Book picks similar to
Vernon House by Sandra Farris
fiction
supernatural
horror
murder-mystery
The Wishing House
Emma-Nicole Lewis - 2015
Behind an old dilapidated cottage in a peaceful Shropshire village, is an ancient wishing well. Surrounded by superstition and folklore dating back to the civil war, the well and the house have been left untouched by the locals. When a stranger to the village buys the house, the well is disturbed…. Present Day - Unexpected circumstances lead Milly Lyle to move to The Wishing House, a quintessential country cottage recently restored and renovated by her lover. With its chocolate box looks, quaint location and the pretty well outside, it seems the perfect place for a fresh start. Then she hears of the legend of the Wishing Well Witch and the noises, dreams and strange events begin. 1642 – the turn of the civil war. Constance Yorke, the troubled wife of the parish Clergyman, finds herself turning to the wishing well behind her house for answers to her prayers. Plagued with visions portending a country torn in two by a bloody war waged by the King, it seems that Constance may have dabbled with things that she shouldn’t. Growing more isolated from her distant husband and the other villagers, she is left with nothing but her wishing well and the curious white dog that keeps appearing. When Prince Rupert and his Cavaliers ride through Sleepers Brook after a skirmish at Powick Bridge, it seems that Constance Yorke’s visions are coming true and that perhaps, she really is falling foul of witchcraft. As times collide, one woman’s quest for retribution becomes another’s peril in a chilling story of love, jealousy, betrayal and revenge.
Alessa's Melody: A Psychological Gothic Horror Novella
Jayson Robert Ducharme - 2019
His fragile world falls to pieces upon the arrival of a young girl, who possesses a special and familiar talent that threatens to drive Louis over the edge.
True Ghost Stories: Real Haunted Hospitals and Mental Asylums
Zachery Knowles - 2015
With thirteen chilling chapters, Haunted Hospitals delves into the history of the most infamous asylums, sanitariums and hospitals on Earth, unlocking their dark histories and detailing their paranormal activities. Take Waverly Hills Sanatorium, home to Mary, the apparition of a little girl who “wasn’t normal.” Left behind after a disease cut her young life short, Mary went from innocent in life to something more horrific in death. Then there’s Old Changi military hospital, where a history of wartime bloodbaths still stains the old abandoned halls—leaving behind chilling images in the minds of trespassers. Or what about any of the other haunted hospitals contained within, where apparitions, disembodied voices, and strange occurences are commonplace. With overcrowding and barbaric medical procedures being practiced, these buildings were the torture houses of the 20th century, and the eeriest haunts of the 21st. Haunted Hospitals unlocks the dark histories of the most chilling abandoned hospitals from around the world. Every chapter describes the eerie and often frightening details of the best ghostly encounters. Are these sightings based on myth or true horrors? Only you can decide.
Dark Entry
John B. Kachuba - 2012
She finds refuge at her friend’s home nestled in the woods atop Coltsfoot Mountain in Connecticut. The house stands alone except for old cellar holes from the 18th century ghost-town called Dudleytown, formerly inhabited by charcoal makers. The isolation and the deep, dark woods surrounding the house relax her, but there is something sinister living in the woods. As a vindictive Kevin searches for her, Sandy meets Nathan Bishop, a descendant of one of the original Dudleytown settlers. He tells her about the curse that had been visited upon Dudleytown by the spirit of a murdered Indian sachem, resulting in murders, suicides, Indian massacres, shootings, and other forms of mayhem inflicted upon the villagers. What they are both about to discover is that the curse has returned . . . for them.Based on the true-life story of Dudleytown, Dark Entry is an engrossing and chilling tale that will have you reading with the lights on.
Theo: A Novella
Paul Torday - 2012
Having entered the Church more by default than through any great calling, he struggles to inject some life into his ailing parish. His wife Christine longs for them to escape the endless rounds of coffee mornings and cake sales. Then Theo, a child at her school, starts to exhibit strange marks on his hands and feet that vanish almost as soon as they have appeared. What has produced these marks - is it physical violence or something stranger? And why has the previous vicar of St Joseph's ended up in a psychiatric hospital?
Fireside Gothic
Andrew Taylor - 2016
Left in the care of an elderly teacher, there is little to do but listen to his eerie tales about the nearby Cathedral. The boys concoct a plan to discover if the stories are true. But the Cathedral is filled with hidden dangers, and curiosity can prove fatal.THE LEPER HOUSEOne stormy night in Suffolk, a man’s car breaks down following his sister’s funeral. The only source of light comes from a remote cottage by the sea. The mysterious woman who lives there begs him to leave, yet he can’t shake the sense that she somehow needs him. He attempts to return the next day but she is nowhere to be seen. And neither is the cottage.THE SCRATCHClare and Gerald live a perfect life in the Forest of Dean with their cat, Cannop. Then Gerald’s young nephew comes to stay. Jack is from another world – active service in Afghanistan. The experience has left him outwardly untouched, but for a scratch that won’t heal. Jack and Cannop don't like each other. Clare and Jack like each other too much. The scratch begins to fester.
Dark Thoughts
Kevin J. Kennedy - 2019
Kennedy has put together some of the horror worlds best selling horror anthologies. Now, for the first time, he has collected together some of his own short stories in the one place. Features a brand new, eight thousand work, tribute story to Richard Laymon's Dark Mountain.
The Ghosts of Varner Creek
Michael Weems - 2007
Left with his alcoholic and abusive father, Sol lived his life believing the story he'd been told, the story all the people of Varner Creek believed about what happened that summer. But in a plot of twists and family secrets that will leave the reader reaching for their jaw upon the floor, Sol is taken back to his childhood by the spirits he knew in life when he passes away so many years later . . . it is only then he learns what secrets The Ghosts of Varner Creek have been keeping so many years. "Very well written . . . this debut novel is a real page turner with some very interesting characters."-Jani Brooks, Romance Review Today This was a wonderfully woven story about an American family, their secrets, tragedies, love lost and redeemed. - Goodreads 5 Star Review from Robert Stadnik, author of Exodus Of The Phoenix, Phoenix Among The Stars, and Tales Of A Former Child Superhero. Terrific book! This story was haunting and chilled me to the core. I couldn't read fast enough to find out what happened to the characters. I was definitely hooked from the very beginning. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a great mystery. - Nook 5 Star Review Never anything but page-turning . . . I was hooked on this book right from the start. - Dr. Jon P. Bloch, Professor, Author, and Reviewer for The Kindle Book Review, blog website.
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.
The Casebook of Inspector Blackstone
Sally Spencer - 2017
Yet to Inspector Sam Blackstone, the case is as puzzling as any he has ever come across. As his investigation proceeds, Blackstone finds himself entering the world of the aristocracy and tramping the dangerous streets of London's Little Russia, where English law and order are not welcome. So begins the illustrious career of the talented inspector, who earns the equal ire and respect of his superiors for his controversial tactics. Absorbing in their detailed depictions of the period, gripping in their ingenious plots, this trilogy of historical whodunnits is the perfect box set for any mystery-lover. Praise for Sally Spencer 'Spencer's finest hour: a tightly plotted puzzler with surprises at every turn' – Kirkus Reviews 'Spencer is an accomplished craftsman who serves up a good puzzle and deftly solves it with intelligence and insight' – Publishers Weekly Sally Spencer worked as a teacher both in England and Iran - where she witnessed the fall of the Shah. She now writes full time.
Three Incidents at Foster Manor
P.T. Phronk - 2019
An apocalyptic storm. Whispering voices in the air. She was right to fear the worst-case scenario. Amy Burnett has been buried in her work as a security expert. She likes it that way—her dark past can’t invade her thoughts as long as she stays holed up in her office. So why the heck has she ended up at a gothic mansion’s doorstep in the middle of the night? It’s because Craig Foster summoned her there. Amy’s company built the sealed chamber in his basement, for any worrisome worst-case scenario, but now the safe room has presented a scenario of its own: Craig’s daughter is trapped inside. It should be a quick fix. After all, what’s the worst thing that can happen when a stranger arrives at a remote mansion on a stormy night? An impossible mystery? A haunting? A visit from the lurking strangers in the woods? Surely not all three—that would require extraordinarily bad luck. Unfortunately, Amy’s been short on luck lately. Three Incidents at Foster Manor will keep you guessing until the end with a twist-filled, fast-paced, genre-blending mix of mystery, ghost story, thriller, and cosmic horror that will chill you to the core. This is a standalone story, but also acts as a sequel to P.T. Phronk's previous mystery, The Arborist. "Full of interesting characters, twists and scares, it will keep you off-balance all the way to the end!" —Franny "I'm always down some ghostly fun but then the fun dial twisted and wow." —Amazon Reviewer "If you like reading stories somewhat reminiscent of The Twilight Zone this is for you." —Alanna Patterson
Help for the Haunted
John Searles - 2013
Lying in her bed, young Sylvie Mason overhears her parents on the phone across the hall. This is not the first late-night call they have received, since her mother and father have an uncommon occupation, helping "haunted souls" find peace. And yet, something in Sylvie senses that this call is different than the rest, especially when they are lured to the old church on the outskirts of town. Once there, her parents disappear, one after the other, behind the church's red door, leaving Sylvie alone in the car. Not long after, she drifts off to sleep only to wake to the sound of gunfire.Nearly a year later, we meet Sylvie again struggling with the loss of her parents, and living in the care of her older sister, who may be to blame for what happened the previous winter.As the story moves back and forth in time, through the years leading up to the crime and the months following, the ever inquisitive and tender-hearted Sylvie pursues the mystery, moving closer to the knowledge of what occurred that night, as she comes to terms with her family's past and uncovers secrets that have haunted them for years.
The Witching House: A Horror Novella
Brian Moreland - 2013
In 1972, twenty-five people were brutally murdered in one of the bloodiest massacres in Texas history. The mystery of who committed the killings remains unsolved.Over forty years later, Sarah Donovan is dating an exciting man, Dean Stratton. Sarah's scared of just about everything--heights, tight places, the dark--but today she must confront all her fears, as she joins Dean and another couple on an exploring adventure. The old abandoned Blevins House, the scene of the gruesome massacre, is rumored to be haunted.The two couples are about to discover the mysterious house has been waiting all these years, craving fresh prey. And down in the cellar they will encounter a monstrous creature that hungers for more than just human flesh.
Weird Tales: 101 Weird, Strange, and Supernatural Stories (Civitas Library Classics)
Various - 2012
May of these stories are from the pages of Weird Tales and other classic magazines which brought the work of masters like H.P. Lovecraft, Seabury Quinn, Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, Robert E. Howard, and many others to the public. Includes an active table of contents.