Dark Things Crawl Out by C. S. Magnuson

 

In silence she wakes. In silence she takes.

Four different men have been locked inside the new jail in the town of Tiefer Spalt, built from the limestone of the Hellion Ridge mines. But no one comes to check on them...No one comes to let them out.

And something strange waits in the snow outside, singing, inviting nightmares.

Four paths have met at the crossroads, and choices need to be made.

Their lives will never be the same.

One mountain. One chance. Will they be able to save themselves?

Something has awakened in the mining town of Tiefer Spalt. An ancient evil has been disturbed by the blasting and digging. 

An unusual number of snake bite deaths are occurring.

A rich man, a drunk, a moonshiner, and a serial killer have been left to starve and freeze in the jail. Nobody has come to check on them for days.

What do these events all have in common?  You'll have to read to find out.

Dark Things Crawl Out is a moderately paced folk horror told from multiple points of view including a depraved serial killer. I could not muster up much empathy for any of the characters other than the moonshiner, and I wish his wife had played a bigger role in the story because she was the most intriguing character of all. 

We learn through flashbacks how these prisoners landed in jail together, but it's not until much later that we find out the reason they have been abandoned there. I was getting antsy by then for the pace to pick up, but the ending made it worth the wait.

4 out of 5 stars

Get a copy

My thanks to Horrorsmith Publishing.

More books by this author

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

 

It's never too late for new beginnings.

On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs—an active senior community in southern Florida—she unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her father’s old pharmacy—and the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier.

As a teenager growing up in 1920’s Brooklyn, Augusta’s role model was her father, Solomon Stern, the trusted owner of the local pharmacy and the neighborhood expert on every ailment. But when Augusta’s mother dies and Great Aunt Esther moves in, Augusta can’t help but be drawn to Esther’s curious methods. As a healer herself, Esther offers Solomon’s customers her own advice—unconventional remedies ranging from homemade chicken soup to a mysterious array of powders and potions.

As Augusta prepares for pharmacy college, she is torn between loyalty to her father and fascination with her great aunt, all while navigating a budding but complicated relationship with Irving. Desperate for clarity, she impulsively uses Esther’s most potent elixir with disastrous consequences. Disillusioned and alone, Augusta vows to reject Esther’s enchantments forever.

Sixty years later, confronted with Irving, Augusta is still haunted by the mistakes of her past. What happened all those years ago and how did her plan go so spectacularly wrong? Did Irving ever truly love her or was he simply playing a part? And can Augusta reclaim the magic of her youth before it’s too late?

I was so pleased to be invited to read the latest historical fiction from Lynda Cohen Loigman. I have enjoyed her previous books and expected no less from her newest.

Told on two timelines mainly from the point of view of Augusta Stern, we move back and forth from the 1920s when she was a young girl coming of age, to the 1980s when she is an elderly woman forced into retirement. 

Augusta grew up in an apartment over the pharmacy that her father owned. Losing her mother to diabetes at a young age shortly before insulin treatment existed fueled her passion for pharmacology.  When Great Aunt Esther moves in to help the family, Augusta develops an interest in natural cures. Esther had been known as a witch in her old village. Maybe there is some magic in the way she can sometimes cure what doctors can't. 

Decades later when Augusta is pushed out of her job, she reluctantly settles in a Florida retirement community. Could it be magic or fate that the man who broke her heart 62 years ago is also a resident?

This was an enchanting story. The historical accuracy of the days when whisky required a doctor's prescription and diabetes was a death sentence lent a touch of realism. 

I loved Esther and her middle-of-the-night kitchen witch escapades that Augusta's father eventually made peace with although he disapproved.

I would recommend it to any fan of historical fiction or anyone looking for a light-hearted, quick and easy read.

Available for preorder

About the author

Tales from Beyond the Closet by Dalton Primeaux

 

THESE DARK TALES CELEBRATE LGBTQIA+ CULTURE, HORROR AND UNFORGIVABLE CARNAGE WHILE ADDRESSING SOCIETAL TERRORS.

Each story introduces a highly relatable cast of characters, along with imaginative plot lines that occasionally tip into the realm of the absurd. From haunted coffee tables to a menacing seven-year-old and ravenous plants, every tale is saturated with blood, gore, and sly social commentary. While often infused with humor, these books consistently induce nightmares, ensuring that they will linger in your thoughts well into the night and perhaps prompt a call to your therapist the next morning.

Killer plants, alien invasions, and a cursed coffee table... oh my! 

These short stories have clever plots and well-defined characters with larger-than-life personalities. This is horror that doesn't take itself too seriously so expect some humor and wild situations. 

The only thing I didn't like was the heavy use of adjectives and adverbs, especially in the first couple of stories. A few go a long way but using too many can be overpowering.

My favorite story involved the escapades of a psychotic child. I've always loved creepy kids ever since The Bad Seed. There's a serial killer on the loose, and when little Sophia witnesses him in action, she can't wait to join in the fun. "Wet" is a gory good time that also takes a look at shady business practices that put profit over safety, and those who think essential oils are a cure-all. 

I would recommend this for anyone who likes a dose of humor and social commentary to spice up their murder and mayhem.

My thanks to Dalton Primeaux

Get a copy

These Things That Walk Behind Me by David Surface

 

I normally wait until there is a Goodreads page with a synopsis available before I post about a book, but you are going to want this one and it is available for preorder right now.

This is a collection of 14 dark tales.

Some were familiar to me from previous publications. Most were new to me.

Fear and apprehension collide with suspense in these grim little slices of perfection.

A few of my favorites were Give Me Back My Name, about a man who has built a new life for himself, but his happily ever after is starting to unravel and his past is catching up.

Lost River Boys, in which the parents of some missing boys find a way to ease their grief by leaving gifts for their lost children.

Little Gods To Live In Them, is about some unbearably loud construction noises that rattle a neighborhood, but what are they really building?

The Devil Will Be At The Door, I can't say too much about this one, or maybe I'm just afraid to. We all have those stories of abandoned houses we were warned to stay away from, that we dared each other to enter. This is why you don't talk about it. This is why you stay away!

How The World Works, High School buddies are separated when one suffers financial hard times and disappears for a while. When he reappears with very little explanation of where he's been or his current situation, his friend is at first impressed and then terrified.

These were just a few of my favorites, but truly, I loved them all.

Disturbing customs, otherworldly beings, grief, loss, revenge, and ghosts of the past fill the pages and make for a chilling good time.

These unique stories hold a wondrous mix of anticipation and dread.

My thanks to David Surface for the advance copy.

About the author

Get a copy