calling on him. I did enjoy this twist on A Christmas Carol but I can't say that it is the masterpiece that Dickens wrote. As a mom I would say it is at a reading level for grades 5 and up.
I received a complimentary copy for review.

About the author
Kevin Purdy is the undisputed master of Halloween fiction, and he has definitely taken it to a whole new level with his latest Halloween masterpiece "The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol." This classic Halloween novel is available in paperback, e-book and on Audible. No matter what your age, "A Halloween Carol" will fill you with nostalgia and joy for a Halloween world that reins supreme among all the holidays as a time of tricks, treats, autumn splendor and hilarious spookiness. "The Legend of Decimus Croome" has made it to the very top of numerous Goodreads lists including the best "Spooky, Shivery, Silly" list.

Kevin Purdy grew up in the small logging community of Libby, Montana near the Canada/Idaho borders. Since then he has lived in Oregon and now resides in Colorado. He is the owner of PurdyBooks Publishing Company and has a Master's Degree in Reading Instruction. He was a middle school teacher for over twenty years and now writes full time. He especially enjoys writing family-friendly stories about Halloween with a special obsession for ghosts. His books are suitable for all age groups and make great read-alouds for youngsters.

His latest novel is "The Legend of Decimus Croome: A Halloween Carol" and is based on "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. You will recognize some similarities to the 19th century classic, but you will love all the differences. It is set in America in modern times and, of course, is based on Halloween hauntings instead of Christmas ghosts. It just makes sense. Ghosts are for Halloween. Santa Claus is for Christmas. (-:

"The Legend of Decimus Croome" has been used extensively by teachers of grades 4 through 10 as both a Halloween reading celebration and in a comparative literature unit with "A Christmas Carol." The younger students love the playful language and hilarious Halloween characters. Older students will enjoy comparing the writing styles of Kevin Purdy and Charles Dickens.

Once you read the book, you may want to visit the iPetitions website and sign the petition to make The Legend of Decimus Croome a movie and graphic novel. You may also want to visit PurdyBooks.com or the PurdyBooks Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter sites for book quotes and author updates.

Beneath the Attic by V.C. Andrews

Forbidden passions have shaped and haunted the Dollanganger family since their first novel—Flowers in the Attic—debuted forty years ago. Now discover how twisted the family roots truly are, and witness the clan’s origins as a result of one wild and complicated relationship. In this evocative and thrilling tale from New York Times bestselling author V.C. Andrews, see Corrine Dixon as a young girl and discover the fascinating family history of the Dollanganger clan.

Two generations before Corinne Foxworth locked her children in an attic, her grandmother, a gorgeous young girl named Corrine Dixon, is swept away by the charms of rich, sophisticated, and handsome Garland Foxworth. After discovering that she’s pregnant, Garland does what appears to be the honorable thing and marries her in a huge ceremony on the luxurious Foxworth Hall grounds. Both families fervently overlook the pregnancy, happy for a suitable resolution.

Now the mistress of a labyrinthine estate, Corrine discovers that nothing is what is seems. Garland is not the man once captivated by her charms, and she’s increasingly troubled by his infatuation with memories of his departed mother.

Can Corrine survive this strange new life? Or is her fate already sealed?

Explore the origins of the legendary Dollanganger family in this page-turning, gripping gothic thriller.  

Corrine was a narcissistic, materialistic girl who fancied herself a woman of the world and learned the hard way that she was a gullible fool.  "It was simply my destiny to draw the admiration and desire, most assuredly the lust of every man who stepped within the radius of my beauty. I had the power, the glow. To pretend I could stop it or even moderate it was as silly as pretending I could prevent the sun from rising"
A bit over the top with her delusions of grandeur? Yes. Do I think this is the Corrine the real V.C. Andrews would have written about? most likely not. Quite honestly I was in the mood for something mindless and trashy that wouldn't take long to read and that I didn't have to give a whole lot of thought to and this fit the bill.

I received a complimentary copy for review.
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Books since her death are ghost written by Andrew Neiderman, but still attributed to the V.C. Andrews name.

Lesath by A.M. Kherbash

Locked in his dark cell, Greg lay awake in bed, fidgeting with the small cassette recorder, pressing the rewind and stop buttons to listen to the heavy click and spring-loaded clank that initiated and punctuated the faint whirring mechanics. He knew well enough no one was going to come looking for him―not while he was in between jobs, living in a four-door pickup truck, and had traveled to an undisclosed location without telling anyone.

What brought him here were rumors of an abandoned building that was said to be part of a black site―rumors that were circulated amongst truckers and drifters: some exaggerated the sinister aspect of the place, detailing with morbid relish the methods of enhanced interrogation that were being developed or deployed there, while others assumed the contrarian position and downplayed the horrors, if not downright dismissed the whole story as hyperbole.
Questionable as the lead was, the story seemed too good for an amateur journalist like Greg to pass up. All the same, he did not expect there would be some truth to those rumors, that the building is not quite derelict as he had imagined. And that, thanks to a case of mistaken identity, he was now incarcerated there as an inmate.

Greg stopped the rewinding mechanism when he detected rustling and soft thumps coming through the ceiling vent―or thought he did, since the quirky nature of unidentified noise is that it usually ceases whenever one stops to listen. Like a living body, no running building is without its small, unaccountable bumps and muffled clanks; yet even if they’re mostly benign noise, at night, they’re magnified by the ever-present hush, and their unfamiliarity never fails to inflame the imagination of the sleepless newcomer.

LESATH is a psychological horror that pays tribute to gothic fiction.

This was a convoluted story that was not really what I was expecting or hoping for from the description. It felt like less of a horror and more of a sci-fi thriller which is really not my thing. It started out well enough and there is lots of action but the longer it went on the less I enjoyed it. The ending left me with more questions than answers. As a horror lover I certainly don't need every little detail to make sense but I do at least need to know what is going on and why. It also helps if I care what is going on or why.

I received a complimentary copy for review

The Third Corona Book of Horror Stories edited by Lewis Williams

In response to our worldwide call, we received a total of 824 horror short story submissions for this book – adding up to a staggering total of over three million words. But we read them all, selecting only the best of the best stories to include in this book. That is why when we say this book is something special, we mean it – and that when we say it contains the best in new horror short stories, that is no hyperbole.

We love horror, and the stories included in this book prove that it’s a genre where great imagination and great writing are more than possible. From the opening story “Suds and Monsters”, which might put you off washing dishes for good, to the closing story “Scythe”, which brings the proceedings to a short sharp close, each contribution will bring new horrors to unsettle you.

We can guarantee you will find brilliant new horror writing here, but what you won’t find is a collection full of those who have star names (yet). We’re proud to include here both a story from at least one author who has sold books in the millions and a story from at least one author whose work has never been published before. We’ve simply included the very, very best of the stories, without fear or favour, to bring you the very best modern horror anthology possible.

Within these pages, you will find ghostly apparitions, sinister secrets, grisly murders, gruesome hobbies, and debilitating loss. All of the authors are new to me, and although every story may not have been my cup of tea, each brings something unique to the table.
This was an eclectic mix of tales that ranged from dark humor, to the more heart pounding horror and everything in between. My favorites in this anthology were "Suds and Monsters" by Christopher Stanley which is a timeless darkly comedic tale of hapless stepchild and spiteful stepmother. "The Haunting of April Heights" by Tricia Lowther is a more straight forward horror complete with bumps in the night after a young woman moves into a gloomy apartment with a somber past. "Murderabilia" by Adam Meyer is a slow decent into ghoulish obsession as a collector loses control of his hobby. "The First Circle" by Sue Eaton is creepy fun from start to finish and as someone who watches a lot of old TV the first thing I thought of was an episode of the old Dick Van Dyke Show titled It May Look Like A Walnut and I am sure a lot of you young people are scratching your head wondering what I am talking about but seriously look it up, it's free on YouTube. "Luna Too" by Jess Doyle finds a happy family on holiday who discover more than they expected inside their vacation rental.
"A Little Death" by Ryan Harville is both heart breaking and horrifying. I didn't think anything could be worse for a young man than to lose his wife and baby in the same day. I was wrong.
"Lily's Kids" by Florence Ann Marlowe begins innocently enough as young Jimmy Wades and his little sister Katie make the acquaintance of some unusual children... but this is a meeting they will soon regret.
These for me were the 5 star reads in this anthology.
I received an advance copy for review.
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For more info visit http://www.lewiswilliams.com/home/4594649518