Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach by Ramsey Campbell

Description

It’s Ray’s and Sandra’s first family holiday in Greece, on the island of Vasilema. The skies are cloudier than anywhere else in Greece, and they’re intrigued by local eccentricities—the lack of mirrors, the outsize beach umbrellas, the saint’s day celebrated with an odd nocturnal ritual. Why are there islanders who seem to follow the family wherever they go? Why do Sandra and the teenage grandchildren have strangely similar dreams? Has Sandra been granted a wish she didn’t know she made? Before their holiday is over, some of the family may learn too much about the secret that keeps the island alive.
FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launching in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

 

As a long time fan of Ramsey Campbell I was so excited to get a copy of this book just before I left for my own vacation. The subject matter seemed to make it perfect timing. Ray and Sandra are a happily married couple who embark on a family vacation with their adult children, grandchildren and the spouses of their kids. Things get off to a bit of a rocky start and with such a large group of people spending so much time together it's hard for everyone to get along. Ray and Sandra are hoping to make this a vacation to remember while keeping a secret from the rest of the family. The locals also seem to have some secrets, and between their strange customs and unusual folk lore the family is a bit on edge. This was a slow burn, building up to an experience of unbridled weirdness.

 

I received a complimentary copy for review

On Vacation See You Soon

I didn't want you to think I've abandoned you. We will be away for 2 weeks at the lake house. I will still be reading, especially considering we are expecting on and off thunderstorms, but I won't be posting reviews until we return on August 12.
My current read is "Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach" by one of my favorite authors Ramsey Campbell. That will be my first review when I return.
Be good! I'll miss you!

The Witching Well by S.D. Hintz

It's the end of the world…
as Murray Macabe knows it. The security of his home life has been ripped out from under him when his mother was brutally murdered. Rejected by his aunt, Murray only has one place left to go, and that's to live the rest of his life with a woman he barely knows.

To Grandmother's House He Goes

At first, life with his grandmother doesn't seem like it's going to be that bad, but Murray soon learns his grandmother harbors dark secrets.

Double, Double Toil and Trouble; Fire Burn and Caldron Bubble
As bad as Grandma's secrets might be, they are nothing compared to the secrets held by the neighbors, three elderly women who have set their sights on Murray for their own dastardly purposes. Soon Murray finds himself fighting for his very life, and there's no one to turn to for help because everyone knows there's no such thing as witches.

Murder and witches and scorch-roaches Oh My! Supernatural elements and mystery abound in this engaging YA novel about a young boy uprooted from his home. When Murray's mother is killed he has no choice but to move in with Grandma Anna, a woman he barely knows since his mother and she kept very little contact over the years. Grandma Ana lives in a very strange neighborhood occupied by a vicious dog and odd neighbors who hate children and keep strange secrets. Grandma has lived there for years without suspecting their true nature but when Murray begins to figure out what's going on will she believe him? This was an exciting read with a hair raising climax.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

Dark Entry by John B. Kachuba

Description

In the 18th century, members of the Dudley family settled in the deep woods of the Dark Entry Forest in northwestern Connecticut. Only a century later, Dudleytown was a ghost town with nothing left in the encroaching forest but cellar holes. Legend has it that the Dudleys were descended from a family in England that came to a bad end and that a curse followed them to America, a curse that drove residents of the settlement to murder and suicide.

In 1989, Sandy Lawrence, fleeing her abusive boyfriend, is given the use of her friend’s house in Dark Entry, one of the few homes in the isolated forest. She is unaware of the legends about Dark Entry but soon discovers the horrifying truth—something evil is alive and well in the deep woods, something intent upon murder. What began as a peaceful retreat from her domestic troubles now becomes a terrifying fight for her life.

 

 

This was a quick read, that begins with a horrifying act in the 18th century before our unsuspecting main character heads to a house in these cursed woods to clear her head after an upsetting break up. Sandy doesn't know the stories of the spirit eater that haunts these grounds, an evil ghost that preys on souls. Not long after her arrival, she learns of the local ghost stories but it takes more than folk tales to make her a believer. I love ghost stories set in New England, as a life long resident I have always been interested in the spooky tales that abound in our small towns. Looking at this cover is like looking through my own childhood window at night, so of course I was instantly drawn to this book.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4

I received a complimentary copy for review.