They Mostly Come At Night by Wesley Southard is a collection of stories that is officially going to be my go-to when recommending something to readers that haven’t yet read any of Mr Southard’s work!

It was chilling, heartbreaking, and even a bit gross (in a good horror way of course)! This collection truly has it all!

All of these stories were SO GOOD! Of course, you always know you’re getting something great with this author’s work, but this collection really shows off his range.

Like many of my favorite short story collections, this one has a little something for all kinds of horror fans! It’s got a range from the mildly spooky all the way to the extreme horror! Each tale, no matter the focus, will totally suck you in. Some may even make you jump right back to the beginning to read again once you see the what the ending had in store.

While all were 5 stars for me, my favorites were:

Of course, we can’t forget to mention the eerie cover art by Trevor Henderson! How awesome is that illustration?! When I took the book photo to share with this review, my husband saw it and said: “That is such a creepy picture. I hate that.” Mission accomplished!

Now, per usual, here are my notes on each short story included in the collection:  

Introduction by Brian Keene –

What an opening! I love the breakdown of the waves of horror and the story of how Brian and Wes first met. Equal parts personal and informative, with a splash of humor. This was a wonderful start to the book! 

This horrific tale centers around food and body horror. What a mix! Organized in a way that allows readers to jump back and forth from present time to what lead up to this moment, readers will be hooked!

I loved that this format added to the tense feeling and anxiety over finding out what was going on. What a gory start to the collection!

When out at a bar, all this man wants to do is watch a hockey game. But his friends have other plans. Pestering him to drink, they make up a game. If he can do five things, they’ll leave him alone. Each dare gets more risky than the last until he snaps. 

If you’re looking for a tale to make you so mad you could rage, then look no further! People that push others to drink like this are garbage humans. My goodness, the start of this one got me fired up. 

Stuck –

This flash fiction piece is so good! I didn’t know what was going on until the end and then immediately reread it. Such a powerful little tale about the pandemic from a very unique perspective. 

Separated Self –

When a man awakens stuck inside the mind of another person, he’s shocked to learn what the person whose mind he is in is living through. But it doesn’t end there. This man jumps into the minds of many others who are all suffering with horrible tragedies and injustices. 

I loved that as the reader, you had no idea what was really going on here until the very end. Tread lightly with this one of you have any triggers, but also know what care the author put into this one. This is a very heavy and powerful tale. 

For You, Anything –

In this apocalyptic world, a mother will do anything for her child. To make the child happy, they go to a zoo. The animals have all long since died, but the little girl still has a great time! 

I love this one. It was heartbreakingly wonderful. I cannot imagine being in this poor mothers shoes. The bit about endometriosis hit home as well. I can’t recall if I ever saw mention of this in a book before… so it was neat to see it mentioned after my own diagnosis.

Catalog –

When a catalog arrives in the mail one day, it immediately captivates the husband, much to the dismay of his wife. The two are still going through a tough time after the loss of their son, but the grief is about to shift into something that neither of them could have anticipated. 

This was a rollercoaster! I was curious, irked, sad, curious again, shocked, sad again, and then terrified! 

Celebrity Mean Tweets –

We’ve all seen the features of celebrities reading mean things about themselves and laughing it off. But what about those that take it way too seriously? This story tackles that! 

I loved that this guy was unlikable from the very start!

Echo –  

Waking up stranded on an island, this man quickly realizes that he’s all alone and there’s no way to escape. But then he meets a dog and follows it into the jungle. What he finds there is shocking! 

Oh my gosh, I loved this one so much. Circular storytelling is my absolute favorite, and we saw just that here. The set up and storyline was perfect. I was so nervous for this character, and kept rooting for him, even if I had an inkling at where we were headed. 

We Bare All –

Headed on a vacation that’s like a bachelor party but without the title and adding on a load of rules, this crew breaks rule number three. But of course they don’t just break the one rule… they break all of them and end up in compromising situations. 

This one was wild! I loved that you could never have guessed what was going to happen. I need to know more about this creepy town! 

Underneath – 

Living with a monster under her bed that feeds off of her distress, this woman finally takes things into her own hands to get a good nights sleep!

AH! This one is chilling! We’ve all been afraid of the monster under the bed… now I want to go buy a new bed set. Ya know, just in case. Shoutout to Katie for giving this idea to Wesley to write! This short story is going to give me nightmares! 

The Negative One –

A woman who feeds on negativity is making due with little scuffles and dramatics she comes across. But one night, when she witnesses a murder, it sets her off on a path to absorb more and more. 

This one is brutal! It had me frowning through many of the scenes, but my goodness does the author crush brutal gore and extreme horror here! 

The last several years had been a crash course through hell, considerable pain she wouldn’t dare wish on anyone.

The old man continued to stare, and that was when Nathan noticed a small splash of red across the man’s white shirt near his breast. His eyes dropped down to the long, wooden object in his hand.
Nathan’s laughter died. “What the fuck do you plan on doing with that?”
The old man showed him.

The hand that once held him down now lightly patted him on the shoulder. “Live like a shithead, die like a shithead.”

There’s an awesome range here from the short and sweet chilling tales, to longer ones that really draw you in before giving you the one-two-punch! But each of these tales are sure to get under your skin.

Definitely a must read for horror fans! I had a blast reading these stories!

Broken-Down Heroes of the Western Night by Stephen Kozeniewski is a tale of reminiscing, friendship, and keeping cool when things don’t go as planned.

If you’ve followed my blog for a bit, you have likely seen me review some of Kozeniewski’s work in the past. When this book kicks off, there’s a wonderful note that tells readers that this one steps away from the author’s usual type of work. I love when writers explore other genres, so I was super excited to read this one.

When army lieutenant Bickham Deth and Sergeant Bela Packs hit the road for funeral detail, the two prepare for another stint of mediocre meals, keeping detail spending records, and navigating whatever is sent their way.

Along the way, they deal with things as silly as laundry issues that results in a uniform mishap, and trying to find a graveyard with poor directions. But they are also faced with matters that must be handled more delicately, like mourners giving them a bit too much attention, and even mourners competing to receive the flag.

On paper, these two are just a Platoon Sargent and Platoon Leader doing their jobs. But readers will find that the two are much more than that; they’re friends.

I absolutely loved the organization of this story. While the majority of the time is spent on the road, they filled the time with stories as they reminisced about the past.

I was so invested in these two and I loved learning more about their experiences through the stories they discussed. Many of the stories had me laughing out loud, while others had me itching with blood-boiling frustration. I was rooting for one character to finally reach his goal of seeing war, but man, did chapter 26 hit hard… But even so, what a great ending this one had!

Listening to this audiobook or reading the text directly is sure to make you feel as though you’re sitting in the backseat of a car, tagging along with these two characters on all of their travels.

Filled to the brim with humor, this one will keep you laughing from cover to cover. Just be ready for some other emotions as well! Sprinkled in among the jokes and stories, the darker emotions will be like a gut-punch.

I highly recommend checking this one out! I personally listened to the audiobook as narrated by Jennifer Fournier, who did a wonderful job.

If you were to take the idea behind the incident in Color Out Of Space, add in loads of twists and turns, and really crank up the terror, you’ve got Inside Out by Lor Gislason! This is a book that all horror fans need to have on their radar!

The Event. The Plague. The Infection. The Merge Infection. The Joining. This situation that has quickly spread goes by many names, and no one seems to know exactly what is going on. All they know is that people are turning inside out or merging together. 

Adding to the already intense plot is the fact that we get to see characters of all ages dealing with the situation. Some were so relatable for me, while others made my blood boil. As the segments go on, we see the world falling deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Below are my notes on each segment.

This section begins as an incident report and then moves into an interview of a man that was the sole survivor of an odd situation at a dig site. This interview sets the book off in a wildly unsettling manner. The last paragraph especially… Yikes!

Waking up to your child saying there’s a man outside and he smells funny? NO THANK YOU. Instantly terrifying, this one only got worse and worse right through to the, “We’re going to run.” This short was released as a standalone, and my goodness, re-reading this one just gets creepier and creepier each time! Check out my separate review of this segment here.

Set initially as a news article, we jump to a scene in The Institute that was being called out in the article. But when this woman leaves her boss’s office and goes to visit her wife in the lab, she’s intoxicated by the smell of what the wife was working on… Yikes the turn this one took! 

Deborah is such a Karen… I couldn’t help but laugh at her email as well as the response that was given.

When her parents fall victim to the terror that is overtaking the world, Alice is left alone in the house. At first she doesn’t mind much, but then she has another idea… This poor girl!

This man seems to be going about his day like normal, until he makes his first stop… This is a character that I wasn’t sure if I felt bad for if he had broken from the Event, or if he was just a nasty human being. I’m leaning toward the latter. 

In this forum entry, Issac tells a terrifying tale about his friend Jared and what happened to him. The scariest part though comes at the very end!

After nasty jabs broke through her emotional armor, Cassie goes to the bathroom to cry in peace. When she looks in the mirror, she realizes her pimple is much worse. And it’s moving… This segment has some major Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark vibes, but much darker!

While out and about on a check for the Outers, the mission goes sideways and ends in a very painful transition that will make readers skin crawl. My goodness… the description of the transition here… 

A man and his girlfriend enjoy decorating the body in different ways; he enjoys tattooing and she enjoys makeup. But when a package arrives for the woman to give a review, that changes things for them. My gosh, this one made me squeamish! 

Oofh, this one hit home hard when I first read it during the early COVID pandemic, and it hit just as hard almost two years in. This short briefing is chilling. 

Writing down her observations and thoughts in a journal for science, this researcher is able to give readers more insight into what’s going on here. What she witnesses while out hunting for new specimens is a scene that won’t be leaving my brain any time soon…

Oh of course there’s a priest who supports these creatures… I should have seen this situation coming, but it was unsettling nevertheless!

Set up as transcripts from a lab, we get a glimpse at the intensity of their studies. This doctor is far too excited by his tests than I was comfortable seeing. Phew! 

After moving out of an abusive home, this character finally seems to be doing well. But when her mother dies of cancer, and she receives a gift from her father, her life takes another path. Boy, this one will make readers want to scream through the pages of the book! 

When a doctor goes live on a tv show to discuss the reintegration process and what that looks like for the world, her demonstration doesn’t go as planned. The description of the gore here is absolutely brutal! 

The afterword is a wonderful note from the author. I love when publishers add things like this. I especially loved this quote from the section: “When I was around 13, I was obsessed with becoming a writer. It was my first real dream, something that actually existed (in contrast to my earlier dream of becoming a Pokémon Trainer).

He turned on the porch light and instantly regretted it. Standing together were masses of pink and brown meat, swaying like wheat in a breeze.

Everyday, it got less human-looking and goopier. It reminded Alice of some of the videos they watched in school about sea creatures.

I cautiously walk around the edge of the pool. Ted doesn’t move so much as wiggle like a deflated jellyfish. Picking up the leaf skimmer, I poke the floating mass with the net end of the pole. It sunk into his flesh like butter. When I pulled back, it stretched like a freshly roasted marshmallow, firmly holding the pole in its grip.

There’s nothing quite as sharp as a teenage girl’s insults.

Outers was where we called them now, but back in the day, when it first started, they were the Inside-Outers. You ever seen one of those cartoons where someone gets turned inside out? Looks kinda like that. All wet flesh and organ meat moving around. The name stuck, but as things do, it got shorter. Faster to say when shit goes down, I suppose.

There was an unspoken consensus to continue on with life as though nothing was the matter, but it was working as well as ignoring a dog mauling your leg.

She was barely more than a whisper.

The machine has pushed innards out of her chest like toothpaste.

I cannot wait to have a copy of this one for my shelves! This is definitely one of those stories that you can come back to time and time again to dive right back into the horror. When the book launched officially, I was so excited to jump right back in to the ebook version. Once the paperback arrives, I’ll be reading again for sure!

365 Lies by Die Booth is a collection of flash fiction that was put together after a resolution made to write one piece a day in 2013. And what an awesome project this is!

I love flash fiction! From the drabbles from KJK Publishing to the wonderful flash fiction from Jeremy Ray, I couldn’t wait to turn the pages here to see what was to come.

The variety that Die has here is awesome. The story lengths vary from as little as just two words to a few pages! Kicking us off, the very first flash fiction piece definitely had me wondering what the authors New Years Eve had been like! 

Some tales are perfect in little snapshots, leaving readers totally satisfied. Some will make readers crave more! But the trip reading these tales set me on, phew! There was anxiety, sadness, longing, laughter, fear, dread, and so much more. 

Smoke break is one of the many that got me fired up! I think about the unfairness of this all the time. Then stories like Hindsight had me chuckling. Then there were stories with lines like this that left me totally chilled: “And when you woke up from a nightmare and the sheets were soaked in sweat, that wasn’t sweat, that was its spit from where it’d been licking the fear from you, feeding off your fear.”

I especially loved all of the stories that made me go “wait, what?!” There were many of these that also varied in length! One that was like this, titled Scissors, was just three short sentences! Long-lost was another at just three short paragraphs! Then there was Crow Crag, that was a bit longer. Each of them had me a bit stunned at what I had just read.

Then there came the tale, May 19th – A past and future self. This one specifically hit me hard while reading. I’ve been working on rediscovering my past self and allowing her to let go of the things she clung to to survive… this story made me cry! Such a therapeutic one for me.

From this collection, I loved so many of the tales… so I tried to keep my list of top favorites short but wound up with 20 I wanted to highlight.

So many of these could be revisited if Die ever so chose. If he did, I would like to put in a request for a larger story expanding on these seven titles:

Needless to say, I loved this collection!

The air is full of dust. It hangs in a wet, tea-coloured fog like the belly of a storm cloud just before the burst.

It’s hard to feel bad about killing if you can’t even look your reflection in the eye. A curve of cheek delineated in smeared blood is all that is reflected above my coat collar in the glass exit door of an anonymous hotel. It’s almost as if I’m not there at all. If I could only see my own face again, see if all the years of butchery have altered me, then maybe I could stop.

I remember wondering if we could work it so that Bridget could come to our church one Sunday. Sort of a religious exchange programme. We felt like pirates. I’m still not sure what the game was, but it felt like we’d won.

And when you woke up from a nightmare and the sheets were soaked in sweat, that wasn’t sweat, that was its spit from where it’d been licking the fear from you, feeding off your fear.

We’re all living lifetimes of chasing the stars, even if we don’t realise it.

It became a joke, almost. The creepy door, that no amount of oil or hinge tinkering could ease the creak out of. It was as if it was trying to be eerie, in an almost sentient way.

Some things you don’t even notice until you miss them.

He seems just about to push her up against the wall, but she saves him the trouble by pushing him against the wall instead. His arterial spray makes the most delicate hissing noise as it paints the brickwork with a feather-fan.

This collection of flash fiction was so cool!

This book could be treated like an advent calendar for the full year if you wanted to discover each story in the related day, or if you just devour great writings, you can read it in just a couple of days! Either way, this is an awesome collection that I highly recommend checking out.

If you do, please feel free to pop back here and let me know what your favorites were!

The Doors of Chamberlain by Steve L. Clark is a tense and eerie story about mysterious doors that suddenly appear where they hadn’t been a moment before. Curiosity is tested and no one will walk away unscathed.

Grief-stricken Janie is having a difficult pulling out of her depression after her boyfriend, Mark, had disappeared while off being part of a reality ghost hunting show.

But one day, she receives a package that tells her: “Mark is not dead. I need your help. Watch the videos.” Cautious to have any hope, she puts the flash drive into her computer to find various video clips from the show.

Once it’s clear something very strange is going on, Janie reaches out to Mark’s sister and the sisters boyfriend to ask them for their help.

What happens next will change everything…

The tension of this tale begins very early on! Set in three parts, the first part really builds the foundation, the second part is the call to action that gets the nerves kicking in, and the third part is the terrifying event that everything had been building up to.

I loved the format that the author used in part one to get readers up to speed on what had occurred to bring us to the present. I had such a strong reaction to Janie’s grief initially and I wanted to jump into this book to help her. I really loved following her path throughout the story.

No spoilers here, but I do have to say that while Steve is clearly skilled with building the tension and showing the powerful bonds between people, he is also skilled in creating intense scenes! There was one scene specifically that made my fingers hurt so badly that I got feeble and dropped my eReader…

Grief consumed her, a piece of broken heart clutched in each gnarled hand.

The stairs curved and walls narrowed until Mark was brushing against both sides with his shoulders as he continued down.

Cain pushed Derek by the throat until his head rested on the bricks of the fireplace. Derek stared helplessly up at him, the firelight dancing with the swirling white flickers in his black eyes.

They tore down the stairs and stumbled into the living room. Leslie didn’t know exactly what she expected to find, but the scene before her was not it.

For an instant, his eyes flashed back to the sparkling blue she knew so well, and she knew she was home. Wherever this was, it was home.

If you’re looking for a creepy read, then look no further! You’ll be leaning in toward your book as if you were sitting there with the characters watching the video clips, hoping for glimpses of anything that will tell you what’s really going on here.

I cannot wait to read more from Steve!

We Came From An Island by Cynthia Pelayo is collection of three short stories that center around families facing trauma and the strength it takes to endure.

Every now and then, I read a book and then sit for hours trying to come up with any words to put down for my review. I keep typing then removing text, so I’ll leave this one brief so you can go read something from this author instead!

Cynthia always puts out remarkable stories. In this collection, the stories are titled, “Boricua Obituary,” “The Lament of the Vejigante,” and “The Puerto Rican Syndrome.” Within each of these tales, there is so much darkness, but it’s woven in and around the main thread of light and hope that guides readers through.

Please go read this book as soon as you can.

In Puerto Rico they could be outside without the fear of a rogue bullet tearing through the air searching for a target. 

Puerto Ricans are a people who operate at the brink. Yet, they are not expected to behave as though they are being dangled over the ledge. However, they are expected to appease the very people who are tormenting them.

Reading this book feels like you’re sitting down with a close friend that has chosen to open up to you about their past in a very intimate and trusting conversation.

Please go pick up a copy of this book if there are any left from the limited run, and then give it the time and space that it deserves.

I was very grateful to have snagged myself a signed copy.

The Wehrwolf by Alma Katsu is a dark, terrifying, and heartbreaking fairytale that flows along in the same vein as the Brothers Grimm tales.

Trapped between monsters on either side, these townspeople don’t know what they should fear more. Should they be watching for Russians that are in the area due to the war, or is the biggest threat the wildlife that has already left a man dead in a ditch?

With tensions continuing to rise, one voice that is louder and more insistent than others begins to become the center of attention. Soon, a group is created to protect the town, taking things into their own hands. Reluctantly, our main character, a man named Uwe, quickly realizes how dangerous the situation really is…

What an opening sentence this is: It started with a splash of crimson blood on snow.

Just that first sentence, and I was totally invested. I will say right off that I went into this story totally blind. All I knew was that it was by Alma! I had been sent a copy to prepare for the Dead Headspace recording, and I am oh so glad I was able to read it in time. I also preordered a copy so I would get to check out the final version when it launches.

I’m in love with the darkness that Alma writes about while adding in a heavy hand of terror and unease. This story, like her novel Red Widow, is focused mainly on the biggest monsters of them all; people.

This storyline will make you want to scream with the unfairness.

It started with a splash of crimson blood on snow.

A nation that put children in harm’s way while its leaders cowered in bunkers had already lost; it just wouldn’t admit it.

“Look, there are two kinds of men in the world. One kind takes responsibility for the things he’s done, both the good and – more importantly – the bad. The other kind always blames his misfortune on someone else. It’s never his fault when his crops fail or his wife leaves him.”

Every night, the wolf inside demanded a hunt, and the men readily gave in.

In the Author’s Note, Alma wrote that the point of stories like The Wehrwolf “is to show the danger that exists when we refuse to learn from history. And the main lesson history has to teach us is that it’s easy to slip the skin of humanity and become a monster.”

This story terrified me in many ways, but seeing all the parallels between this story and current times certainly tops the list. Unsettling from the start, this only gets deeper and deeper into dangerous territory.

A must-read for fans of dark fairytales with powerful messaging behind the words.

Red Widow by Alma Katsu is a thrilling tale of secrets, lies, and murder all surrounding a heartbreaking case of loyalty and being forced to go to extreme lengths for love and family.

What’s more terrifying than ghosts, demons, and sirens that call from the sea? People. People are absolutely terrifying!

In this book, human lie detector, Lyndsey Duncan, is put to the test time and time again as she works to uncover the mole that she was told is responsible for the deaths of multiple of the CIA’s Russian spies. But as she digs, she starts to feel uneasy about a few things. This unease only spurs her on.

Determined to find solid answers, Lyndsey hardly rests until she uncovers the very last stone.

My goodness, the author certainly takes readers on a journey here!

I was so nervous to see how deep the lies went. As we slowly learn more about the case right along with the main character, we also get lovely little bursts from another character’s perspective. Then we watch as the two storylines merge in an all out sprint to the end.

You can tell what care the author put into this one! I loved getting a little insight into how investigations actually work, not just the flashy, drama-filled exaggerations that we’ve come to know on TV.

This is yet another book by this author that sucked me right in! I loved that there were not only thrilling moments that will have readers feeling anxious, that you’re the one that is about to be caught, but there are also many heartfelt moments that will give you a little faith in humanity again. Which, trust me, will be much needed after you read some of these scenes!

Per usual, Katsu doesn’t shy away from the darkness and brutality!

Lyndsey is always surprised when she sees someone from work out in the wild, as though the two worlds make a combustible combination and should never, ever touch.

She turned to face him. There was not a shred of humanity there. A soulless monster walking around in a human suit. Something inside her – fear – spiked. 

After a mile, she feels better physically – her heart pumping, sweat trickling down her face – but her thoughts still skitter all over like spilled marbles, no better than the night before. To make it all worse, time is ticking.

I had a blast getting to know these characters. They really jumped right off the page like they were people in your own life.

I’m SO excited to see what happens next in the follow up novel out in 2023, Red London! I have some very high hopes for one specific story element that I want to see play out for Lyndsey. We’ll see!

Fans of thrillers, especially those that feature spies and corruption, this is a must-read!

The Deep by Alma Katsu is a slow-burning, goosebump-inducing, dread-filled historical horror novel of heartbreak and hauntings on the sea.

I will start my notes by saying that the sinking of the Titanic has always been an event that absolutely guts me each and every time I think about it. I was born and raised on an island that you could only get to by boat, so I had a special relationship with the ocean and still say to this day, that the salt water runs in my veins.

Knowing Alma’s work from The Fervor, and the care that she puts in to ensure there’s a perfect balance of the historical, the terror, and then a little something extra, I was excited but also so nervous to see where this story would go.

Organized in a dual timeline, readers will follow each storyline, looking for answers as the time jumps between 1912 and 1916.

In 1912, we meet Annie Hebbley, a young woman with a spotty memory of her past that boarded the Titanic to work as a maid to a group of first class passengers. She’s immediately drawn to one of the passengers, Mark Fletcher, but even more so to his daughter, Odine.

In 1916, Annie has been convinced by a friend, and fellow survivor from the Titanic, Violet Jessop, to board the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic. When Annie see’s one of the wounded that is brought on board, she thinks there’s no way it’s someone she knows. But it is. However, this reunion isn’t about to be as pleasant as she had dreamed it would be.

There was a passage in this tale that read: “There is no fighting the ocean. Only a fool would try.” In this case, the characters are fighting in more ways than one…

My copy of this novel had 432 pages, and that was 432 pages that were near impossible to stop flipping. The dual narrative works so well here. Even while I was deeply captivated by one timeline, I also couldn’t wait to jump back to the other. There was so much going on at all times, and I loved the way the overall narrative slowly steered readers toward the big reveal.

I was also very impressed with the number of characters that were introduced and how well they all instantly became memorable in their own way. Even if time spent with some of them had my blood boiling more than others, I couldn’t wait to see what they would get up to next!

As usual, Alma’s writing totally sucked me in. There were so many passages that I marked to highlight, but many were spoilers, so I will keep the next section light.

The most excellent thing about being a kid was that no one paid any attention. And no one paying any attention meant you could mostly do what you wanted, no matter your station, just so long as you didn’t get caught.
And Teddy was most excellent at not getting caught.

“So, this is where he- where it happened,” Dai said, not wanting to bring the word died into the room with him, as if it might leave a stain.

There was something standing in the way of her memory, like a curtain, hiding whatever stood on the other side.

But that was modern life: full of impossibilities. 
And if life was a series of impossibilities… Annie shivered. It meant anything was possible, that you could be haunted or pursued, or succumb to madness at any given moment. All or none of those things might be true.

There is no fighting the ocean. Only a fool would try.

He had become an imposter in his own life, in his own skin. His former self had died a long time ago – perhaps before he’d even set foot on the ship. He didn’t know who he’d become. Maybe he was a ghost, and this was all a version of purgatory.

The Deep is definitely one I would recommend to fans of historical horror. But please note that Alma does not shy away from the horror here, per usual. Not even necessarily just the actual horror of the event themselves, but in the smaller, everyday details as well. The horror is soaked deep into these pages.

This story is sure to leave you chilled.

Noose by Brennan LaFaro is a gritty, gore-filled splatter western that is packed with action from the very first page. But something special that Brennan brings to the table with this genre, is that this book also has a lot of heart and emotion, and his main character isn’t afraid to show it.

When I started writing my beta reading notes for Brennan, I kicked the email off with something that would be fitting here as well:

This story begins with a sentence that perfectly outlines the main characters’ intent for the rest of the story: “The first time I ever met George “Noose” Holcomb, I knew I’d end up killing him someday.“

In the very first chapter, readers will be hit right in the face with the action and the splatter elements of this tale. But of course, there’s also an element that will break your heart as it sets up Rory Daggett’s quest for revenge.

It’s clear from this first chapter of Noose that Brennan is ready to spill more blood on these pages, and let me tell you, he certainly does not hold back.

The rest of the story is just as action-packed and bloody as the start! But along the main character’s travels, he meets a wonderful character that becomes his little sidekick. I won’t say too much there, as you all need to meet this one yourselves!

One additional note on characterization; I really enjoy how Brennan introduces readers to his characters. When it’s appropriate, he goes in depth when the character first appears to set them up in the readers minds. With other characters, he just adds in a perfectly worded sentence or two that does the trick! This passage below specifically stood out to me in this story. It’s short, sweet and to the point, but it also flows perfectly in the events of the story itself and gives readers everything they need to know about Mr. Lynch:

Speaking of, let’s dive into some of my favorite passages.

The first time I ever met George “Noose” Holcomb, I knew that someday I’d kill him.

Understanding what came next, I covered my ears and ducked as Noose unleashed demonic fury throughout the cabin. Shrapnel struck, whether parts of the seats blown apart or chunks of human tissue, I couldn’t be sure. Even when I chanced it being safe to open my eyes, blood and bone littered the aisles so generously, I knew the gore must have covered me like a blanket.

I knelt to pick up a stone, hoping my knees wouldn’t crack like cannons and betray my position. Showing their loyalty in silence, they held my weight as I chucked the stone.

Madness enveloped those eyes, as if they lit upon something the brain wasn’t prepared for. The pupils fired back and forth as if studying words on a page. Frantically, like he might be able to save his sanity if he could only read fast enough.

“Another round, gentlemen?” If Emmett Lynch could smile, either with his face or his words, I’d never been privy to it. One would think being surrounded by booze and gaiety seven evenings a week, the joy would rub off, but he played the role of miserable son of a bitch well. Never did let the bottom of your cup show, though.

I tried pulling myself to my feet, but my body replied with a hearty “fuck you” and stayed flat on the ground, the stubborn cuss. As a compromise, it allowed me to turn my head toward what remained of the ranch. Trickles of smoke climbed to the sky, a dull reflection of the horror I’d encountered last night. The black smoke had dyed everything it touched that sooty stygian black. The color of death.

Assuming it might be salvageable, I tucked it into the back of my pants, only realizing after I’d done it that the barrel might have retained enough heat to solder my asscrack shut.

A deafening bang and a display of light that put the single match to shame filled the room. It provided a momentary glimpse of Edward’s head bursting, releasing the riddles no one has ever heard, nor ever would.

I collapsed on one of the couches, smearing gore and grime all over it; a childhood revenge achieved that I couldn’t give a damn less about.

Sending a prayer to Poseidon and hoping he’d hear it this far inland, I gave the pump a go. A couple scary seconds passed where the faucet relinquished nothing but dust and stale air, but soon water flowed, the nectar of the gods. I swear to sweet Jesus, that clear liquid had never tasted as good as it did right then. I drank until my stomach swelled.

The place was all well and good with daylight streaming in the windows and fighting back the shadows, but night would tell a different tale.

A creaking groan escaped the first step. Fuck. That one used to be trustworthy.

Goddamn, I’d almost forgotten about the kid, following me around quiet as a mouse fart. I turned to check on her and sure enough, Pip waited dutifully behind me, making sensual eye contact with every edible item in sight.

Time stopped as I took in the long black dress. At least black was the first color that sprang to mind, but really it was the lack of color, absorbing the essence of anything with the temerity to come in contact with it.

The left eye was the problem. Technically it was intact, but it hung a couple inches lower than usual, resting upon his scruffy cheek and staring distantly through me. The eyeball held on by a single thread of . . . whatever the fuck keeps eyeballs from falling out of a person’s head on a good day.

The street begged for a healthy dose of rain to wash away the blood, bone, brains, and hate spilled that day, but this was Buzzard’s Edge. Even in the best part of town, the sand would drink the blood and unloved creatures would dispose of the rest when darkness fell. Except for the hate. That would stay indefinitely.

The pacing of this tale will carry you right along as you cringe with the latest blood-splatter, smile with each win Rory gets, and hunch over from the gut-punches that some situations will leave you with.

If you enjoy splatter westerns, this book needs to be on your TBR list.