Book picks similar to
Family Night by Tim Miller


horror
splatterpunk
novella
thriller

Riding the Bullet


Stephen King - 2000
     A college student's mother is dying in a Maine hospital. When he hitches a ride to see her, the driver is not who he appears to be. Soon the journey veers off into a dark landscape that could only be drawn by Stephen King.2 Cassettes / 2 Hours

Family Business


Brett Williams - 2009
    She heads into rural Missouri on a day trip, following up on a lead in the classifieds, and gets more than she bargained for. After the death of her mother, Bobbie Jean finds herself living with her aunt and uncle in the backwoods of Missouri. But her relatives have a dark secret.The family business.

Funland


Richard Laymon - 1989
    A series of unexplained disappearances, and holiday-makers threatened by an army of leering bums, casts a shadow over summer pleasures. But now Boleta Bay is fighting back and their campaign leads them to the abandoned Funhouse.

Jenna


Tom Stearns - 2019
    But when the boys at her school think they treat her the same, they are dead wrong. From the author of ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Time’ comes ‘Jenna’; a harrowing tale of abuse and bloody revenge. WARNING 18+ NOT FOR THE EASILY OFFENDED.

The Summer I Died


Ryan C. Thomas - 2006
    When Roger Huntington comes home from college for the summer and is met by his best friend, Tooth, he knows they're going to have a good time. A summer full of beer, comic books, movies, laughs, and maybe even girls. So much pain. The sun is high and the sky is clear as Roger and Tooth set out to shoot beer cans at Bobcat Mountain. Just two friends catching up on lost time, two friends thinking about their futures, two friends-- So much blood. --suddenly thrust in the middle of a nightmare. Forced to fight for their life against a sadistic killer. A killer with an arsenal of razor sharp blades and a hungry dog by his side. So much death. If they are to survive, they must decide: are heroes born, or are they made? Or is something more powerful happening to them? And more importantly, how do you survive when all roads lead to death!

Serial


Jack Kilborn - 2009
    #2: Don't pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be raving nutcase.So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Crazy #2...

Charlotte


Stuart Keane - 2014
    Ignored, bullied, socially inept. On a fateful Saturday afternoon, her parents discover that Amy has made a new friend called Charlotte. However, much to their chagrin, Charlotte is imaginary. Ignoring what's right for Amy – to minimise the risk of looking like bad parents – they force their daughter to visit a psychologist, concerned for their reputation. Soon after, strange incidents begin to occur…What happened to Ted, the boy who made Amy’s life a living hell? Why is Amy so suddenly aggressive? And what are those strange noises that plague the family home?As the parents start to confront the problem, they realise that Charlotte is here to stay. And no one will stop her from being Amy’s friend.

What Good Girls Do


Jonathan Butcher - 2017
    She lives with no name.She has never left her room.All she has ever known is pain and abuse.Until now.Today, she will breathe fresh air for the first time, feel sunshine against her skin and even witness human kindness.But she has a point to make - a bleak, violent point - and when she meets her neighbour, Serenity, she finds the perfect pupil.Forced to endure a lesson distilled from a nightmarish existence, Serenity must face unflinching evil, witness the unspeakable, and question her most deeply-held views, until at last she has no choice but to fight for her family's survival.

I'm a Therapist, and My Patient is Going to be the Next School Shooter: 6 Patient Files That Will Keep You Up At Night


Dr. Harper - 2019
    A boy who planned to be the next school shooter. A patient with OCD whose loved ones really did suffer every time he missed a ritual. A choir boy who claimed he was being molested -- not by a priest -- but by God Himself. A patient with PTSD who gave me nightmares. A husband and wife who accused each other of abuse, and only one of them was telling the truth.And how could I ever forget, Patient #220.The problem is, my patients have a habit of dying. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the common denominator. Or maybe that's just the cost of taking on exceptionally broken clients.Either way, I'll never stop trying to help.

The Last Motel


Brett McBean - 2004
    A pair of petty criminals... A young man... And a peverse serial killer... Strangers with seemingly little in common with one another, are inextricably linked through a series of macabre events. In one explosive night, these people's lives will change forever. Their stories are all different, but their plans are all the same: Stay the night at the Lodgepole Pine Motel and leave the next morning. The only problem is that one night at the Lodgepole Pine Motel can be a lifetime. The Last Motel is fun; a thrilling, white-knuckled suspense read. Mcbean's voice is one that should be heard - a hint of Laymon and Koontz, yet distinctly his own. Genuinely creepy stuff ! Brian Keene, Author of No Rest For The Wicked and The Rising

Year's Best Hardcore Horror Volume 1


Randy ChandlerJason Parent - 2016
    We staked out our territory and nailed this to the wall to guide us: YEAR'S BEST HARDEST HORROR Not your mama's best-of horror annual. This stuff comes from the edge of the abyss, stories you read at your own risk because you feel the abyss looking right back into you through the tainted lens of each twisted tale. Some of the stories you'll find here are loaded with very graphic descriptions of violence, sex and depravities, while others may contain only one shocking moment of brutality. In others, the hardcore aspect may be less graphic and subtler than you might expect. Some of these quieter tales offer the reader some time to recover from the more disturbing ones preceding. Most of the stories collected here are from small and specialty press anthologies, with a few from periodicals, like the prestigious Splatterpunk Zine in the UK and Thuglit here in the US. Bizarro is also represented with a couple of tales from the unlikely anthology Blood For You: A Literary Tribute To GG Allin from Weirdpunk Books. (If you're not familiar with the late GG Allin, you can find snippets from some of his outrageous and obscene punk shows online, which will increase your appreciation of those two tales.) So for now, forget about that neighbor you suspect is a serial killer, don't worry about the drunk driver that could take you out on your next trip to the store, push those troubling news stories to the back of your mind and immerse yourself in the imaginary horrors at hand. But don't be surprised if you sense something dark staring back at you from between the lines. That is to be expected when you enter these forbidding realms. With any luck, you may find something useful to help you survive the approaching Apocalypse. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: The Year That Was "Worth the Having" by Michael Paul Gonzalez "Awakening" by Jeff Strand "Readings Off The Charts" by Adam Cesare "Reborn" by The Behrg "What's Worst" by David James Keaton "Dead End" by Kristopher Triana "What You Wish For" by Lilith Morgan "King Shits" by Charles Austin Muir "Cleanup On Aisle 3" by Adam Howe "Bath Salt Fetus" by George Palacious "Bored With Brutality" by MP Johnson "Exposed" by Monica J. O'Rourke "Eleanor" by Jason Parent "The Scavengers" by Tony Knighton "The Most Important Miracle" by Scott Emerson "Hungry For Control" by Clare de Lune "Clarissa" by Robert Essig & Jack Bantry "Where The Sun Don't Shine" by Pete Kahle "Blackbird Lullaby" by George Cotronis

The Devil Next Door


Tim Curran - 2009
    Murder. Rape. Absolute brutality. When civilizations ends...when the human race begins to revert to ancient, predatory savagery...when the world descends into a bloodthirsty hell...there is only survival. But for one man and one woman, survival means becoming something less than human. Something from the primeval dawn of the race. "Shocking and brutal, The Devil Next Door will hit you like a baseball bat to the face. Curran seems to have it in for the world ... and he's ending it as horrifyingly as he can." - Tim Lebbon, author of Bar None "The Devil Next Door is dynamite! Visceral, violent, and disturbing!." Brian Keene, author of Castaways and Dark Hollow

Population Zero


Wrath James White - 2008
    It was the humane thing to do, the best thing for the environment. Yet, every day at his job at the Welfare Department, Todd sees the dregs of humanity multiplying unchecked, overburdening the earth with a tidal wave of humanity. But if he can convince them not to reproduce, if he can convince everyone to voluntarily sterilize themselves, then he might just prevent the coming population explosion. And those who can't be convinced… Population Zero is the story of an environmental activist named Todd Hammerstein who is on a mission to save the planet. In just 50 years the population of the planet is expected to double. But not if Todd can help it.

No Time Left


David Baldacci - 2010
    When Becker takes a mysterious job, he has no idea that it will force him to delve deeply into his own past. Undeterred by obstacles he is determined to complete his assignment. But he may realize too late that his success will permanently alter his future.

In One Fell Swoop


Willow Rose - 2017
    For anyone who loves a good thriller, this is a treat. On a hot day in June, two groups of campers disappear in the Green Swamps of Florida. The wood is still burning in the bonfire, all their belongings are abandoned, and there is blood at the campground. But not a single body is found. Patty McGee, the grandmother to one of the missing campers, sets out to find out what happened to her grandson, thinking his father might have kidnapped him. However, soon she realizes she is up against a force way more powerful than that. It's a battle even she can't win. From the Queen of Scream comes a scary, yet humorous tale of man's battle against nature. In One Fell Swoop is a compelling and clever story, as only Willow Rose can deliver. Fans of Stephen King, Blake Crouch, Paula Hawkins, Kendra Elliot and Robert Dugoni will be gripped by this page-turning supernatural thriller, guaranteed to keep you reading til the next morning. What everyone is saying about In One Fell Swoop 'Hold on to your seat, because just when you think you can stop holding your breath, you have to take an even deeper breath to continue.' This is a mile a minute horror story. Forget the dishes or folding clothes while you read this because everything will be forgotten. Be sure the kids are taken care of first!Madeupagin 'Willow Rose has scared me again. When I read her books, I tend to lose myself in the story. This is another of her stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat and jump out of your skin! If you want a thrill and a chill, you must read her books. I highly recommend them.' catwoman1a ’This book is just mind-blowing!! This is a book that you won't regret reading! Awesome!!!’ Darlene 'In One Fell Swoop kept me reading anxiously to the end' Bev Powers 'Quite different from her other books that I have read. But once again as usual, surprising and fantastic! Very well written, great characters and a storyline that keeps you wondering what's going to happen next. A real page turner' Jim Porter 'This was the first Willow Rose book I've read, and I enjoyed it very much. It was imaginative, well-written, and very different from anything I've read before. I'm most eagerly looking forward to buying more of this author's books' Goodreads Reviewer 'Don't mess with Mother Nature' Goodreads Reviewer 'It was a fast moving story that was scary and creepy. I usually don't like horror stories, but this one was a doozy. It was a bit disturbing, to say the least. I love all Willow Rose books, she is a wonderful author..' Goodreads Reviewer Scroll up and grab a copy today.