Cemetery Riots Edited by by T.C. Bennett and Tracy L. Carbone

 Imagine yourself in a cemetery. Void of all light at the base of a tree. But it's no ordinary tree. This tree abounds with the dead. Now envision that each tree limb is a short story with its own vision, its own length of words, and its own insanity.With that said, beware of the widow makers and the strange foreboding dwelling beneath. Remember, nothing's heavenly in Cemetery Riots. Cemetery Riots is a new collection of dark cautionary tales edited by T. C. Bennett and Tracy L. Carbone. With great pride we introduce you to our stories and their authors... THE WAITING DEAD by Ray Garton, ABUSED by Richard Christian Matheson, CHILDREN'S HOUR by Hal Bodner, CARMICHAEL MOTEL by Kathryn E. McGee, THAT STILL, BLEEDING OBJECT OF DESIRE by Chet Williamson, LUNCH AT MOM'S by Tracy L. Carbone, FATHER AND SON by Jack Ketchum, THE DEMON OF SPITALFIELDS by Karen and Roxanne E. Dent, ERASURE by Lisa Morton, THE WINDOWS by T. C. Bennett, CERTAIN SIGHTS OF AN AFFLICATED WOMAN by Eric J. Guignard, THE MAN WHO KNEW WHAT TIME IT WAS by Dennis Etchison, THE RE-POSSESSED by James Dorr, CLOWN ON BLACK VELVET by Michael Sebastian, THE CELLAR by Kelly Kurtzhals, ETERNAL VALLEY by John Palisano, BLOOD by Taylor Grant, AMONG THE TIGERS by William F. Nolan, ALL OUR HEARTS ARE GHOSTS by Peter Atkins, THE ITCH by Michael D. Nye, and DRIVING HER HOME by John Everson

The gorgeous cover of Cemetery Riots says that it is "a collection of dark cautionary tales."

I'm not sure why, because a scant few of the stories are cautionary tales, and the multiple authors would make it an anthology.

Several stories revolve around the dead. Ghosts circulate throughout the book both in and outside of the cemetery. I did enjoy it even though it did not stick to the theme I was expecting. The majority of these stories would rate 3 or 4 stars from me but I would like to name the few that I found to be the best.

One of the more exceptional stories, The Cellar by Kelly Kurtzhals also happened to be one of the few cautionary tales. A young couple moves into an apartment with a "bonus space" that they have been warned against using. But the loud neighbors and cramped living quarters make it impossible to resist the quiet spacious cellar underneath the trapdoor. Horrific consequences ensue.

Driving Her Home by John Everson is a hard one for me to say anything about without spoiling it. I could describe it in 2 words but every horror lover would instantly know the ending if I did. Still, it is a much beloved horror trope and was very well written.

Lunch At Mom's by Tracy L. Carbone was another of my favorites. It wasn't horror but a beautifully poignant ghost story full of love and loss as a man grieves over his mother's passing and comes to terms with the knowledge that his children are very much like his cold-hearted greedy wife.

In a twisty offering by Kathryn E McGee A heartbroken woman flees her apartment after a break-up and stops to rest at the Carmichael Motel. There she will reflect on her past failed relationships.

Blood by Taylor Grant is written as a letter from a divorced father to his child. It is a confession, a promise and a chilling vow to always be there when needed.

These for me were the 5-star stories and my absolute favorites, Yours may be different but I'm sure you'll find at least a few to love.

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They Lurk by Ronald Malfi

 

From the bestselling author of Come with Me , five collected novellas from the master of terror, featuring possession, parasites and something monstrous lurking outside…

COME CLOSER…

Five terrifying collected horror novellas newly reissued from the “modern-day Algernon Blackwood”. 

Skullbelly
After three teenagers disappear in a forest, a private detective is hired and uncovers a terrible local secret.

The Separation
Marcus arrives in Germany to find his friend up-and-coming prizefighter Charlie in a deep depression. But soon Charlie's behavior grows increasingly bizarre. Is he suffering from a nervous breakdown, or are otherworldly forces at work? 

The Stranger
Set a rural Florida parking lot, David returns to his car to find a stranger sat behind the wheel. The doors are locked and there’s a gun on the dashboard. And that was when then the insanity started… 

After the Fade
A girl walked into a small Annapolis tavern, collapsed and died. Something had latched itself to the base of her skull. And it didn't arrive alone.
Now, the patrons of The Fulcrum are trapped, held prisoner within the tavern's walls by monstrous things, trying to find their way in.

And one more novella to be revealed!

Four previously published novellas join one brand new story in this glorious collection from one of my favorite authors.

All five novellas were new to me since I missed reading them before they went out of print.

Each novella stands alone so you can read them in any order you choose.

In the first story, an urban legend may prove to be real when some unsuspecting teenagers go camping where they shouldn't. Only one returns but he is too traumatized to speak. Did Skullbelly kill his friends? This was my least favorite only because it takes place after the fact and deals mostly with the private investigator the families have hired to find out what happened to their missing kids. This is a case of it's not you it's me. I just do not like police or detective work.

The Separation has been hard on Charlie. He hasn't been himself since his wife left. He says he feels displaced. His friends want to help him but this is well beyond a case of depression and they are not equipped to handle it. Trigger warning here for animal abuse. 

I mostly liked this novella. It had a twilight zone/old-timey vibe to it that I enjoyed but I had to skim when I got to the animal abuse. 

What would you do if you found someone sitting in your car and they refused to get out? That is the situation faced by David in The Stranger. This was one of my favorites in the collection. It's creepy and gory and my favorite form of horror when a normal situation turns bizarre and then goes totally off the rails.

Another favorite was After The Fade, which reminded me a lot of Stephen King's The Mist. But instead of a grocery store, we find ourselves trapped in a bar during a very strange occurrence.

In the new novella Fierce, a mother and daughter survive a car accident on a snowy desolate stretch of road., but that was the easy part to live through compared to what happens next. I loved this one, it was survival horror at its finest.

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Titan Books

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Burner by Robert Ford

 

IRIS
It’s terrifying how quickly everything can be taken away from you. Iris learns this agonizing lesson in the blink of an eye. Her future dreams. Her past life. Everything gone in a storm of pain. But this pain is only the beginning.

AUDREY
Audrey had the perfect life. Great husband, beautiful daughter, lots of money. Except her husband isn’t the man she thought he was. Her dead husband’s burner phone was bad. The Polaroids were worse. But the secrets she uncovers next set her entire world on fire.

BURNER
Two women’s lives intersect because of one man’s actions. The transformation is pristine, and beautiful, and filled with pain. Sometimes the scars are on the inside.

"Shh...That's ok, it happens sometimes."

Told on two timelines from the points of view of two very different women. Audrey, the too trusting wife and mother, happy to let her husband handle all things financial, secure in the knowledge that funds are always available on her debit card. Of course, trust is a necessary part of marriage, but trust should never mean blind and unconditional acceptance with nothing to support it as fact.

And Iris, the soon to be doctor, soon to be engaged to the love of her life, ready to travel the world helping children. 

But that was then. This is now. These women's lives are about to collide. 

I'm not going to talk about the plot much. It would be too difficult without accidentally letting any spoilers slip in. I will say it involves torture and revenge, and the pitfalls of being too trusting a wife. 
The writing style is as magnificent as the subject matter is brutal.  The scariest part of Burner is that it can happen, and does happen. The white vans are everywhere.

5 out of 5 stars

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More Tales to Keep You Up at Night by Dan Poblocki

 

From the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Magic Misfits comes a spectacularly creepy follow-up to Tales to Keep You Up at Night that will keep you up way past bedtime.

Perfect for fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark !

Gilbert is visiting his injured brother, Ant, in the hospital, when he sees a shadowed figure leave behind a satchel filled with old cassette tapes. Despite a strange, garbled voicemail telling him "Don't listen to the tapes," Gilbert can't resist playing them and listening to the chilling stories they tales of cursed seashells, of doors torn through the fabric of the universe, of cemeteries that won't let you leave, of a classroom skeleton that hungers for new skin. And wandering through all the stories, a strange man named November, who might not be a man at all...

As Gilbert keeps listening to the tapes, he slowly realizes that the stories may hold the key to helping Ant. But in order to save his brother, he may be opening a door to something much, much worse...

With hair-raising, spine-chilling prose, Dan Poblocki delivers a collection of interconnected stories that are sure to keep you up late in the night.

I read and enjoyed the first Tales To Keep You Up, so I was more than happy to see Dan Poblocki continue the fun with More Tales.

Like the first book, these are interconnected spooky stories aimed at a middle grade audience.

In the main story, Gilbert has been warned not to listen to the tapes. He has no idea what this means until he rushes to the hospital to see his seriously injured brother, and catches a fleeting glimpse of a strange figure, leaving behind a set of audio tapes.

Ignoring the warning, and determined to find out what happened to his brother, Gilbert begins to listen and discovers that they are full of creepy stories. Not only are the stories connected to each other, but it seems they are also connected to Gilbert's family. Once he starts it seems too late to stop. Will he find a way to help his brother or end up just like him?

The fast pace should keep young readers engaged, and the relatable characters will make kids see themselves in these stories and question what they would do in such circumstances. I think that would add to the spooky fun. 

My thanks to Penguin Workshop 

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