The Cannibal Gardener by Joe Pawlowski

 

Edmund has a secret.
Besides working as a gardener at Harbo’s Garden Center, he has a separate existence on the dark web, where he is known as Raoul153. There he flirts with the notion of eating people. This idea comes from his grandmother, who tells him stories about the history of his ancient ancestors, the Cannibal Gardeners of New Guinea.

Surprisingly, many share his dark interest. Some even volunteer to be his main course.
One of the people he encounters on the dark web is someone he one day meets in real life. Her name is Denise and she isn’t one of his volunteers but is a force to be reckoned with. Her Goth sensibilities and morbid interests make her a perfect match for Edmund. Or so he thinks.

She’s not so sure.
And, oh, yes, there is a real cannibal on the loose for them to contend with, and he's bringing along a friend.

The Cannibal Gardener combines chilling, supernatural suspense with a love story and generous doses of humor from a master storyteller.

Edmund spends his time split between working at the garden center and caring for his elderly grandmother. He moved in with her after his parents died, and since she cared for him when he needed her he has chosen to do the same now that she is the one who needs him. He enjoys her company and especially loves to hear her tell the stories of their ancestors. They are descended from cannibals she tells him, and he is fascinated by this. That may be what first sent him to the dark web. While grandma naps he often loses himself in grisly images and message boards for hours at a time.

Denise is a goth girl with morbid interests who happens to meet Edmund in person by accident. Neither of them intended their online personas to ever be revealed offline.

Milo is a serial killer/cannibal who hovers on the periphery of both their worlds and ends up being the catalyst for their meeting.

What ties them all together is a bit of old folklore and that was really my favorite part of the story, as I am a long time fan of folk and fairy tales, not the Disney type but the more gruesome variety. 

This was a quick and gory read with a surprise ending that I was not expecting at all. I loved the old folklore that was tied to this story and coincidentally my computer wallpaper is a picture of Baba Yaga's house. If you like folk horror and Grimms' tales you'll want to read this book.

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy under no obligation to write a review.

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All Things Deadly: Salem Stories by E.C. Hanson

 

Salem, Massachusetts. A town with a rich history of spirits and witches. It’s a place Adam Frost, a former paranormal investigator, never intended to visit again. But his teenage daughter is troubled and shows early signs of self-harm. Can the trip save their fractured relationship? Only time, and a haunted house, will tell.

All Things Deadly (Salem Stories) is Hanson’s debut horror collection. Surrounding the Frost storyline is a series of tales that utilize the coastal city to ratchet up the chills. Read if you dare.

I try not to compare or contrast authors or their story collections but the foremost thought in my mind after reading this is that it shares a similarity to Goblin by Malerman except that E.C. Hanson didn't forget to connect the stories together at the end.

The main story features a father and his  daughter who barely speaks to him on a road trip to Salem. There they will meet someone who used to be a friend but now seems to be a frenemy. Interspersed are short stories set in or around Salem with a diverse cast of characters, some of who will suffer grisly deaths, or cause the demise of others. There is some dark humor mixed in and some very bizarre situations.  In between these stories we head back to the father/daughter road trip and eventually reach their destination. The reason for this trip is bittersweet and may be what is needed to heal their broken relationship.

This was a quick read, perfect for October or really any time of year you're in the mood to visit Salem.

4 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy from the author with no obligation to write a review.

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Beyond the Veil by Mark Morris (Editor)

 

Beyond the Veil is the second volume in an annual, non-themed horror series of entirely original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer, and edited by Mark Morris. This new anthology contains 20 original horror stories, 16 of which have been commissioned from some of the top names in the genre, and 4 of which have been selected from the 100s of stories sent to Flame Tree during a 2-week open submissions window.

I love short horror stories. Anthologies are my addiction and I pick them up whenever I can. I read and enjoyed last year's anthology from Flame Tree Press  (After Sundown) and I was so excited to see that they will continue this annual tradition. This year's offering, Beyond The Veil may be even spookier and darker than the first volume.

The first story The God Bag by Christopher Golden is about a woman near the end of her days, who has managed to keep a secret from her family until now. It raises the bar pretty high for those that have to follow, and yet the majority of these tales managed to keep up the deliciously grim tone that blasts off from the beginning, leading us through a procession of the macabre.  Another story in the same vein was The Care And Feeding of Household Gods by Frank J. Oreto in which a happily married stay at home dad finds a bit of otherworldly help to get through his daily chores. I was holding my breath at the end of this one, afraid of where it was going to take me. Caker's Man by Matthew Holness was downright scary. A neighbor who has never bothered to introduce himself in the year since he's moved in suddenly becomes extremely pushy in very creepy ways. The Dark Bit by Toby Litt is a gruesome work of body horror not for the squeamish. For All The Dead by Angeline B Adams and Remco Van Straten takes place in a small coastal village where the women know that their men may not always return from the sea. This was suspenseful, sad, and spooky all at once. Away Day by Lisa Tuttle is about a woman who is always left out of everything, until at last she finds a place to belong. 

These are just a few of what for me were 5 star reads. If you enjoy short horror stories you are going to want to add this to your collection.

5 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy from Flame Tree Press under no obligation to write a review.

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Contents List:

THE GOD BAG by Christopher Golden

CAKER’S MAN by Matthew Holness

THE BEECHFIELD MIRACLES by Priya Sharma

CLOCKWORK by Dan Coxon

SOAPSTONE by Aliya Whiteley

THE DARK BIT by Toby Litt

PROVENANCE POND by Josh Malerman

FOR ALL THE DEAD by Angeline B. Adams and Remco van Straten

THE GIRL IN THE POOL by Bracken MacLeod

NURSE VARDEN by Jeremy Dyson
IF, THEN by Lisa L. Hannett

AQUARIUM WARD by Karter Mycroft

A MYSTERY FOR JULIE CHU by Stephen Gallagher

AWAY DAY by Lisa Tuttle

POLAROID AND SEAWEED by Peter Harness

DER GEISTERBAHNHOF by Lynda E. Rucker

ARNIE’S ASHES by John Everson

A BRIEF TOUR OF THE NIGHT by Nathan Ballingrud

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF HOUSEHOLD GODS by Frank J. Oreto

YELLOWBACK by Gemma Files

Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman

Inspired by the McMartin preschool trials and the Satanic Panic of the ‘80s, the critically acclaimed author of The Remaking delivers another pulse pounding, true-crime-based horror novel.

Richard doesn’t have a past. For him, there is only the present: a new marriage to Tamara, a first chance at fatherhood to her son Elijah, and a quiet but pleasant life as an art teacher at Elijah’s elementary school in Danvers, Virginia. Then the body of a rabbit, ritualistically murdered, appears on the school grounds with a birthday card for Richard tucked beneath it. Richard doesn’t have a birthday—but Sean does . . .

Sean is a five-year-old boy who has just moved to Greenfield, Virginia, with his mother. Like most mothers of the 1980s, she’s worried about bills, childcare, putting food on the table . . . and an encroaching threat to American life that can take the face of anyone: a politician, a friendly neighbor, or even a teacher. When Sean’s school sends a letter to the parents revealing that Sean’s favorite teacher is under investigation, a white lie from Sean lights a fire that engulfs the entire nation—and Sean and his mother are left holding the match.

Now, thirty years later, someone is here to remind Richard that they remember what Sean did. And though Sean doesn’t exist anymore, someone needs to pay the price for his lies.

Told on two timelines this story goes back and forth from a child of the 80s who became a media sensation after a psychologist "coached" him to recover memories that never happened, and the man he is today grappling with the guilt and consequences of the lies he told when he was five. 

This book has me trying to put myself in the shoes of younger readers. Would I have enjoyed this book as much if I was not old enough to remember the satanic panic of the 80s? If I were a younger person would I see a connection between the people who so wanted to believe that Satanists were munching on dead babies around every corner and the Qanon cult who believes that people are drinking the blood of children for political gain today? I just don't know the answer to that, because I do remember. I remember the media circus and my mother calling me to the tv to see various talk show hosts cashing in on the never ending parade of "satanic abuse survivors" and I remember we damned near believed it was real at the time. 

I can only give my own opinion, which is that this is a masterfully well written tale that will have you wondering whether guilt has caused Richard to lose his grip on reality or whether someone or something is out to get him.

5 out of 5 stars

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