Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell

Welcome to Babylon, a typical sleepy Alabama small town, where years earlier the Larkin family suffered a terrible tragedy. Now they are about to endure another: fourteen-year-old Margaret Larkin will be robbed of her innocence and her life by a killer who is beyond the reach of the law.

But something strange is happening in Babylon: traffic lights flash an eerie blue, a ghostly hand slithers from the drain of a kitchen sink, graves erupt from the local cemetery in an implacable march of terror . . . And beneath the murky surface of the river, a shifting, almost human shape slowly takes form. Night after night it will pursue the murderer. And when the full moon rises over Babylon, it will seek a terrible vengeance . . .




The town of Babylon is home for quite a cast of characters. At it's heart, this is a supernatural ghost story, but it is also a tale of greed, the evil that men do and the disparity between the haves and the have nots.  In this quiet little town, Evelyn Larkin waits for her granddaughter to come home on her bicycle from helping her teacher. Margaret Larkin never makes it across the bridge, a mere minute from her house, so close that she can even see her grandmother's window.
There's a cold blooded killer on the loose in Babylon and the murder victims aren't going to wait for the sheriff to bring justice. There is no peace for them until the killer gets what's coming.
I don't know how I would have missed out on reading this back in the 80s but I am quite pleased to have discovered it now.
4 out of 5 stars

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Cold Moon Over Babylon (1980), the second novel by Michael McDowell (1950-1999), author of Blackwater and The Elementals and screenwriter of Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas, is a chilling Southern Gothic tale of revenge from beyond the grave that ranks among his most terrifying books. This first-ever reprint features deliciously creepy new cover art by Mike Mignola.

Still alive... you?

It's been a while since I posted a book review so I thought I would just pop in to say no I have not abandoned the blog. It's really hard to concentrate on books these days, I read maybe 10 pages a night and then barely remember what I read. I don't sleep well and my anxiety is high. I do have quite a few books that I am hoping to review in the coming weeks.
Other than that we are ok here, or at least we are not sick. It's getting harder to find basic necessities with all the hoarding going on but other than that we are good and I hope you are too. I am able to stay home, but so far my husband is an "essential worker" and he is forced to go out there every day. It's scary and I worry a lot.
Anyway the title of my post comes from my sister. If either of us do not hear from the other for a while she has taken to emailing me with the subject line "still alive, you?" 
I hope you are doing ok, and please, please PLEASE stay home if you can. We are all in this together.

In The Scrape by James Newman and Mark Steensland

Most kids dream about a new bike, a pair of top-dollar sneakers endorsed by their favorite athlete, or that totally awesome video game everyone's raving about. But thirteen-year-old Jake and his little brother Matthew want nothing more than to escape from their abusive father. As soon as possible, they plan to run away to California, where they will reunite with their mother and live happily ever after.It won't be easy, though. After a scuffle with a local bully puts Jake's arch-nemesis in the hospital, Sheriff Theresa McLelland starts poking her nose into their feud. During a trip to the family cabin for the opening weekend of deer-hunting season, Jake and Matthew kick their plan into action, leaving Dad tied to a chair as they flee into the night.

Meanwhile, the bully and his father have their own plans for revenge, and the events to follow will forever change the lives of everyone involved...




Jake and Matthew have not seen their mother for years. They live in constant fear of beatings from their abusive alcoholic father. Jake  longs for the day that he will have enough money to take his little brother and run away to find their mom in California, never believing their father that it is their fault she ran off. The relationship between the brothers, and Jake's fierce desire to protect Matthew is palpable. It made me wish I could rip them from the book and rescue them myself.
When Jake is finally ready to implement his plan, outside forces conspire against them and ugly truths long hidden, come to light.
5 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review

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The Passengers You Cannot See by The Behrg

Description

Every story has its beginning and end. But some stories won’t let go. Some stories dig their claws into you. They infect your dreams. They carve out a residence in your mind. They become passengers . . .

Ones that never leave.

Within this collection of short stories by esteemed horror author The Behrg you will discover a haunted house that is not quite what it seems. A trophy collector who prefers living statues to cold ones. A truck driver who, with one good deed, finds more than he bargained for. And a world where happiness can no longer be felt. 

Light and darkness. Hope and despair. Depravities and humanity. These passengers and more await. And they’ve been sharpening their claws to greet you.

This is an eclectic collection of dark tales that run the gamut from supernatural horror to fantasy/sci fi.
Some of these stories were better than others, a few I felt were a bit vague when it came to the ending. My favorites all involved children, as I'm sure I have told you more than once kids creep me out anyway!  From the horror that befalls those who take in an abandoned baby in "Reborn" to the complete and utter devastation of coming home from the maternity ward in need of a tiny coffin instead of a crib in "Still Born", those were the tales in this collection that most resonated with me. "Amado" also involved children as an attempted rescue goes awry. I just can't say that I enjoyed the rest of the book as much as those three stories.

I received an advance copy for review.
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About the author
The Behrg is the author of dark literary works ranging from screenplays to 'to-do' lists. His debut novel, Housebroken, was a First-Round Kindle Scout Selection, and semi-finalist in the Kindle Book Awards. Author of The Creation Series, his short fiction has been featured in various publications and Best-Of Anthologies. His 'to-do' list, however, will likely never be completed.
A former child actor turned wanna-be rockstar, Behrg lives outside Los Angeles with his wife and four children. Discover why he writes as "The Behrg" at his website: thebehrg.com