Review: Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline Bicks

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Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen KingMonsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King by Caroline Bicks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King is an absolute MUST for Constant Readers everywhere.

You know who you are.

When I first heard about this project, first of all, I was insanely jealous of Caroline Bicks, and then I was just overjoyed that I would get to nerd out about my favorite author of all time, Stephen King.

I wanted new insights and observations, and Bicks certainly delivered that and more. Happily, this turned out to be everything I hoped it would be. I cannot wait to get a hard copy of this book. It’s going to stand proudly on my shelves alongside my vast Stephen King collection.

While I say this is for Constant Readers, which it is, I would caution newer fans to Stephen King that this does spoil the entire plot of every book Bicks explores. Why this seems obvious, she is deep diving into the details of each one, I think it’s worth mentioning nonetheless.

The novels explored are: Pet Sematary, The Shining, Salem’s Lot, Night Shift and Carrie. For Constant Readers, I feel like these are staples, but if there are any that you haven’t read, you may want to pick them up first before reading this.

I thought I knew a lot about King, his life and inspirations, but I learned a lot of new details throughout the course of this book. My favorite aspects were the notes showing thoughts during the editorial process, as well as any scenes that were removed from the final published works. Those I found to be particularly enlightening.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves Stephen King. In my eyes, he’s an icon. He’s brought such joy to my life over the course of the 37-years that I’ve been reading his books. I never expect a time when I will stop relishing every word he puts on a page.

Caroline Bicks did an incredible job conveying, not just her personal experiences diving into the archives and speaking with King about her discoveries, but also in bringing new and interesting points to light.

Thank you to the publisher, Hogarth, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was a delight to read and I can’t wait to read it again someday!

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Review: The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

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The CaretakerThe Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Follow the rites…

The Caretaker is one of those books that I’m blessed enough to get a chance to read early, and then I can’t wait for everyone else to read because I need to talk about it!

This story captured my full attention and did not let up the entire way through. I read it in a day and it left me with A LOT to think about. I was doing mental gymnastics trying to keep up with everything Kliewer was throwing at me, and honestly, it was exhilarating.

Macy Mullins, our MC, is a young woman a bit down on her luck, who needs to scramble to support not only herself, but her little sister, Jemma. After a string of failed job interviews, Macy is still on the hunt when an enticing ad on Craig’s List catches her eye:

EXCITING OPPORTUNITY:
Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.

Macy applies and ends up securing an interview. She meets with the woman who she would be working for, and although it’s an unusual meeting, to say the least, Macy can’t afford to be picky.

As an outside observer, I may have been screaming at Macy to not agree to take the job, but I also can’t pay Macy’s bills, so she does what she has to do and she accepts.

It’s only 3-days work, where she’ll have to stay at the woman’s house in the wilderness of Oregon and take care of her house. How bad could it possibly get?

Y’all, it can get bad. I think we all know this. Even Macy probably knew this, but like I said, she really didn’t have much of a choice. The first thing that really captured me about this book was how realistic and well-developed Macy was as a protagonist.

While I’ve never experienced some of the things that Macy had been through, I couldn’t help by feel connected to her struggles. I had such empathy for her while she was just working through her own thoughts.

I also felt like I was going on this journey with her. The house, the property, the weirdness of the whole circumstance was seeping off the page and into my brain. It felt tactile to me. I was feeling it all; transported.

The synopsis describes this as a waking nightmare, and I can’t think of a better way to put it. There were scenes that played into some of my own fears and left me absolutely chilled to the bone and my blood pumping.

I need to get a physical copy, because I’ll be reading it again. It’s twisted, layered and I would love to take more time with it. Now that I know the end, I feel I could pick up more of the smaller pieces I may have missed on this first go.

Upon completion, I sat and just stared at the wall for a good 4-to-5 minutes. Yes, that’s a good thing. If this doesn’t leave you with an existential crisis, I’m not sure what will.

At this end of the day, I found this wildly-entertaining. It’s highly-consummable, gripping and disturbing. It’s going to stick in my mind for a long, long time.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is the first I’ve read from this author, but you better believe I’ll be picking up more.

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Review: This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum

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This Story Might Save Your LifeThis Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Best friends Benny and Joy like to say they’ve been saving each other’s lives since the moment they met. Until the day Joy disappears and Benny is suspected of murder . . .

The above-line from the Publisher’s Synopsis is all you need to know about this book going in. That and the fact that the audiobook is an incredible way to take in this story.

If you need more however, here are other details. The story follows BFFS, Benny & Joy. You get a past perspective going through how they met and their relationship development through flashback chapters from Joy.

The present we get through Benny. Also, they have a hugely popular podcast, so we get fun excerpts from that as well. The podcast, This Story Might Save Your Life, started out as a quirky idea, but blew up into something much, much more.

Her chapters, think more Romance, his chapters, think Thriller. The overriding narrative spans a decade in time, and becomes an all-encompassing study of this relationship. It feels like a perfect blend of these two popular genres.

I did end up really enjoying this overall genre-blend. Joy’s disappearance, the mystery surrounding that was intense and well-written. You could feel the desperation of her loved ones trying to find her, and the additional complications added by their public popularity.

As mentioned above, the audiobook is great. I would highly recommend that format. The dual narrators, mixed media elements, and the way they handled the podcast sections truly brought life to this story.

I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz for this one, and I definitely think it’s worthy of that, particularly if you’re looking for a fun audiobook experience. It’s worth the credit, trust me.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This has certainly put Tiffany Crum on my radar!

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Review: The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

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The Escape GameThe Escape Game by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Escape Game is a fun and suspenseful YA-Murder Mystery centering around an Escape Room Game Show.

A concept, I say with confidence, was executed wonderfully.

Six months ago, the 4th-Season of The Escape Game ended tragically after one of the contestants, Alicia Angelos, was found murdered on set. Suspicions immediately fell on Alicia’s sister, Sierra, also a contestant, but without any proof, Sierra was never charged.

Now Sierra is back to play again in Season Five, but it’s not just a win Sierra’s looking for, she’s also looking for justice. Sierra’s new teammates include Adi, a celebrity’s son and cryptography expert; Carter, a math wiz and social media influencer; and Beck, an aspiring Game Master.

As the teammates begin to bond, they decide to help Sierra in her quest for answers. Soon enough they start uncovering clues to the true identity of Alicia’s killer.

As the games kick off, unsettling events seem to plague the team. Is it because of Sierra and her link to last season? Will they be able to put the puzzle together before one of them becomes the killer’s next victim?

The Escape Game was such a gripping and entertaining read. I ended up quite invested in it, even after a slightly rocky start. We meet the characters and get introduced to the game very quickly, and it took me a second to get my bearings with it all. Once I did though, I was hooked.

The Escape Room element was so well done. I loved how everything was described and how we got to follow along with our main characters as they worked through the various puzzles together.

The four MCs were extremely well-developed and likable. I loved watching them get to know one another and watching their various relationships blossom. They were each distinct and their personalities played well off of one another.

I’m honestly hoping this will get adapted. It would make a great Limited Series on Netflix, especially with all the intricacies of the various Escape Rooms. I would love to see them brought to screen. If it’s anything like what I was imagining in my head, it would be amazing!

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, for providing me a copy to read and review. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this, and I’m so pleased with the experience I had with it.

I would love more books with these characters. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that happens, and if it does, I’ll be first in line for a copy!

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Review: The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall

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The Girls BeforeThe Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Girls Before is a twisty, fast-paced Thriller from one of my go-to authors, Kate Alice Marshall. For me, KAM has such variety with her writing and I love getting my hands on each of her books as they’re released.

This story follows Audrey, a Search & Rescue expert, and a kidnapped woman, Stranger. The narrative transitions back-and-forth between them, slowly revealing connections and the truth of Stranger’s captivity. I loved that back-and-forth as the larger picture starts to become clear.

Audrey was a great main character. She has a lovable pitty named Barry, who I loved having involved in the story. Audrey was portrayed as a good dog mom and we do always appreciate that in a story.

In addition to following Audrey’s work in SAR, we also get to see a bit going on in her personal life and I liked that aspect. I felt like I really got to know her and it made me connect to her more and care about her as the story progressed.

Stranger’s perspective was rather horrifying. Everything she had gone through. Her struggles felt real. It was just awful to think about, to imagine being in that circumstance. Of course that made me empathetic to her in a different way than I was to Audrey.

I loved trying to figure out what was actually going on. There ended up being a lot of different players that comes into the action in a heavy way.

I’m sure this won’t be for everyone, but for me it was very entertaining. I listened to the audiobook in a day, a format I would recommend. The narration by Ina Barrón and Karissa Vacker brought the story to life. I felt sucked into this world and I wasn’t stopping until I had all the answers.

I love nothing more than digging into the secrets of a really toxic family or disturbing small town, and this definitely satisfied that itch. I did feel it got a little convoluted in the second half, however, I still liked it a lot.

I’m confident I followed all the lines KAM was setting and I was happy with the conclusion. I would recommend this for Thriller Readers, particularly if you’ve enjoyed KAM’s work in the past, or if you enjoy stories featuring missing persons.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I had a lot of fun reading it. Kate Alice Marshall’s work is always a good bet for entertainment!

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Review: The Haunted Houses She Calls Her Own by Gwendolyn Kiste

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The Haunted Houses She Calls Her OwnThe Haunted Houses She Calls Her Own by Gwendolyn Kiste
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

‘You know my name. You know my face. I’m the girl in the picture. The girl who never gets to stop smiling, never gets to rest, no matter how hard I try, no matter how loud I scream.’

🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤

The Haunted Houses She Calls Her Own is a gripping and thought-provoking Feminist Horror Short Story collection from Bram Stoker Award winning author, Gwendolyn Kiste.

This collection includes 16-diverse stories that are all sure to capture and hold your attention. I loved the variety among the stories, but really appreciated the common themes explored throughout. The Feminist vibes made the collection feel very cohesive.

Some of the standout stories for me include, The Sea Witch of the World’s Fair, The Last Video Store on the Left, Sister Glitter Blood, The Mad Monk of Motor City, Best Friends Forever, and the story that gave the collection its name, The Haunted Houses She Calls Her Own, which was my favorite.

Another aspect I was surprised by, but I thought was very interesting was the number of historical figures that popped up amongst these stories. Individuals like Rasputin and Mary Shelley, I didn’t expect that here and I liked how those figures were used to tell the stories.

In this collection, Kiste was really able to display the range of her writing and it’s clear she’s not afraid to explore difficult topics. It was almost like a mental exercise, going in and out amongst the stories, jumping around in space and time. I loved that.

I would absolutely recommend this to any Readers of Horror Short Fiction, particularly if you enjoy stories exploring things like systemic gender inequalities, body autonomy and female rage, to name a few.

Thank you to the publisher, Raw Dog Screaming Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I certainly would be surprised if I see this listed on the 2026 Bram Stoker Awards Final Ballot!

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Review: These Familiar Walls by C.J. Dotson

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These Familiar Walls: A NovelThese Familiar Walls: A Novel by C.J. Dotson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

These Familiar Walls is a Paranormal Horror Thriller from C.J. Dotson. This story follows our MC, Amber, in two timelines.

The present is 2020, and Amber, along with her husband, Ben, and their two children, move into Amber’s childhood home. Amber has inherited the house after her parents have been murdered, inside the house, by Nathan, one of Amber’s friends from her teen years.

Amber also lost her sister, Hannah, along with her brother-in-law, in a house fire not long ago. It’s clear from the start that Amber is working through some things, and perhaps her childhood home, full of unpleasant memories, isn’t the best place for her during this difficult time.

We also get Amber’s perspective from 22-years before, in 1998, when she first befriends Nathan, the boy who would grow up to become a murderer.

Nathan exhibits classic signs of the homicidal triad, including cruelty to animals (on page) and fire-setting. I’m not sure what his proclivity for bed-wetting was, but I’m gonna guess it happened once or twice.

Needless to say, Amber’s parents weren’t crazy about her hanging around with the disturbed boy next door, and it cause a lot of contention in their household. A fact Amber has never forgotten.

These scenes from 1998, while interesting, particularly the interactions involving Amber’s little sister, Hannah, did slow down the pace for me a little bit.

The spooky stuff in the house kicks off fairly quickly, and the sections of the past sort of brought it down for me until about the 60% point.

I did really enjoy the unsettling things happening to Amber within the house in the present perspective. There were a lot of visions connected to the past, and creepy scenes involving the mirrors that definitely got under my skin.

I was torn initially on how to rate this, because I found portions of it to be distasteful. This needs explanation, but I’m not sure how much I can say without spoiling things. The more I’ve thought about it though, the more I have to doff my cap to the author in my uncomfortableness.

I found one of the violent, pivotal scenes in this book abhorrent. However, I am a Horror Reader. I’ve definitely read wayyyy more messed up stuff than this, so I have to think that the author did a great job eliciting these emotions from me. I must have been so sucked in, so involved in the lives of this family that it made it extra impactful. Either way, it’s uncomfortable, or was for me.

I do believe that was the intention of the author, of course, for me to feel this way. Therefore, I can’t hold it against them, my own emotional hangups. They did what they set out to do, and well done for that.

I just needed to get over that mental hurdle and appreciate the novel’s ability to put me in an uncomfortable place and keep me there. By the time everything is revealed though, that emotion lifts and then we get to the heart of the paranormal of the story.

I felt that was executed well. It’s hard sometimes to translate those kind of concepts, what may be in author’s head onto the page, but I think Dotson did a good job. While some aspects were predictable, I think overall it’s an engaging and gripping read.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read from Dotson so far, and am looking forward to more in the future!

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Review: Dead Fake (Bleak Haven #1) by Vincent Ralph

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Dead Fake (Bleak Haven, #1)Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dead Fake is the 1st-book in an all-new YA Horror series from beloved YA Horror author, Vincent Ralph. I have read previously from this author and had fun with his stories, so I’ve been looking forward to this.

This Bleak Haven series had the first 2-books release this January, and books 3 and 4 are set to release in the Fall. If I’m understanding it correctly, these books are like Fear Street in that they’re all set in the same fictional town, where curious and horrible things frequently happen, but each book follows separate characters.

I’m assuming there will be some overlap of characters, but I’m not sure how much since I haven’t read them all yet. This one did set-up nicely the idea that this town is cursed, and it also referenced some previous atrocities that would lead residents to believe that.

This story in particular follows Ava Wilson, whose Uncle Miles is an infamous Bleak Haven murderer. Ava attends the local high school and it’s there that the action kicks off. Flyers are posted around the school asking students if they would Swipe to Die?

The flyers have a QR code that lead to a mysterious website where students can view their own ‘death’. These deaths take the form of AI-generated Slasher Movie moments, putting the students in the final death scenes. These videos are then made public for all to see.

Ava is a hard pass on this disturbing new trend, but many students, including her friends, can’t resist trying it out. Curiosity killed the cat, and all that.

When some of her classmates deepfakes are replicated in real life, Ava can’t help but notice unsettling details that prompt her to believe these deaths may be connected to the past. Unable to leave it alone, Ava digs in, determined to find the killer before they take out anyone else she loves.

Dead Fake is a lot of fun to read. It’s engaging and well-written, with a solid intensity and well-developed characters. IMO, it’s a great start to a YA Horror series. It felt nostalgic for me, channeling the Point Horror, or Christopher Pike/R.L. Stine reads of my youth.

I really enjoyed Ava as the protagonist. I thought she felt very natural and the backstory of everything involving her Uncle added substance to the story. There was a lot of complicated emotions her family was dealing with in the aftermath of all that, and I enjoyed that exploration.

I also loved the build-up, with the flyers and the videos dropping, and then finally with the bodies dropping. There were some good twists as well once Ava starts looking into who is possibly behind the website and the murders.

I’m really excited to continue on with these books. I’m looking forward to seeing what the content of the other books is going to be. I’m not sure if they’re all set in the same time period or not, or if some of them will maybe feature some of the previous bad things that have happened in the town that were referenced in this book.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA Horror, or even Adult Horror Readers who are looking for something fun and potentially nostalgic ((if you’re of a certain age, like me)). You can tell by this phenomenal cover exactly the vibes you’re getting in this story too. I love it.

Thank you, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m super excited to start the next book. I have no doubt it will be as much fun as this one!

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Review: The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi

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The Noh Mask MurderThe Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Noh Mask Murder is a classic Japanese Murder Mystery, originally published in 1950, that has recently been translated into English for the 1st-time. This seems to be a big trend in recent years and I’m loving it.

Akitmitsu Takagi is the pen name of Seiichi Takagi and this was his 2nd-novel. His 1st, The Tattoo Murder Case was published in 1948 and has also recently been translated to English. I’m looking forward to getting to that one as well.

This story is a solid Locked Room Murder Mystery, a la Agatha Christie. It’s told in a really fun way, where our narrator/protagonist, funnily enough, is named Akimitsu Takagi. He’s a mystery writer who is sent to investigate a mysterious intruder seen lurking in the Chizurui family mansion one night.

The narrative style felt very film noir to me; like the old detective stories, which obviously makes sense considering the time this was actually written. For me, what brought that vibe full-on was the narration of the audiobook. It’s perfect for this story. I felt like I was in an old detective film while reading it.

The set-up was really good as well, with Takagi arriving at the Chizurui family home and really immersing himself in their lives. We meet all the players, and as with any family, learn of the secrets and tensions running among them.

It’s a classic whodunit, with the Reader picking up the clues alongside Takagi. There’s detective work on page, with him logically trying to map out how the initial crime, the murder of the head of household in his locked study, could even have occurred. I really liked those bits.

It did take me a bit to get my bearings in this story though. Most likely due to my own cultural lens having difficulty deciphering between different character names initially.

This can sometimes happen in translated works, where either names, places or different cultural elements may not be 100% clear, or easily understandable, for someone outside the original culture, or language, so I’m not going to be too hard on myself for that.

I think the more I read of these stories, which I’m very excited to do, the more acclimated I will become to the pacing, names and rhythm of the stories overall.

I would absolutely recommend this one to Classic Mystery Readers, particularly if you enjoy Agatha Christie.

Although, I will throw a Caution Flag that this does spoil the whodunit of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, so if you haven’t read that yet and you’re planning to, you might want to read it prior to this one.

Thank you to the publisher, Pushkin Vertigo, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to read more of these classic Japanese Mysteries!

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Review: This House of Grief: A Story of a Murder Trial by Helen Garner

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This House of Grief: The Story of a Murder TrialThis House of Grief: The Story of a Murder Trial by Helen Garner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This House of Grief: The Story of Murder Trial is a True Crime novel penned by acclaimed Australian author, Helen Garner. This is the first I have read from this author, but I can easily see why her work is so beloved and respected.

This was gripping, without feeling like she was sensationalizing tragedy. It was just a frank depiction of her day-t0-day experience attending this murder trial, with the details of the event in question layered throughout.

Specifically, this book details the trial of Robert Farquharson. On Father’s Day in 2005, Mr. Farquharson, separated from his wife, was driving their three sons back to their mother’s house after a scheduled visit. On a lonely country road, his car exited the road and plunged into a dam.

Though Robert escaped, all three children drowned. After the accident Robert’s odd behavior led many to wonder, was this a tragic accident, or an act of revenge against his estranged-wife, who had moved on with another man?

Garner takes us through it all, including her own mixed thoughts and opinions on Robert, and the car crash, that she had while attending each day of the trial.

This was really very good. I enjoyed the way Garner framed this book around her experience in the courtroom following this emotionally-charged case, versus writing it like a typical True Crime book where we would mainly follow the details of the perpetrator, their life and crime(s).

I knew nothing about this case going in and I’m impressed with how concise Garner kept the details. I was easily able to grasp the ins-and-outs of the case, as well as the major players in no time at all. She also filled the pages with a raw humanity, that I always appreciate in a True Crime novel. It felt thoughtful and respectful to all involved.

Thank you to the publisher, Pantheon, for providing me with a copy. I definitely plan to seek out more of Helen Garner’s work. She’s clearly a very talented writer.

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