Book picks similar to
The Damnation Game by David Brian
horror
psychological-thillers
reordering
uk-literature
The Seventh Stone
Pamela Hegarty - 2011
Well written and compelling.”“Thinking person's thriller – Read it!” 42+ weeks as an International Best SellerIndiana Jones meets Da Vinci Code in this action-packed thriller, with a mysterious shaman, a brutal murder, bloodthirsty pirates, vicious beasts, a ruthless villain, a gunfight at an archeological site, a brilliant, beautiful heroine and a ruggedly handsome hero—no spoilers here. These are the highlights from the opening scenes as hero and villain race to find the Breastplate of Aaron and its seven legendary gemstones. The Breastplate is the companion piece to the Ark of the Covenant. Trivia question: Where have you seen the Breastplate before? Indy's nemesis archaeologist wears it when he opens the Ark in the desert. The Breastplate, according to the Bible, is our connection between man and God. The Seventh Stone is provocative and suspenseful, and may spark controversy as it challenges the line between reality and faith.WINNER - 2012 GLOBAL EBOOK AWARD, THRILLERNote from the author: In The Seventh Stone, I tried to create the type of book I love to read, an action-packed quest not only for a powerful artifact, but for the essence of what makes us who we are. I wanted to give readers a page-turner that raises questions more than gives answers. When I was researching and writing The Seventh Stone, I stumbled across historic facts and “coincidences” that were uncanny in how they fit into the plot. It was as though the story could actually be real and had to be told. And that is what The Seventh Stone is at its core, a daring look at what is real and what is faith. Please contact me at www.pamelahegarty.com. I tweet at @pamelahegarty.
The Haunting of Highcliff Hall
Cat Knight - 2017
She didn’t know what waited for her or why the village folk avoided her, or why the live in help moved out when she arrived. She should have believed the Hag.
When foreign correspondent Catherine Davis inherits her grand aunt’s castle, it’s enough to convince her to leave her globe-trotting life behind and write her novel. But before she ever steps one foot out of London, a Hag, warns her that she is cursed. The always sceptical, Catherine disregards the Hag’s warnings. But when she arrives at Highcliff Hall and discovers that most of the villagers are afraid of her, she begins to wonder. What do the caretaker and the housekeeper know about Highcliff? What aren’t they telling her? Why is the house strewn with herbs? And why is the tower locked? Can Catherine survive the lethal confrontation with paranormal forces long enough to discover the answers, or is she doomed like those before her.If you love ghosts and Haunted houses, you really should be reading Cat Knight’s other books.
List of Books
The Haunting of Elleric LodgeThe Haunting of Grayson HouseThe Haunting of Weaver HouseThe Haunting of Fairview HouseThe Haunting of Keira O’ConnellThe Haunting of Ferncoombe HouseThe Haunting of Stone Street CemeteryThe Haunting of Knoll HouseIf you read stories in the occult, occultism, horror, supernatural and paranormal genres then add these to your reading list.
The Crying Boy: A Compelling Suspense Thriller
Jane E. James - 2017
When she learns that the boy in the painting was deaf, like her dead son, she starts to try to communicate with his ghost.Meanwhile, Clayton finds himself entangled in an equally undesirable friendship with a retired fire chief who knows more about the painting than he is prepared to let on.Is The Crying Boy painting cursed, and can numerous house fires be linked to it?Struggling with their unstable marriage, the couple find themselves in further danger as an increasingly disturbing bond develops between Avril and The Crying Boy.In a twist of events Avril's irrational behavior is brought to a dramatic halt when she discovers she is pregnant. With her affections once again restored for Clayton, she decides to dispose of the sinister portrait. But the cast off painting wants revenge and its anger towards Avril's unborn child might just prove immeasurable.
Last Resort
K.R. Griffiths - 2015
What should have been an idyllic vacation - a week of snowboarding at one of Canada's most beautiful ski resorts - becomes toxic when his wife tearfully confesses her infidelity. Overcome with grief, all Shane wants is to get away, but a freak storm has closed the roads, and it seems there will be no escape from his torment until the weather clears. Yet when Shane snaps and tries to leave the resort against all advice, he soon discovers that there is more on the mountain than just snow and trees.And things can always get worse...
Strings
Allison M. Dickson - 2013
Dickson presents a chilling tale of entrapment and greed.Do you have freedom?Do you have control?After four years of turning tricks in a mob-run New York brothel to pay off a debt, Nina is ready to go back to a quiet life in Iowa. Just one more client and the whole nightmare will be behind her, but this last trick turns into a battle for her soul. Meanwhile, the brothel’s sadistic Madam has been hiding away money in order to move up in her family’s organization, and she only wants the half million dollars the reclusive millionaire pays for the girls. But her driver Ramón has other ideas, making off with the money left behind when Nina’s last trick goes unexpectedly awry. The theft comes at a great cost to the Madam, setting off a horrific chain of events that changes them all. The hooker. The driver. The Madam. All of them on a collision course to a place where only madness holds sway.Who is pulling your Strings?
Forbidden Fruit
Calvin Demmer - 2017
Casey, author of Stygian Doorways
The Horror Collection: Black Edition
Becky NarronLee McGeorge - 2019
Featuring stories by Richard Chizmar, Mark Lukens, Michael A. Arnzen, Eric J. Guignard, Veronica Smith, Lee McGeorge, James Matthew Byers & Kevin J. Kennedy
Short Shockers: Collection One
Peter James - 2013
Funny, sad, but always shocking, each tale carries a twist that will haunt readers for days after they turn the final page . . .This 25,000 word collection, available exclusively in this ebook edition, includes:12 Bolingbroke Avenue (First published in 1998)Number Thirteen (First published in 2010)Just Two Clicks (First published in 2004)Dead on the Hour (First published in 2006)Virtually Alive (First published in 1997)Meet Me at the Crematorium (First published in 2009)Venice Aphrodisiac (First published in 2011)Time Rich (First published in 2013)Christmas is for the Kids (First published in 1993)
Dead of Night
Paul J. Teague - 2019
A freak accident. A violent pursuit. Now they must try to stay alive until daylight ... When Jack and Lucy hit a man in their car whilst driving through fog, they think it's just a random accident. But when cars pull up and an armed manhunt begins, they know that they're running for their lives. With a marriage that's on the rocks and a new baby who's driven a wedge between them, the couple are hanging on to their relationship by their fingertips. But thrown into the deadly world of industrial espionage, they must fight to keep each other alive and rescue their child, whose life is in peril. As Jack and Lucy hurtle towards the abyss they will find that the real enemy was among them all the time. Paul J. Teague has also written a trilogy of thrillers. Book 1 is Don't Tell Meg, Book 2 is The Murder Place and Book 3 is The Forgotten Children.
Or Else
Joe Hart
For Rachel, struggling to maintain the facade of a picture-perfect life, it’s an escape from an emotionally abusive marriage. Then Andy receives an anonymous note warning him to end the affair. Or else.Whoever’s been watching is going to make Andy pay. Weeks later, Rachel’s husband, David, is shot to death. Rachel and her two young sons vanish without a trace. One misstep, one careless reveal, and Andy could look as guilty as sin. Clue by clue, as his investigation into the mystery unfolds, Andy discovers that he and Rachel weren’t the only ones keeping secrets.Nothing in this quiet neighborhood is as it seems. No one peeking from behind the curtains of their homes can be trusted. And the worst is yet to come. Because David isn’t the only one who will die.
A Protocol for Monsters
John Birmingham - 2016
When an oil rig drills too deep under the Gulf of Mexico it breaks the capstone separating our world from the UnderRealms - home to monsters, daemons and dark magiks. The nightmares of our long ago come flooding back into the world where they are met by automatic weapons fire, heating seeking missiles (they're hell on dragons, don'tcha know) and one drunken, dissolute son of a bitch called Dave. But this is not Dave's story. This is the story of the poor bastards who had to put up with him while he saved the world and acted like a jerk.
Twice the Chill: Two SHORT Horror Stories
Rachel A Olson - 2016
Bey had spent his entire life running through the woods and never once saw anything to convince him there were creatures worth fearing. When his littler sister, Chensei, whines about the trip home at night, Bey only mocks her. Until she disappears beyond the treeline. I, PONTIANAK Everyone hates and fears monsters, except for when you’re the monster. I never asked for it, and honestly I can’t say I’ve really enjoyed it. But I am what I am, and I can’t change it. Hell, I can’t even control it. My name used to be Anastasia, and I am a Pontianak.
The Soul Ripper (Twisted Souls #1)
Cege Smith - 2011
Instead, they placed their faith in the Office of Souls to keep them safe after the human race was almost annihilated in the time known only as ‘Before’.Procreation is tightly regulated because infants are born soulless – a painful reminder of the punishment for the misdeeds of ‘Before’. With their hideous appearance and unquenchable hunger, the Soulless Ones are kept out of sight until they are chosen to go to the Fountain of Souls to receive their soul.But now there are some who no longer want to live under the watchful, restrictive eye of the Office of Souls. They know that the Office of Souls hides secrets that tell a much different story of what happened ‘Before’. They want revenge for what was done to them. They are willing to do anything, including unleash a soulless zombie legion on the unsuspecting residents of the territory, to get it.Length: 25,000 wordsThe complete Twisted Souls series is available now:The Soul Ripper (Twisted Souls #1)Twisted Souls (Twisted Souls #2)Soul Cycle (Twisted Souls #3)A Soul to Settle (Twisted Souls #4)
The Wall
Joseph Hayes - 2018
His charisma and his accomplishments have made him a media darling and paved the way for his explosion onto the national political scene. But he is not who he purports to be. He is the nation’s most high-profile illegal immigrant, a secret known to almost no one other than his shadowy handlers. Together, they have an agenda – punish America for its past sins and undermine this country’s prosperity and way of life. Since childhood, Sanchez has been conditioned to believe in that cause and to do whatever it takes to see that mission through. Now he is on the cusp of acquiring the power to do exactly that.Bobby Rivera is the son of Mexican parents who raised him in South Texas, where they were employed under temporary work visas. Although he grew up living in constant fear of the government and deportation, he loves America and the opportunities it has afforded him. He and Miguel share a past – a close friendship as teenagers that was marred by tragedy and dark secrets as well as Miguel’s sudden and unexplained disappearance. Bobby’s peaceful life as a funeral director in San Antonio is thrown into turmoil when Miguel unexpectedly reenters his life. Bobby realizes that he is the only person outside Miguel’s circle who knows Miguel’s secret and his hidden agenda. Bobby’s loyalty to his old friend conflicts with his loyalty to his country, not to mention his conscience. Will this young man who has spent his entire life looking over his shoulder and running from trouble have the courage to confront it head-on? How far will Miguel go to protect his dark secret? Will the life of fame, fortune and accomplishment Miguel has achieved change his heart and cause him to embrace rather than attack his adoptive country?The Wall is an intelligent, fast-paced thriller that combines page-turning suspense with a thought-provoking exploration of one of the most controversial, sensitive and far-reaching issues of our time – immigration. It examines the opportunities, fears and challenges of recent immigrants and their children. It portrays the changing complexion of America in a way that is sensitive and hopeful. It contrasts life on opposite sides of the border wall, but more importantly, it vividly depicts the walls that exist in the minds and hearts of those trying to assimilate and those who resist.
Undead Winter
T.M. Williams - 2013
That's all it takes for the darkness to penetrate. To infect. To destroy.A plague has incapacitated humanity, spreading across the globe faster than it could ever possibly be contained. Almost overnight the world is awakened to a new reality and the realization that no one is safe, not a single living soul.As the virus takes control, humanity is brought crashing to its knees. The few left untouched fight frantically for their survival, even as they know their future no longer exists, doing the uninmaginable at the brink of death.A dark tale that shows exactly how desperate, how dark, humanity can get once the undead winter arrives.This short story will haunt readers long after the last page has been read. A story you will want to read over and over.