How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold

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Four "Nightmare Room Doomed" Stars

What Lies in Wait at the Queen Estate? 

A small taste of what lies within:

Mortimer Queen a horror author has died and he leaves a will to be read to seven horror authors. They all make their way to his estate thinking that Mortimer has left them something valuable in his will but what they find is anything of value and instead they are required to play a game which is solving a riddle/puzzle to be able to make it out of each room in the mansion.  

Little do they know that they will have to go through hell to escape each room and they learn quick that it will be a life and death situation to make it out of the mansion alive! 

That is about all I can hand out with a small taste so if you want to know more then go read this book! 

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading this author and I was drawn into the story right away as it grabbed my attention.  The book is like an escape room type of story - the characters have to solve a riddle to go to the next room.  I liked all the characters in this book but a couple of them started to get on my nerves and I kept wondering if they were going to make it out of the mansion alive with the antics they were doing. 

All in all the pace was fast and as the book rolls along I found out more about who the authors were and why they were brought to the mansion.  There are sections in the book that gives a background info on each author and how they came to know the deceased.  I love how the author wrote it that way as it gives more insight on each character in the book and how they are wrapped into the story. 

The only reason this book is getting four stars instead of five is because it just seemed that the characters would argue too much among themselves that it slowed down the story - there just seemed to be lots of time spent in one room with each of them trying to come to a decision of what to do next or how to solve the riddle or how to proceed to the next room. 

It was exhausting as it kind of reminded me of the horror movies where you have people that just want to go off and do their own thing but not listen to reason. That is what some of this book has within it - it kind of drove me crazy as I wanted the characters to come to a decision quicker and move along but they just wanted to linger around in each room trying to decide what to do next. 

However having said that I did love the writing style of this author and with liking her writing style I decided to grab another book by her since it is on the cheap side at the moment.  If you like escape room type of books then check out this book as it did have quite a bit of horror action that lit up the pages of this book.  

Amazon Author Profile of Mallory Arnold:

Mallory Arnold

My Goodreads Review: 

My Review

Widow's Point: The Complete Haunting by Richard Chizmar and W. H. Chizmar

 

Five "Freaky Found Footage" Stars

Do You Dare Enter Widow's Point Lighthouse?

A small taste of what lies within:

A team of paranormal investigators decide to stay a few days in the Widow's Point Lighthouse as they want to see if the local legends are true about it being haunted. Another paranormal investigator had disappeared from the lighthouse a few years before so this team wants to see if they can find out what is going on there. 

The team of investigators have better equipment and setup so they are hoping to catch footage of anything creepy and try to find out what happened maybe to the other investigator. Little do they know that something does lie within and it might not want them to leave! 

Lighthouse in the Fog

That is about all I can hand out with a small taste without giving away spoilers so if you want to know more then go read this book! 

Thoughts:

This book is told in two parts - one part is told with the first paranormal investigator and what he went through at the lighthouse which is only about 25% of the first part of the book. The second part is told with the new team of paranormal investigators and their findings of whether the lighthouse is haunted or not. 

The first part of the book seemed to move a little slow for me that was wrapped around the first investigator but when the second part opens up with the new team is when the book takes off.  I like how the story was written by the authors as each team member gets their take on what is happening around them. The pace picks up around the 50% mark and I had a hard time putting the book down. I ended up reading the last 30% in just a few hours and the story just blew me away! I loved this book! 

There is a movie out there called Widow's Point and I did watch it awhile back but that story is only wrapped around the first investigator and it doesn't involve this new team. There was another book that was written which was Widow's Point by the author, Richard Chizmar and that is where the movie came about however this book was released last year in 2025 with tons of more content including the new paranormal team. Loved the characters in this book even though a handful were kind of quirky but I felt that the book deserves the five stars for it's creepy and spooky atmosphere! 

Author Profile of Richard Chizmar on Amazon:

Richard Chizmar

Author Profile of W. H. Chizmar on Amazon:

W. H. Chizmar

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer

 

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Five "Dreadful Demon" Stars

What Darkness Lies in a Chicago Suburb? 

A small taste of what lies within:

Four friends (Amy, Jess, Melissa & Liz) all live in a Chicago suburb and they are all tight knit friends. Their children play together and go to school together. The suburb where they live is just perfect for them as it seems so peaceful.  The four friends decide they want some kind of club house for themselves where their husbands and children will not be around so they decide to have a She Shed built in Liz's backyard. 

However before things can get off the ground with building the shed the friends decide to christen the area with wine for their upcoming personal club house but things go awry after the christening as a wind blows up and the area where the shed is supposed to go just feels off for some reason. 

Not too long after their christening Liz starts behaving oddly and she doesn't seem herself. When the friends try to find out what is going on they realize that Liz has become something else entirely as it seems that an evil presence has invaded their friend! 

That is about all I can hand out with a small taste so if you want to know more then go read this book! 

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading this author and this is the author's debut book too.  This book just kept me glued to my kindle as once the friends christen the area where the She Shed will go things turn dark quickly and the story takes off into the unknown! I was captivated by the speed at how quick the book took off as I just could not put it down! 

I literally read this book within 48 hours as I just could not break away from the storyline. The story has some humor and dark humor wrapped within its pages but it also has a story of friendship and what friends will do when they are faced with something beyond their control. It shows what true friends will do for each other and how they go about to make sure their friendship will endure.  

The story also had some "creep me out" moments too along with some horror action and suspense. The story is heavily laced with the occult and demonic activity but the author wrote it in a way that you do not need to leave the lights on with this book. The author wrote the story in a mild mannered way which there is evil involved but nothing to scare the pants off of you! :) 

Looking forward to reading more books by this author as I see she has a couple more out there to read. 

Attached is the author, Maureen Kilmer, profile page from Amazon:

Maureen Kilmer

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

Sleep Savannah Sleep by Alistair Cross

 

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Five "Supernatural Suspense" Stars

What Secrets Lie Within Shadow Springs? 

A small taste of what lies within:

Jason Crandall along with his son and daughter have settled down in the town of Shadow Springs as they all come to terms with the loss of Jason's wife. They move into an old mansion as Jason is a massage therapist and he wants to set up shop in the mansion. 

When Jason is introduced to Savannah Sturgess is when things start to slowly go awry as Savannah has a lot of the men in town chasing after her but when she ends up missing is when things take a bad turn and Jason finds himself in the middle of her disappearance! 

That is about all I can hand out with a small taste so if you want to know more then go read this book! 

Thoughts:

This book is what I would consider a supernatural suspense mystery that starts out a little slow which was due to background world building. As the story slowly moves along I found myself caught up in a supernatural mystery as the story has quite a bit of supernatural content as I moved through the story. 

Around the 40% mark the book picks up speed and I found myself staying up half the night one evening to the early morning hours as I became tangled up in the story and could not put the book down! 

The suspense of the story kept me guessing as once the character, Savannah Sturgess disappears the book goes into complete overdrive with many questions that need to be answered. All the questions are answered at the end of the book and I was floored to learn the answers! 

This book kept me guessing to the very end and I enjoyed this book so much. The author, Alistair Cross keeps the book flowing along with lots of surprises, twists and turns throughout the story. I have read books before by this author and have loved every one. Looking forward to reading whatever else he has coming down the pike! 

Attached is the author, Alistair Cross, profile page from Amazon:

Alistair Cross

Attached is the website of author, Alistair Cross:

Alistair Cross

My Goodreads Review:

My Review

The Exorcist Code 3: Apocalypse (The Exorcist Code #3) by William Massa

 

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Five "Demonic Terror Technology" Stars

Demon in the Data? 

A small taste of what lies within:

Father Callum is back with a new mission and this time he is reunited with Michael from the first book. Except Michael is little different this time around but he is there to help Father Callum stop an evil force that has become a demonic super data computer. 

This time around the duo will have to use their wits along with Michael's computer technology to beat the demon that has become embedded in the data computer. Do they win or lose this fight? 

No spoilers here as you will need to read the book to find out what happens! 

Thoughts:

This story took off once again as this book threw me right back into the melee with Father Callum. I was happy that Michael had returned and once again he was a great help to Father Callum.  

The pace was fast as usual and kept me wrapped within the story as it moves along at a great speed! There was no slowing down with this book as the story escalated the more I became involved with the story. The last 40% the story goes into overdrive and kept me moving at the speed of light! 

Looking forward to reading book four and the final book in this series to see what happens next for Father Callum and Michael! 

Attached is the author, William Massa, profile page from Amazon:

William Massa

Attached is my Goodreads review:

My Review

Corona by David Kempf

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Four "Typewriter Terror" Stars

What Would You Do with a Haunted Typewriter?

A small taste of what lies within:

A man buys an antique typewriter not realizing that it is haunted until it starts to type out instructions of things to do that the man would normally not do!

That is about all I can hand out with a small taste as this book was super short at 14 kindle pages! 

Thoughts:

This was a creepy short story that kept me glued to my kindle! I will say this I will not look at an old typewriter the same again as I have seen some in thrift stores! 

I guess I have never thought about it but even an old typewriter could be haunted. You just never know who or what owned it in its machinery lifetime. :) 

As always I love these short stories by author, David Kempf as the stories will make me think about whatever the story is about. Just like that where I said I have seen typewriters in different thrift stores before but what secrets do they hide. Could a typewriter be haunted? You just never know in real life but in this story this one is haunted and it has its own secrets that are revealed by reading the story. 

Attached is the author, David Kempf, profile page from Amazon:

David Kempf

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

My Review

The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America's Most Haunted House by Frances Kermeen

 

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Four "Spooky Suspenseful" Stars

I am not doing my traditional small taste as I am just going to give out thoughts.

Thoughts:

The author of this book, Frances Kermeen bought the Myrtles Plantation back in the 1980s as her and her husband were hoping to restore the plantation and turn it into a bed and breakfast. The author didn't believe in ghosts and/or hauntings but she soon learned from local townspeople and helpers at the plantation that there were hauntings on the grounds. 

The author endured quite a bit with the haunting happenings on the plantation with footsteps, voices, apparition sightings, etc. throughout her time that she stayed there. 

I really didn't find the book scary but I did find it mysterious. Also the author gives some historical history about the house as well which kept me intrigued and in a state of suspense as I was wondering what she would be enduring next. 

I will say there are quite a few up and down reviews for this book but I really enjoyed it and I felt that what the author experienced there felt real enough for her to write this book. I have heard about the Myrtles Plantation being haunted for a long time. It has been featured on a few of the ghost hunting shows too. I see that the author wrote another book about ghost/hauntings at inns and hotels across the U.S. At some point I will read that book as well as I will be curious to see what the author came across on her road trip ghost journey. 

Attached is the author, Frances Kermeen, profile page from Amazon:

Frances Kermeen

My review from Goodreads:

My Review