{I've Been Reading} #VanDeath

 #VanDeath by Brian Asman 

This road trip is the stuff of nightmares, or maybe the stuff of grindhouse films. It takes a while to get going, but once our van life couple hits the road, it doesn't slow down. I didn't particularly like either Jasper or Morgan, but by the time things started to go really bad, I was pulling for both of them.  Camping in Death Valley would be precarious enough, but every bit of safety is gradually stripped away. At one point, I was so caught up in the book I actually screamed when my husband startled me. 

I am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily Zinnikas

This book straddled the line between thriller and horror. There are familiar thriller elements -- a young woman has returned to her childhood home after years away even though she's still blamed for the unsolved murders of her friends. Then throw in the fact that she's tossing food into the forest every night and wishing she could still deciper the language of the trees. And the monster under her bed that almost has to be real because whatever it was taught her to read... I couldn't put it down. Every time I thought I understood what was going on, something made me question myself. 

Antiques Web by Barbara Allen

The Trash 'n' Treasures series always delivers plenty of entertaining fun. Vivian and Brandy are bickering. (How did I manage to miss the last book, where Brandy apparently got married?!) There are lots of details about antiques and vintage things and a section on the history of pinochle. (I'll admit that I skimmed over the rules because there's no way I'll be playing that card game anytime soon.) You'll find  recipes within the chapter and mourning jewelry and a couple of murders and a whole lot of parantheses, which I have a new appreciation for after trying to summarize all of the delightful chaos. 

And apparently there's a MOVIE that's streaming free on Tubi, which I'll be watching while I work on my latest knitting project. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} Corpse Creek

We Already Dug The Grave by Emma C. Wells

It starts with tea leaves and psychich gifts and protective bones hung from fence posts. This is one of those books that alternates between "now" and "then." The reader knows something bad happened, but the first person narrator is keeping secrets from the reader and won't reveal what it was until much later in the book. (Actually, there are multiple things and a some are revealed sooner than others.) I couldn't put it down because I wanted to find out what had happened to one of the people from Milly's past. There's a whole lot of other, probably more important stuff going on in the plot, but it was that element that hooked me. These characters and their relationships are going to stick with me for a long time.  

Wildwood by Ashley Woo

Elinor spent her childhood summers at Wildwood, roaming the two hundred acres of land with her cousins. She never understood why contact with those visits stopped without explanation and she was cut off from her extended family. She certainly never expected to inherit the property, but when the news comes, it's a welcome lifeline. The plot unfold slowly as Elinor explores the house and grounds. Her husband is working nights at a rural hospital, so she's alone in the master bedroom surrounded by a nineteenth century mural of creepy reaching trees. I'm not sure if this truly qualifies as "folk horror" but it definitely has that vibe. Pregnant heroine in an isolated setting with a creepy history, wealthy neighbors who are obviously keeping secrets...this book was right up my alley! 

Corpse Creek by Vincent Ralph

Bad things happen to the residents of Bleak Haven. After he visits the creek with his friends on the anniversary of his brother's drowning, something follows Ethan home, watching him from the shadows. The town, with its history of serial killers and curses, provides a great backdrop for the story. The author perfectly captures that feeling of splashing in the water on a hot summer day and wondering just what's below that steep dropoff where the water gets deeper and you can't see the bottom. It's a fun, fast paced read that I enjoyed just as much as I enjoyed the first book in the series. 

Fear Farm by Vincent Ralph

I wish this settings in this book had been half as vivid as Corpse Creek. It feels like it could have been a much more captivating read, but it's a run of the mill YA slasher with lots of characters and lots of dialogue. A few times, the plot was moving so quickly, I lost track of who had just died. Sometimes I went back to check, sometimes I figured it didn't matter. The end reveal is kind of neat, but it's definitely not my favorite of the four book series. 

Disclosure -- The publisher provided me with an advance review copy. 

{I've Been Reading}

The Alchemist of All Hallows Eve by Gigi Pandian

Take everything that's wonderful about the Accidental Alchemist series and then add old fashioned Halloween traditions and a seance. Zoe and Max are looking for a house to share and she's found the perfect place complete with an orchard and a backyard cottage with a full kitchen where Dorian the gargoyle can create his vegan masterpieces. One tiny problem -- it's known as the Murder House and there might be bodies in the walls. Or clowns. The urband legends are just a bit unclear. I've loved every book in the series, but this one is probably my favorite. Did you know that fortune telling bread was a thing? 

She's a Doll by Barbara Truelove

After her murder, Lucy McQuinn possesses an antique doll. She's angry and afraid and no one but the jerk who killed her even realizes she's dead. I was expecting something along the lines of Tiffany from the Chucky franchise, or maybe the China doll from that story we all told at slumber parties. Lucy is something a lot less scary and a lot more entertaining. She's small, she's broken, the only person who can hear her refuses to listen....but she's also very, very determined.  I absolutely loved this book. It's an emotional roller coaster with a killer doll as the sympathetic protagonist.  If there's a realistic way to tell the story of a murderous bride doll, this is it! (Don't skip the book group questions at the end.) 

Zero Lives Remaining by Adam Cesare

Oh my gosh -- this is the kind of horror novella I didn't know I was looking for! It starts in 1989 with Robby, making pizzas at FunCave Arcade. He loves his job, has perfected his technique for making the frozen dough and sauce come out perfectly -- and then his sleeve snags on the oven's conveyor belt and things go really bad really fast. His spirit remains in the arcade until 2014 when a series of events makes things go much, much worse. Robby was a harmless presence watching over the gamers.  That all changes in an instant. Fast paced and gory, with characters who actually feel like people, I really enjoyed this one. 

Murder on the Rocks by T. E. Kinsey

It's a murder on a country estate, but this estate is a luxuriously converted fort on an isolated island. There's no way to leave and no way to report the death until the boat returns to take them home. Set in 1913 and rich with historical detail, this is the thirteenth Lady Hardcastle mystery and the first that I've read. There's not a lot of backstory included, but it was easy enough to jump in without trying to figure out what I'd missed. I really enjoyed the chance to vicariously step back in time. The murder weapon was definitely unique and the mystery was entertaining.  Now I want to know if all of those snippets of stories that Flo and Lady Hardcastle divulged through the course of the book are from the earlier titles. 

Two Purloined Pillows by Allie Pleiter

The second book in the Nimble Needle mystery series really highlight's Shelby's effort to take over her mother's needlework shop. For decades, it's been Nina's Nimble Needle and Nina herself is having trouble stepping back. The shop is hosting two rival needlepoint designers for the town's annual arts festival and they expect their every demand to be catered to -- by Nina. Shelby is struggling to keep the situation under control...and then one of their difficult needlework designers drops dead in front of everyone at the festival's opening event. I enjoyed this one. There's lot of focus on needlepoint and the canvas and threads. The murder mystery has a satisfying conclusion. I do with the author spent a little less time telling us that needlepoint isn't for grandmas. Don't we all know that already? 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies .

{I've Been Reading}

 Apple Pies and Poisoned Lies at the Cider Festival by Traci Hall

As soon as I finished the last page, I dashed off to the author's web page to sign up for her mailing list. I cannot WAIT for the second book in this series to come out so that I can spend more time with Macki and her family. This book had me completely, very happily, immersed in the orchards and pie filled kitchen and waiting impatiently for answers. There's a complex mystery with long simmering rivalries and an intense conclusion. The atmosphere will appeal to readers who are ready to finish with Summer and get into the Fall fun. There's a lot of vivid and detailed description, so if that isn't your thing this might not be the best choice for you. I read cozies for the chance to vicariously experience different places and hobbies, so I loved it.  

Assisted Living by Gianaclis Caldwell 

This eco horror novel has such a vivid, creepy setting that I'm looking at the big fir trees next to my house a little differently and hoping I've never done anything to offend them. (It was the previous owner who cut down their former companions, not me!) The author does a great job of creating suspenseful scenes early on, but when the big scary stuff started to unfold, it left me a bit underwhelmed.  It went from being a great, character driven book to a mediocre disaster movie. Then that final chapter got me caught up again and left me curious to see where this trilogy is going. So I'm not sure how I feel about it. 

The Secret Attic by Chelsea Conradt

From the first few pages, I felt like a new aquaintance was sharing her story. Addison never got along with her mother-in-law and, after the older woman's death, she finds herself sorting through Barb's belongings, trying to make sense of it all and help her husband deal with his grief even though she'd rather be absolutely anywhere else. This feels like a real person's experience and Addision struggles without jumping to the usual "she was awful and I'm not" that you encounter so often in fiction and in real life. Barb was an awful woman, but throughout the book Addison feels like a genuinely nice person struggling with an impossible situation. The first time she realizes that something is really wrong in the huge old house is chilling. Halfway through the book I felt like the plot slowed to a crawl but it picks up again before the satisfying ending. 

 Buried in the Woods Below by Daniel G. Miller

An isolated island with an abandoned amusement park and a heroine who has been hired as a nanny even though she has no experience with young children...this book has the elements of a traditional gothic with some modern twists. It's a wild, dramatic ride and I'm blown away by author's ability to create suspense within a scene. The ending wasn't a total shock, but I'm not unhappy with it.  (I'm not going to give spoilers, but if you're a reader who prefers trigger warnings, you should probably check for them berfore reading.) 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies.