Book picks similar to
Mateguas Island by Linda Watkins
horror
paranormal
suspense
gothic
14
Peter Clines - 2012
Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches. There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment.Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much.At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbour across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends. Or the end of everything...
Mistwalker
Saundra Mitchell - 2014
With her family suffering, she’ll do anything to help out—even visiting the Grey Man.Everyone in her small Maine town knows of this legendary spirit who haunts the lighthouse, controlling the fog and the fate of any vessel within his reach. But what Willa finds in the lighthouse isn’t a spirit at all, but a young man trapped inside until he collects one thousand souls.Desperate to escape his cursed existence, Grey tries to seduce Willa to take his place. With her life on land in shambles, will she sacrifice herself?
Wish Upon A Witch
Lucy May - 2020
Really. Her name is literally Juliette Good. Apologies for the redundancy. Good witch or not, she often ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Returning home to Charm Cove, Maine after the holidays, she makes a nostalgic wish in the town’s fountain. As unfortunate luck would have it, seconds later the town’s ancient beloved balsam tree catches fire and is burned to a crisp. By virtue of being a witness, Juliette is also a suspect. Suddenly, wishes cast by random strangers in the fountain are granted almost instantly if Juliette happens to be nearby. In the less magical realm, residents of Charm Cove are up in arms over winter road maintenance and a few too many fender benders during the icy winter. Meanwhile, the only other person known to be present when the ancient balsam tree caught fire is Donovan Wick—a warlock who’s just moved back to town. He’s handsome and charming, and Juliette just might be falling for him. There’s not much time for romance when the witches and warlocks of Charm Cove are chasing down whoever cast the spell that harmed the tree, and the entire town is disgruntled over the state of the roads. The mundane and magical are all tangled together. Take a visit to Charm Cove, where Wicked meets Good and where you just might find there’s almost always more than meets the eye.
A Good and Useful Hurt
Aric Davis - 2012
The last either expects is romance, but that’s what they get as they follow their off-kilter careers and love lives into complete and total disaster.When Mike follows a growing trend and tattoos the ashes of deceased loved ones into several customers’ tattoos, he has no idea that it will one day provide the solution — and solace — he will sorely need. And when the life of a serial killer tragically collides with the lives in the tattoo shop, Mike and Deb will stop at nothing in their quest for revenge, even if it means stepping outside the known boundaries of life and death. Ink that is full of crematory ashes, a sociopathic killer, and pain in its rawest form…this is going to hurt.When the hope of redemption runs headlong into the dark side of life’s chaos, we are left with one of the most haunting thrillers in recent memory. A Good and Useful Hurt delivers the bittersweet essence of life with the sting of a needle in skin.
Slasher Girls & Monster Boys
April Genevieve TucholkeDanielle Paige - 2015
There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead, True Blood, and American Horror Story will tear through tales by these talented authors:Stefan BachmannLeigh BardugoKendare BlakeA. G. HowardJay KristoffMarie LuJonathan MaberryDanielle PaigeCarrie RyanMegan ShepherdNova Ren SumaMcCormick TemplemanApril Genevieve TucholkeCat Winters
Daughters Unto Devils
Amy Lukavics - 2015
She can leave behind the memory of the past winter; of her sickly ma giving birth to a baby sister who cries endlessly; of the terrifying visions she saw as her sanity began to slip, the victim of cabin fever; and most of all, the memories of the boy she has been secretly meeting with as a distraction from her pain. The boy whose baby she now carries. When the Verners arrive at their new home, a large cabin abandoned by its previous owners, they discover the inside covered in blood. And as the days pass, it is obvious to Amanda that something isn’t right on the prairie. She’s heard stories of lands being tainted by evil, of men losing their minds and killing their families, and there is something strange about the doctor and his son who live in the woods on the edge of the prairie. But with the guilt and shame of her sins weighing on her, Amanda can’t be sure if the true evil lies in the land, or deep within her soul.
A Warm Place to Call Home
Michael Siemsen - 2013
Except, it's other people's lives.UNPAID READERS ARE SOMEHOW SAYING:★★★★★ “Prepare yourself to root for what’s wrong and to hope for the worst” ★★★★★ “Draws you in from the outset…” ★★★★★ “I love him! He’s a jerk! I love him!” ★★★★★ “…couldn’t put it down until the last page was turned.” ★★★★★ “…a moving story, and all-too-real.” ★★★★★ “engaging characters, interesting settings, plot twists galore, and a very satisfying ending.” ★★★★★SURPRISING NUMBER OF ACTUAL AWARDS:★WINNER - Next Generation Indie Book Awards®★★WINNER - Novel Grounds Literary Awards★★WINNER - Rebecca’s Reads Choice Awards★★WINNER - SOVAS™ Voice Arts Award (Audiobook Edition)★DESCRIPTION:As far as he call tell, Frederick is a demon. "Born" in Virginia in the early 1980s, he hasn't a clue where he came from or why, but his irresistible desire to occupy a human body seems pretty demony to him. Plus, a number of a-hole priests have tried to exorcise him from some of his favorite bodies. Yeah, it works, but not for the reasons they think. It's just super annoying being yelled at in Latin and sometimes the priests get really, really into it, and their mouths get all frothy and spittle droplets shoot out and land on your cheek or in your eye. It's just gross. So f--k it. He leaves with a heartfelt "Enjoy the drooly meatsack!" What those morons never realize is that once Frederick takes over a body, the previous occupant's consciousness and memories are forever erased. It's an inevitable side effect that gives Frederick pause when switching bodies, but not so much as to actually halt his ongoing enjoyment of human lives. Departures are not so much "Good lord, what have I done?" moments as much as, "Aww. How sad." Frowny face emoji - not crying face emoji. You get the point. After a few decades exploring the world in various bodies, Frederick finds himself burnt out on the wild life, deciding he'll return to America, explore the mystery of his origin, and maybe even find someone tolerable enough to love for more than a month. In his hometown of Leesburg, Virginia, his mission bears fruit much faster than expected. He meets an enchanting woman, and her current boyfriend looks like a great foot-in-the-door. Typically, Frederick avoids maintaining a bodies' prior relationships (it requires agonizingly boring pre-research to avoid detection) but - as noted above - he's loose with the phrase "f--k it."And everything falls into utter chaos. Spoiler alert. Oh wait, those are supposed to go *before* the spoiler. Oops. But you're still gonna want to read how all this goes down. I mean, look at all those awards and reviews up there! Unless you're deeply offended by naughty words and brief, awkward descriptions of sex, you're pretty much guaranteed to fall in love with Frederick. So says Frederick. };)
Stephen King's N.
Marc Guggenheim - 2008
There is a Stonehenge-like arrangement of seven stones with a horrifying EYE in the center. And whatever dwells there in that strange, windswept setting may have brought about the suicide of one man...and harbor death for the OCD afflicted "N.," whose visits to the field have passed beyond compulsion into the realm of obsession. Based on the chilling short story from the recent Stephen King collection, JUST AFTER SUNSET, this adaptation will provide nightmares aplenty. Just keep counting the stories...keep counting...counting COLLECTING: Stephen King's N. #1-4
Insanity
Susan Vaught - 2014
It is a crossways, a place where the dead and the living can find no peace. Not that Forest, an 18-year-old foster kid who works the graveyard shift at Lincoln Hospital, knew this when she applied for the job. Lincoln is a huge state mental institution, a good place for Forest to make some money to pay for college. But along with hundreds of very unstable patients, it also has underground tunnels, bell towers that ring unexpectedly, and a closet that holds more than just donated clothing....When the dead husband of one of Forest's patients makes an appearance late one night, seemingly accompanied by an agent of the Devil, Forest loses all sense of reality and all sense of time. Terrified, she knows she has a part to play, and when she does so, she finds a heritage that she never expected. With her deep knowledge of mental illness and mental institutions, Susan Vaught brings readers a fascinating and completely creepy new book intertwining the stories of three young people who find themselves haunted beyond imagining in the depths of Lincoln Hospital.
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.
Premonition
Leigh Walker - 2017
What she doesn't expect? To be thrust into an intense physical training program described as special, exclusive and worst of all--top-secret. She signed up for tuition assistance, not to be held in a secret government facility for boot camp... Welcome to The Division, the government agency that's so classified, most United States senators have never heard of it. The Division wants Riley bad, but she can't figure out why. Skeptical of what she's being told, Riley's determined to uncover the truth. Boot camp is intense, physically and mentally draining. The upside? One of her new teammates is the cutest boy ever. Watching Finn hit the gym wearing a tank top doesn't suck--although sometimes his brooding attitude does. But when training forces Riley to confront her tragic past, even Finn's big biceps aren't enough to make her want to stay... Beware: The Division isn't something you just walk away from. You better run. Riley realizes her capabilities and strengths are greater than she'd ever imagined. But she also learns she wasn't just chosen for this special program... She was made for it.
Lightless
C.A. Higgins - 2015
But when a pair of fugitive terrorists gain access to the Ananke, Althea must draw upon her heart and soul for the strength to defend her beloved ship. While one of the saboteurs remains at large somewhere on board, his captured partner—the enigmatic Ivan—may prove to be more dangerous. The perversely fascinating criminal whose silver tongue is his most effective weapon has long evaded the authorities’ most relentless surveillance—and kept the truth about his methods and motives well hidden. As the ship’s systems begin to malfunction and the claustrophobic atmosphere is increasingly poisoned by distrust and suspicion, it falls to Althea to penetrate the prisoner’s layers of intrigue and deception before all is lost. But when the true nature of Ivan’s mission is exposed, it will change Althea forever—if it doesn’t kill her first.
Daughters of the Sea
H.R. Mason - 2021
A new town filled with old secrets. One woman is determined to uncover the truth about her past, but Everwine Manor won’t easily give up the truth.Runa Brandon is naïve and uncertain, and she has been taken advantage of more than once. After disentangling herself from an abusive relationship, Runa begins a new life in Departure Cove, Oregon. Her mother, Asta, believes Departure Cove holds too many secrets that are better left buried, including the identity of Runa’s father.When Runa arrives in Departure Cove, strange things begin to happen. She experiences frightening visions, disturbing dreams, and unexplained physical changes. Then Runa meets Chase Everwine, a wealthy, mysterious man who pursues Runa with a passion that sweeps her off her feet.Runa falls hard for Chase, in spite of Asta’s warnings that his family cannot be trusted. Secrets and puzzles follow in Chase’s wake, and when Runa sees his family’s estate, Everwine Manor, she feels drawn to it. She doesn’t understand why the house calls to her but is compelled to find out.What Runa doesn’t know is that she is part of a long line of women who are blessed with inexplicable gifts and drawn to the power of the sea. As Runa uncovers the astounding secrets of her family tree, she also comes to realize there is more to her husband than meets the eye.
Veiled
Stacey Rourke - 2017
Fanged teddy bears misunderstood thanks to archaic lore. Activists picket for them to be welcomed into our society. They claim vamps don't kill. They preach we are safe. They ... are dead wrong. One year ago a hive slaughtered my family and left me for dead. Found by a team of scientists with their own agenda, I was forged into an unstoppable weapon. I possess their strength, with none of their weaknesses. I can move among them free from their crippling hunger. I am their greatest threat. Armed with this arsenal, vengeance will feed my desire to penetrate the seedy underbelly of their fetishized lifestyle and expose them for the monsters they truly are.