Book picks similar to
Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection by Cherie Reich
horror
first-reads
modern
reordering
Gristle
Mark Allen - 2015
The tiny mountain town of Vesper Falls knows it, but more importantly, his son Kevin knows it. Haunted by soul-ripping guilt and fiercely despised by his son, Jack turns to the bottle while Kevin turns to crime. But three years behind bars does nothing to dull the hate he feels toward his father. Desperate to reconnect, Jack takes Kevin on a hunting trip to Scar Lake, arranged by a preacher with his own emotional scars. But there is something wicked in the woods that doesn’t care about emotions—it only cares about death and torment. The hunters become the hunted as small town secrets are dragged from the darkness and Jack finds himself facing an impossible choice as his son’s life hangs in the balance. Gristle is a brutal, bloody, briskly-paced novel of redemption, sacrifice, and backwoods horror in the classic tradition of The Hills Have Eyes and Wrong Turn.
Blood on the Sand
Mikhail Lerma - 2012
Although well trained, nothing could have prepared him for the horror he was about to face. Cale never thought the thing that could keep him from ever seeing his wife and daughter again would be a zombie apocalypse. As he and a handful of fellow Soldiers escape their base after a massive zombie attack, becoming deserters in order to survive, he begins the long and unexpected journey home through the harsh terrain of the desert; a barren landscape now swarming with not only undead cannibals, but also the enemy he was originally sent to fight. The newly formed group plans to travel west, find a boat and maybe, with a bit of luck, make it back to America. Cale is tested beyond his imagination and brought to the brink of insanity as he loses friends while fighting the flesh eating masses. He risks his life for weeks, focused on holding his wife and daughter in his arms again. It seems all hope is lost when he finds himself alone and adrift at sea ... but is hope really lost? Inspired by my experiences as a U.S. Army Soldier in Iraq, BLOOD ON THE SAND delves into the idea of not just surviving a zombie apocalypse but making the seemingly impossible trek home. It is the first book in the Z PLAN series.
Deamhan
Isaiyan Morrison - 2013
Ramanga, Lamia, Metusba, and Lugat have been overshadowed by what humans know as the modern vampire. But what if vampires aren't the real threat?One woman's search for her mother who disappeared without a trace on the streets of Minneapolis takes her into the precarious world of Deamhan, psychic vampires who rule the underground nightlife in the city's most darkest corners.She gains the trust of the only other human familiar with the Deamhan lifestyle. With his help she finds not only can the Deamhan not be trusted but it s her own father, president of a ruthless organization of researchers, who has diabolically maintained that distrust.
The Original's Return
David Watkins - 2013
Returning to Britain, he jumps at the chance to lead a small team in Devon. The task sounds more like a holiday; exactly what Knowles and his men need.The mission: watch Jack Stadler. Jack has always led a quiet life, but now he is suffering blackouts and has violent fantasies. When the first dismembered body is found, Knowles begins to realise he has made a terrible mistake…
The Estate Hauntings Boxset: A Riveting Haunted House Mystery
Hazel Holmes - 2021
What was thought to be a new beginning for Julia soon devolves into an endless nightmare of hidden secrets and a troubled past best left unturned.The Haunting of Abram MansionA riveting new haunted house mystery that will keep you guessing until the end!When Peyton and Benjamin Fletcher inherit a dilapidated house in the quiet town of Falconwood, Connecticut from Peyton’s grandfather, all they want to do is get rid of it. Unfortunately, the will stipulates that the couple must live in the house for a minimum of six months before they sell it. As Peyton and Ben try to make the best of the situation, Peyton discovers the house is inhabited by ghosts, and they aren’t happy with the mansion’s new occupants.
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 Church Builder
A.L. Shields - 2013
L. Shields, the pseudonym of New York Times bestselling author Stephen L. Carter. Each story is fast-paced and intricate, with the clock ticking as the protagonist battles malevolent forces. Harry Stean is an architect who designs traditional church buildings and cathedrals around the world. A former believer but now an agnostic, he is also an expert on the historical use of symbols in Christianity; that special knowledge is the key to each of the stories. Each of the novels revolves around a centuries-old struggle between believers and a shadowy organization known simply as The Garden, which has devoted itself, working entirely in secret, to the destruction of the faith. Manipulating events from behind the scenes, the Garden has devoted itself patiently over the centuries to what it calls 'snakebites'---causing tiny scandals here and there, enough to shake people's faith just a little, hoping, as time passes, that the cumulative effect of its work will bring an end to belief.
Terminated
Ray Daniel - 2014
Now, six months later, another software engineer is dead, bringing new clues to light in Carol’s cold case. Shocked by the brutal violence he’s witnessed, Tucker is determined to track down the truth behind the killings—no matter what the cost. Hired as a consultant by his old company, Tucker discovers their most important project is in danger of being corrupted . . . and there are people willing to kill to get their hands on it.
The Antiquity: An L.A. Crime Novel
Darren Hackett - 2015
The object, secretly referred to as THE ANTIQUITY, is rumored to possess supernatural powers. LAPD homicide detective Jack Sheridan is skeptical... until his hunt for the killer leads him deep into a world of dark forces, shadowy characters and unexplainable incidents. For Sheridan, the most startling coincidence is personal: this case is inextricably linked to a painful secret from his past. Forced to confront his demons, he soon uncovers an insidious conspiracy that threatens the future of humanity itself.
Panther
Chhimi Tenduf-La - 2015
Legs like toothpicks, body and face all ribs and cheekbones. And that hair. Come on, what is it? Like friggin' barbed wire. I see you with a hand-me-down cracked bat creaming a leather ball, in a sock, hanging from the branch of a mango tree.' Being accepted into an elite international school on a cricket scholarship doesn't mean your life is going to change. Except it does, because hunky Indika - I for Indika, I for Incredible - takes you under his wing, drags you to posh restaurants and shows you pictures from glossy magazines of women who ... well, never mind, that's not the point. The point is: if your best friend snogs your girlfriend, can he still be Incredible? Was he ever? But don't sweat the small stuff. There are cricket matches to win, examinations to pass, a horrifying past to forget, a sinister schoolmaster to avoid ... and, of course, a first kiss to finally experience. Prabu's life is never going to be the same again. Funny, diamond-sharp and unapologetic, Panther is a novel about that familiar, fractured passage to adulthood that can make us magnificent if it does not kill us.
Terror Red
David Hunt - 2013
Together with political consultant Christina Marchetti, he must take down a terrorist organization bent on hijacking planes, blowing up cities, and much more. Their pursuit of these heavily financed, ruthlessly trained killers hurls Gibson and Marchetti into a whirlwind of death and destruction. If they can't stop this murderous conspiracy, America could well be plunged into World War III. But can they stop them in time?
Forever Man
Brian W. Matthews - 2013
But when her seventeen-year-old daughter goes missing after a school dance and the mutilated corpse of the girl’s date is discovered in the nearby woods, Izzy’s police skills are stretched to their limits.Her only suspect is a stranger, a mysterious black man with no known past. When a second stranger appears, the investigation stalls. People she once trusted turn against her. The local banker’s autistic son begins to know things no one else does.And now something unspeakable prowls the woods. Joined by three friends and the man she once considered her enemy, Izzy races to find her daughter—and ends up trapped in the middle of a war between an ancient evil and the man who has stood in its way for nearly two thousand years.
The Butterfly Tattoo
M.D. Thomas - 2020
Jon, guilt-ridden because he forgot to make sure his son had buckled up, will do anything to save his relationship with his wife. Bartender Elle doesn’t believe in guilt, even as it accelerates her descent into alcoholism. Narcotics officer Harvey has been stealing seized drug money for months to pay off his grandparent’s debt, unaware his superiors are onto him. Their struggles morph from difficult to life-threatening when Lee’s spirit finds each of them.They all think they know what Lee’s spirit is after. They’re all wrong. Drawn ever-closer together, their mistakes and misdeeds accumulate until Lee’s spirit latches onto one of them, and if they can’t figure out the truth in time, everybody they care about might die.
Button Bright
Michael Kurland - 1990
But Button was only dimly aware of the sounds. Her consciousness had shrunk down to focus on the body that was blocking her hole— —and the warm, thick liquid that was dripping onto her hand.” Button is an 11 year old, bubbly and intelligent girl who is haunted in her dreams by a tapping sound… Living with her mother and father in Cottsborough, Vermont, Button had been trained to hide and not ever answer to her secret name, ‘Rachel’. One day, two men arrive at Button’s family home searching for her by this secret name. Refusing to give Button up, things turn violent and the men shoot her father dead. Through a narrow crack in the floor boards, Button bears witness to the murder. Eluding the two men who tried to catch her, Button uses her wits to navigate herself from Vermont to Boston and then to New York. Button has a plan to find her uncle Dromkin. When her search seems hopeless, Button is taken in by a resident of her uncle’s apartment building, Phil, who claims he can help. But when they find Dromkin sprawled on the floor with his throat cut, Button is convinced she is somehow the cause of these family murders... Will Phil be able to keep her identity hidden long enough for her to find out the truth? Praise for Michael Kurland: "A perfect tale of childhood terror." - Tom Kasey Michael Kurland grew up in New York City, attended Columbia University, spent four years in the Army, much of it in Europe, and now lives in California with his partner, novelist Linda Robertson, a dog, a cat, and an occasional visiting family of raccoons. He has been a teacher of obscure subjects to disinterested children, the editor of a magazine even more idiosyncratic than himself, a seeker of absent persons, a magical explainer, and guest lecturer at numerous unrelated events. Kurland has written a dozen or so science fiction novels, a brace of mysteries, and several books that fit into that tenuous genre known as “mainstream.” He has been nominated for an Edgar (twice) and for the American Book Award. His books have been translated into eleven other languages. His other novel with Venture Press is Psi Hunt.
Reiko - A Japanese Ghost Story
James Avonleigh - 2012
In the remote village of Izumi five high school friends died within the space of a fortnight.The circumstances were never explained. Four years later a British paranormal researcher travels to Izumi in an attempt to unravel the mystery. There he encounters much more than culture shock. He encounters the dark side of Japanese culture – the side they don't talk about in guidebooks. He encounters Reiko.