Richard Quist

@rmquist.bsky.social

210 Followers 139 Following

Husband. Father. Grandfather. Reads books, works in software.

A short video celebrating the release of Christopher Golden's book: CARRY ME TO MY GRAVE
Video highlighting release of Richard Chizmar's KILLING THE BOOGEYMAN, coming Oct 6, 2026 from Gallery Books, and recommending reading Chizmar's earlier books in the series: CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN and BECOMING THE BOOGEYMAN, with images showing reviews for those titles from the PagesFromTheMist book review blog (www.pagesfromthemist.com)
An image of a review of Worry Box by Chris Panatier The review text, located on the Pages From The Mist blog, reads: Worry Box by Chris Panatier My rating: 5 of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I recently read Worry Box by Chris Panatier, thanks to the eARC I got from Angry Robot Books via #NetGalley, and let me tell you this is a killer story! The prologue alone is enough to make you say "WTF!" As the story unfolds we meet the Martins, parents Nathan and Alison, their 9 year old daughter Dru and 11 year old foster daughter Lailah. The Martins hope to adopt Lailah, even as they help her cope with her intrusive thoughts, which often encourage her to commit dangerous or violent acts. It's not long after they move into the perfect home in a desirable neighborhood that... unusual... events begin to happen. These inexplicable occurrences seem welcoming and even helpful at first, but soon take on a darker tone. The girls believe a ghost is responsible, while the parents feel one, or both, of the girls are involved, playing pranks that get out of hand. Both girls deny any involvement even as events escalate, and Lailah comes under extra scrutiny because of her intrusive thoughts. Each of the chapters is written from a different character's perspective, so we get to experience each one's hopes, dreams, worries and fears. This shifting perspective highlights the Martin's confusion, concern, panic and horror, as weird events continue to occur within the house. Worry Box is a master class in building tension and terror amid shifting family dynamics. As events spiraled out of control I found it more difficult to put the book down, and raced through the final third of the book to find out what happened and who was responsible. Worry Box publishes September 22, 2026.
The cover of Worry Box by Chris Panatier, shown on top of an image showing a misty field leading to some trees in the background. The background image has a banner that reads: Pages From The Mist. Beneath that is a set of 5 stars (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐). Beneath the book cover is text that reads: A master class in tension and terror amid shifting family dynamics
Image showing EBOOK DEAL for Richard Chizmar's Becoming The Boogeyman and Chasing The Boogeyman. For a limited time Gallery Books has discounted the price to $1.99 each
The cover of Simon F. Godin's psychological thriller In Their Eyes, shown on a background of a misty field with woods towards the far end. The text on the image reads "Creepy As Hell & Difficult To Put Down"
Cover of Richard Chizmar's KILLING THE BOOGEYMAN
Cover image of Simon F. Godin's upcoming thriller, IN THEIR EYES. The cover features a desk with a book and pen on the top, and a bed, positioned under a window. Through the window we see a cloaked and hooded figure, staring at the window and standing under a street light near a dumpster at night
The cover of Glenn Rolfe's upcoming novel, THE SIREN OF GROVES PEAK, featuring a half-covered head rising from dark blue water with eyes staring straight ahead
A screenshot of part of the review of Philip Fracassi's upcoming story collection TRAPS AND SPECTERS: STORIES, which appears on the Pages From The Mist blog. The text of the review in the screenshot reads: Traps and Specters: Stories by Philip Fracassi My rating: 5 of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you've read any Philip Fracassi then you know he is a master at serving up incredible stories, whether they are novels or short stories. With Traps and Specters, Fracassi once again delivers, in spades! This is a collection of short, but dark tales, featuring mostly normal people, going about their mostly normal lives. These poor souls find that the lines between success and failure, normality and insanity, and life and death are all extremely thin; very easy to cross on your own, but sometimes you get dragged across, kicking and screaming, without warning. These stories CREEPED. ME. OUT... in all the good ways! The collection is full of twists and surprises, unhappy spirits, ancient kings, hidden figures and dead relatives. Put 'em all together and you've got a heck of a horror punch for your next party! The full review can be read here: https://www.pagesfromthemist.com/2026/06/review-traps-and-specters.html
I went to a book signing recently. Pro tip: unless you're the author or artist, they REALLY don't want you signing the book! 😉
Cover image for the Tom Deady's Still Floating: 40 Years of Pennywise. A retrospective/look back collection of essays, artwork and interviews for the 40th Anniversary of Stephen King's novel IT
An image of the cover of BRONA: The First Druids of Shannara by Terry Brooks and Delilah S. Dawson
The cover of the horror/psychological-thriller/mystery THE OTHER by Annie Neugebauer
A review of Annie Neugebauer's novella THE OTHER as it appears on the PagesFromTheMist blog (https://www.pagesfromthemist.com/2026/04/review-other.html). The review, written by Richard Quist, reads: The Other by Annie Neugebauer My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Other by Annie Neugebauer is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, mind-messing, twisted psychological thriller! Imagine what you might feel or how you might react, if you and your spouse were to encounter your doppelgangers: two other people who look, act, and speak exactly as you do, and who have all of your memories as well. Then, imagine that there's a bit of a scuffle, and when the dust settles you realize that you don't know for certain which one is actually your spouse, and neither do they. In The Other, that's exactly what happens to married couple Elise and Logan as they're on a hiking trip, hoping to reconnect and make some decisions about what their future together might look like. And just in case your brain hurt isn't already hurting, consider that Elise and Logan now have to figure out who is really whom, and then they must also find a way to evade the other couple before they can go back to their lives; otherwise they might not go back at all, or even worse, one of them may very well end up going back with The Other. Telling the tale by alternating the viewpoint between Elise and Logan, Neugebauer sets up this situation masterfully, and her storytelling swept me right along the trail with Elise and Logan. The tension in their marriage, and their obvious desire to find a way forward together are strong elements on their own, but then to mix in the confusion of the "identity crisis" and the very real possibility that Allison and Bryce intend to cause harm, and you have a recipe for a gripping, wonderfully paced, psychological thriller. Thanks to Shortwave Publishing for providing an eARC for review through NetGalley.
The cover of the book ANTS WAKING by R.J. Huneke, featuring an image of the title story's main character, Erica, standing by a lamp post staring ahead.
Photo showing the cover and inside title page of Chris DiLeo's book CHILDREN OF FIRE. The title page is signed by the author with an inscription that reads: 5/30/26 Richard, Thank you & enjoy your time with the Children of Fire PS. Don't get burned!
Screenshot of the NetGalley page for Philip Fracassi's new collection Traps and Specters that shows "you are auto-approved" to review it!
Image of the eBook cover of Annie Neugebauer's novella, THE EXTRA
Image showing an offer to send free signed bookplates for several books by Richard Chizmar to anyone who emails their name and address to cdancepub@aol.com
Cover image of Gretchen McNeil's novel We Are For The Dark
Cover image of Nat Cassidy's I KNOW A PLACE: REST STOP AND OTHER DARK DETOURS
Image of Richard Quist's Goodreads review of Pixerina: A Haunting by Joanne Anderton, published by Bad Hand Books. The review text is: Pixerina: A Haunting by Joanne Anderton, published by Bad Hand Books is a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ riveting tale of an artist being possessed by, and possessing, her muse. Cruelty, neglect, indifference, obsession ... all woven together in this fascinating, gothic story where the present and past merge, and letting go doesn't necessarily mean moving on. Rebecca Bell and her husband Aidan share their suburban home but as their creative talents take different forms from when they first met, they find themselves drifting apart. Rebecca, an artist, has struggled in recent years to find something that inspires and motivates her. Aidan has set his poetry aside for a career working in government communications. When Rebecca, over Aidan's objections, gives in to the temptation to finally explore a nearby abandoned house, she finds what she is looking for, and more. Will unraveling the mysteries of the past, and of the ghost of the girl who never was, provide her with the keys to her own future, or will she be lost in the search? This intriguing tale of Rebecca's encounters with the strange house and what remains there is compelling and pulled me right in. It's a fantastic story of searching, discovery and loss ... and the price that both muse and artist must pay. Thanks to Bad Hand for providing an eARC for my review!
Image of the cover of the novella Pixerina: A Haunting by Joanne Anderton
Richard Quist's Goodreads review of The Siren of Groves Peak by Glenn Rolfe. The text of the review is: With The Siren of Groves Peak, Glenn Rolfe delivers a gritty, terrifying blend of supernatural, and human, revenge. Secrets, lies and old wounds are brought to the surface as horrific murders, which the police seem uninterested in investigating, occur. Groves Peak is like many small, coastal towns. It has its share of problems: drugs, alcohol, abuse and infidelities. But unlike those other towns, Groves Peak and its lobstermen have had decades of prosperity, even when the catch has been poor elsewhere, thanks to an agreement made with a siren years ago. Until now. Something has changed and people are being killed. This is a well-paced tale that kept me guessing until the end. Many of the characters are not what they seem, and strength, sacrifice and betrayal are found in unexpected places. The story lines all come together like a wonderful seafood chowder, each adding it's own flavor to a delicious ⭐⭐⭐⭐ result. Thanks to Flame Tree Press for providing an eARC to review through NetGalley!
Image of Richard Quist's Goodreads' review of The Other by Annie Neugebauer. The text reads: The Other by Annie Neugebauer is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, mind-messing, twisted psychological thriller! Imagine what you might feel or how you might react, if you and your spouse were to encounter your doppelgangers: two other people who look, act, and speak exactly as you do, and who have all of your memories as well. Then, imagine that there's a bit of a scuffle, and when the dust settles you realize that you don't know for certain which one is actually your spouse, and neither do they. In The Other, that's exactly what happens to married couple Elise and Logan as they're on a hiking trip, hoping to reconnect and make some decisions about what their future together might look like. And just in case your brain hurt isn't already hurting, consider that Elise and Logan now have to figure out who is really whom, and then they must also find a way to evade the other couple before they can go back to their lives; otherwise they might not go back at all, or even worse, one of them may very well end up going back with The Other. Telling the tale by alternating the viewpoint between Elise and Logan, Neugebauer sets up this situation masterfully, and her storytelling swept me right along the trail with Elise and Logan. The tension in their marriage, and their obvious desire to find a way forward together are strong elements on their own, but then to mix in the confusion of the "identity crisis" and the very real possibility that Allison and Bryce intend to cause harm, and you have a recipe for a gripping, wonderfully paced, psychological thriller. Thanks to Shortwave Publishing for providing an eARC for review through NetGalley.
Image of Richard Quist's Goodreads review of MARLA by Jonathan Janz. The text of the review reads: Jonathan Janz makes a bold decision to begin Marla with quotes from two classic stories by two giants of horror: Carrie by Stephen King and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. If those quotes were meant to be aspirational, with hopes that MARLA would live up to those other tales, Janz, without question, succeeded. Residents of King's Branch have long wondered about Marla Gorman and her mother Irene, who live by themselves on the outskirts of town. Rumors abound about the pair, and especially about Marla, who is rarely, if ever, seen by the people of the town. No one seems to know much about them for certain, and the Gormans rebuff all attempts to pry into their secrets. When a number of unusual deaths occur in town, with victims that seem to have nothing in common other than a look of terror on their faces, Detectives Carl Lancaster and RJ Williams are assigned to investigate. With only vague, but disturbing suspicions that the deaths might be connected to the Gormans, Lancaster and Williams turn their attention to the pair, only to find much less, and far more, than they expected. And they realize that identifying the likely killer is one thing, surviving long enough to do anything about it is something else entirely. Janz builds this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ story like a multi-layer dessert, first spreading a base of uneasy suspicion, adding a large helping of fear, and then topping it all with a layer of absolute terror. As you sink your teeth into it, be warned that this is one of those rare stories that also sinks its teeth into you... and it doesn't let go, even after the last spoonful is consumed as the last page is turned. Buy it. Read it. Thank me later. Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing an eARC for review!
Richard Quist's Goodreads review of SARAFINA by Philip Fracassi. The review text reads: Sarafina by Philip Fracassi is an incredible tale set in the American South during the Civil War. The three Belle brothers, Mason, Archie and Ethan make a desperate decision to escape the horrors of war, little knowing the horrors they would escape into. Chased by the Confederate Home Guard as deserters they find refuge in an apparent idyllic setting: an isolated farm inhabited only by the beautiful Sarafina and her young son Titus. Sarafina provides protection, healing, food and shelter to the brothers. As they begin to recover from their harrowing escape and Sarafina's influence on his older brothers grows, Ethan begins to suspect that things aren't quite as they seem. The more he learns and sees, the more convinced he becomes that they need to leave... but that may not be possible. Fracassi delivers an exciting story with compelling and complex characters who aren't all what they seem, with an ending that was both surprising and haunting. I found it difficult to put the book down the deeper into it I got. Recommended.
Image of the cover of the book FRICTION - Dark Tales of Suspense by Paul Michael Kane
Image of Richard Quist's Goodreads review of CARRY ME TO MY GRAVE by Christopher Golden. The text of the review is: Carry Me to My Grave by Christopher Golden is classic, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ horror set in the late 1950s, due to be published on July 21, 2026. Maggie Wise, born on the island of Shediak, Maine, has "the old fire" - magic that she used long ago to force the Morák to stop killing people and to bury themselves deep in pain and suffering. The Morák are vampires, but not the suave, well groomed, aristocratic vampires often portrayed in books and movies. Instead, these are horrific, warped monsters who exist only to kill and consume their victim's blood and flesh. Now Maggie is dying, and with her death the magic she invoked will fade, and the Morák will be released... unless her son Malcom can get her body from Elkhart, Indiana and bury her on Shediak within 2 days. The problem is, the monsters know Maggie is about to die, they know where Malcom will take her, and what he must do... and they will stop at nothing to prevent that from happening. Golden delivers a riveting tale - compelling characters on a wild ride through the complexities of a dysfunctional family, hidden secrets, strange powers and savage monsters. Recommended! Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing an eARC for review.
Picture of part of a page in CARRY ME TO MY GRAVE by Christopher Golden from a Kindle device, with the text "El Morocco in Worcester" circled in red
Image of the cover of the missing person thriller THE COUNTING GAME by Sinead Nolan
Image of the cover of Richard Chizmar's upcoming novel KILLING THE BOOGEYMAN
Image of Richard Quist's Goodread's review of Dead Red and Razor by Tim Lebbon. The text of the review is: Dead Red and Razor by Tim Lebbon is a fast moving tale of violence and the quest for revenge. It's a quick and fun ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for fans of fiction that focuses on the killer's point of view. Dead Red Virgilio has just completed a contract, proof of which is rolling around in the foot well of the passenger seat of her car, when she is asked to take on another, urgent job. When she hears that the target is the man who killed the one person she ever loved, she immediately agrees and heads to the abandoned construction site in the middle of the desert where he has secluded himself. We soon learn that the assignment isn't as clear cut as it appears, and have to question just who is the target on this job. With Dead Red and Razor, Tim Lebbon delivers a fast-paced, violent, at times funny and sad tale with enough twists and surprises to keep you guessing until the end. Thanks to Bad Hand Books for the eBook review copy!
Image of Richard Quist's Goodreads review of Alex Grecian's THE BOATMAN. The review text is: For the first and only time in his life, Billy Prescott had an epiphany. He understood instinctively what was happening. With the last of his strength, he fell against the ship's conn, and the Maria Calypso began to pick up speed. -- Alex Grecian, The Boatman The Boatman is the first book I've read by Alex Grecian. I expect to be reading more. I would NOT describe it as a "slasher" or a "thriller"... nor would I call it a traditional "horror" story. What I WOULD say is that The Boatman is a compelling, and at times heart-breaking ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ story with supernatural vibes. Young newlyweds, June and Walt Dennison, are taking a cruise on the Maria Calypso for their honeymoon. They haven't spent a lot of time thinking about death and dying, but that's about to change as they, and the rest of the passengers and crew aboard the ship lay eyes on the Boatman, inexorably keeping pace with the ship in his small rowboat. Death comes for everyone... But what if you could outrun it? That's the challenge, and opportunity, for everyone on board the Maria Calypso. But is keeping ahead of the Boatman possible, and is it worth the cost? Thanks to Bad Hand Books for providing me with an eBook ARC to review.
Video a dog walking along a driveway during the Blizzard of '26
Image of a portion of Richard Quist's Goodreads review of Paul Michael Kane's Friction: Dark Tales of Suspense. The displayed review text reads: Friction: Dark Tales of Suspense is a fantastic collection of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ dark tales by Paul Michael Kane. While each of the 9 stories are quite different from each other, they share common threads of fascinating characters, dark humor and suspenseful plots that will leave you thinking of them long after you've turned the final page.
Image of Richard Quist's Goodreads review of Dan Franklin's STEEL MACHINES. The text of the review is; In Steel Machines by Dan Franklin, 8 year-old Otto Braum and his parents are a Jewish family hiding from the Nazis in the attic of their home in Prague, 1945. When the unthinkable happens, Otto must find a way to survive alone, and fills his time scrounging what food he can while trying to finish the steel Golem that has father had been creating as a protector for the family. As the empty, quiet and lonely days pass for Otto, he is haunted by his memories of what had happened and disturbing new visions... then a new family... a German family... moves in. With STEEL MACHINES Franklin has crafted a riveting and heart-wrenching ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ tale of fear and survival, where even the smallest sound risks discovery, and the noise of the war outside is a constant background hum to the horrors and the ghosts of Otto's past. Highly recommended.
Image of the cover of Paul Michael Kane's horror collection FRICTION
Image of Richard Quist's Goodreads review of THE CLEARING OF TRAVIS COBLE by Jonathan Janz. The text of the review is: The Clearing of Travis Coble is a suspenseful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ short horror story from what I can only assume is the very twisted 😁 mind of Jonathan Janz. Twenty years ago Travis Coble was acquitted at trial of murdering his family, but there are still many who question his innocence. Struggling university professor Dick Myers sees an opportunity to help both Travis and himself by finding a way to clear his name and publishing an article about the case. He arranges to meet Travis at his remote Tennessee cabin for an interview... where things go sideways in a hurry! Coming in at about 40 pages, The Clearing of Travis Coble is not a long tale, but Janz does a marvelous job of establishing an uncomfortable setting with his descriptions of the cabin and surrounding environment, and with the increasing tensions evident in the interactions between Myers and Coble. His excellent pacing carries us along as Myers and we realize that there is something very wrong here. Very enjoyable!
Image of Richard Quist's Goodreads review of PYRES by Kev Harrison. The text of the review is: With Pyres author Kev Harrison delivers a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ supernatural horror story, centering around sisters Angela and Becky and a series of deaths by spontaneous combustion. Older sister Angela lives in a somewhat remote English countryside cottage. She is a "spirit painter", enabling spirits who inhabit her temporarily to create paintings of people, animals and places that were important to them in life . Younger sister Becky, newly returned from Italy, is staying with her for a short while waiting to start her new job assisting immigrants. Angela becomes concerned when she notices similarities between some of her recent paintings and the inexplicable burning death of a polarizing conservative figure. When a new painting depicts yet another horrific death that mirrors events in reality, she and Becky begin to suspect that some spirit or being is using her talents to predict... or perhaps cause... these deaths. Some readers may be put off by the reflection of current events that serve as one of the pillars of the story, but this only makes the story more relatable. With PYRES Harrison delivers a chilling, fast-paced tale with a surprising twist, enhanced by alternating the narration of the story between Angela's and Becky's viewpoints.
Richard Quist's review on Goodreads of CHILDREN OF THE DARK 2: THE NIGHT FLYERS by Jonathan Janz. The (slightly shortened) text of the review is: Children of the Dark 2: The Night Flyers is another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ action-packed horror/thriller by Jonathan Janz. This sequel to Children of the Dark continues the tale of Will Burgess, picking up a little more than a year after the murderous rampage of the monstrous Children, an ancient evil long rumored to inhabit the woods around his hometown of Shadeland. For the last 13 months 16-year old Will has been confined to The Sunny Woods Rehabilitation Center, separated from his young sister Sophia (who prefers to be called Peach), and those few of his Shadeland friends who survived the original attacks. Locked away from all he knows and loves, he wants nothing more than to be reunited with Peach and to be able to live a normal life - but his government captors want to keep him imprisoned so that he can't cast doubt on their fabricated cover story of the previous summer's events... or on more recent attacks. The only problem with their plans is that the Children haven't gone away, and now winged creatures - the Night Flyers - are also on the hunt for Will. in Children of the Dark 2: The Night Flyers Janz brings back some familiar characters and introduces some wonderful, and some wonderfully hateful, new ones as well. As this high-intensity, tension-packed tale story unfolds, Will and his allies find that The Children and the Night Flyers aren't the only monsters they have to contend with. I found myself completely wrapped up in the story, racing through the book and reluctant to put it down. Janz's writing brings to life the love, fear, desperation, courage and determination of Will and his friends; the horrific terror and ravening violence of the Children and the Night Flyers; and the betrayal and hypocrisy of those who believe the ends always justify the means.
Picture of tree trunks and branches silhouetted against a red/orange/yellow sky at sunset in winter
Picture showing the front cover of CHILDREN OF THE DARK 2: THE NIGHT FLYERS by Jonathan Janz, displayed on an Amazon Kindle
Richard Quist's Goodreads review of CHILDREN OF THE DARK by Jonathan Janz. The text of the review is: Children of the Dark by Jonathan Janz is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ action-packed, horror/thriller tale set in the small town of Shadeland where high-school student Will Burgess and his friends find themselves the targets of the town bullies, an escaped serial killer and a whispered ancient evil that may be more than just a legend. The week I saw seventeen people die didn’t begin with carnage, monsters, or a sadistic serial killer. It all began with a baseball game. -- Jonathan Janz, Children of the Dark This is a fast-paced and riveting tale, with unexpected surprises and twists. Janz delivers realistic characters that I loved, and several that I loved to despise! He provides a realistic portrait of small town life, with all of its close friendships, small triumphs, unacknowledged prejudices and uncomfortable secrets, and adds multiple doses of violence and horrific, awakened evil. Raised by his single, drug-addicted mother, Will does his best to care for his little sister Peach, do well in school and earn a place on the baseball team. Life is difficult, at best, and during this first week in June he also has to find a way to survive the horrors, both human and otherwise, that have their sights set on Shadeland. All this while dealing with the realization that the girl of his dreams, currently dating one of the town's worst bullies, might actually like him, too. Janz's story reminded me in many ways of Stephen King's coming-of-age tale The Body (perhaps better known as Stand By Me, the film adaptation directed by the late Rob Reiner). Like the characters in King's story, Will and his friends are up against a world that doesn't care much about what happens to them; unlike King's characters who went out in search of death, in Janz's story death comes searching for them. Highly recommended.
Image of the cover of I KNOW A PLACE: REST STOP AND OTHER DARK DETOURS by Nat Cassidy
Picture of branches of an oak tree coated with snow after a storm
Cover image for the book I KNOW A PLACE by Nat Cassidy
Image of RIchard Quist's goodreads' review of WHAT BOYS LEARN by Andromeda Romano-Lax. The text of the review is: WHAT BOYS LEARN by Andromeda Romano-Lax is a suspenseful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ psychological thriller being released in Jan, 2026 by Soho Press. Single mother and high school counselor Abby Russo deals with the aftermath of the deaths of two students, and learns that her loner son Benjamin may have known the girls better than she realizes. As she finds out more about the circumstances of their deaths she begins to worry that Benjamin may have been involved in some way. Abby has always been concerned about how her son was growing up. Worried that he was a loner who didn't fit in, and worried about what he was learning about how men should treat women. She knows something about troubled teens. She had been one herself and still carries the scars of her first-hand experiences with the actions of a teenage boy with little concern for others. Her older brother Ewan has spent many years in prison for his actions as a teenager, and she fears that Benjamin might be headed down a similar path. Can she navigate between helping and trusting her son, and finding the truth? The tale is mostly told from Abby's point of view, gradually revealing fears and secrets as the perspective switches between present day and her teenage years. In the latter third of the book the perspective broadens to include present day Benjamin, as the suspense ratchets up and further truths and lies are uncovered. WHAT BOYS LEARN is suspenseful, thrilling, disturbing and thought-provoking! A fascinating story, providing plenty to think about how and what children, especially boys, are exposed to as they grow and the impact that exposure can have on them and the people around them. Recommended! Thanks to NetGalley and Soho Press for the early review copy! #WhatBoysLearn #NetGalley
An image of Richard Quist's Goodreads review of Sarafina by Philip Fracassi. The text of the review is: Sarafina by Philip Fracassi is an incredible tale set in the American South during the Civil War. The three Belle brothers, Mason, Archie and Ethan make a desperate decision to escape the horrors of war, little knowing the horrors they would escape into. Chased by the Confederate Home Guard as deserters they find refuge in an apparent idyllic setting: an isolated farm inhabited only by the beautiful Sarafina and her young son Titus. Sarafina provides protection, healing, food and shelter to the brothers. As they begin to recover from their harrowing escape and Sarafina's influence on his older brothers grows, Ethan begins to suspect that things aren't quite as they seem. The more he learns and sees, the more convinced he becomes that they need to leave... but that may not be possible. Fracassi delivers an exciting story with compelling and complex characters who aren't all what they seem, with an ending that was both surprising and haunting. I found it difficult to put the book down the deeper into it I got. Recommended.
An image of Richard Quist's Goodreads review of THE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD by Jeff Oliver. The text of the review is: I am still trapped in the void, deep within the corridors of insanity. ― Jeff Oliver, The Voices in Your Head THE VOICES IN YOUR HEAD by Jeff Oliver is a disturbing, violent and gruesome tale told from the perspective of Geoff Hathaway. As a teenager Geoff experienced unimaginable horror and suffered tragic losses, including the murder of his entire family. In spite of, or perhaps because of, thiose losses he finds a way to exact horrific revenge on the murderers. But he learns that revenge comes at a price - a price he has been paying ever since as he is tormented each day by voices and visions of his murdered family and... others. Geoff's torment is reflected at times in his chaotic first-person recounting of the "visitations" he endures. Told as a mix of prose and poetry, this story leaves open the question of whether those visitations are simply distorted memories, hallucinations caused by his mental state or real. Whether real or not, there is no doubt about the impact these have on him, and on those he encounters. The story is enhanced by artwork by Dan Verkys who brings to life the horrors that Oliver describes. This is not a book I would recommend to casual horror readers. There are descriptions of horrific deaths and cannibalism that will likely be triggering for some. That said, it is a tale told in a unique style and may leave you wondering whether those soft whispers that wake you up at night are simply leftover fragments of your dream... or something else.
Image of the cover of THE STEPHEN KING KILLER by Aaron R. Tyler