The Babysitter Lives/Killer on the Road – Stephen Graham Jones

What’s better than one Stephen Graham Jones novella? Well, two of them, obviously!

Thank you Saga Press Books for the gifted copy

THE BABYSITTER LIVES/KILLER ON THE ROAD – Stephen Graham Jones (Released July 15th, 2025)

Book Description:

A must-have collector’s item for horror fans, comprised of two novellas, The Babysitter Lives and Killer on the Road, from the new master of horror Stephen Graham Jones.

The Babysitter Lives: When high school senior Charlotte agrees to babysit the Wilbanks twins, she plans to put the six-year-olds to bed early and spend a quiet night studying: the SATs are tomorrow, and checking the Native American/Alaskan Native box on all the forms won’t help if she chokes on test day. But tomorrow is also Halloween, and the twins are eager to show off their costumes.

Charlotte’s last babysitting gig almost ended in tragedy when her young charge sleepwalked unnoticed into the middle of the street, only to be found unharmed by Charlotte’s mother. Charlotte vows to be extra careful this time. But the house is filled with mysterious noises and secrets that only the twins understand, echoes of horrors that Charlotte gradually realizes took place in the house eleven years ago. Soon Charlotte has to admit that every babysitter’s worst nightmare has come true: they’re not alone in the house.

Killer on the Road: Sixteen-year-old Harper has decided to run away from home after she has another blow-out argument with her mother. However, her two best friends, little sister, and ex-boyfriend all stop her from hitchhiking her way up Route 80 in Wyoming by joining her on an intervention disguised as a road trip. What they don’t realize is that Harper has been marked by a very unique serial killer who’s been trolling the highway for the past three years, and now the killer is after all of them in this fast-paced and deadly chase novel that will have your heart racing well above the speed limit as the interstate becomes a graveyard.

My Thoughts: 4/5 stars

The Babysitter Lives – As if I needed another reason to not like going into the utility room in our house to check on the water heater and water softener, so thank you for that. Charlotte is hoping to get in some SAT study time while babysitting the Wilbanks twins on Halloween. Of course, there’s not going to be any peace and quiet after the kids go to bed, especially when you’re in a haunted house and there are malevolent spirits. Time loops, slasher, ghosts, creepy kids, Halloween night, babysitting, this has all of the tropes that make for a memorable novella!

Killer on the Road – When the serial killer terrorizing Route 80 is known as Bucket Mouth, consider me intrigued. The name alone has me asking questions. Harper is our teenage runaway. After a bad argument with her mom, she takes to hitchhiking on Route 80, despite its dangers. She’s picked up by her friends, ex-boyfriend, and younger sister for a road trip, but little does she know, she’s been targeted by the infamous Bucket Mouth and their trip is about to get a whole lot more interesting. Brutal, at times emotional, and man, does SGJ know how to write a final girl worth remembering. That first chapter? Hold on!