Best Horror of 2023

Another year of great books has gone by and I have been privileged to have a front-row seat for some fabulous reading. These are my picks for the Best Horror of 2023. The title links will take you to the book synopsis, review, author information if available on Goodreads, and Amazon page. If you're looking for something spectacular to read allow me to recommend any or all of these twelve books.

DMV by Bentley Little       All Hallows by Christopher Golden      

Lone Women by Victor LaValle       The Broken Places by Blaine Daigle      

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca     

Wasps in the Ice Cream by Tim McGregor

Conjuring The Witch by Jessica Leonard  Guests by Kealan Patrick Burke

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy  Nightmare Abbey 3    The Dead Pennies by Robert Ford

Riding The Nightmare by Lisa Tuttle

Appalachian Winter Hauntings: Weird Tales from the Mountains

 Appalachian Winter Hauntings includes eleven bone-chilling accounts-penned by many of the preeminent storytellers in the business-that are appropriate to the Appalachian region and relative to the heart of the holiday season. This anthology, edited by Michael Knost and Mark Justice, is designed for cozying up close to a blazing fireplace on the coldest of winter nights. Contributors include: Ronald Kelly, Brian J. Hatcher, Patricia Hughes, Steve Vernon, S. Clayton Rhodes, Steve Rasnic Tem, Sara J. Larson, Scott Nicholson, J.G. Faherty. EmmaLee Pallai, and Elizabeth Massie. The texture is gritty and the stories are moving. Think Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" turned up a notch with a ghostly Appalachian backdrop. So, pour yourself a mug of hot cocoa, wrap your favorite blanket around you, and brace yourself for ghostly stories and weird encounters that take place in the shadows of snowy hilltops or along icy mountain trails. Family friendly.

This was a case of "Don't judge a book by its cover" but that is what I did. I saw this gorgeous cover and expected some terrifying tales. Had I read the description down to the very bottom I would have noticed the "family friendly" part at the end. I believe that may be the reason this book has so few reviews. The cover may have caught the eye of horror fans like me while turning off its target audience, which would be people of all ages who like ghost stories. 

These tales are not gory horror. and there is nothing particularly scary. They are more in tune with the classic style of  "Ghost Stories for Christmas."

Most of the stories are heartwarming, poignant, and bittersweet.

There is some Christmas cheer but I'm not sure I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles with depression at this time of year. There is much poverty, sadness, grief, and loss in these wintery tales, more than a few of which left me feeling quite melancholy even though some of the ghosts offered solace to the living. A couple of these stories had me close to tears. 

All of the stories except The Peddler's Journey by Ronald Kelly were new to me. I had read that one in a different collection. It's one of my favorites about a spirit with unfinished business.

A Sky Full of Stars and a Big Green Forever by Steve Vernon is a lonely tale of a man spending another Christmas on his own.. I think the message conveyed was not to let grief steal what's left of your life.

A man returns to his childhood home after the death of his parents in Smoke In A Bottle by Steve Rasnic Tem. Clearing out the house brings back childhood memories that look a bit different through the eyes of an adult.

The Nativity Tray by Sara J. Larson is one of the stories that had me close to tears. A grief-stricken woman who has lost her family to tragedy prepares for her lonely Christmas Eve until she is interrupted by a visitor.

Apple Head Dolly by Scott Nicholson was closer to the type of story I was expecting to find here.  No ghosts in this one, just a boy who is resentful of his sister when his financially struggling parents spend more on her Christmas presents than his,

The Christmas Letter by Emmalee Pallai is another story that had me a little misty eyed. A boy who lost his dad when he was too young to remember him gets an unforgettable Christmas gift that he will always cherish.

Beggars at Dawn by Elizabeth Massie is about a man at the end of his rope, who finds a reason to hold on a little longer.

So bottom line, I would recommend this anthology to anyone who likes ghost stories, but not for someone specifically in search of a scary read.

Get a copy

Cursed by Leigh Kenny

 Have you ever agreed to something without understanding the consequences? What would you do if a cursed object came into your possession? Burn it? Seek spiritual help? Pass it on?

This is the impossible choice Curtis must face as a sinister entity is thrust upon him. As the walls close in and the evil takes hold, he must act before his life is forever altered.

Curtis is haunted.
Curtis is afraid.
Curtis is... Cursed

The ideal read for fans of horror, mystery thrillers, possessions, and supernatural beings. The Grudge meets Drag Me To Hell, Cursed is the story of one man's relentless journey through darkness and isolation, as he discovers how far he's willing to go to save himself and those closest to him.

Cursed is a fairly straight forward horror novella debut from Leigh Kenny. 

The unlucky protagonist in Cursed is a likable young man named Curtis, who is a trash collector, having an ordinary day in his workaday life until he unknowingly accepts a cursed object from a woman in obvious distress. Curtis notices strange symbols and markings on this otherwise run-of-the-mill cardboard box he has accepted, but still, he assumes it is only trash that she is asking him to take because it wouldn't fit in her garbage bin. He throws it away and thinks no more about it... until it reappears, and it's not as empty as he first thought.

I liked Curtis, and I anxiously awaited a solution to the curse he was saddled with. I wanted him to be ok. There were several chilling scenes as the curse took deeper hold, along with the suspense of "will he or won't he" be able to escape it's clutches. 

This was a quick and creepy read and a praiseworthy first book.

My thanks to Leigh Kenny.

Get a copy

Nightmare Abbey 4 Edited by Tom English

Nightmare Abby 4 is a delight to behold. I'm going to confess something to you that I have never admitted in the bookish world before...

I often skim or skip the introductions to books. (I'm sorry but it's true.) But I never skip the introductions here because Tom English is a hoot in the Dear Abbey section, which tells you what to expect and is a damn sight clever in the process.

The artwork is gorgeous and every volume contains top-notch fiction, and of course, the stories are my favorite part but I also learn something new every time. Nightmare Abbey is informative as well as entertaining. This volume contains an interview with Paul Finch, in which is mentioned an old TV show from the 70's called Beasts. I had never heard of it before and I love all those old spooky series so I immediately had to search it out and grab a copy on DVD.

As for the stories I enjoyed them all, but the ones that stood out the most to me were Finding The Hollow Man by David Surface about the sole survivor in a group of kids who entered a cave 50 years ago. She has never told anyone the whole truth of what happened until now. You can be the first to hear it.

Another favorite was Devils of Lakeland by Paul Finch in which a man traces his deceased brother's last steps in an attempt to answer whether his death was a suicide or an accident. The answer he finds is shocking and unexpected. The ending shook me a bit.

Invasive Species by Helen Grant also deals with deceased relatives, this time as a woman who has been estranged from her father tries to reach him before his death. Finding out she would be too late didn't stop her but she would have been better off if it had. This was one of the creepier stories and not the first I have enjoyed by this author. I think it's time for me to look into her full length novels because she is adept at building tension and spine-tingly suspense.

The Brightest Heaven by John Llewellyn Probert a weekend writing course and a chance meeting lead two writers on a hunt for a muse. Consequences await.

Two couples meet by chance or proximity on their vacations in paradise in Get Away by Ray Cluley. You may have heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder but in this story, the same can be said for the sea. Don't look too long or too deep you may not like what you see.

Last but not least in my favorites was Sundown In Duffield by Steve Rasnic Tem.This was a frightening and emotional story about a man with dementia who convinces his grandson to take him to visit his childhood home. He can't remember why he and his family had to flee but he should have stayed away.

If you like short horror stories, and learning about classic horror movies you may have missed, along with gorgeous still shots from the films and amazing artwork you need all 4 volumes of Nightmare Abbey.

My thanks to Dead Letter Press.

Get a copy