Your Frightful Spirit Stayed by Matthew Cash

 

The first thing I have to say is that I don't think the brief synopsis on the back cover does this book justice. Because of it, I will admit to being a bit confused when I first started reading. I was not sure what was going on with Charlie, and I didn't like him much. I didn't know if he was haunted by real spirits or whether he was insane. I didn't know whether he was at home, or in jail or in a mental institution. I knew he was an alcoholic but not whether he was hallucinating.

It took me a couple of chapters to understand that this is sort of a coming of age tale in reverse. But not the happy kind. Charlie is suffering from PTSD and schizophrenia. He is a shell of a man. He is not the man he would have been, had he not suffered unspeakable events in his past. Gradually we work our way backwards from middle aged Charlie to young man, to teenaged years and boyhood, in what was one of the most original and unique story lines I have ever read. This is not a typical horror, but it is horrifying, shocking, and deeply disturbing. It was also heartbreaking, as the closer we get to Charlie's childhood, the more endearing he becomes and the more I wanted him to be ok. Since the book started with middle aged Charlie I knew there was to be no happy ending for him.

I am not sure when this book is being published but I will be rating it 5 stars everywhere.

I received an advance copy for review.

About the author
Matthew Cash, or Matty-Bob Cash as he is known to most, was born and raised in Suffolk; which is the setting for his debut novel Pinprick. He is compiler and editor of Death By Chocolate, a chocoholic horror Anthology and the 12Days: STOCKING FILLERS Anthology. In 2016 he launched his own publishing house Burdizzo Books and took shit-hot editor and author Em Dehaney on board to keep him in shape and together they brought into existence SPARKS: an electrical horror anthology, The Reverend Burdizzo’s Hymn Book, Under The Weather* Visions From the Void ** and The Burdizzo Mix Tape Vol. 1.
He has numerous solo releases on Kindle and several collections in paperback.
Originally with Burdizzo Books, the intention was to compile charity anthologies a few times a year but his creation has grown into something so much more powerful *insert mad laughter here*. He is currently working on numerous projects, his third novel FUR was launched in 2018.
*With Back Road Books
** With Jonathan Butcher

He has always written stories since he first learnt to write and most, although not all, tend to slip into the many layered murky depths of the Horror genre.
His influences ranged from when he first started reading to Present day are, to name but a small select few; Roald Dahl, James Herbert, Clive Barker, Stephen King, Stephen Laws, and more recently he enjoys Adam Nevill, F.R Tallis, Michael Bray, Gary Fry, William Meikle and Iain Rob Wright (who featured Matty-Bob in his famous A-Z of Horror title M is For Matty-Bob, plus Matthew wrote his own version of events which was included as a bonus).
He is a father of two, a husband of one and a zoo keeper of numerous fur babies.

You can find him here:
www.facebook.com/pinprickbymatthewcash

https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B010MQTWKK


Www.burdizzobooks.com

Paradise Club by Tim Meyer

 

Welcome to Paradise. Sandy beaches. Crystalline waters. An all-inclusive resort with virtually everything you can think of. A true idyllic paradise.

An event is taking place at Paradise Club that wasn’t on the brochure: a dangerous game pitting the hotel’s guests against a gang of bloodthirsty maniacs. Elliot Harper - family man and FBI agent - is about to find out how fast heaven can become hell when every single vacationer is forced to become a ruthless killer in order to survive. A team of killers have been unleashed, and they won't stop until every single guest is dead.

Let the mayhem begin...

.

What could be better than winning an all inclusive trip to an exclusive resort? It's the chance of a lifetime, especially if your life is over once you get there. The Harper family is about to find out that what sounds too good to be true probably is. What starts as a relaxing way to unwind and get away from it all leads to being trapped and hunted in the middle of nowhere with no way to call for help.

The owner of this lush tropical paradise has lured these unsuspecting vacationers to play a part in his twisted game. The more violent the death, the better for his diabolical plan.  It's a bloody, gory, free for all, with lots of suspense and fast paced edge of your seat action. More than just a slasher type horror there is a hell of a twist into something even more dark and disturbing. Be careful which characters you get too attached to because you just never know who will survive to the heart stopping end. 

5 out of 5 stars

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About the author

Tim Meyer dwells in a dark cave near the Jersey Shore. He's an author, husband, father, podcast host, blogger, coffee connoisseur, beer enthusiast, and explorer of worlds. He writes horror, mysteries, science fiction, and thrillers, although he prefers to blur genres and let the story fall where it may.

You can follow Tim at https://timmeyerwrites.com

Ungodly by Braedon Riddick

 

Wicked phenomena strike the isolated campus of Calisade Mountain College. A homeless man sees his dead son in an abandoned dormitory, pursues the boy inside, and meets his demise. In the dark of night, a student witnesses a man plummet from a high-rise — a surefire suicide — but the detectives find no body. A campus police officer suddenly develops a taste for rape — and a homicidal hunger. The townspeople always sensed an intangible wrongness on the mountain . . . even before the evil enigma was afoot.

Amanda Baker, a student at Calisade Mountain College, is witness to a suicide that the police claim didn't happen. Since the college is well known for it's wild parties and drug use, they assume she hallucinated the strange events she describes. 

It's not long until the officers experience some eerie happenings for themselves and from then on it's a race to uncover the mystery of how and why people are being taken over by a sinister entity that robs them of their free will, and how Amanda has come to be at the heart of it all. I really loved Amanda and was rooting for her to overcome her own haunted past and the oppressing evil that has cloaked the campus and spread through town. If you enjoy a classic Good vs Evil story with unlikely heroes who aren't sure they have what it takes to save the day, this is for you.

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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Eight Cylinders by Jason Parent

 

Sebastian “Seb” McAlister has run out of luck in Vegas. Cornered by a trigger-happy gang and shot through the stomach, he makes a desperate escape in his supercharged Hellcat. Fate guides Seb safely out of Sin City and into the desert, but as his wheels fade into the horizon, he fades into darkness.

He awakes among a tiny community in the middle of nowhere. A mountain range circles the hodgepodge of shacks like prison walls looming high. And the warden that resides in those mountains is big, ugly, and deadly—a creature straight out of a Lovecraftian nightmare.

If Seb hopes to escape that wayward way station, he’ll need enough cunning to outwit a force beyond comprehension… and a fast car. With a little luck and a ragtag group of would-be monster mashers racing alongside him, Seb just might have a shot of making it through the mountains alive. 

When our main character Seb flees for his life from a shoot out he finds himself trapped with a rag tag bunch of survivors in the blazing heat of a strange community, from which there is no escape. He can't remember how he got there but he is determined to get back out. Is this hell? Is it purgatory?

While not my usual type of read, I have previously enjoyed several titles by Jason Parent, and decided to have a go at this one. It feels like an action packed Sci-Fi thriller but there are elements of horror too. Dead people don't necessarily stay that way and a multi tentacled creature that oozes an acid like substance make for a creepy time. While Seb is not exactly a good person I was rooting for his success, with Tracy Chapman stuck in my head "You got a fast car I got a plan to get us out of here"

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy for review.

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