Book picks similar to
The Lamplighters by Frazer Lee
horror
mystery
fiction
3-41-3-60
The Reach
Nate Kenyon - 2008
She’s been diagnosed as schizophrenic and locked away in a children’s psychiatric ward. But that’s not what makes her special. She also has a very strange—and powerful—gift. Scientists have been studying Sarah’s remarkable psychic power for years, enhancing it, manipulating it…twisting it into something evil. But their plans have gone horribly wrong. How much longer can they control Sarah? And what will happen if her powers are unleashed?
The Labyrinth
Dorian Zari - 2010
Sarah's renowned for being a deaf cellist, when in truth she uses her instrument as a shield against maddening noises like a fly a continent away. Dan can see the dust on Pluto, but can only see his hands through a haze of tears. (He’s in therapy.) Carly can smell everything to the point that cocaine is needed to dull the sense, and Zack can break down the ingredients in Col. Sanders’ secret KFC recipe, so he numbs his tongue by drinking - a lot. With the pain and isolation their crippling senses cause, all four haven given up on being normal - and the only thing that keeps them from madness is the hope that they’re not alone.Their hope is justified when they become aware of each other during a mysterious event that causes them to briefly swap bodies. They set out to meet; however, something else wants to find them, too. A monster in the guise of a teenager that calls itself the Guardian and wants their abilities for itself. When Dan inadvertently has a flashback to a previous life, they realize that they`re at the end of a roller coaster ride of multiple reincarnations spanning all of history - and that the Guardian has hunted them through each of their lives. To survive in the present, they must relive their brutal clashes with the monster to discover its weakness in the hope of making their next encounter with it the last.
Bottled Abyss
Benjamin Kane Ethridge - 2012
WHAT WERE THREE ARE NOW ONE, AND I AM FURY... Herman and Janet Erikson are going through a crisis of grief and suffering after losing their daughter in a hit and run. They've given up on each other, they've given up on themselves. They are living day by day. One afternoon, to make a horrible situation worse, their dog goes missing in the coyote-infested badlands behind their property. Herman, resolved in preventing another tragedy, goes to find the dog, completely unaware he's on a hike to the River Styx, which according to Greek myth was the border between the Living World and the world of the Dead. Long ago the gods died and the River dried up, but a bottle containing its waters still remains in the badlands. What Herman discovers about the dark power contained in those waters will change his life forever... "It happens from time to time...a book grabs you from the opening line and refuses to let you go. Benjamin Kane Ethridge's Bottled Abyss was one of those reads for me. Bottled Abyss is a stunningly sophisticated tale, both in its mythic scope and in its adroit handling of complex, emotional characters. Ethridge is a writer of rare emotional intelligence, developed far beyond his years, but with Bottled Abyss he has outdone even his own considerable promise. There are several writers out there, such as Laird Barron, John Langan and Lee Thomas, that have me chomping at the bit for their next release. Add to that shortlist Benjamin Kane Ethridge, for he has made me a fan for life!" -Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Dead City
Redheads
Jonathan Moore - 2013
Cheryl Wilcox wasn’t the first. All the victims were redheads. All eaten alive and left within a mile of the ocean. The trail of death crosses the globe and spans decades.The cold trail catches fire when Chris and two other survivors find a trace of the killer's DNA. By hiring a cutting-edge lab to sequence it, they make a terrifying discovery. The killer is far more dangerous than they ever guessed. And now they’re being hunted by their own prey.
A Requiem For Dead Flies
Peter N. Dudar - 2012
But the house on Battle View Farm has a haunting secret. As Grandma Vivian slowly slipped into madness, the brothers' lives became entangled in mortal danger. That summer of terror left them scarred and plagued by the family's dark secret. Now, years later, the MacAuley brothers have returned with dreams of breathing new life into Battle View Farm. But living in the house on Battle View Farm, they are forced to face their past and solve the mystery that began generations ago. And to face the ghosts that still haunt their family's legacy. A legacy written in dead flies. "Peter N. Dudar has just made me a fan. A Requiem for Dead Flies is beautifully eerie. There are very few horror authors working today who have Dudar's skill at putting ordinary people into such terrifying situations. The dark descent into memory and family secrets waiting for the MacAuley brothers is almost too much - it would be too much, too like a nightmare you just can't wake up from - if it weren't for Dudar's smooth eloquence. Seriously, the pages go down as easily as a fine bourbon. Just don't let your guard down, because like a fine bourbon, this book's got a bite to it. A first class chiller!" -Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Dead City "Peter Dudar's A REQUIEM FOR DEAD FLIES is an original twist on the modern ghost story. In rural New York on a lonesome family farm, Dudar layers on the tension in a perfectly paced narrative, leading to a surprising and horrific ending. A REQUIEM is an outstanding first novel and I highly recommend it." -Holly Newstein, co-author of ASHES and THE EPICURE, as H.R. Howland. "Peter N. Dudar is a natural born storyteller who brings his characters to vivid life. In A REQUIEM FOR DEAD FLIES, he gives us the tale of the MacAuley brothers who, in trying to get a fresh start, instead collide with a wall of grief, built from the debris of tragic family secrets. A bright new voice in the horror genre, and a book not to be missed." -L.L. Soares, Author of LIFE RAGE and IN SICKNESS
House of Rain
Greg F. Gifune - 2013
A troubled Vietnam vet and recent widower, he does his best to survive in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood while drowning in the nightmares of his horrific past and struggling with the death of his beloved wife Katy. And then the whispers begin calling to him from the shadows, terrifying visions stalk him relentlessly, the sounds of angelic singing haunt his every waking moment, and everyone in his life seems to be conspiring against him for reasons he cannot yet understand.As the rains come, soaking the city, Gordon realizes he must face his past, and solve a dark mystery that has haunted him for nearly fifty years.Who was the mystifying woman he met in a bar all those years ago? What happened in that seedy motel they went to? Did it even really happen at all?As Gordon searches for answers, something within the mounting rain watches and waits, offering Gordon deliverance from his nightmare. But the keys to Heaven and Hell come with a terrible price.Welcome home, Gordon.Welcome to THE HOUSE OF RAIN."A masterful tale of love, loss, friendship, pain and suffering…a tale that will eviscerate you emotionally." —Peter Schwotzer, Famous Monsters of Filmland"Another masterpiece of a tale of love and loss as Gifune delves to the heart of a topic that he seems to know so well." —Josef Hernandez, Examiner
Covenant
John Everson - 2004
Hiding from his past big city exposés in the quiet coastal town of Terrel, he stumbles upon a web of mysterious teen suicides that somehow connect a ring of five women. Is there really a malevolent presence inside Terrel Cliff that holds all of the town in thrall as Angelica, a fortune teller, suggests? Or is there a murderous covenant between five women to sacrifice their first-born? When Angelica is kidnapped right under his nose, Joe suspects that there is more at work in Terrel than a dark, tragic streak.Deep beneath the remains of a long-demolished lighthouse on its tragic cliff, Joe discovers Terrel's secret history and salvation. And in his desperate bid to save two women, he forges a new covenant, one that puts his own soul in deadly danger.
The Ridealong: A Suspense Thriller
Michaelbrent Collings - 2015
They'll be searching for you. The evidence at the scene of Officer Knight's death is enough to send you both to jail." "Who am I searching for?" The Voice laughs. That strange, dangerous laugh. "Me, of course." *** It was supposed to be just one more ridealong, a night when high schooler Melissa Latham accompanies her father on his patrol. But when a psychotic killer targets them for a wicked game, the night turns into a high-speed chase where there is no prize for second place. They have to find a killer before he murders the next one of their friends. They have to find a killer before they are caught and charged for the murder of the men he's already killed. They have to find a killer… before he finds them.
Sleep Martyrs
C.A. Wittman - 2019
But navigating around their controlling stepfather and their aloof new siblings becomes the least of their worries.There is a vague sense of menace in their state of the art lavish smart home with its cutting edge calm technology. And something is not quite right with the bright, cheerful kids at Santomon’s private school where the girls are enrolled. Undergrads from prestigious universities and ivy-league colleges are vying for the coveted internships within Santomon Village. The mega-corporation is the darling of the tech world and a philanthropic superstar when it comes to awarding educational scholarships to low-income families who require rehabilitative services for their teens at Santomon’s troubled youth program called Salinger House.But not everyone is singing Santomon praises. A growing number of parents whose children have returned home from the program are voicing concerns that at first seem vague, while a social activist group called The Disruptors has been investigating a cash-for-kids scandal in South Dakota that involves Santomon. For Tori, she can feel that something ominous, something evil is afoot, and as her mother begins to have doubts about her marriage and there is talk of divorce, Tori yearns to return to Inglewood and the simple life they had. But her sister, Laila ‘s not so sure leaving the village will be easy because what she has discovered is a treacherous web of lies unfathomable in their scope. What Laila wonders is if they can get away from Santomon before it’s too late.
Limbo.
Marko Pandza - 2016
A place beyond time and space as we know it where psychopaths compete for perverse honour and status as they carry out their deathly duties. As Grim struggles to hold onto the memories of the life he’s lost, he discovers that the insane being who shaped him (and the course of existence itself) may have sinister plans for the one thing he values most.In Limbo, the end is only the beginning.
Of A Feather
Kenneth C. Goldman - 2014
Pretty Jamie, who works at the Bird Emporium, understands. And the old Indian chief who wears a strange, two-sided bird mask, he understands too.As does the ancient, angry spirit called the Thunderbird and about a million of Wellington County's feathered creatures...They know what Socrates Singer really is.And they know what he can do...
Descending Son
Scott Shepherd - 2013
It took a desperate call from his mother to force him home to see his ailing father. As soon as he returned, Jess found himself embroiled in two suspicious deaths, emotional turmoil with his family, and a supernatural secret that involved them all—winding up in an unmarked grave in the middle of the Coachella Desert. In a tale that spreads from the California Desert to the jungles of Mexico and set in a town that time has practically forgotten, Descending Son is rooted in the sins of Jess’s past and a future that threatens his life. Sure, Jess can go home again, but there’s a heavy price to pay.
Hannahwhere
John M. McIlveen - 2015
She is a mystery. As Social Worker Debbie Gillan pieces together the puzzle of the child's identity, she discovers the child had disappeared two years earlier along with a twin sister. She also discovers HANNAHWHERE, an alternate world that is both a haven and a prison.... Life altering trauma becomes the key to unraveling the truth about the children, about Hannahwhere...and about Debbie herself. Truths that could either save them or destroy them all. “HANNAHWHERE is a revelation. This constantly surprising novel has some very dark moments, but John McIlveen's clean, clear prose carries you through them and back into the light of the good, decent people who fuel this story with their desperate efforts to do the right thing. Hannah herself is a joy. If she were up for adoption, I'd be the first in line.” -- F. Paul Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of COLD CITY “HANNAHWHERE by John McIlveen is everything a book should be--filled with unforgettable characters, fast-paced, and a page-turner. I loved it!” -- Heather Graham, New York Times bestselling author of LET THE DEAD SLEEP "From the very first line of HANNAHWHERE, you know you're in good hands. John McIlveen raises a compelling new voice with a story that is at once playful and frightening, thrilling and heartbreaking. Highly recommended." -- Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of ROT & RUIN and FIRE & ASH "John McIlveen's HANNAHWHERE is a thrilling, emotionally complex paranormal mystery. The little girls at the center of the story will touch your heart and unsettle you, all at the same time. A wonderful first novel from an exciting new voice in genre fiction." -- Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of SNOWBLIND "Love it, love it, LOVE IT!" -- Rick Hautala, bestselling author of THE DEMON'S WIFE"John McIlveen's HANNAHWHERE easily and often defies genre, weaving in mystery, darkness, humor and horror with a cast of living, breathing characters that it's far too easy to fall in love with. I am in awe of his talents." -- James A. Moore, author of the SEVEN FORGES series.“HANNAHWHERE is a unique piece of fiction. Full of compelling characters and original concepts, it transcends any notions of genre. The reader’s need to encounter a beautifully realized story rendered in clear, precise prose is fulfilled here with stunning clarity. John McIlveen is a talent who has a brilliant future as a novelist.” -- Thomas F. Monteleone, four-time Bram Stoker Award-winner
Fog Heart
Thomas Tessier - 1997
Is her gift real, or is it the sign of a consuming madness? Can she lead them all to important truths, or will they be trapped in the tightening web of terror and death?Fog Heart was named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly, and awarded the International Horror Guild's honors for Best Novel.
Damnable
Hank Schwaeble - 2009
For he's about to discover that the streets of New York City have become a secret battleground between forces he cannot comprehend.