Book picks similar to
A Ghost of Fire by Sam Whittaker


horror
300-350pgs
a1-immediate-read
audiobooks

The Quickening


Rhiannon Ward - 2020
    Louisa Drew lost her husband in the First World War and her six-year-old twin sons in the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. Newly re-married to a war-traumatised husband and seven months pregnant, Louisa is asked by her employer to travel to Clewer Hall in Sussex where she is to photograph the contents of the house for auction.She learns Clewer Hall was host to an infamous séance in 1896, and that the lady of the house has asked those who gathered back then to come together once more to recreate the evening. When a mysterious child appears on the grounds, Louisa finds herself compelled to investigate and becomes embroiled in the strange happenings of the house. Gradually, she unravels the long-held secrets of the inhabitants and what really happened thirty years before... and discovers her own fate is entwined with that of Clewer Hall's.An exquisitely crafted and compelling mystery that invites the reader in to the crumbling Clewer Hall to help unlock its secrets alongside the unforgettable Louisa Drew.For fans of The Silent Companions, The Little Stranger and The Familiars.

The Judge's House


Bram Stoker - 1891
    He finds the place infested with rats, but it suits his purposes... until one of the rats grows too bold, and the scholar realizes the horror he's stumbled into.

Hole: A Ghost Story


Joseph Duncan
    Summer's last hurrah. For nine-year-old Eddie Gilmarten and his mother, who have fled to his aunt's home in the Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, Aunt Gene's isolated rural property is the perfect place to escape an alcoholic father. There are caves to explore and sprawling wooded hills to play upon, but all is not fine in this idyllic country setting. Eddie and his Ma aren't the only souls who have sought sanctuary on his aunt's sprawling property, although they might be the only innocents who have done so. There is a dark entity at large, one that might or might not be a figment of Eddie's fertile imagination, and a man of secrets with a twisted mind and a terrible appetite for innocence. Yet, even in the midst of pain there is hope, and valor may sometimes be found in the hearts of the wicked. For Frank O'Keefe-- the bank robber known as "the Fox"-- Eddie and his mother might not just be his only chance for survival... They might also be the only chance for his soul's redemption. Indian Summer is the latest novel by the indie best selling author of The Oldest Living Vampire Tells All and Mort. This novel contains adult situations, language and violence. It may not be suitable for younger readers. Approx. 80,000 words. Released June 2011 by Cobra Ebooks.

How To Be Dead Books 1 - 3


Dave Turner - 2017
    He’s in love with his work colleague Melanie and his only friend Gary is a conspiracy theory nut. His life is going nowhere until he has a Near Death Experience - though Death thinks of it as a Near Dave Experience. He discovers gifts he never knew he possessed and a world he never dreamed existed. A world where the Grim Reaper is a hard drinking, grumpy Billy Joel fan and the undead are bored, lonely and dangerous. This box set contains the first 3 stories in the How To Be Dead series: How To Be Dead Paper Cuts Old Haunts They tell the story of Death and his office staff protecting humanity from ghosts, zombies, vampires and medium-sized apocalypses. After a nice cup of tea and a biscuit. “Dave Turner is a funny man and ‘How To Be Dead’ is a brilliant read.” “If Neil Gaiman and Simon Pegg sat down to write a story together they might come up with something like this.” “Hilarious and unexpectedly moving.” “Laugh out loud funny… It’s been a while since an author has made me laugh more than Pratchett does.”

Fraidy Hole


Warren Williams - 2012
    Morrison wasn’t buying the popular theory that a missing teenage girl was “just another runaway.” When his investigation revealed Melissa Parker was last seen in front of a roadside bar in the company of drunken men, the Sheriff’s suspicions soared to new heights.In fact, Melissa couldn’t run anywhere. She’d been assaulted, locked in a tornado shelter—a fraidy hole—with no food, no water, and left to die. Her struggles to escape took on a new urgency as Melissa realized she was not alone in that terrifying darkness. The survival clock was ticking.

Platform Seven


Louise Doughty - 2019
    The man crossing the covered walkway on this freezing November morning is confident he's alone. As he sits on the metal bench at the far end of the platform it is clear his choice is strategic - he's as far away from the night staff as he can get.What the man doesn't realize is that he has company. Lisa Evans knows what he has decided. She knows what he is about to do as she tries and fails to stop him walking to the platform edge.Two deaths on Platform Seven. Two fatalities in eighteen months - surely they're connected?No one is more desperate to understand what connects them than Lisa Evans herself. After all, she was the first of the two to die.

The Family Dictionary


Lisa Walker - 2013
    Quiet, that is, until threatening notes show up to disturb the peace. Trying to discover who is sending the notes leads them to investigate long-dead relatives and a family heirloom, the dictionary passed down through generations. Connie and Rebecca rush to figure out the secrets enclosed in the family dictionary with the help of local cop, Brad Hamilton. But will they find the clues in time?

Hard Place


Douglas Stewart - 1981
    Inspired by the facts of a true crime, Hard Place is set against the background of the war in Afghanistan from where the drugs are coming. Ratso must place his career on the line by pursuing a high-risk strategy against the drug-baron who has used corruption to gain protection. He enters a political minefield involving Scotland Yard and the Ministry of Defence in London and the Pentagon and State Department in Washington DC. The trail leads to the USA and the Bahamas where Ratso is helped by Kirsty-Ann Webber, a svelte Florida detective. Ratso races against the clock from country to country towards a series of dramatic confrontations.

Past Midnight


Mara Purnhagen - 2010
    My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear. All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive….

Wakenhyrst


Michelle Paver - 2019
    It is the home of Edmund Stearn and his family – a historian, scholar and land-owner, he's an upstanding member of the local community. But all is not well at Wake's End. Edmund dominates his family tyrannically, in particular daughter Maud. When Maud's mother dies in childbirth and she's left alone with her strict, disciplinarian father, Maud's isolation drives her to her father's study, where she happens upon his diary.During a walk through the local church yard, Edmund spots an eye in the undergrowth. His terror is only briefly abated when he discovers its actually a painting, a 'doom', taken from the church. It's horrifying in its depiction of hell, and Edmund wants nothing more to do with it despite his historical significance. But the doom keeps returning to his mind. The stench of the Fen permeates the house, even with the windows closed. And when he lies awake at night, he hears a scratching sound – like claws on the wooden floor...Wakenhyrst is a terrifying ghost story, an atmospheric slice of gothic, a brilliant exploration of the boundaries between the real and the supernatural, and a descent into the mind of a psychopath.

Kransen House


Sara Brooke - 2012
    The Kransens live in an expensive, elegant home in the small town of Flening, Florida. Majestic and private, the grounds are surrounded by lush trees and colorful flowers. But there is an ugliness underneath the manicured and perfect facade... Secrets hide within the walls and curses whisper through the air. Newlyweds Ben and Ana Kransen are moving into the house with their in-laws. They’ve got high hopes and expectations for a better life. But soon after they move in, strange things start to happen. Noises fill the air, dark rooms unlock nightmares of the past, and it becomes clear that some people are not welcome in the Kransen House. Their lives are infiltrated by death, evil, and an unspoken religion. Ana knows something is wrong and her family is in danger. Left with few choices, she must find a way to save the ones she loves or face the consequences of an evil legacy.

The Undead Twenty Five: The Heat


R.R. Haywood - 2021
    Creator of the smash-hit time travel series - Extracted and the #1 sci-fi thriller The Worldship Humility.A deadly infection spreads across Europe. The Undead Series: A terrifying account of one man desperately struggling to survive this harrowing event

A Place to Call Home


Val Wood - 2018
    They find somewhere to live in the industrial part of the city, full of glue and tanning factories, paint manufacturers and back-to-back housing along the river - the sky is filled with acrid smoke. For young wife and mother Ellen, it's the complete opposite of what she's used to . . . but at least here her husband finds a job in a seed-crushing mill to support them and their small children.But there are many others in search of a home too - in the late nineteenth century many refugees were escaping from Poland and Germany, landing in Hull and either settling there or moving on to other cities or ships bound for America. Ellen befriends one family and offers them shelter . . .Everyone is looking for a place to call home.Val Wood's wonderful historical sagas are perfect for readers of Dilly Court, Maggie Hope and Rosie Goodwin.

The River (Tony Leach, #2)


Joe Albert - 2014
    First, there’s a report of invasive fish that threaten the very essence of northern Minnesota, and then the DNR commissioner’s daughter turns up dead. But as Leach works to determine what’s what, the body count continues to rise and higher-ups within his own agency turn up the heat on him and do their best to sideline him.As the situation intensifies and a sordid portrait emerges, Leach finds loyalties crushed under the weight of sex, money and power. It’s nearly impossible to get a handle on constantly shifting alliances, but if he fails to do so, Leach knows he’s as good as dead.

Domestic Violence: The Sara Farraday Story


Annette Reid - 2011
    Naive, innocent Sara Ramsey, fell madly in love with bad-boy, Mike Farraday. Despite the negative rumors, Sara, married Mike, and soon became the the target of his drunken rages and erractic behavior. After eight years of physical and mental abuse, Sara, finally realizes that she has to get out. Mike is determined that Sara won't live long enough to escape the hell that he has prepared for her. This story weaves lies with love, treachery with truth and serves up a menu of suspense-spiced with a tablespoon of murder. This story is fiction, but the events are based on true episodes that took place.