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On a stormy night, off the coast of Washington, an elderly woman is terrified to death when she sees a house washed up on the beach, one she recognizes from her nightmares. When Melissa tries to contact the woman's grandson, Simon, a police officer answers his phone, revealing that Simon is missing. Desperate to find him, Melissa and Leo, once close childhood friends but now estranged, reunite on the island to uncover dangerous secrets that could hold the key to Simon's fate.

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones is a fast-paced read for fans of the Scream franchise. High school, revenge, slashers, and a small, quiet town.

Dwellings by Jay Stephens is a graphic novel that blends cute and cartoonish art with dark and disturbing tales of horror set in a fictional Canadian town. Despite its whimsical appearance, each of the 6 stories packs a punch, giving us a peek into the eerie depths of the human (cartoon?) psyche.

Horror Movie (2024) by Paul Tremblay is my favorite book of the summer, but I'm biased as I'm a dedicated fan of his and got to meet him and have him sign my copy in June. (He left with a WPL pen).

When their son, Ewan, tragically dies, Richard and Juliette Willoughby fall into desperate grief and cannot let him go.  While Richard digs into the dirt of their field in an attempt to connect to Ewan, Juliette brings a team of mystics into the house to attempt to contact the child's spirit.  Their bucolic farm becomes dark, menacing and eerie as an evil folklore bogeyman dominates their daily lives.

Forgotten Sisters (2024) by Cynthia Pelayo is an eerie, otherworldly ghost story that takes place in present-day Chicago. Sisters Jennie and Anna live in a historic bungalow in the Ravenswood neighborhood, with the north branch of the Chicago River right in their backyard.

Whisper of the Woods by Ennun Ana Iurov is the author's first professionally published graphic novel. It's about a young foreigner, Adam, who travels to a supposedly haunted forest in Romania to search for his friend who had gone there solo and vanished. Ignoring the advice of the locals, Adam arrogantly assumes he is above the supernatural forces obviously at play.

Lone Women (2023) by Victor LaValle is a historical slow burn horror set in 1915 Montana. After losing her parents, Adelaide Henry travels alone from California to settle a claim of land in Montana supplied with very little - namely the heavy burden she has carried all her life.

Deadstream is a hilarious, fast-paced and fun contemporary horror movie. Shawn, a disgraced social media influencer, tries to win back his fanbase by staying in a haunted house alone overnight and livestreaming his experiences. I had a wonderful time, but viewers sensitive to gore may not. 

The Drift (2023) by C.J. Tudor is an engaging multiple perspectives thriller, following 3 different groups of survivors in a compelling apocalyptic race to save their own lives in 3 deadly situations that may have something in common. The Drift is fast-paced, plot-driven and may be of interest to readers okay with violence, plague, and apocalyptic themes. 

The Pallbearers Club (2022) by Paul Tremblay is a compelling "memoir" of an unlikely friendship between nebbishy, self-conscious teenager Art Barbara and his mysterious new friend, beginning with the first few meetings of the actual Pallbearers Club and continuing through the next several decades.

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel is a disturbing, fast-paced modern gothic. Maeve's past comes back to haunt her when she reconnects with her beloved cousin, Andrea, for the first time since they were removed as children from the cult community that raised them.