Book Reviews 2023

Episode Thirteen
by Craig DiLouie

I’ve been interested in this novel for some time, as I found the premise interesting. In today’s climate of reality TV, who hasn’t peeped at a ghost or paranormal show where they follow the actors (ghost hunters) as they investigate creepy locations worldwide… (More)

The Only One Left
by Riley Sager

Where to begin? This book has been highly anticipated and discussed among my Good Reads friends and Book-Tubers all around. It’s a Riley Sager novel, so expect more twists and turns than a typical Lucey Foley….. (More)

Mosaic
by Catherine McCarthy

The only disappointment was the ending because I predicted a little more to happen, but it fell short and was very calm. Mosaic is a slow burn, for sure. The story builds and builds and builds until you feel like you’re going to burst. A demonic presence, with “true” followers and an unsuspecting main character stuck in the middle, perfect… (More)

We Sold Our Souls
by Grady Hendrix

Just like the title reads, they sold their souls – or did they? I enjoy most of Grady Hendrix’s novels, and while intended to be horror and thriller, they always give me a chuckle because the characters are real. Sometimes they do and say funny shit, and I’m ok with that because it gives them meat. Be them down and out, depressed, socially inadequate, or over the top; they are entertaining… (More)

The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley

Murder, salacious behavior, and a family scandal, yes, it’s a Lucy Foley novel. The Paris Apartment is another novel with characters you’ll love, hate, and downright feel sorry for…. (More)

How To Sell A Haunted House
by Grady Hendrix

Before this book even premiered, it intrigued me and immediately got added to my TBR list.] I’ve read several of Hendrix’s novels, [Final Girls Support Group, My Best Friends Exorcism, The SGBCG to Slaying Vampires, and Horrorstor], and this is another one that I enjoyed. What’s not to love about a haunted house?… (More)

Cold, Black & Infinite
by Todd Keisling

Cold, Black & Infinite is a collection of short stories that truly embody the title, Horrific and Strange, and I love the dedication that says…

To the heathens,
The outcasts,
The introverts,
The weirdos and goths,
The godless and gracious
The queers and queens,
And all who dare to be…

This one’s for you.… (More)

Dead Eleven
by Jimmy Juliano

What a weird, interesting, strange novel. I loved it all. A town stuck in 1994, a murder, and a weird connection between the murder and a small island. This was a great book to tuck into… (More)

The Agathas
by  Kathleen Glasglow & Liz Lawson

Sometimes, I will really dig deep into my next novel, and sometimes, I go in with no information. I read very little of the description, and I was pleasantly surprised. Murder, scandal, abuse, and a pretty good story….. (More)

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
by Matthew Sullivan

This was an interesting mystery novel by Matthew Sullivan.  While it didn’t blow my mind, it has some interesting points and a great backstory…. (More)

Ghost Radio
by Leopoldo Gout

This novel missed the mark with me. I’m into thrillers, mysteries, and horror, and when books promise to be (as the description states) “a terrifying novel about a ghost-story call-in radio show that inadvertently opens a doorway … (More)

Welcome to Nightvale
by Joseph Fink

Talk about one of the strangest, weirdest novels I’ve read this year. Nightvale fits that bill. It’s like Season 2 of Twin Peaks, where it got weird for me, and it was hard to figure out what was happening. (More)

Legion
by William Peter Blatty

Legion is the continuation of The Exorcist, and although the book lays it out as The Exorcist 2, in the movie franchise, it’s really The Exorcist 3. The story still takes place in Washington, DC (More)

The Hunting Party
by Lucy Foley

Another mystery thriller from Lucy Foley that I truly enjoyed, and I found myself not completely hating all the characters. (More)

Who is Maude Dixon
by Alexandria Andrews

What to say about our protagonist in this story [Florence Darrow]. Florence works for a publishing house as an editor and has dreamed of becoming a writer, but she hasn’t written anything recently. (More)

Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of 70s’ & 80s’ Horror Fiction
by Grady Hendrix

Paperbacks from Hell is a dive into the most obscure horror fiction from the ’70s and ’80s. (More)

The Lost Apothecary
by Sarah Penner

The Lost Apothecary is a novel told from two perspectives (past and present). Still, it revolves around Caroline [our protagonist], who is blindsided by the revelation that her husband, James, had an affair. Caroline was excited about a planned trip to London with her husband as they entertained the thought of planning a family. (More)

Mister Magic, A Novel
by Kiersten White

Reading the synopsis, I didn’t know what to expect, but I definitely wasn’t disappointed. This book gave me Chanel Zero [Season 1] vibes [that show on Syfy], but better. (More)

In A Dark, Dark Wood
by Ruth Ware

College friends gather at a cabin in the woods for a friend’s “hen” night (bachelorette weekend)
before the wedding. What can possibly go wrong? (More)

Horrorstor
by Grady Hendrix

What would it be like to work at an Ikea-Esq store that has portals to another space in time, perhaps built on a sacred burial ground? Well, my friends, that’s Horrorstor in a nutshell. (More)

The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear
by Matt Segaloff

This book is about the beginnings of The Exorcist, how the story and screenplay came to fruition, the Directors’ complicated relationship with the writer, actors on actors, and a complete synopsis of the entire franchise broken down by each movie, including the TV series and upcoming movie trilogy in which Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Chris MacNeil. (More)

The Silent Patient
by Alex Michaelides

A stealthy murder mystery told from the diary of the patient Alicia Berenson, a famous artist who loves her husband, Gabriel. Fast forward six years, and Gabriel dies as Alicia is found with the gun next to his body. (More)

The Verifiers
by Jane Pek

Claudia Lin (the protagonist) loves mysteries and, after playing the online game “Murder Most Foul,” was recruited by a company called Veracity, a referral-only agency specializing in verifying people that clients would meet in online dating apps.  (More)

Wilder Girls
by Rory Power

Picture this, a pseudo-post-apocalyptic world where the enemy is not called a virus but “the tox.” And rather than focusing on the entire world, let’s set this at Raxter’s School for Girls. (More)

Disco Deathtrap
by Cameron Roubique

Disco Deathtrap was a light 230-page read typical of the classic slasher movies of the 80s. Was it graphic (just), gory (yes), or cheesy (absolutely), but it was a fun read. (More)

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
by Grady Hendrix

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires was an interesting read.  Picture this (I’m channeling my Sophia from Golden Girls) Charleston, South Carolina. The timeframe is the 90s.  It’s the time of the Southern housewife.  You kept your home clean, you went to church, you took care of your kids, and you tended to your husband. (More)

The Book of Cold Cases
by Simone St. James

I love a good true crime story, and this book fits the bill. The Book of Cold Cases is a murder mystery and a ghost story all rolled into one.

She Collins is a medical receptionist by day, but in the evenings, she runs a blog called The Book of Cold Cases which discusses notorious unsolved murders. (More)

Rules for Vanishing
by Kate Alice Marshall

This YA novel is about more than just a mysterious path. People have been vanishing from the forest. Is it a stupid high school prank …where once a year, Lucy Gallows calls out to you, and a path appears? (More)