Review: The Gordon Place

The Gordon Place by Isaac Thorne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After more than six decades of reading horror daily, I cannot recall ever reading a story quite like this one. Weird--and distinctly unique. Set in a tiny town in Tennessee, the story intricately weaves back and forth between contemporary setting and the ugly 1990's, ugly here because the bigotry is still alive and well. Reconstruction had nothing on these folks, who act like they're living in George Wallace's Alabama.

Graham Gordon is the newly elected Town Constable of Lost Hollow, and a more feckless protagonist you are likely never to find. Raised motherless in a horribly abusive environment, he likely will never achieve emotional stability. And then the Supernatural sets in--and all Hades breaks loose.

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Review: Spring-heeled Jack

Spring-heeled Jack by John David Buchanan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

1803, 1821, 1837, 1889: quite a long duration for one individual to terrorize the Great City of London with numerous inexplicable assaults and injuries and seemingly supernatural feats. Doctor Pendergrass of London Hospital, freah from his dealings with Jack the Ripper, determines to stop whoever and whatever this might be. London Hospital is to minister to the ill, not to be overtaken by suffering victims of crime. As a sort of self-appointed silent nocturnal vigilante, Doctor Pendergrass is the man for the job.

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Review: Fire of the Sun

Fire of the Sun by Simon Laffy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A young student nurse in a Virginia hospital in 1977 strikes up a friendship with an older patient, a cancer sufferer. As their friendly discourse continues, she discovers his identity: Dr. Wernher von Braun, famous both as a Nazi rocket scientist, and as one of the NASA scientists responsible for the Apollo Missions. Also unfolded is the secretive Nazi drive to acquire evidence of the Aryan "race's" heavenly descent (like the emperors and pharaohs of many ancient civilizations, considered to be Divine). The Nazis also sought advanced alien technology. Dr. Braun had believed himself to be directly guided by a higher level entity since childhood, and reveals theories that rival, perhaps exceed, those of "Ancient Astronauts."

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Review: They Kill

They Kill by Tim Waggoner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Whoa! What a WILD ride! I've almost lost hope for humanity, because so many "normal folks," "good people," in this splatterpunk horror novel turn bad, seemingly without too much provocation, including some I least expected. Tons of violence and gore, some really ugly scenes, excruciating pain, and high levels of obscenity, for me were balanced out by the Lovecraftian overlay and backdrop. What a chaotic and random world is depicted here, perhaps an homage to Lovecraft's blind, mad, god Azathoth. Certainly it seems so.

Sensitive readers, beware. Splatterpunk aficionados, hang on to your craniums cause this is a trip you'll never forget.

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Review: Book Haven: And Other Curiosities

Book Haven: And Other Curiosities by Mark Allan Gunnells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Review of BOOK HAVEN

Mark Allan Gunnells has proved to be quite a prolific author, but perhaps more significant is the range of his imagination. This collection ranges from the very sad/scary novella "Book Haven" (which I hope is never predictive) to some terrifying short stories (eliciting from me several "OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT JUST HAPPENED" responses). I recommend taking these stories one at a time, reading and receiving. Let them slither their way under your skin; enter your brain; lay their eggs; take over your consciousness.

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Review: Pagan Portals - Gods and Goddesses of Wales: A Practical Introduction to Welsh Deities and Their Stories

Pagan Portals - Gods and Goddesses of Wales: A Practical Introduction to Welsh Deities and Their Stories by Halo Quin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

have always been immensely fascinated with both the history and the "mythology" of Wales, so I was immensely gratified to come upon this book, which draws upon on both historical fact and narrative (such as The Mabinogion) and upon the centuries' long Bardic tradition, still kept intensely alive today in Wales. The author brings this information not to be a final determination, but to be an inspiration for questing individuals and groups. I particularly admire the emphasizes on "unverified personal gnosis," a way of adhering to what is intuitive truth for the individual.

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Review: The Tragic Daughters of Charles I: Mary, Elizabeth & Henrietta Anne

The Tragic Daughters of Charles I: Mary, Elizabeth & Henrietta Anne by Sarah-Beth Watkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading about the wives of Henry VIi in the early 1500's and now about the daughters of King Charles I (himself executed in 1649), I marvel at the fragility of life in the Middle Ages, and wonder that sufficient individuals survived to even propagate the species. Not just poor health, malnutrition, lack of hygiene, and contagious diseases, afflicted the populace. Even the royals were subject to death or worse on a whim. This fascinating narrative examines the lives of Charles I, his wife, and their many offspring.

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Review: Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction to Hekate's Modern Witchcraft

Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction to Hekate's Modern Witchcraft by Cyndi Brannen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

KEEPING HER KEYS is a comprehensive and fascinating exploration and course in the practice of "Modern Hekatean Witchcraft," by its founder. This practice lends itself to both solitary practitioners and covens, and is framed to take a year and a day. Practitioners were learn of Hekate and her worship while simultaneously fomenting their own individual Spiritual Evolution.

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Review: The Afterlife of King James IV: Otherworld Legends of the Scottish King

The Afterlife of King James IV: Otherworld Legends of the Scottish King by Keith John Coleman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

King James IV was the first Scottish monarch to lead his forces into battle since the 11th century, and the last king of any British nation to die in battle. But did he? Not according to legend and myth, and not when the notion of his staying alive proved politically expedient. The author provides a fascinating journey through the traditional Scottish psyche and literature through the focus on one seemingly "everlasting" king.

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Review: Thorns in a Realm of Roses: The Henry Queens

Thorns in a Realm of Roses: The Henry Queens by Thomas Crockett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If only every novel I read could be this engrossing! THORNS IN A REALM OF ROSES: THE HENRY QUEENS is a brilliant work of historical narrative fiction elucidating that famed tyrant-king Henry VIII of England, and the poor ladies summoned to be his multiple consecutive wives. A fine work of character delineation as well as revelation of history, the novel kept me beyond enthralled throughout, as I kept turning the pages without really realizing so, as I was so enrapt with the story line and characters.

I especially admire the way in which the author balances the viewpoints of multiple characters and also how he managed to delineate the character and personality of Henry throughout his life, from his ascension at age seventeen, to his literally "larger than life" middle age (tall, grossly obese, a constant daily consumer of rich, fatty foods in astonishing quantities, in poor health, unable to properly joust, ride, or tour his country). THORNS IN A REALM OF ROSES is a truly remarkable narrative, both as history and as fiction, and is definitely one to re-read.

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Review: The Mother-in-Law

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Given the last several years' plethora of "psychological thrillers," I kind of expected to find here the usual unreliable narrator who has "done something very bad," but endeavours to conceal that from the reader as long as possible. So I was agreeably surprised to find multiple narrators, each bearing distinctive personalities, and mostly not trying to shovel fog over truth. Additionally, THE MOTHER-IN-LAW contains a number of enterprising surprises, red herrings, and a genuinely evil villain--but you have to read to discover that identity. A good beach or vacation read.

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Review: The Pandora Room

The Pandora Room by Christopher Golden
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

THE PANDORA ROOM is the second in the Ben Walker series, which commenced with the stunning thriller ARARAT. An archaeological excavation in Kurdistan breaks through into a cleverly hidden underground city, possibly the major archaeological discovery of the century. However, there is far more to this site than simply an abandoned civilization covered over by the detritus of millennia. A warning noting a no trespassing order by the King of Asia (Alexander the Great) eventually leads to a room far underground containing a simple jar on an altar. But the inscriptions on the jar and the walls indicate that this may be the legendary Pandora's Jar of antiquity and myth, predating Greek mythology. Of course, there's not just a simple archaeological discovery; and Ben Walker, on a mission for DARPA to recover the jar no matter what, unearths what should have been left concealed for eternity.

I adored ARARAT and consider it a re-reader. I found THE PANDORA ROOM fascinating, but I thought the next-to-last segment (as Walker, Kim, a medical doctor, and some of the archaeologists attempt escape through a newly uncovered underground river tunnel) dragged on longer than necessary. Following that the novel concludes with a potentially apocalyptic outcome, leaving the reader to ask: "Is the Earth safe? Or will the contents of Pandora's Jar wipe out all life on this planet?"



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Review: ZONE 12

ZONE 12 by Joanna Beaumont
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Would you willingly work in a site where in five days you age 5 years? Would you trust a corporation that could age children from birth to eighteen in just a few weeks? If your memories are implanted, how can you know what is real?

These concepts and more confront Beth Jackson, a Ph.D. candidate researching ending climate change; and Howard Henderson, genius biochemist seeking a neurological cure for the inoperable tumor of his two-year-old.

ZONE 12 is the first in a series.

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Review: One Last Prayer for the Rays

One Last Prayer for the Rays by Wes Markin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

ONE LAST PRAYER FOR THE RAYS is a remarkably astonishing novel, a mystery amazing in both its depth and breadth. From the explosive and sad commencement, right through to the oh no! epilogue, the author kept my attention totally riveted to the page, as he unfolded characters who have to be read to be believed. Total suspension of disbelief here, and an incredible introduction to abnormal psychology of several stripes!

Set in and around Salisbury, England, a fount of civilization for millenia, the mystery focuses on one particular lineage, the Rays, which generation after generation have produced monsters. Seemingly, only three are left, a brother and sister, and the brother's young son. The son, Paul, is intelligent and gifted, attending Salisbury's Cathedral School. Hopefully he will remain free of the cursed taint of his family history. All that is upended when he is found missing from school, and the clues point to injury or fatality.

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Review: Unholy Dying

Unholy Dying by R.T. Campbell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



First published in 1945, UNHOLY DYING is one of the several pseudonymous detective mysteries by Scottish poet Ruthven Campbell Todd staring botany professor John Stubbs, a corporate Orson Welles-size scientist who fancies himself successor to the great detectives of classical mystery. Here a Congress of Geneticists held at University results in not just one, but multiple, unexplained deaths of attending scientists. At first Stubbs' blundering feckless nephew Andrew Blake, a journalist, is blamed and arrested. The actual denouement is both surprising and poignant.


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Review: Bodies in a Bookshop

Bodies in a Bookshop by R.T. Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a child and adolescent I delighted in the mysteries of Nero Wolfe, champion orchid devotee, and his feckless but well-meaning sidekick Archie Goodwin. Imagine my delight to discover the mysteries of R. T. Campbell, pseudonym for Scottish poet Ruthven Campbell Todd . Published post-World War II, these several short novels were an excursion into detective fiction for poet Todd, who offered them for publication (to an eventually defunct publisher) under the nom de plume to keep them discrete from his poetry.

Professor of Botany John Stubbs and his adorably feckless, reading-devoted, live-in companion and amanuensis Max Boyle, also a botanist, live in London where Stubbs teaches and develops his history of botany. Max studies, reads, tries to keep the Professor's home library from encroaching into his room, and expends terrified moments riding in the Professor's Bentley. The "old man" is also an aficionado of mysteries (and beer) and insists on applying his "scientific approach" to various mysteries in order to assist the beleaguered Detective Chief Inspector Bishop.

First published in 1946, BODIES IN A BOOKSHOP and its fellow mysteries are as much character-driven as mystery-driven, although definitely the mystery is puzzling, right until the end. The denouement and revelation, and its subsequent consequences, are superb and finely-tuned. This was a one-sitting reading, providing much intellectual and emotional enjoyment to this reader.

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Review: The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I've been reading for many decades, so as with serial killer fiction, I've been reading "Psychological Thrillers" since long before that term became regularly applied. I ordered THE SILENT PATIENT from Book of the Month Club based on the plot premise.

Oh dear. On Page 5, the (admittedly unreliable) narrator informs us:

P: 5: "I find his stuff rather slick, shallow."

His reference is to the victim's photography. Mine is to the novel in its entirety. I may be swimming upstream against the flood of opinion, but I consider this novel too self-consciously pretentious, like THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN. Far too full of itself. Of course, I cared not for that "Psychological Thriller" either.

I'm very disappointed.

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Review: The Marsh King's Daughter

The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a totally enjoyable book! I adore the setting, the tension, and the character arcs! So pleased with the author's balancing of contemporary present with backstory (intermediate past) and way-in-the-past backstory, all of which is essential in eliciting the plot themes (multiple) and the character arcs (I'm not sure the term "character evolution" applies here). A tremendous amount of both plot layers and of characterization has gone into making this novel great, and for those reasons I place THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER on the same exalted level as I do Robyn Harding's HER PRETTY FACE. Additionally, both have exceptionally strong female characters. I found Helena, protagonist and eponymous character of THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER, readily eliciting my empathy and quite comprehensible. This is definitely a re-reader.

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Review: The Owl: Scarlet Serenade

The Owl: Scarlet Serenade by Bob Forward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

No, the title doesn't specifically refer to the amount of blood splatter in this book, though it might could. If possible, I enjoyed this second installment in the Alexander L'Hiboux/Owl series even more than the first, OWL: JUSTICE NEVER SLEEPS. "Owl" suffers from insomnolence, the inability to ever sleep, and has for the past nine years. He also has no home or vehicle, no permanent address (although his associate does operate an office ostensibly unrelated to the justice vigilante known as Owl). Like another series character, Dexter, Owl targets only the bad and the evil; and in SCARLET SERENADE he takes on some despicable villains, it is true.

Foiling the attempted kidnapping of a sixteen-year-old girl should have been a simple event; stop the abduction, get the girl home, Owl goes on about his life. Not so. He unfortunately does not have the backstory, nor even the current story, and once again he will be on the run for his life. What is new? A very twisty and convoluted plot with some great characters and some evil villains who deserve justice, that's what.

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Review: The Owl: Justice Never Sleeps

The Owl: Justice Never Sleeps by Bob Forward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OWL: JUSTICE NEVER SLEEPS introduces a new type of Noir protagonist. Alexander L'Hiboux (a French surname which translates to "owl") literally never sleeps, due to a physiological condition. He literally never sleeps. Now from inability to sleep to vigilante justice and homelessness may be a leap, but nevertheless this is Owl's way of life. The author does a complex job of unfolding his protagonist's character and backstory so that the reader is continually surprised; even after the first book we don't "know everything." This is a multi-layered individual indeed.

OWL: JUSTICE NEVER SLEEPS contains a high violence content, since Owl is, as he terms himself, "a killer," and his reputation is such that most bad guys don't want to mess with him. Of course, there are still some that do, and in this novel, the bad guys are seriously evil. Some of this violence will likely upset sensitive readers. Be aware that this is Noir so there will be violence and profanity and nasty characters as well as a "good guy" who is not really "good" but does have his own code of honor, kind of like a renegade samurai, one might say.

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Review: Owl Manor: The Dawning

Owl Manor: The Dawning by Zita Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First in a historical Gothic romance series, OWL MANOR THE DAWNING also contains some strong doses of feminism, depth psychology, and unexpected characters, situations, events. I grew up devouring Gothic suspense--yes, a genre to itself--not only the mainstream writers, such as Dorothy Eden, Phyllis A. Whitney, Victoria Holt, and the Queen, Daphne du Maurier, as well as the paperback Gothic romantic suspense of the 1960's and 1970's. So when I encountered OWL MANOR THE DAWNING, I felt at home, but also thought "Gothic was never like this,, in that Zita Harrison digs deeper and ranges farther. I think she may write with the spirit of Shirley Jackson peering over her shoulder.

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Review: The Curse of Sara Douroux

The Curse of Sara Douroux by C.A. Wittman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An engrossing and fascinating paranormal YA novel with significant twists, THE CURSE OF SARA DOUROUX kept me riveted throughout. By turns multicurally diverse, historically referent, and wide-ranging in mythology, this novel I would rate in both supernatural and paranormal categories, and at the upper end of the YA range due to significant levels of violence, adolescent pregnancies, and substance addiction.

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Review: Tracing The Trails: A Constant Reader's Reflections on the Work of Stephen King

Tracing The Trails: A Constant Reader's Reflections on the Work of Stephen King by Chad A. Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Subtitled "A Constant Reader's Reflections on the Work of Stephen King," TRACING THE TRAILS is a literary memoir by one thoughtful author/reader as he embarked on a quest to read every piece of writing by the master, Stephen King. Beginning in 2013, author Chad Clark began to read (or reread) everything Mr. King had published, in order of publication. In some cases, that became a little odd for Mr. Clark as for other readers; for example, the original published version of THE STAND, long as it was, still was not as significantly lengthy as the version Mr. King initially penned, which was published later. Mr. Clark takes care to elicit King's background situations at the time of each story, which is appealing to long-time King fans, but he also shows us his own viewpoint at the time of his reading. Through this method, the book becomes so much more than a list of Mr. Clark's reading. I am reminded of the stories about Fae who lead travelers and unwitting visitors off the path and into the forest; except here, it is author Chad Clark raising high a lantern, guiding us safely, stopping to point out a novel here, there a story, over yonder a collection. Pausing to explain why each is important, what it means to his life, and what was going on in the life of Mr. King as each story was created. The value for me in this book is threefold; I learned more about Stephen King as author and individual, and about his literary output. I saw through a different viewpoint, that of a reader/writer who loves Mr. King's works. Finally, Mr. Clark's guidance along this literary path inspired in me new considerations and food for thought, as well as an impetus to return to some of my favourites and to rethink (and reread) some I didn't care for on first read. I recommend taking this book a section at a time: let it speak to you, think about what Mr. Clark is telling, pick up the King story in question and reread (or possibly, read for the first time). This book is not meant to be a one-sitting read, but a guidebook written by a Constant Reader whose devotion and intelligence shines through.

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Review: The Night Janitor

The Night Janitor by T.F. Allen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An exceptionally engrossing paranormal novel with fantastic characterizations which I read in one sitting, THE NIGHT JANITOR I would classify as Paranormal Psychological Thriller. It's immensely captivating: the characters are well drawn (and some of them are very unusual), the suspense is constantly ratcheted maximally, and there's plenty of plot convolutions and mystery to keep even jaded readers racing through its pages.

Once upon a time, some four decades ago, a con artist pretended to be a faith healer. Traveling from small community to small community, he dragged along his long-suffering spouse and two children. It was a miserable life for the children, unable to stop anywhere long enough to make friends, no schooling, always on the go; until something even more serious occurred. The two children developed gifts, in a finely tuned balance of good vs. evil; from there the framework was set. One compassionate, one vengeful. Eventually one would find the other, and then the showdown would commence. Will Evil triumph, or will Good? Read THE NIGHT JANITOR and discover the answers.

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Review: Trifles and Folly 2: A Deadly Curiosities Collection

Trifles and Folly 2: A Deadly Curiosities Collection by Gail Z. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

More new adventures with that very specialized magical curio shop in Charleston! This very special locale offers an owner gifted in psychometry (by which she sees visions from objects), her partner , a 6- century old Vampire, and her assistant, a witch and hacker. Keeping dangerous objects from the wrong prying hands and saving our Universe: all in a day's work for the staff at Charleston's beloved Trifles & Folly.

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Review: Is a Worry Worrying You?

Is a Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a delightful and helpful children's book. The illustrations are engaging, and the text is simultaneously realistic and fantastical, catching the attention of children (and elders) and bringing across the point without belaboring it. Some of the suggested situations are realistic (a loud uncle), others are more imagined (involving animals), but every one is a real-life potential for anxiety, and the author soothes the reader through each of these situations. I found it very helpful and will delight to share it with my grandchildren.

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Review: I Like to Eat Children

I Like to Eat Children by Reagan Rothe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Even after decades of devouring Horror, this title struck me and I had to know what it was about. I'm still not sure I approve, but certainly it did catch my attention; and reading the story, I saw that there is a sensible conclusion to it. Children worry about monsters under the bed, in the closet, and outside the window. In this story, that Monster is a real creature, but by the end Rescue Parents solve the problem, equitably and calmly, so the children are all safe and protected

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Review: In the Shadow of Spindrift House

In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

IN THE SHADOW OF SPINDRIFT HOUSE is such a perfect novel that I am rendered speechless. It's so deserving of praise, but I am too awestruck to deliver it! the horror, the characterizations, the familial friendship, the setting, and for this reader, the intense "Lovecraftianness" (yes, I coined that word) of Spindrift House and its "owners" and those Called to it, are beyond my ability to express. Mira Grant is an extraordinary writer, and as much as I loved INTO THE DARKEST DEEPS, I may just love this one more.

Four close friends (two are non-identical twins, the other is a young man and his foster sister) decide on one final ghost-hunting excursion, to an isolated coastal house in Maine, for a very big payout. What could go wrong? What indeed? They can't possibly know what Spindrift House has in mind, but each one will find out, though only one will understand why.

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Review: At The Cemetery Gates: Volume 2

At The Cemetery Gates: Volume 2 by John Brhel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

AT THE CEMETERY GATES VOL. 2 is of course the second in this series of short horror stories. This volume collects more on the dark side than simply horror: there is mystery and edgy business too, although it still has straight out horror. These stories are quite short, so I recommend them as one-at-a-sitting reads, maybe when you're stuck in traffic or waiting in line, or you just want a quick horror dose to scare you up before bedtime.

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