Archives de catégorie : Horror

THE REDEMPTION OF MORGAN BRIGHT de Chris Panatier

A woman checks herself into an insane asylum to solve the mystery of her sister’s murder, only to lose her memory and maybe her mind.

THE REDEMPTION OF MORGAN BRIGHT
by Chris Panatier
Angry Robot, February 2024
(via KT Literary)

From the subversive voice behind The Phlebotomist comes a story that combines the uncanny atmosphere of Don’t Worry Darling with the narrative twists of The Last House on Needless Street.

What would guilt make you do?

Hadleigh Keene died on the road leading away from Hollyhock Asylum. The reasons are unknown. Her sister Morgan blames herself. A year later with the case still unsolved, Morgan creates a false identity, that of a troubled housewife named Charlotte Turner, and goes inside.

Morgan quickly discovers that Hollyhock is… not right. She is shaken by the hospital’s peculiar routines and is soon beset by strange episodes. All the while, the persona of Charlotte takes on a life of its own, becoming stronger with each passing day. As her identity begins unraveling, Morgan finds herself tracing Hadleigh’s footsteps and peering into the places they lead.

The terrifying reality of THE REDEMPTION OF MORGAN BRIGHT unfolds over the course of chapters told from the points of view of both Charlotte and Morgan, police interviews, and text messages.

Chris Panatier is an artist and writer living in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, daughter and a fluctuating herd of dogs. He writes short stories and novels. Chris has also been a trial attorney for almost two decades. He represents people who have been injured, poisoned, or killed due to the conduct of others.

TRESPASS AGAINST US de Leon Kemp

Perfect for fans of Ace of Spades and The Taking of Jake Livingston, this young adult horror debut is told in dual timelines: following a group of teens as they visit an abandoned school for troubled youth and then return two years later to confront the supernatural evil they awoke there.

TRESPASS AGAINST US
by Leon Kemp
HarperTeen, June 2024

Two years ago, Riley visited the abandoned and allegedly haunted religious reform school Dominic House with his boyfriend Ethan, and his best friends Colton and Vee. Ethan never came out. Colton’s leg will never quite heal, Vee is branded as hysterical, and Riley has horrific scars as a reminder of that night. Now at eighteen, Riley hasn’t exactly moved on, but he’s kept away from all things paranormal. Until legendary ghost chaser Jordan Jones shows up with an offer: return to Dominic House with her to film an episode of her Spirit Seekers tv show. Riley may have vowed never to return, but he has unfinished business at Dominic House. With a reluctant Colton and Vee at his side, Riley is determined to find out what happened to Ethan once and for all. But as the night wears on, Riley realizes he isn’t just revisiting the most terrifying night of his life he’s reliving it.

Leon Kemp lives in Melbourne, where they achieved a Bachelor of Arts with a major in creative writing. They hope to continue weaving stories about queer kids surviving both the kindest and cruelest extremes the world has to offer. When not writing, Leon spends most of their time watching, playing, and reading all things horror. TRESPASS AGAINST US is their debut novel.

SCAREGROUND d’Angela Kecojevic

The brand-new spine-tingling middle-grade novel from Angela Kecojevic, featuring a deliciously spooky atmosphere and a feisty female protagonist, perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell and Jennifer Killick.

SCAREGROUND
by Angela Kecojevic
Seven Seas/Neem Tree Press, September 2023
(via Randle Editorial & Literary Consultancy)

Roll up, roll up, the Scareground is in town…

The infamous Tombola fair has not been back to Greenwich since tragedy struck it years ago, but everything changes when black balloons float into town announcing the return of the Scareground. The whole town is abuzz with excitement and anticipation but Mr and Mrs Crumpet, the bakers, forbid their adopted daughter Nancy from going.

Nancy is certain the fair holds the answers to the disappearance of her birth parents, and with her best friend Arthur Green by her side, they meet the peculiar Skelter Tombola and uncover a world full of magic, mystery and the macabre. But behind such wonders hides a darkness Nancy never expected, a place where she must confront her greatest fears. Not least that someone might find out her hidden talent/curse, just one more thing that makes her different and must be kept secret…

Angela Kecojevic is a senior librarian and a creative writing tutor and has written for the Oxford Reading Tree programme. She is also the author whose work inspired the multi award- winning adventure park ‘Hobbledown’. Her characters can be seen walking around the park, something she still finds incredibly charming! She is a member of the Climate Writers Fiction League, a group of international authors who use climate issues in their work.

WHERE HE CAN’T FIND YOU de Darcy Coates

Are the disappearances the work of a human killer… or something far darker?

WHERE HE CAN’T FIND YOU
by Darcy Coates
Sourcebooks Fire, November 2023

Abby Ward lives in a town haunted by disappearances. People vanish in broad daylight, and when they’re found, their bodies have been dismembered and sewn back together in unnatural ways. But is it the work of a human killer…or something far darker?

She and her younger sister Hope are convinced they know who the real killer is. They live by a strict set of rules designed to keep them safe—which is why it’s such a shock when Hope is taken. Desperate to get her back, Abby tells the police everything she knows…but they refuse to do anything. They claim their hands are tied.

With every hour precious, Abby and her friends begin a desperate game of cat and mouse with the man they swear is behind the terrifying urban legend. They have to get Hope back. Quickly. Before too much of her is cut away. And before the truth they think they know is swallowed up by the darkness waiting in the tunnels beneath the home they thought they knew.

Darcy Coates is the USA Today bestselling author of Hunted, The Haunting of Ashburn House, Craven Manor, and more than a dozen horror and suspense titles. She lives on the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cats, and a garden full of herbs and vegetables.

THE BLACK HUNGER de Nicholas Pullen

THE BLACK HUNGER by Nicholas Pullen is an electric, nightmare-inducing 120,000-word horror meets historical fiction debut.

THE BLACK HUNGER
by Nicholas Pullen
Orbit, Autumn 2024
(via The Rights Factory)

This expertly interwoven story follows three wellmeaning men and their dealings with a death-worshipping cult, the Dhaumri Karoti, bent upon the absolute destruction of our world.

Almost fifty years after the grisly murder of a respected general, and the subsequent disappearance of the general’s purportedly delusional wife, John Sackville rots in the dark cell of an English asylum, aware that soon he will be forever changed. He bears two wounds: the one that festers underneath his skin, and the one deep within his heart. In his last testament, Sackville chronicles the story of his life. It is a story steeped in history and myth, scattered across India, Tibet, and Mongolia, and interweaving his secret, passionate affair with the man he has loved since boyhood with his stand against the leaders of the Dhaumri Karoti.

With a rich atmosphere influenced by Stoker and Shelley, this epistolary blend of Gothic and Lovecraftian horror has broad appeal. It is a fright-fest perfect for fans of Clarke’s JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL and Miéville’s THE LAST DAYS OF NEW PARIS. An exceptional harnessing of madness—and one wild ride.

Nicholas Pullen was born and raised in Toronto, and educated at Oxford and McGill. A writer since early childhood, Nicholas now fashions stories out of shadows, madness, and historical truths. Outside of writing, his professional life has been spent working toward Truth and Reconciliation in the Canadian Public Service, as a treaty negotiator with Indigenous Peoples. He speaks fluent French and enjoys scuba diving on shipwrecks in Georgian Bay. A Canada Council for the Arts Grant Recipient, his short fiction has appeared in the Toronto Star (Famous Blue), the Copperfield Review (Hellulandsaga), and Anti-Heroin Chic (Relapse/Grindr).