Book picks similar to
Out Are the Lights by Richard Laymon
horror
richard-laymon
fiction
terror
The Woodwitch
Stephen Gregory - 1988
But he also has a dark side. When his girlfriend Jennifer laughs at his impotence, he lashes out in a violent rage, knocking her unconscious. At the suggestion of his employer, Andrew heads to an isolated cottage in the dark Welsh countryside to take a break and get a grip on himself. In the woods, he discovers the grotesque stinkhorn mushroom, whose phallic shape seems to rise in obscene mockery of his own shortcomings. But the stinkhorn gives him an idea, a way to win Jennifer back. As the seeds of obsession take root in Andrew’s mind, he embarks on a nightmarish quest, with unexpected and horrifying results. Stephen Gregory earned worldwide acclaim with his first novel, The Cormorant (1986), which won the Somerset Maugham Award and was adapted for a BBC film. In The Woodwitch (1988), his second novel, Gregory once again proves himself a master of disturbing and unsettling horror.
We Are Always Watching
Hunter Shea - 2017
His father’s crippling vertigo only seems to get worse, and even with his mother working herself to the bone, they’re out of money and options.Grandpa Abraham is a drunk bastard and the living embodiment of the long neglected farmhouse. He claims the place is haunted. Ghosts roam the hall at night and their muffled cries fill the silence of warm, summer nights.On the ceiling above West’s bed are the words WE SEE YOU. In a house plagued by death and mysterious visitations, West realizes something beyond the fiction of his favorite horror books has to be faced.Dark secrets are buried deep, and there are Guardians who want to keep it that way. No matter where they go or what they do, West and his family know one thing… they are always watching.
Broken Dolls
James Carol - 2014
Once a rising star at the FBI, he is now a freelance consultant, jetting around the globe helping local law enforcement agencies with difficult cases. He's not got Da Vinci's IQ, but he's pretty close.When he accepts a particularly disturbing case in London, Winter arrives to find a city in the grip of a cold snap, with a psychopath on the loose who likes abducting and lobotomising young women. Winter must use all his preternatural brain power in order to work out who is behind the attacks, before another young woman becomes a victim.As Winter knows all too well, however, not everyone who's broken can be fixed.
77 Shadow Street
Dean R. Koontz - 2011
I live in the Pendleton as surely as I live everywhere. I am the Pendleton’s history and its destiny. The building is my place of conception, my monument, my killing ground. . . .The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill at the highest point of an old heartland city, a Gilded Age palace built in the late 1800s as a tycoon’s dream home. Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its rechristening in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. For its fortunate residents—among them a successful songwriter and her young son, a disgraced ex-senator, a widowed attorney, and a driven money manager—the Pendleton’s magnificent quarters are a sanctuary, its dark past all but forgotten.But now inexplicable shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths. With each passing hour, a terrifying certainty grows: Whatever drove the Pendleton’s past occupants to their unspeakable fates is at work again. Soon, all those within its boundaries will be engulfed by a dark tide from which few have escaped.Dean Koontz transcends all expectations as he takes readers on a gripping journey to a place where nightmare visions become real—and where a group of singular individuals hold the key to humanity’s destiny. Welcome to 77 Shadow Street.
Calendar Girl: Volume One
Audrey Carlan - 2015
I needed money. A lot of money. One million dollars to be exact. The amount didn’t matter. All that mattered is that at the end of that price tag held my father’s life. No money. No life. The time limit was one year. On January 1st I had to pay up or my Father was going to be killed. When you’re faced with an ultimatum like this, you do whatever you have to do. And that’s exactly what I did. The job…Exquisite Escorts. My role, serve as high priced arm candy to anyone that can afford the $100,000 price tag for a month of my company. Sex is optional (for me) and a 20% increase on the price. Mia Saunders just barely escaped a paltry life back home in Las Vegas until she gets the call that her Father has been beaten to within an inch of his life for not paying his gambling debt. Problem is, the lone shark is her lousy, ruthless ex-boyfriend. Another guy in a long line of men she’d fallen head over heels for. Not anymore. Mia’s mission is simple. Serve as a high-priced escort for her Aunt’s company and pay monthly against her Father’s bad debt. A month with a rich man who she doesn’t have to sleep with if she doesn’t want to? Easy money. At least that’s the way it was supposed to go.
Covenant with the Vampire
Jeanne Kalogridis - 1994
Written in diary form as Dracula is, this compulsively readable book has revelations that will shock and delight readers of the original. More erotic than Anne Rice, Kalogridis is a major new voice in vampire fiction. The first chilling tale in an exciting new trilogy is a rich and terrifying historical novel set fifty years before the opening of Bram Stoker's Dracula. At the castle of Prince Vlad Tsepesh, also known as Dracula, Vald's great-nephew Arkady is honored to care for his beloved though strange great-uncle...until he beings to realize what is expected of him in his new role. It seems that either he provides his great-uncle with unsuspecting victims to satisfy his needs, or Vlad will kill those Arkady loves. He is trapped into becoming party to murder and sadistic torture. And it is in his blood. When Arkady learns that his newborn son is being groomed one day to follow in his footsteps, he knows that he must fight Dracula, even if it means death.
Mama
Ruby Jean Jensen - 1983
Her porcelain like face was so smooth, just like a baby. Her mouth even had a tiny hole so she could eat and breathe. But her one beaded glass eye gleamed with mischief and evil. She had waited a long time in the attic for someone to set her free...Once upon a time there lived a sweet little girl. The only place she was happy was in the attic with her dolly. If she could have seen her little doll's legs kick, she would have been frightened. If she could have felt her little doll's arms squeeze, she would have been shocked. But if she could have read her little doll's thoughts she would have run from the attic forever--for her sweet little dolly only had killing her on her mind...
The Servants of Twilight
Leigh Nichols - 1984
To the Servants of Twilight, however, he is an evil presence who must be destroyed - an Anti-Christ who must die.The terrifying ordeal for Joey and his mother begins in the supermarket car park where an old woman accosts them and pursues them with her terrible threats. Christine's world is turned into a nightmare of terror. Only her love for her child, and the support of the one man who believes her, gives her the chance to survive the Servants of Twilight...This book was originally published under the pseudonym Leigh Nichols.
The Mask
Owen West - 1981
A teenager with no past, no family - and no memories. Carol and Paul were instantly drawn to her, this girl they named Jane - she was the daughter they never had. It was almost too good to be true.
The Secret Fire
C.J. Daugherty - 2015
He can throw himself off a roof, be stabbed, even shot, and he will always survive. Until the day when history and ancient enmities dictate that he must die. Worse still, his death will trigger something awful. Something deadly. And that day is closing in.Taylor Montclair is a normal English girl, hanging out with her friends and studying for exams, until she starts shorting out the lights with her brain. She’s also the only person on earth who can save Sacha.There’s only one problem: the two of them have never met. They live hundreds of miles apart and powerful forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart.They have eight weeks to find each other.Will they survive long enough to save the world?
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.
This Symbiotic Fascination
Charlee Jacob - 1997
She fantasizes about her dream lover--but the man she meets is a nightmare. Arcan Tyler is a rapist and murderer, possessed by animal spirit forces. If they are unleashed, he will cease to be human. For now, Arcan is all too human, and finds something new and rare in Tawne. But love among these creatures is not romantic: it is parasitic.
The Day Before
Micol Ostow - 2018
Why did Jughead and Archie have a falling out? What did Veronica's life look like in the Big Apple? And how long has Betty really been in love with Archie? Told from multiple points of view, your favorite characters tell their story their way.
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls
Alexander C. Irvine - 2001
Following the tragedy, their father, John, set out to teach his boys everything about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America . . . and how to kill it.Fans of the blockbuster television phenomenon can rejoice! A one-of-a-kind compilation of all of Sam and Dean's demon-busting knowledge, The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls contains illustrations and detailed descriptions that catalogue the more than two dozen otherworldly enemies that most people believe exist only in folklore, superstition, and nightmares: vampires, ghosts, revenants, reapers, and even bloody clowns. You'll find within these pages Sam and Dean's notes, observations, and memories interwoven with sections of John Winchester's invaluable journal, making this book the perfect companion to every thrilling episode — and an essential weapon in the secret war against the hidden creatures of the darkness!
The Angel of Vengeance (Glimpse into Hell, #1)
Wade H. Garrett - 2013
His captor, Seth Coker, takes the man on a journey into his twisted world of vengeance. A world that runs parallel with the horrors that could only be found in the deepest and darkest parts of hell. A world that bestows a wrath of chaos upon the wicked of our society that have fallen through the cracks of the judicial system. Seth wasn’t born a vigilante, nor did he seek out the role-- it sought him out. A portion of our society feels that rapists, molesters, murderers and abusers should have rights, and anything beyond the normal punishment of confinement would be cruel and inhumane. Seth knows that the innocent are left without justice, while the wicked are roaming our streets without any remorse about the cruel and inhumane punishment that they bestow upon others. Offering up heart-pumping tales of revenge, suspense and horror in all its guises, this book is filled with dark humor, political incorrectness, gruesome and sadistic acts from beginning to end. Be warned-- this one will compel the meek to crawl into the fetal position and suck their thumb.- Originality –From the sheer ingenuity of the story to the appropriateness of the punishments makes this one of the most original story lines on the market. - Gruesome and Horrifying –This book is not for the meek. Seth will take you on a journey through his twisted world of vengeance that is filled with the most gruesome and horrifying things imaginable and unimaginable.- Cruel and Unusual –If you like filthy sick, over the top sadistic inhumane acts of revenge that stagger the mind, this book will not disappoint.- Dark Humor –If you like gore and dark humor, this book will make you laugh and gag at the same time.- Suspense –From front to back, The Angel of Vengeance is filled with one intense moment after another that is interwoven in a story line filled with humor. From the horrifying punishments of the mind and flesh to Seth’s unpredictable persona, it will keep you turning the page. - Politically Incorrect –If you’re a P.C. type person, do not read this book.- Disturbing –So disturbing that it was difficult for my editor to stomach the content.- Fascinating -The punishments that Seth bestows on deserving criminals are not only very sadistic and gruesome, but cleverly inventive, unusual and shocking as well.- Mind Rape -The sick and twisted images in this book will be implanted into your mind, causing your brain to feel it has been assaulted. ** Sold Exclusively on Amazon **-