Night Service by John F. Leonard

It's been a great night, but it's getting late. You need to make tracks and cash isn't king.
No worries ...all aboard the Night Service. It could be the last bus you ever catch. Every journey is a journey into the unknown, but this trip is an eye-opener, unlike anything that Luke and Jessica have ever experienced. They’re going to learn a few important lessons. Being young and in love doesn’t grant immunity from the everyday awful ...or the less ordinary evil that lurks in the shadows.There’s no inoculation from the horror of the world - it’s real and it’s waiting to touch you.



It's the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is approaching and there's no need to worry about the cold weather. Luke and Jessica plan to keep each other warm, and tonight's the night. It's the end of their third date and Jessica has invited Luke to come home with her. This must be his lucky night! Of course it would be better if he could afford a taxi. Wandering the streets looking for a bus stop well past midnight can put a damper on things. So can boarding a bus with a handful of unsavory characters. Things start to get uncomfortable before the bus even arrives, but once it does, well you'd have to be more brave than I am to board it. The ride is less than smooth and the destination is not at all the type of excitement Luke had been hoping for. The night service might not take you where you want to go but it will take you on a ride you'll never forget.
I loved the way the author turned the ordinary every day event of a bus ride into something extraordinarily terrifying.
5 out of 5 stars
I received a complimentary copy for review.


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John was born in England and grew up in the midlands where he learned to love the sound of scrapyard dogs and the rattle and clank of passing trains. He studied English, Art and History and has, at different times, been a sculptor, odd-job man and office worker. He enjoys horror and comedy (not necessarily together). Married with two astonishing children, he now lives a few miles from the old Victorian house in which he was born. Scribbling scary stories seems to keep him vaguely sane (accurate at time of writing).

Ghosters Go Camping by Diana Corbitt

This creepy camping tale is the first is a series of short stories related to the Ghosters middle grade paranormal mystery series. In this story, two of the main characters, Theresa and Joey, are on a camping trip with their grandfather, who tells them a campfire story they will never forget.



The target audience for this short spooky story is middle graders but I see no reason why children of all ages would not enjoy this retelling of the urban legend about the vanishing hitchhiker..
This is exactly the kind of book I used to buy for my own son when he was young and first took an interest in ghost stories.

I received a complimentary copy for review 

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About the author

As you can tell, Diana likes the Game of Thrones books and TV series. She also loves the beach, traveling, and eating popcorn at the movies. Although Diana will watch pretty much any movie to satisfy her craving for popcorn, the scary ones are her go to. Gotta get that rush! />
She loves scary books too, so it's no wonder Steven King has always been her favorite author. A WARNING TO KIDS: King's books can really get to you, so talk to your parents before you read. More than one kept Diana up at night back when she was in high school.

Her work has been published in several online magazines. One short story, "Lumphead Road", was published as a podcast through a combination of narration, acting, music, and sound effects. You can listen to it on the Manor House website. "The Last Witch", another short story, can be found in an anthology of witch related stories titled Wax and Wane, now available on Amazon. />If you like her middle grade novel, Ghosters, try the second book in the series, Ghosters 2 Revenge of the Library Ghost. AND Ghosters 3 Secrets of the Bloody Tower. Diana is currently working on an Adult thriller.Visit her website at: dianacorbitt.com

The Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott

"You have two days to pass your audition. You better pass it, feller. You’re joining the circus. Ain’t that the best news you ever got?"

Delivered by a trio of psychotic clowns, this ultimatum plunges Jamie into the horrific alternate universe that is the centuries-old Pilo Family Circus, a borderline world between Hell and Earth from which humankind’s greatest tragedies have been perpetrated. Yet in this place—peopled by the gruesome, grotesque, and monstrous—where violence and savagery are the norm, Jamie finds that his worst enemy is himself.

When he applies the white face paint, he is transformed into JJ, the most vicious clown of all. And JJ wants Jamie dead! 


Jamie is living his ordinary life, working his thankless job, and for some reason living with room mates who treat him badly and steal his food. Those days are coming to an end after Jamie has a strange experience with a clown that he nearly runs down with his car. After witnessing something he will wish he could unsee, Jamie steals a pouch left behind by a clown and with that he seals his fate. Now they want him for their twisted circus and joining up is not voluntary.
I loved this book from start to finish. It's creepy from practically the first page before we even get to the actual circus and meet an unforgettable cast of characters. I've already bought the sequel!

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The Black Book of Horror (Anthology)

The Black Book of Horror contains 18 excursions into the realms of terror. Ranging from the supernatural to the macabre, the stories selected for this anthology feature black magic, the dead, monstrous beasts, and things from beyond. There are tales that witness madness, and the evil that man does.

Contents:
CROWS - Frank Nicholas
REGINA vs. ZOSKIA - Mark Samuels
THE OLDER MAN - Gary Fry
POWER - Steve Goodwin
CORDS - Roger B. Pile
THE SOUND OF MUZAK - Sean Parker
SHAPED LIKE A SNAKE - D. F. Lewis
ONLY IN YOUR DREAMS - David A. Sutton
THE WOLF AT JESSIE'S DOOR - Paul Finch
SIZE MATTERS - John L. Probert
SPARE RIB: A ROMANCE - John Kenneth Dunham
FAMILY FISHING - Gary McMahon
SUBTLE INVASION - David Conyers
A PIE WITH THICK GRAVY - D. F. Lewis
LOCK-IN - David A. Riley
LAST CHRISTMAS (I GAVE YOU MY LIFE) - Franklin Marsh
"SHALT THOU KNOW MY NAME?" - Daniel McGachey
TO SUMMON A FLESH EATING DEMON - Charles Black 

The Black Book Of Horror is the first in a series of horror anthologies published by Mortbury Press. As soon as I saw the gorgeous covers I knew that I wanted the entire set even though I am not familiar with the authors. I did notice some nominations for the British Fantasy Award but winning or losing would not have swayed my desire to get my hands on these books. I don't have a lot of experience with British horror other than having enjoyed the Hammer House of Horror series when I was a kid. Since I have found in my limited experience that British horror tends to be a bit more subtle than what I am used to on this side of the pond, I expected this would be more atmospheric than blood soaked. Well subtle I can take, but vague I can not. Some of these stories were so vague that they seemed more like a wisp of idea for an outline than an actual finished product. For example I could sum up "Spare Rib" as once upon a time a man's wife died but then she came back and he left for work. The End. Seriously that's a story in here. In another story a Nazi skin head and his pals desecrate a grave and then take off their pants and boots. The End.
Not to say they were all bad, there were some 3 and 4 star stories among the duds. The only 5 star mentions go to "Size Matters" more for it's dark humor than for anything frightening. Yes it is a story about a penis enlargement gone wrong, and Lock-In by David A Riley which actually was a scary story about a handful of men trapped in a pub by a creeping black void of nothingness that awaits them outside. 4 stars to Last Christmas (I gave you my life) Family Fishing, and Subtle Invasion.
I'm hoping the rest of the series has more 5 star stories than this did.

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