It’s the end of the month and I have numerous reviews to get caught up on – as usual! So here is round one with some fun horror reads.
Let’s just dive in!
DEATH COMES AT CHRISTMAS – Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane (Released October 22nd, 2024 – Thanks to Titan Books for the gifted copy!)
The award-winning Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane invite you to a festive gathering of bestselling, critically acclaimed and award-winning writers in tribute to classic, British period crime stories. From locked room mysteries on Christmas eve to devilish whodunits and tales of simmering rivalries unfolding at the dinner table, these thirteen original seasonal tales will delight and shock at every twist and turn. So, unwrap the presents, pour a mug of mulled wine and follow the bloodstained footprints through the freshly fallen snow as winter descends and darkness lurks in the shadows.
Featuring stories by: Fiona Cummins, Angela Clarke, A.K. Benedict, Susi Holliday, J.T. Ellison, David Bell, Sarah Hilary, Claire McGowan, Tina Baker, Sam Carrington, Liz Mistry, C.L. Taylor, Helen Fields, Russ Thomas, Tom Mead, Vaseem Khan, Samantha Hayes & Belinda Bauer
Mini Review: 3.5/5 stars – Eighteen short stories and an amazing lineup of authors in this holiday collection! Mystery and murder for the holidays, exactly what every thriller lover is looking for! Some were around 10 pages long and others up to 30 pages. We get a good variety, and thankfully, nothing felt repetitive. I know that can happen in anthologies sometimes, but each story was fresh and unique. My personal favorites were The Red Angel and How to Commit Murder in a Bookshop!
Remember, these are all murder mysteries, not horror, so if you go into this wanting scary and gory, you’ll be a little disappointed. If you want murder and suspense, then you’re in for a treat!
THE AXE REMEMBERS – Marcus Hawke (Released July 2nd, 2024)
He’s called The Redwood Ripper. An urban legend said to be the vengeful spirit of a woodsman who haunts the wilds and hunts those that take more from it than they give. When he awakes one fateful night, commanded by the wind itself, the crew of a timber mill on Vancouver Island will know that the legends are true.
Mini Review: 4/5 stars – Urban legends and slashers – is all I needed to see to want to read this. At 73 pages, this little menace packs a punch, and I loved it. With it being so short I don’t want to risk spoiling the fun, but I loved the Redwood Ripper and highly recommend reading the Author’s Note at the end (thank you for mentioning it, Chandra!)
THE ILL FITTING SKIN – Shannon Robinson (Released May 3rd, 2024)
The Ill-Fitting Skin is layered with surreal story telling but remains an extraordinarily realistic read, in the sense that even the most solid realities of life-and death-tend to blur and shimmer at their raw edges. The talkative bird that nests in a woman’s womb is as real as the “previous tenant.” The love of a mother for her uncontrollable son is as real as the wildness that is in her too. The women of The Ill-Fitting Skin are real women-who work and grieve and create and destroy, who love and do not love, whether at the roll of the dice or because “the pages are paths, and you will have to choose among them.”
Mini Review: 3/5 stars – A collection of creepy and dark short stories that are mind-bending and ones that will make you stop and think. Baby dolls, werewolves, and a choose your own adventure? I had a lot of fun with some of these.
Jessicamap Reviews 