Best Horror of 2022

So many great books were published this year but these are my 12 picks for the best horror of 2022. Once again I did not say novels this year because I just had to include some short stories that were way too good to be left out. The title links will take you to the book synopsis, review, author info if available, and Amazon page. These are books that in my humble opinion you will definitely want to add to your TBR if you love horror as much as I do.  5 stars to all.

Road of Bones by Christopher Golden     The Wakening by J.G. Faherty   

 

The Man in the Field by James Cooper    The Beyond by Ken Brosky   Horror Library Volume 7

Dancing With Tombstones by Michael Aronovitz

                                  

Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi            Sallow Bend by Alan Baxter          

Nightmare Abbey 1 Edited by Tom English  

It Calls From the Veil- An Eerie River Publishing Anthology  Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel

Below by Laurel Hightower

The Nightmare Man by J.H. Markert

 

Blackwood mansion looms, surrounded by nightmare pines, atop the hill over the small town of New Haven. Ben Bookman, bestselling novelist and heir to the Blackwood estate, spent a weekend at the ancestral home to finish writing his latest horror novel, The Scarecrow. Now, on the eve of the book’s release, the terrible story within begins to unfold in real life.

Detective Mills arrives at the scene of a gruesome murder: a family butchered and bundled inside cocoons stitched from corn husks, and hung from the rafters of a barn, eerily mirroring the opening of Bookman’s latest novel. When another family is killed in a similar manner, Mills, along with his daughter, rookie detective Samantha Blue, is determined to find the link to the book—and the killer—before the story reaches its chilling climax.

As the series of “Scarecrow crimes” continues to mirror the book, Ben quickly becomes the prime suspect. He can’t remember much from the night he finished writing the novel, but he knows he wrote it in The Atrium, his grandfather’s forbidden room full of numbered books. Thousands of books. Books without words.

As Ben digs deep into Blackwood’s history he learns he may have triggered a release of something trapped long ago—and it won’t stop with the horrors buried within the pages of his book.

I was first attracted to this cover since I can not resist a creepy scarecrow. The synopsis further piqued my interest even though I thought it may not be all that original. This is not the first time in horror that strange murders have seemed to copy an author's book. However, this is not the same old hat.

This is a story that spans generations. Ben and his sister grew up in a dysfunctional family and suffered the tragic loss of their younger brother who has been presumed dead. Not long after this, their parents were killed in a car crash. Years have passed but Ben has kept secrets, including the fact that he still looks for his brother. His sister Emily has also kept secrets concerning what really happened to her in their grandfather's forbidden room. There is much I could tell you about grandfather but I don't want to spoil anything for you. Suffice it to say that although this may sound more like a psychological thriller it is grandpa that brings about the supernatural horror.

As a child, Ben already knew he wanted to be a writer. Now he has grown up to be a best selling author. He has written a gruesome novel full of grisly murders. Unfortunately, he is struggling to complete the sequel, his marriage is falling apart, and the police have lots of questions for him about the dead bodies that are turning up in real life exactly the way he wrote them in his novel.

Detective Mills is trying to unravel this mystery but he has secrets and demons of his own that have burdened him for most of his life. His daughter Sam has followed in his footsteps of police work and their dysfunctional relationship further complicates matters.

The Nightmare Man is full of unexpected surprises and twisty paths that I didn't see coming. The relationship between Detective Mills and his daughter and the relationship between Ben and his wife feels genuine.  It is dark, and original, and cleverly written. Each character, even those who play a minor role have their own creepy backstory. The chills are many and the fear runs rampant especially if like me you have ever been plagued with nightmares.

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Crooked Lane Books

Available for pre-order

About the author

Eden's Children (1) (The Eden Series) by Andrew Neiderman as V.C. Andrews

 

Mother doesn’t always know best in this atmospheric and twisty novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Flowers in the Attic series and Landry series—now popular Lifetime movies.

When former teacher Paula Eden adopts Faith and Trevor, she is astounded by their natural intelligence and decides to homeschool them to nurture their brilliance. But as the years go on, Faith and Trevor itch for more independence.

When Faith sets her sights on a handsome young man visiting from out of town, Paula grows increasingly desperate to preserve her small family and her plans for the children to carry on her legacy. Luckily, she has a cohort in loyal Trevor, who will do anything to please his mother, even at the risk of hurting his sister and potentially changing their lives forever.

Trevor age 15 and Faith age 14 know next to nothing about their biological parents. As far as they are concerned they never had parents until they were taken from the foster home and adopted together. They lead very sheltered lives, having no interaction with other children or with anyone other than their adoptive parents. Their mother tells them this is to keep them safe from the evils out there but in reality, it is to protect herself from others finding out about her own evils. The children's adoptive father is conveniently on the road most of the time, and looking the other way when he is home.

I must say I really hated Trevor and his mannerisms. The smirking and shrugging made me want to smack him even though I couldn't actually see him doing it I could picture it in my mind. The father could have been a likable character if not for being so weak-willed and always kowtowing to his wife's demands.

The story is told from Faith's point of view and is at times only what is going on in her thoughts, which gets a bit draggy. It's also fairly predictable but I will probably tune in for the next installment to see how it ends.

My thanks to Gallery Books.

Available for pre-order

A Sliver of Darkness by C.J. Tudor

 

The debut short story collection from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man, featuring ten bone-chilling and mind-bending tales

Timeslips. Doomsday scenarios. Killer butterflies. C. J. Tudor's novels are widely acclaimed for their dark, twisty suspense plots, but with A Sliver of Darkness, she pulls us even further into her dizzying imagination.
In Final Course, the world has descended into darkness, but a group of old friends make time for one last dinner party. In Runaway Blues, thwarted love, revenge, and something very nasty stowed in a hat box converge. In Gloria, a strange girl at a service station endears herself to a cold-hearted killer, but can a leopard really change its spots? And in I'm Not Ted, a case of mistaken identity has unforeseen, fatal consequences.

Riveting and explosively original, A Sliver of Darkness is C. J. Tudor at her most wicked and uninhibited.

It's no secret that I have been a fan of C.J. Tudor ever since The Chalk Man was released. I also have a great love for, and addiction to short horror stories.  I had high expectations for A Sliver Of Darkness, and I was not disappointed.

I was hooked from the first story, End of the Liner which incidentally is how I've always pictured a Disney Cruise. (sorry not sorry) Much like reality, this suspenseful little story is all about your own perception of good and bad.

The subsequent stories kept up the pace and maybe even gained momentum. I also enjoyed the author's introduction to each story which told how these tales came to be.

Normally at this point, I would tell you a bit about my favorites in the book but I enjoyed them all. If you are looking for a shivery, chilling, thought-provoking, good time check out this collection.

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine Books

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