The Spirits of Six Minstrel Run by Matthew S. Cox

A move to the small town of Spring Falls, New York is the perfect cure for Mia Gartner’s horrid commute. However, her new home isn’t quite empty.

She adored working in fine art restoration, but a two-hour ride each way got old fast. When her husband found a house for sale at a suspiciously low price, they jumped at it. Mia expected chemical contamination, a fixer-upper, or termites, so when the problem turned out to be persistent rumors of haunting, she set aside her worries. Adam hoped the place would propel his parapsychology hobby into a career.

Upon first sight, the innocuous suburban house filled Mia with dread. Adam had long maintained she had a psychic gift, but if she believed him, that would mean something terrible and dark once happened there.

Soon after their arrival, unexplained events prove the rumors are more than wild stories. A childlike spirit attaches itself to Mia, seeming harmless and so very lonely.

Alas, she fears the ghost may not be as innocent as it seems

Like the start of most haunted house stories Mia and her husband move into a house with a dark past. Unlike the typical couple who are shocked by ghosts they have actually chosen this home on purpose. Mia is a sensitive psychic and her husband an amateur ghost hunter.
At first the haunting seems rather tame, but they soon learn the reasons why previous owners have not dared to stay long. Is it merely the ghost of a lonely child playing pranks or could it be a demon? It seems that something wants to hurt Mia, and the constant interference by an over zealous pastor who arrives uninvited and unwelcome does not help matters any. Pastor Weston is a man who just can't seem to take "go away" for an answer. If it were me I think I would have turned the garden hose on him. I loved Mia, she was a very strong woman even when she sometimes doubted herself.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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About the author
Born in a little town known as South Amboy NJ in 1973, Matthew has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Somewhere between fifteen to eighteen of them spent developing the world in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, and The Awakened Series take place. He has several other projects in the works as well as a collaborative science fiction endeavor with author Tony Healey.

Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- deliberate), and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.

He is also fond of cats.

The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters

A supernatural thriller in the vein of A Head Full of Ghosts about two young girls, a scary story that becomes far too real, and the tragic--and terrifying--consequences that follow one of them into adulthood.

Red Lady, Red Lady, show us your face...

In 1991, Heather Cole and her friends were members of the Dead Girls Club. Obsessed with the macabre, the girls exchanged stories about serial killers and imaginary monsters, like the Red Lady, the spirit of a vengeful witch killed centuries before. Heather knew the stories were just that, until her best friend Becca began insisting the Red Lady was real--and she could prove it.

That belief got Becca killed.

It's been nearly thirty years, but Heather has never told anyone what really happened that night--that Becca was right and the Red Lady was real. She's done her best to put that fateful summer, Becca, and the Red Lady, behind her. Until a familiar necklace arrives in the mail, a necklace Heather hasn't seen since the night Becca died.

The night Heather killed her.

Now, someone else knows what she did...and they're determined to make Heather pay.

This story is told on two timelines, 1991 and the present day. Back then, we learn about the childhood that shaped the woman Heather has become today. Oddly enough this book dredged up some old memories for me, or maybe it's not that strange. Maybe we all had that one childhood besty who turned catty and left us out, or talked behind our back once puberty hit. Perhaps we all had a friend who we would rather visit when their parent wasn't home to make us feel uneasy. On the other side of the coin maybe you were that friend, and surely you had your reasons if that were the case. Back then Heather and Becca were 2 such friends. Inseparable until they weren't. Girls from very different backgrounds who loved each other like sisters. Friends for life until Heather killed her. Today Heather is a psychologist, working with troubled kids, though she has always kept her own dark childhood secret. Until now. Someone knows what happened all those years ago. Is it a supernatural being come to life from a story? Or is it something no less sinister but far more human that wants to make Heather pay? You'll have to read to find out.
5 out of 5 stars
I received an advance copy for review.

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About the author
Damien Angelica Walters is also the author of Cry Your Way Home, Paper Tigers, and Sing Me Your Scars, winner of the 2015 This is Horror Award for Short Story Collection of the Year. Her short fiction has been nominated twice for a Bram Stoker Award, reprinted in The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror and The Year's Best Weird Fiction, and published in various anthologies and magazines, including the Shirley Jackson Award Finalists Autumn Cthulhu and The Madness of Dr. Caligari, World Fantasy Award Finalist Cassilda’s Song, Nightmare Magazine, Black Static, and Apex Magazine. Until the magazine’s closing in 2013, she was an Associate Editor of the Hugo Award-winning Electric Velocipede, and she lives in Maryland with her husband and two rescued pit bulls.

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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