How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates

 

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Four "Island Terror" Stars

"Let The Games Begin"

A small taste of what lies within:

Ruth along with a few of her friends are invited to a secluded island (Prosperity Island) by an online influencer (Eton) who has invited all kinds of people to participate in survival games. The winners are rewarded with prizes if they can beat out their competition and hopefully do not get hurt in the process.  

Ruth is a survivor from an infamous cult that had got some media attention in the past and she soon learns that the island is connected to her past but what is the end game and why was she chosen by Eton to be on the island?  

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 was a different type of book by author Darcy Coates as she has stepped far away from her haunting/ghost stories and has stepped into the psychological horror genre.  This story grabbed me from the get-go as I was able to get to know the character Ruth and her friends right away. Then the story moves to the island and the pace of the book picks up speed when the survival games start. 

I really liked all the characters in this book along with the supporting characters but the reason that this book is not getting five stars is because the survival games just seemed to stretch out and though different things were happening within the story there seemed to be just a little bit of a drag slow down in some parts of the book but then the pace picks back up. But it just reminded me of a roller coaster with speed - slow down then speed up and that went on throughout the book which drops this rating down to 4 stars. 

Other than that the book was great and kept my attention when the survival games kicked in plus the mystery of how the character Ruth's past was connected to the island. I would recommend the book to deserted island/survival horror fans. 

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Darcy Coates

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Darcy Coates

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My Review

The Devil's in the Next Room by John Durgin

 

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Four "Creepy Cult" Stars

What Has Invaded the Davidson Farm? 

A small taste of what lies within:

Two brothers, Brian and Bo Davidson live together as Brian looks out for Bo as he had a head injury when he was a kid so Brian keeps close tabs on Bo.  When odd things begin happening on the outskirts of their farm and around the small town with dead bodies they worry that something is coming. The bodies are not just dead but they are unrecognizable and twisted which has everyone concerned of why the people have died. 

Though Brian thinks he might know what is happening as he remembers something from the past that his dad had been involved in and now he wonders if the sins of the past have stepped into the present!

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 has the creepiest cover which drew me right into the book though the story was a little bit of slow burn for me in the beginning as I was trying to figure out what was going on but the author, John Durgin goes back and forth throughout the book with two separate timelines. 

There is a timeline back to the past which tells the story of the characters father and what he became involved in - then it skips forward to the present of what the brothers are having to go through along with what is happening in their small town. 

Eventually I was able to figure out how everything connected but it took me a little bit to connect the dots and then it was like a door opened for I could see what horrors laid within this story as there is a cult involved but I didn't find that out till half through the book. The author talks about the cult early on but I didn't realize that it was actually a cult till about the 40% to 50% mark. It was just chock full of mystery and creepiness throughout most of the book. All in all it was a great spooky story that kept my attention. 

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John Durgin

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John Durgin

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My Review

The Trinket Box by John Kaden

 

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Five "Memory Terrors" Stars

What Really Lies Within the Past?

A small taste of what lies within:

Milton Brooks still grieves for his wife that passed away five years ago and he clings to a cigar trinket box that holds memories of the past. Milton's neighbor Ralph gives Milton a memory jolt though that drives Milton out of the house and into the past trying to find those memories that are stored deep into his mind, but where does the road take him and what does he find when he gets there?  

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

Thoughts:

This was my second book by this author and I barreled through it at a high rate of speed with it being a short story it went fast with the pacing! I read it all in one sitting as I couldn't put it down! Once the story started there was no way I was moving out of my cozy chair as I wanted to finish the story to the end! I loved the characters in this one - there were not many either - the main focus of the story was on Milton and his memories that were fading. 

I wish this author had more stories out there as I would dive into them all but alas the author only has two horror ones and a fantasy that I need to read at some point. All in all a great short story with a twist that gave me a "jolt" near the end of the book! 

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John Kaden

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John Kaden

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My Review

Psycho by Robert Bloch

 

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Four "Killer Thriller" Stars

Thrills & Chills!

Thoughts:

I am not doing a small taste within as I am sure everyone knows about the movie Psycho and have read the book as well. So I am just giving out my thoughts on the story.

This was my first time reading the book though I have watched the movie more than a dozen times. The movie does stay close to the book - it almost parallels the book except for the size of Norman Bates. The book has him being heavy and the movie has him being thin. Other than that I thought the movie stayed true to the book. 

I think the movie is creepier but I could feel the dread and terror slowly seeping under my skin as I read the story. The story moves at an even pace - I wouldn't really consider it a slow burn as the story just seems to move along at a good clip and brings the spookiness of how Norman affects those around him. All in all a great classic horror thriller that I am happy that I finally read. 

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Robert Bloch

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Robert Bloch

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My Review

The Missing Stage by Adler Tittle

 

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Five "Twisted Terror" Stars

Psychological Fear Fest! 

A very small taste of what lies within:

A mother has to make a difficult choice between her twin children when a kidnapper wants to take one of them.

That is about all I can give out on a very small taste without giving away spoilers as this book is super short so if you want to know more then go read this book!

Thoughts:

First time reading this author and I was surprised with how fast I was pulled into the story!

This story borders on the edge of a twisted mess of psychological depression and took me into the deep dark recesses of this author's mind! I will be curious to see what author Adler Tittle will be working on in the future as this book barreled along at a high rate of speed and crashed upon the walls of despair! 

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Adler Tittle

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My Review

Pine Lakes by Christopher Motz

 

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Four "Twisted Horror" Stars

Psychological Suspense!

A small taste of what lies within:

Ted Merchant and his wife, Susan just want to get away to the retreat of Pine Lakes as they had been going there annually, but on the way there they end up in car crash from bad weather and when they finally come to their senses from the crash they start seeing things in the woods.

They are able to walk away from the crash but with the bad weather and rain they want to find a place for shelter and they do see a house in the distance, but once they enter the home of the "nice people" that are willing to help them out things go awry and everything is not what it seems as what they have wandered into is far worse than what they had to endure with their car crash!

That is about all I can give on a small taste without giving away spoilers so if you are intrigued then go check out this book!

Thoughts:

This story was a gripper from the beginning as things take off right away and the psychological terror steps in as the characters Ted and Susan go through so much from the car crash and then they start seeing things in the woods. 

The pace picks up with suspense the more the characters come across supposedly helpful characters in the story but then the story takes a wicked twisted turn and the characters are going into survival mode. 

There was a major twist that yanked the rug out from under me near the end of the book which I never saw coming as my thoughts never wandered in the direction the story was going. Lots of tension, suspense, and psychological terror run rampant in this story and once again the author has captured my attention with his stories. This was my second book that I have read by this author and I have a few more of his books simmering on my kindle. 

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Christopher Motz

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Christopher Motz

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My Review

Child's Play by Andrew Neiderman

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Five "Twisted Terror" Stars

Creepy Kids!

A small taste of what lies within:

Alex and Sharon Gold decide to take in four foster children that are troubled with different family backgrounds with age ranges from teenagers to young children. When all the children get settled into their new home, Alex starts teaching them the ways of what he grew up learning from his father. 

Eventually the children become so well behaved that they are almost like soldiers as they listen to everything that Alex says and does whereas with Sharon they seem to blatantly ignore anything she tries to do for them. Though by the time that Sharon realizes what is really going on it is almost too late as Alex has taught the children more than just the normal ways of their lives he has turned the kids into some sort of sadistic cult and he will do anything for his "children" whether Sharon likes it or not!

That is about all I can give on a small taste without giving away spoilers so if you are intrigued then go read this book! 

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading this author and I have owned this book since 2016 but just never did step into it till now. 

I loved the writing style of the author and I was pulled right away into the storyline though it took a little time for the suspense to build up as there was a quite a bit of a backstory for each of the children so it took the author some time to get to the main gist of the story. 

Once the story started churning along with things that were happening then the story broke wide open and there was quite a bit of psychological horror weaved in throughout the book. I felt bad for the character Sharon as she had to endure what her husband was turning the kids into so I was in a state of anxiety through some of the book as I didn't know how it was all going to come together but I just kept reading as I wanted to see what was going to happen next. 

All in all I loved the story as it kept my insomnia fueled for the last few days as once I hit the half way point of the book then it just took off quick and I had a hard time putting it down after the 50% mark.  Looking forward to reading more by this author at some point as he has quite a few books out there to read. 

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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/145370.Andrew_Neiderman

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https://www.amazon.com/stores/Andrew-Neiderman/author/B00DWI0J2Q

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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1807795997

Strangers by Michaelbrent Collings

 

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Four "Psycho Scary" Stars

Nail-Biting Tension!

A taste of what lies within:

What would you do if you woke up in your home to find out that you are literally trapped inside with no way to get out? 

That is what happens to this family of four in this story as a psycho breaks into their home silently without them knowing it - then while they are sleeping he drugs them so they do not wake up for awhile as he goes through their house doing stuff to windows and doors so they cannot get out. 

When they wake up and find out they are sealed within their own home their panic goes into overdrive as they do everything in their power to try and get out their home while in the background somewhere the psycho plays with them like a cat and mouse game driving them all to the brink of insanity! 

Thoughts:

First time reading this author though I have a few of his books simmering on my kindle and I was pleasantly surprised by the immediate hook of the story as I was dragged into a nightmare of intense psychological horror which kept my insomnia fueled a few nights!

However, having enjoyed the story as much as I did I felt that near a 400 page book (kindle pages were 374) was a little long and drawn out with almost a play by play of the characters as they tried to get out of their home. The whole setting of the story is inside the house as the family goes into survival mode on how to escape the clutches of this psycho guy. This is the reason for a four star read instead of a five star read. 

I loved the tension and crazy intense story with the family just about to have panic attacks as they try to figure out what they can do to get out of their predicament but for a long book like that I just felt it could have been shorter story. 

I have a few more books on my kindle by this author so I will be stepping into more of his work to see what else he has out there in the horror realm and also this is a series so I will be checking out the second book soon as there was sort of a cliff hanger at the end of this book.  

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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3153841.Michaelbrent_Collings

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https://www.amazon.com/Michaelbrent-Collings/e/B003VSI88O

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4954375344

The Odds by Jeff Strand

 

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Five "Game of Chance Horror" Skulls

Tightening Tension!

A taste of what lies within:

Ethan is a big time gambler but when he spends more than he should have at the slot machines he is given an opportunity to win back his losses - though there is a price for it. Ethan doesn't dare tell his wife Jenny what he has done or he will be in the doghouse forever, so he tries to jump around her questions with lies. 

In steps Rick - who is the somebody that can possibly make Ethan's dreams come true with putting money in his pocket and all Ethan has to do is play a game, but not just any game and nothing that has to do with slot machines, but a game that is totally different which can lead to pain. 

As much as Ethan wants money to line his pockets he will have to consider the consequences of staying in the game to keep earning money or die trying - whichever comes first!

What is the game? What does Ethan have to do to win the game? How much money will Ethan win?  

No spoilers here as you will need to read the book! 

Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book and right away I was pulled into the storyline as the book kicks off with some intrigue. The more I read the story the deeper I was pulled into the book. There is tons of tension and anxiety associated with this storyline as I wanted to keep reading but also wanted to hide behind my fingers to peek out as I wasn't sure what was going to happen next! 

I felt sorry for the character, Ethan as he has to go through some major stuff to keep playing the game and I wanted to see something bad happen to the character Rick as he was a pain in the arse most of the time through the book. 

As time goes on though and more stuff happens within the book I just could not put the book down as the story just kept escalating to the point I had read almost 30% in one sitting without moving as the book went into supersonic overdrive!

Another great book by author, Jeff Strand! If you want something that will keep you awake all night with lots of tense moments with breath hitching intrigue then go grab this book as I guarantee you will be up all night reading this story! 

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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/207708.Jeff_Strand

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https://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Strand/e/B001K8D3F0

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4833477314

The Other Ann by Amy Cross

 

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Five "Doppleganger Danger" Stars

Double Trouble Twists!

A taste of what lies within:

Ann Garland has been one of the ones chosen to have a doppleganger from another parallel universe to live with her. A portal had opened with billions of dopplegangers from another world as their world was destroyed by war come breaking through into this world and only certain people end up having a look-alike live with them. 

Ann though loves her quiet life with no one around except her cat, Sheba, but the government has other plans for her as now she has to share her space with her mirror self. At first both of them just want to stay away from each other but eventually they both make the best of it and just try to get along. 

As a little time passes things seem to happen to Ann that make her think her other self has it out for her and she tries to figure out if she is really on the bad end of the deal or if it is all in her mind. When she finds out that her other self was once part of a mental asylum is when everything escalates as she wonders if her other self is really a danger to her well being or not! 

That is about all I can give on a taste without giving away spoilers!

Thoughts:

This was my first time reading a science fiction/psychological horror from author, Amy Cross. Normally the author stays within the horror field of hauntings and spooks and/or slasher-serial killer stories, but this book just hooked me from the first chapter and kept its hooks in me all the way to the end of the book! 

This book kept my insomnia fueled and I read the book within 24 hours as I just could not put it down! As the story moves along the suspense and tension of what happens with both Ann's just escalates as things begin to happen to the both of them. 

The author keeps the suspense building up from chapter to chapter and the fast pace of the book just keeps growing to insurmountable tension as I kept wanting to see what would happen next! 

Another great book by this author and one I won't soon forget. It makes you wonder if any of us would be able to live with an exact replica of ourselves or would it drive us mad. 

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https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Cross/e/B006DE8I6U

Attached is my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2927234087

Followed by Mark Lukens

 

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Four "Terror Tension" Stars

Suspense and Psychological Horror!

A small taste of what lies within:

Phil Stanton and his wife Cathy are driving home when they end up being followed by someone that just will not let them out get out of sight. When the stalker follows them all the way to their home is when things become serious for the Stantons as the stalker keeps tormenting them by showing up outside their home. 

That is about all I can give on a small taste as you will need to read my full review on Goodreads.

Thoughts:

This story was a nail biter right from the beginning as the Stantons and the stalker end up in a high speed chase that kept me glued to my kindle. The tension and suspense escalates in the beginning then kind of becomes slow in the middle of the book to pick up again near the last half of the book with terror. 

The author threw in a major twist though near the end of the book that kept me glued to my comfy chair and I practically barreled through the last 40% in just a matter of couple of hours or so as the tension was so thick I could have cut it with a knife! 

I was flipping through the pages wanting to see what was going to happen next! Another great book by this author and this is my second book I have read by him. Looking forward to reading more of his work. 

For my full review of the book, Followed, by author, Mark Lukens, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2433719798

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https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Lukens/e/B00G8GYUUG

Last Wrong Turn by Amy Cross

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Four "Bloody Brutal" Stars

This was a brutal and bloody story! 

A small taste of what lies within:

A horrific car accident happens to Pete and Penny, but things go from bad to worst as Penny ends up tied to a table in an old barn and her husband Pete ends up in a bad way. That is not the worst of it as Penny is pregnant and her captor wants the baby!

That is about all I can give on a small taste as you will need to read my full review on Goodreads. 

Thoughts:

This story was brutally gory and violent along with psychological terror throughout the first part of the book. The second part of the book was a little more milder, but the suspense and terror were still ingrained in the story.  

Though the story was fast paced and kept me glued to my seat I had a few "grumblings" within the story as there were quite a few unanswered questions that left me hanging on the clothesline whipping in the wind so I never could figure out what happened with certain things in the book. 

The first part of the book was almost like high octane as I read most of the first half of the book within a couple of hours but the last half of the book became almost like I was running on vapors as the story took a turn toward the twilight zone and left some loose ends within the story that were never answered. 

All in all though the story was bloody, gory, and chock full of terror which I love along with the suspense and tension that kept me wanting to read the book. 

For my full review of the book, Last Wrong Turn, by author, Amy Cross, please see my review from Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2501530604

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https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Cross/e/B006DE8I6U

Survive by David Haynes

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Four "Survival of the Fittest" Stars!

Unwanted Guests with a Motive? 

A small taste of what lies within:

Jonesy and Lisa along with their dog Lad are living out in the backwoods of Alaska. Winter is upon them and they have stocked up on food to help them get through the winter. But what they don't know is that two people are getting ready to grace their doorstep and they are anything but good people.

They find a woman named "Laura" laying at their cabin when they come back from one of their hunting excursions. She doesn't talk much and she won't tell them much of nothing about herself. She finally lets them know that she left "Olin" out in the winter conditions. They end up finding "Olin" and bringing him back to the cabin. But after Olin wakes up is when the terror begins and Jonesy and Lisa are left wondering how they are going to "survive" their guests! 

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:

The book starts out a little slow as the author builds up the suspense as he performs the world building of the story, but then picks up speed when the "guests" arrive. The terror then begins and doesn't end till the last chapter. 

There are a lot of twists and turns along with some action that captivated my interest.  I couldn't put the book down the more I got into it and I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning wanting to finish it to see how it all ended. 

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David Haynes

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David Haynes

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My Review