The Prisoners of Stewartville by Shannon Felton

Everyone knew about Stewartville's dark history. The mining war that led to the prisons. The prisons that brought the corruption. The drugs and the crime. It was no secret that something was wrong with the place.What we didn't know was why. Then Denny and I found that tunnel in his basement. And what we learned—what everyone learned—is that there's no escaping the ghosts of your past. But let me start at the beginning...

"You know you're in Stewartville when weird is normal."


This is Shannon Felton's debut novel but I was lucky enough to have a previous taste of her work in an anthology called Midnight In The Graveyard. If you haven't read that one you should. She had a great story in there called Devil's Dip.

Anyway, about this book.
It is told from the point of view of Casey, a teen who lives in a run down trailer park with his brother Shane and his elderly grandmother. It's just the three of them ever since mom got sent to prison for her drug habit. Shane works in the cement plant, and Casey is still in high school.
The first word that comes to mind in describing the town of Stewartville is bleak. What else can you say about a town that grew around a prison? Pretty much everyone who lives in Stewartville is there because they work in the prison, or have family in prison, or are inmates themselves. There's nothing much to do but get drunk or high and sometimes both. There's a long history of murder and mayhem here, and very little hope, so just to be clear this was no happy place even before Casey and his best friend Denny found the tunnel in Denny's basement. Once they did, Denny became obsessed with finding out what was inside and where it would lead to. Maybe if he had left it alone a lot of people would still be alive. Maybe not, because there was already something wrong with Stewartville, even before those scratching noises started in the walls.
I can scarcely believe this was a first novel. Shannon Felton is already quite adept at bringing her characters to life and weaving suspenseful tales.
5 out of 5 stars
I received an advance copy for review.

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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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