​On July 25th, 1969 a young black college student, Rosalie DuFreyne was murdered in Hunt's Landing, Alabama.  After a cursory investigation, she was forgotten. Now, Abbie Adams, a historian who has found her way into journalism is given Rosalie's murder as her first byline.  As soon as Rosalie begins digging into Rosalie's life and murder, she finds a connection to her former academic advisor, Frank Wexler.  Not only was Dr. Wexler the reason that Abbie's thesis was shot down, but the Wexler family controls money and power in Hunt's Landing.  As Abbie finds and interviews people who knew Rosalie and saw her that night, pieces begin to fall into place, but something is still missing.  When Abbie's witnesses begin to get killed off, she knows she is close to providing closure for Rosalie.  

The Dead Won't Tell is an exciting mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.  I was immediately taken in as the night of Rosalie's murder was described in Hunt's Landing, 1969.  The town was celebrating the NASA astronauts' successful return to Earth as Rosalie left a party at the Wexler house only to be found dead next to the Tennessee River with a train ticket in her pocket.  Abbie is a wonderfully built character as she dives head first into Rosalie's story.  With every bit of evidence Abbie uncovers, she is able to rebuild Rosalie and the accomplishments in her life.  Through investigating Rosalie's murder, Abbie is also able to come to terms with some of the damage the Wexler family has caused her as well.  The suspense builds gradually throughout the story as Abbie digs deeper.  It seems that Rosalie might be gone, but she is far from forgotten.  With an explosive and unexpected ending, The Dead Won't Tell delivers an exciting and thorough historical mystery.  


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​The small, uninhabited island of Kisapmata in the Philippines is known to the locals to be the home of the god, Diwata.  Diwata controls the island and it is believed that he will awaken after eight sacrifices.  Locals stay away from the island except for local caretaker, Alon.  Everything is about to change though as a Hollywood documentary crew has bought their way onto Kisapmata.  The crew members each have a different motivation for being on the island, but Diwata knows their true purpose. Alon tries to keep those who are innocent safe and warn away those that the Diwata deems worthy of sacrifice.  

The Sacrifice is a young adult thriller that jumps right into the action and doesn't let up.  I was drawn into the story as Diwata immediately shows power by moving plants around, manifesting people from the production crew's lives and showing them exactly what they came for, including corpse trees.  The mystery builds as we learn the history of the island with stolen treasure, deaths, sacrifices, cults and local lore. Alon's character was amazing and a mystery himself.  I was intrigued by his communication with Diwata and his acceptance on the island.  I loved that he and Chase formed a connection and that Diwata was interested in it.  Throughout the entire story there was a constant feeling of 'what's next?' and 'that can't be good!'  that kept me in suspense.  Overall, a great blend of Philippine folklore, suspense and horror. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ​

​Harrison Harrison, or Harrison Squared is on his way to the small town of Dunnsmouth, Massachusetts to accompany his marine biologist mother on a research trip.  She is searching for a large squid who shouldn't be this far North.  Soon after Harrison's arrival and a very strange first day of school in a cathedral like building with unwelcoming teachers and a student body that all seems to look the same, Harrison's mother disappears at sea.  Harrison lost his father and a leg in what seems like an awfully similar accident when he was a toddler.  Since then, he has had a healthy fear of the water.  Now, Harrison is determined to find his mother, no matter what.  As he digs around Dunnsmouth, Harrison begins to discover a strange history of the town: a series of disappearances and people left in comas for no reason, a worship of an unknown set of gods and beings  that aren't entirely human.  With his new friends, Harrison is determined to find his mother and battle the monsters of Dunnsmouth.  

I have always loved Daryl Gregory's writing and how it completely envelops me into the setting.  Harrison Squared is no exception; I could easily imagine the dreary, sparsely populated coastal town and the people there.  Another brilliant aspect are the characters.  Not everyone that you would expect to be a monster is, and some of the things that should be easily identifiable as monsters aren't.  Harrison is far from perfect, he is fearful and has a short temper; yet, his determination, curiosity, and open-mindedness are perfect for the strange tasks he must complete.  Some of the side characters were amazing as well, Lydia, Lub and Aunt Sel were all great to get to know.  I liked that the horror and monsters were teased out slowly, they were so ingrained into Dunnsmouth that it wasn't obvious what to be afraid of all the time.  An intense an exciting ending only left me wanting more from Harrison and the crew.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

A group of strangers convene at The Elms for their first group therapy session.  Unlike most people however, this group are all survivors of traumatic supernatural activity.  Harrison was a monster hunter in his youth, Stan is a victim of a cannibalistic family, Martin can see otherworldly creatures that came out of his augmented reality game, Barbara has messages carved on her bones from the Scrimshander, Greta is the last member of a cult that went up in flames.  Dr. Jan Sayer believes them all.  The group makes headway with their issues, but not before their monsters catch up with them. 

A complex and fast-paced horror novella about confronting your demons both internal and external.  Each of the characters has been through something horrific, gruesome and unique, something they think no one else would understand.  I was very interested in all of the characters and what they went through.  I was engaged by how they all dealt with their past trauma differently as well as how they were dealing with what was in front of them at the moment.  The connections between the characters was unexpected, especially since they all were dealing with different monsters. Greta's character seemed to take front and center as her monster caused the most trouble and led to the danger that forced the group to work together.    I feel like there is more to the story for these characters, but they were left in a place that is good for now.