Review: Chop Shop

Chop Shop by Andrew Post
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

CHOP SHOP I term Minnesota noir crime/horror. In this novel the horror derives from man's inhumanity to man, neatly balanced by human goodness, as exemplified by several other characters. There's hardly a winner here, unless it's poetic justice, but there is substantial redemption, also demonstrated by several characters. Be prepared for gore, and to have your heartstrings wrenched.

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Review: Those Who Came Before

Those Who Came Before by J.H. Moncrieff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE is an extraordinary novel of paranormal horror, based on Native American mythology and grounded in ugly historical fact. Seen through the perspective of a new University graduate and a Native American homicide detective, the novel also interweaves visions which clarify past history of both the indigenous tribe and of the onslaught of European settlers. A tremendously engrossing novel with a deep emotional impact, this is non-stop reading.

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Review: The Wasting: Descent to the Cataclysm

The Wasting: Descent to the Cataclysm by Blade Cort
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THE WASTING is a fascinating leap into the imminent future (2037), when Genetic Engineering and Genetic Modification have advanced astronomically. Humans directly connected to knowledge and/or networked yo each other; mechanically-modified humans; and human-animal hybrids: all these "varints" are commonplace, yet their existence is a fount of social disruption. In addition, the technology to modify viruses and other potential weapons is widely available. When an alien obelisk crashes in remote Canada, widespread global panic is the tipping point for eventual human extinction.

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Review: The Last Christmas A Repairman Jack Novel

The Last Christmas A Repairman Jack Novel by F. Paul Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've always enjoyed F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack stories and I adore anything that's Cosmic Horror. So I leaped to read this novel but at the same time, I read trepidatiously: because "the last" always implies Finality...and if not "the last" for Jack, then for whom? Or "the last" what?


Thankfully, despite a number of scares, close calls, tragic events, and humans behaving despicably, the novel provided me with tremendous satisfaction, the perception of "a job well done," of loose ends successfully interwoven, of numerous examples of the achievement of poetic justice.


If new to Mr. Wilson's work, you can still read and enjoy "The Last Christmas," but I think you will find yourself inspired to delve deeper into his oeuvre.

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Review: Hearthstone Cottage

Hearthstone Cottage by Frazer Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A proposed post-graduation blowout for four close university friends results in an unending nightmare for one, feckless Michael Carter, who like the Fool in Tarot, is often second-chosen and first-to-fail. But the stay at Scotland's isolated Hearthstone Cottage targets Mike with terrifyingly realistic nightmares, visions of the dead, sleepwalking, and rampant paranoia, which the others blame on his alcoholism and marijuana.


HEARTHSTONE COTTAGE is a nonstop riveting read and the suspense never slackens. Prepare to lose sleep.

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Review: A House of Ghosts

A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

HOUSE OF GHOSTS is an utterly engrossing manor-house-on-an-island-in-a-snowstorm mystery, so wonderfully reminiscent of the Golden Age of Mystery. Set on an island off the Devon, England, coast, in a haunted former abbey, in Winter 1917, with Great Britain still in the throes of World War I, a feisty heroine who sees spirits teams with an Irishman, an officer in the British forces, on a weekend house party, where everybody has secrets, even the ghosts; and someone among them is not above stooping to murder...

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Review: Shepherd's Warning

Shepherd's Warning by Cailyn Lloyd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SHEPHERD'S WARNING is an immensely engrossing horror/paranormal novel with contemporary issues and deep historical background. The paranormal elements are inventive, focusing on one ancestral lineage. Additionally the author weaves in a congruent plot line in one Kenric Shepherd, University professor and sorcerer. This is a "can't-put-down" paranormal thrill ride, wrenching reader's emotions and delivering an ultimately gratifying and re-readable novel.

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Review: The Descendants: A Supernatural Thriller

The Descendants: A Supernatural Thriller by Kirk Kilgrave
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THE DESCENDANTS is an engrossing horror novel with a creatively inventive premise. Throughout are several characters striving to do what's best for the Family (past and present characters) and villains. It's not until nearly the end that we discover who is actually the true villain; and the denouement that follows will wrench the emotions of even the most jaded of readers. Realistic family life and characters with integrity (with the exception of the villainous) steer an entrancing paranormal horror.

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Review: The Hungry Ghost

The Hungry Ghost by Dalena Storm
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was agreeably surprised by this novel as it proved to have a quite unexpected depth and richness of quality. Not strictly an LGBT narrative, not only metaphysical, not simply a metaphor of love attempted and failed (although it encompasses all and each of these), at heart I found it a treatise on writing and creativity, an exploration of how Imagination creates Reality. I tremendously enjoyed it and I know it will remain in my imagination while I ponder what tulpas I may create.

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Review: Short Stories III: Strange, Weird & Sci-Fi

Short Stories III: Strange, Weird & Sci-Fi by Rich DiSilvio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

7 startling tales from an author who is fearless in letting his imagination roam free and who willingly offers homage to his inspirations, both literary and musical. I still cannot stop pondering the incredible denouement and conclusion of "Adam and Adams," a story which returned me to the Nuclear Scares and Apocalyptic literature of my 1950's childhood.

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Review: Darkness at the Edge of Town

Darkness at the Edge of Town by Jennifer Harlow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A compelling suspense thriller that runs the gamut of emotions, DARKNESS AT THE EDGE OF TOWN is Book 2 in the Dr. Iris Ballard series. Iris, now a national "hero" after killing a suave, wealthy, multiple rapist-murderer while still a forensic psychologist with the FBI. Against her better judgment, she returns to her Rust Belt hometown to locate her brother, who may have joined a cult.


Shades of Branch Davidian, Jonestown, and Heaven's Gate echo throughout the novel, which will appeal to readers of Sandra Brannan, Tess Gerritsen, and Iris Johansen. There is a plethora of obscenity, some violence and tragedy, and some sexual scenes, so 18+.

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Review: Blakemort

Blakemort by Shani Struthers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've not read the PSYCHIC SURVEYS Series in order, though I have read Book 1 and Book 4, and BLAKEMORT, which gives background prequel on one of the new characters. So far I do believe OLD CROSS COTTAGE is my favourite. It provides both depth and breadth--there are multiple threads of haunting involved, and we really delve into the reasons why and the emotional backgrounds. Several of the characters--alive and dead--particularly resonated for me; and Ruby and Cash certainly pull our heartstrings as they develop their relationship while simultaneously coping with numerous hauntings. I am definitely going to catch up on this series.

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Review: Old Cross Cottage

Old Cross Cottage by Shani Struthers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've not read the PSYCHIC SURVEYS Series in order, though I have read Book 1 and Book 4, and BLAKEMORT, which gives background prequel on one of the new characters. So far I do believe OLD CROSS COTTAGE is my favourite. It provides both depth and breadth--there are multiple threads of haunting involved, and we really delve into the reasons why and the emotional backgrounds. Several of the characters--alive and dead--particularly resonated for me; and Ruby and Cash certainly pull our heartstrings as they develop their relationship while simultaneously coping with numerous hauntings. I am definitely going to catch up on this series.

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Review: Slashing Mona Lisa

Slashing Mona Lisa by D.M. Barr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SLASHING MONA LISA is a hardhitting and heartwrenching mystery focusing on themes of self-esteem and self-acceptance in a contemporary society celebrating youth, falseness, and cookie-cutter appearance, bullying by fat-shaming.


Intrepid protagonist Camarin lost her epileptic twin to that shaming, and her burning purpose is to expose fat-shaming and convince those who don't match society's ideal that they are fine as they are.

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Review: Palmer Entity: Supernatural Suspense with Scary & Horrifying Monsters

Palmer Entity: Supernatural Suspense with Scary & Horrifying Monsters by David Longhorn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

PALMER ENTITY is the sequel to the horrifying novel ROOKWOOD ASYLUM.
The late Doctor Miles Rugeley Palmer, who along with all the other staff and all the patients of the former Rookwood Asylum, perished in the fire in 1955, has for all these decades collected to him in spirit those patients and staff, together with additional spirits who have died in the building over the years. This massed entity seemingly is confined to the building's premises, but in the remaining copse of trees is awakening the ancient pagan god which once ruled that forest. American Paul Mahan unwillingly agrees to participate in a ghost hunting documentary in the building, fearful that more tragedy will ensue, which of course does occur.

PALMER ENTITY is riveting and terrifying, due to the implacability of the horrors and targeting of bystanders and the virtually innocent. I quite enjoyed this read, as I did the first in the series, and hope it continues.

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Review: Rookwood Asylum: Supernatural Suspense with Scary & Horrifying Monsters

Rookwood Asylum: Supernatural Suspense with Scary & Horrifying Monsters by David Longhorn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In a quiet English community, once there existed a thriving forest, home to capering wildlife and birds, especially noted for its rooks. Earlier eras stayed away from the forest for reasons of superstition or just quiet discontent. Then came a plan to raze most of the trees and build on the site, and Rookwood Asylum was constructed. An unfortunate choice of location, indeed; and an unfortunate choice of directors, for Doctor Miles Rugeley Palmer was a rampantly egotistical megalomaniac, a person of short stature determined to make a blazing mark on his world. He cared not for the value of human life nor dignity. Humans existed for the purpose of his experimentation, in which he blended medical science with the paranormal.

Eventually Palmer discovers "the perfect subject," a seventeen-year-old unwed mother named Annie. But his "treatments" (including electroconvulsive therapy) unleash her brain capacity, and she overpowers him psychically. The results are tragic for all: a fire engulfs the East Wing, and all patients and staff are killed.

Decades later a developer remodels the asylum building into expensive apartments, but of course there are tragedies galore, during renovation and once tenants move in. Among the new apartment owners is American Paul Mahan, who teaches at a Tynecastle university. As the truth of the tragedies and of the history of the asylum unravels, Paul is fortunate to escape with his life, after being targeted by "Liz," a ghost haunting the renovated complex.

I found ROOKWOOD ASYLUM a compelling and horrifying read. The horror is implacable and encompassing, and leaves the expectation of an equally engrossing sequel (PALMER ENTITY).

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Review: Monster of the Asylum

Monster of the Asylum by B.T. Lord
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I first read the sample, then bought the book, and found it totally compelling. I needed no suspension of disbelief to comprehend the paranormal elements, which are so well delivered and interwoven with conviction. Characters are thoroughly delineated through their actions, converse, and internal dialogue; several experience character evolution, while some undergo character devolution with its resulting consequences.

Although the story line involves lots of hauntings, nevertheless these express realistically, and throughout the paranormal is interwoven with the past history and present circumstances of the building and its environs. The eponymous Monster is different than expected (and this is borne out by the suggestions of viewers who are in real time watching the broadcast of the ghost hunting investigation), yet its nature (past and present) worked excellently in the context and was very realistic and possible.

I did not realize until I had finished the novel (in one sitting) and read the two Author's Notes that the co-authors are themselves experienced in the field of the paranormal and of paranormal investigations. I now realize where the realism is derived from. I'm eagerly awaiting the continuation of this series.

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Review: Caught Up In It

Caught Up In It by David Burnsworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although as Noir mystery I couldn't term the Blu Carraway Investigations Series "light-hearted," I can call them entertaining, spirit-lifting, and a delight to read. Yes, there is violence; but the author delineates his characters so deeply, explores their backstories and their potential future timelines. He also sets up a really puzzling mystery that the protagonists and associates and friends must work at diligently to solve while they remain alive, because they are all definitely in danger here. The characters also demonstrate a depth of feeling that is not often encountered in Noir, I don't think, and this make for a well-rounded mystery with plenty of depth and breadth.

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Review: The Codebook Murders

The Codebook Murders by Leslie Nagel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THE OAKWOOD BOOK CLUB MYSTERIES is one of my absolutely favourite cozy mystery series. I can't help but love characters who adore books, and this series features several strong-in-integrity female characters, along with several male series characters who are respectful, supportive, and loving (even protective). The books are well-written and compelling, examining the characters in great depth, and providing puzzling mysteries to be solved.

In THE CODEBOOK MURDERS protagonist Charley Carpenter and her Oakwood Book Club (which reads and discusses only mysteries by female authors) stumble upon a 40-year-old local mystery, and how it resonates with their current book club selection, Agatha Christie's DEATH ON THE NILE (which made me want to reread it!). The case is so cold, but a killer still lurks, active and determined to keep the original murder forever unsolved, no matter who has to die or be ruined.

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Review: Ancestral Transgression: A Paranormal Mystery Novel

Ancestral Transgression: A Paranormal Mystery Novel by R.P. Wood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As is author R. P. Wood's earlier book, DEAD GOD OF HOLDREDGE VALLEY, ANCESTRAL TRANSGRESSION is set in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Courtney and Peter rent an expensive secluded cabin to rejuvenate their failing relationship. But being alone seems to bring out the worst in each, and the advent of a Totem which appears and disappears in multiple location, angry messages written in the Cherokee syllabary, and terrifying sounds at the cabin should propel the duo back to their urban home--if only they had the sense to heed the approach of danger.

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Review: The Fifth Grave: A DCI Jacob Mystery

The Fifth Grave: A DCI Jacob Mystery by Rob Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THE FIFTH GRAVE, from prolific thriller and suspense author Rob Jones, is the first in the new DCI JACOB MYSTERY series. Wiltshire England Detective Chief Inspector Tom Jacob is a marvel: maverick, rule-breaker, a strong individual broken in spirit after the tragedy a year prior. After a sterling career on the London Metropolitan Police and the Thames Valley Division at Oxford, the tragic death of his fiancee and bereavement leave, he has returned to his childhood home, the Old Watermill, on the Wiltshire Downs. A trio of metal detector explorers out in the forest on Boxing Day (December 26) uncover a skeleton beneath a beech tree's roots. It proves to be a cold case, but Jacob and his team are determined to solve it: and then the new killings commence.


Consistently taut suspense, surprises, a shocking denouement and explosive ending contribute to a riveting and thought-provoking read.

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