Book picks similar to
Tuning in to Terror by Deborah McClatchey
horror
need
standalones
genre-horror-thriller-crime
Guest Of Honor: A Novelette
Mark S.R. Peterson - 2013
Parties, booze, boys--you name it, she does it. Her parents don't care what she does, and when she is home they ignore her. Their attitude started over a year ago when Megan's older brother was tragically killed in a car accident. Then, when her parents die on the same road that took her brother, Megan decides to start over and move far away. She auctions off her parents' property, a country home in northwestern Minnesota, and heads down to the Twin Cities. Megan knows hitchhiking is dangerous, but lately has become a way of life. And this time is no different. She gets picked up by Bart Simms, an attorney from Minneapolis, who agrees to take her where she needs to go. But only after he conducts a bit of estate planning business. The Engels are a farming family who live not far from Megan's old place. They revel peacefully in their secluded backwoods sanctuary, and have a strong desire to keep as much of the government away from their family's farming legacy. Hence the reason they sought the impecable skills of Bart Simms, who has a deep reputation for saving many family farms from unwanted death and estate taxes. But Megan has a problem with the Engels. She has never heard of them, and she's lived in the area all of her life. When she explores their home, she finds more that is out of sorts. She discovers a picture of a teenage girl. A girl who resembles that of a recent murder victim from Minneapolis. Is there more to this backwoods family than meets the eye? This suspenseful story was inspired by the gruesome real-life tales of Ed Gein and the Master of Horror himself Stephen King. Also included in this are two bonus materials: a serial killer short story titled "Hatchet Harry" and an excerpt of Mark S. R. Peterson's thriller novel (published August 2013) titled BEHOLDER'S EYE.
Farm
Sian Rosé - 2020
At a desolate pub, they are effortlessly seduced into a change of plans by three mysterious, beautiful hippies who invite them to a party at their mansion, alluring them with the promise of sex, drugs, and good times.The following morning, Prue wakes up to find herself alone with Faith, the leader of the strange community of misfits living within the mansion’s walls. Faith says that Prue’s friends are at the farm, and will be back soon... although it doesn’t take long for Prue to realise that what sounds like an innocent day trip is something far, far more sinister, and more horrifying than she could ever imagine.Meanwhile, Prue's coworkers wake up to find themselves damned to the confines of the terrifying, twisted cages of the Farm. With the belief that animals are used for excruciating experiments, slaughtered for meat, ripped from their young and forced to live in filth and agony, Faith believes God put her on earth to seek their revenge...NOT for the faint of heart, Farm is the stuff of nightmares, a disturbing, blood-soaked horror that will make you think twice about visiting the British countryside again...
Throwback
Edward J. McFadden III - 2018
The anomaly sails through the solar system and the International Space Station along with three astronauts and one cosmonaut are thrown back to the Cretaceous period where dinosaurs roam Earth hunting prey and great pterosaurs patrol the skies. Supplies on the station run low and desperation takes hold, but morale grows when the crew sees a bright multi-colored light blinking on the surface below. The astronauts decide to evacuate the station in the Soyuz escape capsule and investigate. As the adventurers struggle to survive in the primordial jungle, the party discovers artifacts of an ancient civilization that could help them find the light beacon. If they can stay alive long enough.
The Empty House
Ruskin Bond - 2016
From exploring an empty house with dreadful secrets to the account of an eccentric children’s ayah and from vengeful animals carrying a spirit to a bunch of anxious children in a stark landscape—these are some of the most interesting stories about the supernatural. Selected and compiled by Ruskin Bond, this collection includes stories by authors like Rudyard Kipling, Algernon Blackwood, R.L. Stevenson and Alice Perrin, among others.
Gary's Children (Shingles Book 2)
Rick Gualtieri - 2018
Gary Handler has issues. His boss hates him, his mother hounds him, and his cat thinks he’s an idiot. But that’s okay because Gary’s got the perfect solution to all of life’s troubles: a porn site subscription and his right hand.Sadly, all habits grow old, even the fun ones. Gary soon finds himself at the doorstep of a creepy old pawn shop where he buys a used adult novelty toy to spice up his one-man sex life.Pity for him that it’s cursed by the angry spirits of all the “kids” he’s flushed down the toilet. Needless to say, hairy palms are about to become the least of his worries.----------Jack on, jack off ... with the Jacklight in book 2 of Shingles, the horror comedy series that’s not for those with faint hearts or weak bladders.
Road Rash
Simon Janus - 2010
He's on the run with the proceeds of a botched bank robbery. It's all he has. His crew is dead and his getaway car just died on him. He's on foot with the cash when he comes across a two-car pileup. There's no saving the drivers, but he can save himself by stealing one of the wrecked cars. Unfortunately, he boosts the wrong set of wheels. Within an hour of driving off, he develops a rash that eats away at his flesh. No doctor can help him—only the car's original owner. If Straley wants his skin back, he must journey on the road to redemption, which ends in the heart of Central America. Road Rash first appeared in the anthology Butcher Shop Quartet 2. Simon Janus is the horror identity for the award winning thriller writer, Simon Wood. What They Are Saying About Road Rash: "Road Rash is a wild collision of crime caper and supernatural thriller that works on every level. Lightning-paced, darkly funny, deeply creepy, and highly recommended." — Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of THE DRAGON FACTORY “Simon Janus understands the darkness inside us all and nails it to the page. Fast-paced and gut-wrenching, pedal-to-the-metal thrills." — Scott Nicholson, author of THE RED CHURCH
Dead of Winter
Brian Moreland - 2011
Inspector Tom Hatcher has faced a madman before, when he tracked down Montreal’s infamous Cannery Cannibal. But can even he stop the slaughter this time?
In Montreal exorcist Father Xavier visits an asylum where the Cannery Cannibal is imprisoned. But the killer who murdered thirteen women is more than just a madman who craves human meat. He is possessed by a shape-shifting demon. Inspector Hatcher and Father Xavier must unravel a mystery that has spanned centuries and confront a predator that has turned the frozen woods into a killing ground where evil has come to feed.
"You Have Lipstick on Your Teeth" and Other Things You'll Only Hear from Your Friends In The Powder Room
Leslie MarinelliStephanie Giese - 2013
Now we’re taking it to the next level with an anthology of original short stories from some of the wittiest women writers we know—stories they would only tell their closest friends, most likely from within the haven of a ladies’ room. Inside you’ll find 39 (mostly) true tales by women, for women, about being women—bodily changes, relationships, careers, motherhood, aging, illness, and more—written with the humor and grit that proudly sets In The Powder Room apart.But be forewarned: we’re holding nothing back. We’re revealing our deep dark secrets—because it’s through our most vulnerable and honest moments that we forge the strongest connections and discover we aren’t so alone after all. You have a gimpy boob? Me too. You think glitter is the herpes of the craft world? Me too! You got your fishnet-clad leg stuck to your head on stage in front of thousands of people? Wait…what? OMG. Tell me everything! We are your friends, sisters, mothers, and daughters. Regardless of what life has dished up for you, chances are, we’ve been there and we can relate. We’ll help you laugh it off, or hold your hand until you’re ready to laugh again. And we promise: we’ll always tell you when you have lipstick on your teeth.
Short Horror Stories Vol. 5
Kathryn St. John-Shin - 2019
A dying patient’s gift to his caretaker takes a sinister turn. And two friends discover a grisly surprise in an abandoned parking lot…Scare Street is proud to present the best in bone-chilling supernatural horror. This volume contains three macabre morsels for your reading pleasure. Each ghastly tale is guaranteed to keep you up late, burning the midnight oil as you turn one terrifying page after another.You feel compelled to keep reading. A voice echoes in every room, telling you to stay awake. Something sinister clutches you in an icy grip of fear and it won’t let go until the first light of dawn. Assuming you make it through the night…
Luckenbooth
Jenni Fagan - 2021
But the real reason she's there is to bear him and his barren wife a child, the consequences of which curse the tenement building that is their home for a hundred years. As we travel through the nine floors of the building and the next eight decades, the resident's lives entwine over the ages and in unpredictable ways. Along the way we encounter the city's most infamous Madam, a seance, a civil rights lawyer, a bone mermaid, a famous Beat poet, a notorious Edinburgh gang, a spy, the literati, artists, thinkers, strippers, the spirit world - until a cosmic agent finally exposes the true horror of the building's longest kept secret. No. 10 Luckenbooth Close hurtles the reader through personal and global history - eerily reflecting modern life today.
The Nightmare Collective
PlayWithDeath.comJenny Ashford - 2015
With 12 terrifically spine chilling short stories, this anthology contains contributions from some of the best young horror writing talent out there, and was curated by the editors of the PlayWithDeath.com, the premier destination for online horror entertainment. If you're searching for stories that will frighten you to your very core, look no further. List of Short Story Authors Tom Wortman M. B. Vujačić Manen Lyset Jenny Ashford Kyle Yadlosky G. T. Montgomery Ari Drew Patrick Winters Trevor James Zaple John Teel Dexter Findley Kyle Rader
Carnival of Lies
Melissa Marr - 2014
A digital original novella set in the twisted world of the Untamed City created by Melissa MarrCarnival of Secrets fans will be thrilled for this never-before-seen moment between Aya and Belias, set in the Untamed City universe.
The Collected Stories of H. P. Lovecraft
H.P. Lovecraft - 2011
P. Lovecraft's stories includes 52 short stories and novellas all in one Kindle book. This edition has a fully linked active Table of Contents, with date written for each story and novella on the title pages. Table of ContentsThe Alchemist (1916)The Beast in the Cave (1918)Beyond the Wall of Sleep (1919)Dagon (1919)Memory (1919)The Picture in the House (1919)The White Ship (1919)The Cats of Ulthar (1920)The Doom That Came to Sarnath (1920)Nyarlathotep (1920)Polaris (1920)The Statement of Randolph Carter (1920)The Street (1920)Ex Oblivione (1921)Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family (1921)The Nameless City (1921)The Terrible Old Man (1921)The Tree (1921)Celephais (1922)The Music of Erich Zann (1922)The Tomb (1922)Hypnos (1923)The Lurking Fear (1923)I. The Shadow On The ChimneyII. A Passer In The StormIII. What The Red Glare MeantIV. The Horror In The EyesWhat the Moon Brings (1923)In the Vault (1925)He (Weird Tales, 1926)The Moon-Bog (Weird Tales, 1926)The Colour Out of Space (1927)The Horror at Red Hook (Weird Tales, 1927)Pickman's Model (Weird Tales, 1927)Cool Air (1928)The Call of Cthulhu (Weird Tales, 1928)I. The Horror In ClayII. The Tale of Inspector LegrasseIII. The Madness from the SeaThe Dunwich Horror (Weird Tales 1929)The Silver Key (Weird Tales, 1929)The Strange High House in the Mist (Weird Tales, 1931)The Whisperer in the Darkness (Weird Tales, 1931)The Other Gods (1933)The Dreams in the Witch House (Weird Tales, 1933)From Beyond (1934)The Quest of Iranon (1935)The Haunter of the Dark (Weird Tales, 1936)The Shadow out of Time (Astonishing Stories, 1936)The Shunned House (Weird Tales, 1937)The Thing on the Doorstep (Weird Tales, 1937)Azathoth (1938)The Book (1938)The Descendant (1938)The Evil Clergyman (Weird Tales, 1939)The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (Weird Tales, 1941)I. A Result and a PrologueII. An Antecedent and a HorrorIII. A Search and an EvocationIV. A Mutation and a MadnessV. A Nightmare and a CataclysmThe Shadow over Innsmouth (Weird Tales, 1942)The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (The Arkham Sampler, 1948)
Don't Tell a Soul
Kirsten Miller - 2021
. . that might just kill her.People say the house is cursed.It preys on the weakest, and young women are its favorite victims.In Louth, they're called the Dead Girls.All Bram wanted was to disappear—from her old life, her family's past, and from the scandal that continues to haunt her. The only place left to go is Louth, the tiny town on the Hudson River where her uncle, James, has been renovating an old mansion.But James is haunted by his own ghosts. Months earlier, his beloved wife died in a fire that people say was set by her daughter. The tragedy left James a shell of the man Bram knew—and destroyed half the house he'd so lovingly restored.The manor is creepy, and so are the locals. The people of Louth don't want outsiders like Bram in their town, and with each passing day she's discovering that the rumors they spread are just as disturbing as the secrets they hide. Most frightening of all are the legends they tell about the Dead Girls. Girls whose lives were cut short in the very house Bram now calls home.The terrifying reality is that the Dead Girls may have never left the manor. And if Bram looks too hard into the town's haunted past, she might not either.
The Nesting
C.J. Cooke - 2020
It was their dream house, and he wants to honor her with it.Lexi Ellis takes a job as his nanny and immediately falls in love with his two young daughters, especially Gaia. But something feels off in the isolated house nestled in the forest along the fjord. Lexi sees mysterious muddy footprints inside the home. Aurelia's diary appears in Lexi's room one day. And Gaia keeps telling her about seeing the terrifying Sad Lady…Soon Lexi suspects that Aurelia didn't kill herself and that they are all in danger from something far more sinister lurking around them.