Horror
stories are so often about outsiders, misfits, and outcasts. Sometimes, these
outsiders are the victims; sometimes, they’re the monsters. Occasionally,
they’re both. Jade Daniels is a social misfit, an awkward teen, and an
unrepentant, slasher-obsessed horror fan.
Jade
sees the world through a horror film lens, and her love for the genre colors
every word on the page. She’s a fun-house reflection of everyone who loves
horror and finds interacting with normal people to be awkward and intimidating.
I became a fan of her first appearance, and her narrative voice is easily my
favorite of the year. It’s
a horror novel and might be a tough read for some folks. But if you enjoy
the genre, this is an absolute gem.
The Jordan Peele of horror fiction turns his eye to classic slasher films: Jade is one class away from graduating high-school, but that's one class she keeps failing local history. Dragged down by her past, her father and being an outsider, she's composing her epic essay series to save her high-school diploma.
Jade's topic? The unifying theory of slasher films. In her rapidly gentrifying rural lake town, Jade sees the pattern in recent events that only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror cinema could have prepared her for. And with the arrival of the Final Girl, Letha Mondragon, she's convinced an…
Deadfall
Hotel is the story of a man hired to manage a hotel where supernatural
creatures go to relax. He and his daughter move in and immediately begin
encountering a bewildering array of guests and invaders. Some of them are twists
on classic monsters, and some have sprung wholly-formed from Steve Rasnic Tem’s
imagination.
In every instance, the page positively drips with mood and gothic
atmosphere. There
are elements of horror, but it veers more to the psychological and darkly
fantastic rather than gross-out or shock.
Either
get the physical version of this one or search around for images of the
gorgeous interior illustrations by John Kenn Mortensen.
Reminiscent of Ray Bradbury, Deadfall Hotel guides you through a season spent in the ultimate haunted hotel. Told through the story of a widower who takes the job of manager at a hotel, The Deadfall Hotel is a place where the guests are not like you and me, where nightmares seek a place of sanctuary.
Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series is set in a
retirement home, with retirees from various backgrounds coming together to
solve crimes. It’s a concept that could easily have been saccharine or
patronizing, but Osman delivers characters we care about and relationships that
are fully believable.
Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron are, simply put,
brilliantly realized. They have all the complex thoughts and conflicting
emotions to feel real and the basic human decency to make readers care about
them.
Their friendships with one another and their
relationships with the wider world all come together beautifully as the
perfectly-built mystery plot reveals itself.
They are true companions to one another, and I
couldn’t ask for fellowship as I go on the journey with them.
THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY RICHARD OSMAN
It's the following Thursday.
Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He's made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.
As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus?
This noir fantasy thriller introduces the gritty town of Titanshade, where danger lurks around every corner.
Carter's a homicide cop in Titanshade, an oil boomtown where 8-tracks are state of the art, disco rules the radio, and all the best sorcerers wear designer labels. It's also a metropolis teetering on the edge of disaster. As its oil reserves run dry, the city's future hangs on a possible investment from the reclusive amphibians known as Squibs.
But now negotiations have been derailed by the horrific murder of a Squib diplomat. The pressure's never been higher to make a quick arrest. Carter must find the killer before the investigation turns into a witch-hunt, and those closest to him pay the ultimate price on the filthy streets of Titanshade.
