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Frankenstein
by Mary ShelleyThe eccentric Dr. Victor Frankenstein creates life from assembled body parts, only to realise his creature is an abomination. He casts the monster out, deeply regretting his work. When the monster, despondent at his creator's disgust, attempts to befriend humans, he is rejected – a rejection that leads to violence and great loss for Frankenstein. A thematic indictment of blind ambition and man's fear of the unknown, Frankenstein endures as a classic piece of English literature and the inspiration for countless film and television adaptations.
The Lifted Veil
by George EliotQuite unlike the realistic fiction for which Eliot is best known, The Lifted Veil explores themes of extrasensory perception, the essence of physical life, possible life after death, and the power of fate. The novella is a significant part of the Victorian tradition of horror fiction.
Springtime: A Ghost Story
by Michelle de KretserPicking up her pace, Frances saw a woman in the leaf-hung depths of the garden. She wore a long pink dress and a wide hat, and her skin was a creamy white. There came upon Frances a sensation that sometimes overtook her when she was looking at a painting: space was foreshortened, time stood still.When Frances met Charlie at a party in Melbourne he was married with a young son.Now she and Charlie live in Sydney with her rescue dog Rod and an unshakeable sense that they have tipped the world on its axis. They are still getting their bearings - of each other and of their adopted city. Everything is alien, unfamiliar, exotic: haunting, even.Worlds of meaning spin out of perfectly chosen words in this rare, beguiling and brilliant ghost story by Miles Franklin Literary Award-winning writer Michelle de Kretser.
Blackwater: A baby will never be born at Blackwater
by Jacqueline RossThere is much that heavily pregnant Grace still doesn't know about her new husband King's background. So, when word comes that King's father is dying, Grace is eager to accompany him to his childhood home, Blackwater, located in a remote part of Tasmania.Things go badly from the start. The house is in terrible repair, King's dying father yells at Grace to leave and King's twin sister, Ruth, seems disturbed by Grace's presence. After his father's death, King convinces Grace they must stay and help Ruth settle the estate, but as time stretches on he grows strange and distant. When Grace learns about Blackwater's dark history, she begins to fear that it is the house itself exerting an evil influence on her husband.Feeling increasingly isolated, and with the birth of her child looming, Grace knows she must uncover the secrets of Blackwater if she hopes to free her family from its grip.A riveting story that twists present with a horrifying past. Blackwater is Australian Gothic at its finest. Anna SnoekstraA compelling, atmospheric and immensely satisfying novel containing echoes of Stephen King and Daphne du Maurier. Chris Womersley
The Dark and Dangerous Gifts of Delores Mackenzie
by Yvonne BanhamSent into the care of the mysterious Uncles in Edinburgh’s Old Town, Delores Mackenzie must learn to control her paranormal gifts without crossing the accepted bounds of paranormal activity and angering her strange new housemates. But when a sinister apparition appears and threatens the lives of her friends, can Delores really push back the dead?
The Sleeping Stones
by Beatrice WallbankGruff lives on a small island full of legends, off the Welsh coast. Strange things start happening after Matylda and her family arrive: islanders finding themselves irresistibly drawn to the Sleeping Stones, a line of rocks like natural stepping stones out to sea... Gruff and Mat soon realise they must risk everything to save each other and their community from a terrifying storm driven by an ancient, magic anger.
Fox Bites
by Lloyd Markham'a new original voice' – Joanne Harris 'A unique voice... in Markham those who feel that they are voiceless or trapped have found a distinct champion.' – Wales Arts Review When Taban wishes for the world to end something out there . . . hears him. Soon the young boy is being stalked by a fox whose salivating jaws drag him into strange dreams. Dreams where he is a revolutionary with ancient psychic powers fighting against a tyrannical regime. He awakes with glowing scars that only he can see and the lingering embers of telekinetic abilities. Honing this flicker of power over years he plots revenge on the bullies who've abused him. In exchange he will become the conduit for the world's end. But what if he changes his mind? Surely we can all come back from the edge? Can we? Set in Zimbabwe during the early 2000s, amidst a backdrop of political turmoil, Fox Bites is a dark coming-of-age horror fantasy about pain, loneliness, and stepping back from the abyss.
Figurehead
by Carly Holmes'(An) impressive first collection ... skilfully orchestrated' – Publishers Weekly "starred" review 'This truly is quality literature of our modern times' – The British Fantasy Society 'To read Carly Holmes is to be enchanted. Luscious, flowing prose that is never afraid to peer into the wild' – Angela Readman Beneath her soft skin covering, my mother was once made of twigs and branches. Sometimes in the autumn I swear there was a gleam of berry in her eye, a sloe-shine peep between the thorny tangle of her lashes. In this debut collection of stories Carly Holmes peers into every corner of the strange fiction genre: from rural gothic through to traditional ghost stories and the uncanny. Mothers turn into trees when the sun goes down; Russian Dolls mourn their missing sisters in rotting houses; men offer sacrifices to the monsters who embody their inner wildness; and murderous demons protect young girls' virginity. Ranging from flash fiction to novelette, these stories are in turn chilling, playful, and melancholy. The bonds of family and of community, both in their fracturing and their healing states, the uneasy relationship between living in the present and yearning for the past, are themes that thread their way through Figurehead. Every tale is rich with landscapes haunted by loss and longing.
The Murmurs: The most compulsive, chilling gothic thriller you’ll read this year… (The\annie Jackson Mysteries Ser.)
by Michael J. MaloneA young woman starts experiencing terrifying premonitions of people dying, as it becomes clear that a family curse known only as The Murmurs has begun, and a long-forgotten crime is about to be unearthed…On the first morning of her new job at Heartfield House, a care home for the elderly, Annie Jackson wakens from a terrifying dream. And when she arrives at the home, she knows that the first old man she meets is going to die. How she knows this is a terrifying mystery, but it is the start of horrifying premonitions … a rekindling of the curse that has trickled through generations of women in her family – a wicked gift known only as ‘the murmurs’…With its reappearance comes an old, forgotten fear that is about to grip Annie Jackson.And this time, it will never let go…A compulsive gothic thriller and a spellbinding supernatural mystery about secrets and small communities, about faith, courage and self-preservation, The Murmurs is a startling and compulsive read from one of Scotland’s finest authors.
So Pretty
by Ronnie TurnerA young man arrives in a small town, hoping to leave his past behind him, but everything changes when he takes a job in a peculiar old shop, and meets a lonely single mother … A chillingly hypnotic gothic thriller and a Mesmerising study of identity and obsession.‘This chilling gothic tale explores the dark corners of identity … beautifully written and a real page-turner' C J Cooke'Dark, lyrical and intriguing' Fiona Cummins‘Like Stephen King on crack … the most accomplished book I’ve read this year. Dark, gothic as hell, and genuinely scary, Turner has managed to portray loneliness, obsession, and monster-worship in one neat little package. I dare you to open it’ M W Craven–––––––––––––––––––––––––––Fear blisters through this town like a fever…When Teddy Colne arrives in the small town of Rye, he believes he will be able to settle down and leave his past behind him. Little does he know that fear blisters through the streets like a fever. The locals tell him to stay away from an establishment known only as Berry & Vincent, that those who rub too closely to its proprietor risk a bad end. Despite their warnings, Teddy is desperate to understand why Rye has come to fear this one man, and to see what really hides behind the doors of his shop.Ada moved to Rye with her young son to escape a damaged childhood and years of never fitting in, but she’s lonely, and ostracised by the community. Ada is ripe for affection and friendship, and everyone knows it.As old secrets bleed out into this town, so too will a mystery about a family who vanished fifty years earlier, and a community living on a knife edge.Teddy looks for answers, thinking he is safe, but some truths are better left undisturbed, and his past will find him here, just as it has always found him before. And before long, it will find Ada too.––––––––––––––––––––––‘An utterly chilling psychological horror of modern-day witchcraft, possession, murder and madness’ Essie Fox‘Twisted, toxic and deeply dark, this gives off Needful Things vibes – and that ending is just *perfect*’ Lisa Hall‘This book sucks you in from the first spine-tingling chapter and weaves a dark, twisted and compelling sense of foreboding' Claire Allan‘I’m shook. This book is a force … a masterpiece’ Emerald Reviews‘As delightful as it is dark, with beautiful turns of phrase that can be at once both buttery soft and sharp as a knife’ Rheannah, Bookseller ‘An intense, creepy and utterly chilling read’ Book Review Café ‘A story that will creep under your skin and leave you desperately unnerved' Emma, Bookseller ‘Startling and incredibly intense’ Live & Deadly‘Exactly what I look for in a gothic thriller!’ From Belgium with Booklove
The Fascination: The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller ... This Year's Most Bewitching, Beguiling Victorian Gothic Novel
by Essie FoxThe estranged grandson of a wealthy collector of human curiosities becomes fascinated with teenaged twin sisters, leading them into a web of dark obsessions. A dazzlingly dark gothic novel from the bestselling author of The Sonambulist‘Mysterious, sometimes shocking, full of surprises and twists … brimming with Victorian wonders!’ Sean Lusk‘Essie Fox follows in the footsteps of Angela Carter and AS Byatt with an adult fairy tale that delves into the darkest compulsions of human nature … an opium trance of a novel, a vivid fantasmagoria’ Noel O’Reilly‘An enthralling tale about deception, love and loss, and what it means to be different. Macabre and shocking, beautiful and tender, it had me spellbound’Louisa Treger_________________Victorian England. A world of rural fairgrounds and glamorous London theatres. A world of dark secrets and deadly obsessions…Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except that Tilly hasn't grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into promoting their father's quack elixir as they tour the country fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious Italian known as ‘Captain’.Theo is an orphan, raised by his grandfather, Lord Seabrook, a man who has a dark interest in anatomical freaks and other curiosities … particularly the human kind. Resenting his grandson for his mother’s death in childbirth, when Seabrook remarries and a new heir is produced, Theo is forced to leave home without a penny to his name.Theo finds employment in Dr Summerwell’s Museum of Anatomy in London, and here he meets Captain and his theatrical ‘family’ of performers, freaks and outcasts.But it is Theo’s fascination with Tilly and Keziah that will lead all of them into a web of deceits, exposing the darkest secrets and threatening everything they know…Exploring universal themes of love and loss, the power of redemption and what it means to be unique, The Fascination is an evocative, glittering and bewitching gothic novel that brings alive Victorian London – and darkness and deception that lies beneath…________________‘Elixirs, fairgrounds, fairies in jars. Twins and monsters and outcasts. Essie Fox’s fascinating and immersive tale is, at its heart, about acceptance of difference. I loved it’ Anna Mazzola‘A beautiful, haunting tale peopled by a thrilling set of living, breathing characters. This is very fine historical fiction’Emma Carrol‘Beautifully controlled … This is exceptional storytelling, exquisitely told’ Nydia Hetherington‘Beautifully researched, full of horrors and delights … a chilling, thrilling slice of Victorian gothic’ Bridget Walsh‘So inventive and surprising … beautiful writing, unforgettable characters and some wicked humour, too’ Juliet West‘A sumptuous, gothic treat that will reel you in and not let you go until the final page. Bravo!’ Caroline Green‘Essie Fox is the mistress of gothic Victoriana … utterly beguiling and rendered in exquisite detail. This is a wonderful, captivating carnival of a novel’ Elizabeth Fremantle‘Wonderfully vivid and touching … extraordinary’ Adele Geras‘I loved this story of a group of wonderful “others” fighting to find their place and purpose in a glittering, but unforgiving, Victorian England’ Marika Cobbold’Atmospheric, gripping and ultimately uplifting, it’s a tale of cruelty and depravity, but also love, friendship and acceptance’ Karen Coles‘A kaleidoscopic, twisting, devilish novel guaranteed to dazzle and delight. I was utterly beguiled by this wonder of a novel’ Dan Bassett, Bookseller
Crow Moon: The atmospheric, chilling debut thriller that everyone is talking about … first in an addictive, enthralling series (A Martha Strangeways Investigation #1)
by Suzy AspleyFirst in a series: A Martha Strangeways InvestigationAn investigative reporter gives up her job when her young twins are killed in a fire, but when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager, she’s thrust into a chilling investigation that will leave no one unscathed…Strathban, Scotland. A village steeped in folklore and impenetrable mists and a horrifying mystery…Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire. Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, she carries their teeth in a matchbox wherever she goes...But her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back... When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows. As darkness descends on the village of Strathban, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe, including Martha…Both a nerve-shattering, enthralling and atmospheric thriller and a moving tale of grief and psychological damage, Crow Moon is a staggeringly accomplished debut and the start of an addictive, unforgettable series.
Black Hearts (The Skelfs #4)
by Doug JohnstoneA faked death, an obsessive stalker, an old man claiming he’s being abused by the ghost of his late wife, and a devastating spectre from the past. The Skelfs are back in another explosive thriller, and this time things are more than personal…‘A new outing for the Skelfs deserves dancing in the streets of Edinburgh' Val McDermid‘Tense, funny and deeply moving’ Mark Billingham‘A total delight to be returned to the dark, funny, compulsive world of the Skelfs … Johnstone never fails to entertain whilst packing a serious emotional punch. Brilliant!’ Gytha Lodge________________________Death is just the beginning…The Skelf women live in the shadow of death every day, running the family funeral directors and private investigator business in Edinburgh. But now their own grief interwines with that of their clients, as they are left reeling by shocking past events.A fist-fight by an open grave leads Dorothy to investigate the possibility of a faked death, while a young woman’s obsession with Hannah threatens her relationship with Indy and puts them both in mortal danger. An elderly man claims he’s being abused by the ghost of his late wife, while ghosts of another kind come back to haunt Jenny from the grave … pushing her to breaking point.As the Skelfs struggle with increasingly unnerving cases and chilling danger lurks close to home, it becomes clear that grief, in all its forms, can be deadly…________________________‘The Skelfs keep getting better and better. Compelling and compassionate characters, with a dash of physics and philosophy thrown in’ Ambrose Parry‘Expertly written, with poise, insight and compassion’ Mary Paulson-Ellis’If you loved Iain Banks, you’ll devour the Skelfs series’ Erin Kelly‘Dynamic and poignant … Johnstone balances the cosmos, music, death and life, and wraps it all in a compelling mystery’ Marni Graff‘Just when you thought you couldn’t love the Skelfs more, Doug Johnstone finds a way to turn up the heat’ Live & DeadlyPraise for The Skelfs series***Shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Book of the Year******Longlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year******Shortlisted for Amazon Publishing Capital Crime Thriller of the Year***‘An engrossing and beautifully written tale that bears all the Doug Johnstone hallmarks in its warmth and darkly comic undertones’ Herald Scotland‘Gripping and blackly humorous’ Observer‘A tense ride strong, believable characters’ Kerry Hudson, Big Issue‘The power of this book, though, lies in the warm personalities and dark humour of the Skelfs, and by the end readers will be just as interested in their relationships with each other as the mysteries they are trying to solve’ Scotsman‘Remarkable’ Sunday Times‘Keeps you hungry from page to page. A crime reader can’t ask anything more’ The Sun‘A thrilling, atmospheric book, set in the dark streets of Edinburgh. Move over Ian Rankin, Doug Johnstone is coming through!’ Kate Rhodes‘An unstoppable, thrilling, bullet train of a book that cleverly weaves in family and intrigue, and has real emotional impact. I totally loved it’ Helen Fields‘This enjoyable mystery is also a touching and often funny portrayal of grief ... more, please’ Guardian‘Wonderful characters: flawed, funny and brave’ Sunday Times‘Exceptional … a must for those seeking strong, authentic, intelligent female protagonists’ Publishers Weekly
The Bleeding: The dazzlingly dark gothic thriller that everyone is talking about…
by Johana GustawssonQueen of French Noir, Johana Gustawsson returns with a spell-binding, dazzlingly dark gothic thriller that swings from Belle Époque France to 21st-century Quebec, with an extraordinary mystery at its heart… FIRST in a bewitching new series‘Intriguingly dark and vivid, and so cleverly told through three different time frames’ Essie Fox‘A wonderfully dark, intricately woven historical thriller spanning three generations … it will have you hooked from the very first page’ B A Paris‘This novel is a whirlpool that draws you irresistibly into levels of darkness so much deeper than you can possibly be ready for’ Chris Brookmyre________________________________Three womenThree erasOne extraordinary mystery…1899, Belle Époque Paris. Lucienne’s two daughters are believed dead when her mansion burns to the ground, but she is certain that her girls are still alive and embarks on a journey into the depths of the spiritualist community to find them.1949, Post-War Québec. Teenager Lina’s father has died in the French Resistance, and as she struggles to fit in at school, her mother introduces her to an elderly woman at the asylum where she works, changing Lina’s life in the darkest way imaginable.2002, Quebec. A former schoolteacher is accused of brutally stabbing her husband – a famous university professor – to death. Detective Maxine Grant, who has recently lost her own husband and is parenting a teenager and a new baby single-handedly, takes on the investigation.Under enormous personal pressure, Maxine makes a series of macabre discoveries that link directly to historical cases involving black magic and murder, secret societies and spiritism … and women at breaking point, who will stop at nothing to protect the ones they love…_________________________________‘I found myself racing through the book, always wanting one more page, one more chapter. A wonderfully creepy, unsettling read, with a superb twist in its tail‘ James Oswald‘Gustawsson’s writing is so vivid, it’s electrifying. Utterly compelling’ Peter James‘I was hooked from the first page – a stunning and beautifully written gothic thriller full of atmosphere, intrigue and delight’ Alexandra Benedict‘What a brilliant, brilliant book … the last chapters knocked me sideways, and it’s a long time since that’s happened’ Lisa Hall‘Harrowing, compelling, haunting, vivid, twisty and shocking!’ Noelle Holten‘A powerful page-turner’ Livres Hebdo ‘Fluid, skilful, fearsome and breathtaking … the ending is horrifying’ La Marseillaise***NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER IN FRANCE***FOR FANS OF Laura Purcell, Elizabeth Macneal, Bridget Collins, Anna Mazzola, Ambrose Parry and Laura Shepherd-RobinsonPraise for Johana Gustawsson***Longlisted for the CWA International Dagger***‘A satisfying, full-fat mystery’ The Times‘Assured telling of a complex story’ Sunday Times ‘A real page-turner, I loved it’ Martina Cole‘Dark, oppressive and bloody, but it’s also thought-provoking, compelling and very moving’ Metro‘A bold and intelligent read’ Guardian‘Utterly compelling’ Woman’s Own‘Cleverly plotted, simply excellent’ Ragnar Jónasson‘A must-read’ Daily Express‘Bold and audacious’ R. J. Ellory‘Gritty, bone-chilling, and harrowing – it’s not for the faint of heart, and not to be missed’ Crime by the Book‘A relentless heart-stopping masterpiece' New York Journal of Books
The Daves Next Door - The shocking, explosive new thriller from cult bestselling author Will Carver
by Will CarverThe lives of five strangers collide on a London train carriage, as they become involved in an incident that will change them all forever. A shocking, intensely emotive and wildly original new thriller from Will Carver…‘Impossibly original, stylish, sinister and heartfelt. The Daves Next Door is so wildly fresh and unmatched, and once again proves that Will Carver has talent and creativity to burn’ Chris Whitaker‘Once again, Will bends and twists the genre with a novel that is astonishing, profound and hard-hitting’ David Jackson‘So clever, so dark, so utterly original. Where does Will Carver get his ideas?’ Victoria Selman‘Stirring. Ambitious. Irreverent. Compassionate. Completely devoid of giveable f*@ks’ Dominic Nolan________________________________A disillusioned nurse suddenly learns how to care.An injured young sportsman wakes up find that he can see only in black and white.A desperate old widower takes too many pills and believes that two angels have arrived to usher him through purgatory.Two agoraphobic men called Dave share the symptoms of a brain tumour, and frequently waken their neighbour with their ongoing rows.Separate lives, running in parallel, destined to collide and then explode.Like the suicide bomber, riding the Circle Line, day after day, waiting for the right time to detonate, waiting for answers to his questions: Am I God? Am I dead? Will I blow up this train?Shocking, intensely emotive and wildly original, Will Carver’s The Daves Next Door is an explosive existential thriller and a piercing examination of what it means to be human … or not. ________________________________‘Will Carver is a thought-provoking and masterful writer of gut-punching fiction ... a powerhouse of a novel. Think Ira Levin at his best’ Michael Wood‘Will has this uncanny knack of delving into your soul and revealing all the things you really think but are too scared to voice. Absolute GENIUS’ Lisa Hall‘Another ingenious genre-bender … provocative, twisted and mind-bendingly original’ Sarah SultoonPraise for Will Carver‘One of the most exciting authors in Britain. After this, he’ll have his own cult following’ Daily Express‘Unlike anything you’ll read this year’ Heat‘Move the hell over Brett Easton Ellis and Chuck Palahniuk … Will Carver is the new lit prince of 21st-century disenfranchised, pop darkness’ Stephen J. Golds‘Incredibly dark and very funny’ Harriet Tyce‘I fell in love with Carver's murderous Maeve. This is an Eleanor Oliphant for crime fans. Carver truly at his best’ Sarah Pinborough‘A darkly delicious page-turner’ S J Watson‘One of the most compelling and original voices in crime fiction’ Alex North‘Weirdly page-turning’ Sunday Times‘Laying bare our 21st-century weaknesses and dilemmas, Carver has created a highly original state-of-the-nation novel’ Literary Review‘Arguably the most original crime novel published this year’ Independent‘This mesmeric novel paints a thought-provoking if depressing picture of modern life’ Guardian‘This book is most memorable for its unrepentant darkness…’ Telegraph‘Utterly mesmerising…’ Crime Monthly‘Will Carver’s most exciting, original, hilarious and freaky outing yet’ Helen FitzGerald‘Vivid and engaging and completely unexpected’ Lia Middleton
River Clyde: The Word-of-mouth Bestseller (Chastity Riley #5)
by Simone BuchholzChastity Riley travels to Scotland to face the demons of her past, as Hamburg is hit by a major arson attack. Queen of Krimi, Simone Buchholz returns with the nail-biting fifth instalment in the electric Chastity Riley series … and this time things are personal…'Simone Buchholz writes with real authority and a pungent, noir-ish sense of time and space … a palpable hit' Independent'Reading Buchholz is like walking on firecrackers … a truly unique voice in crime fiction’ Graeme Macrae Burnet –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Mired in grief after tragic recent events, state prosecutor Chastity Riley escapes to Scotland, lured to the birthplace of her great-great-grandfather by a mysterious letter suggesting she has inherited a house. In Glasgow, she meets Tom, the ex-lover of Chastity’s great aunt, who holds the keys to her own family secrets – painful stories of unexpected cruelty and loss that she’s never dared to confront. In Hamburg, Stepanovic and Calabretta investigate a major arson attack, while a group of property investors kicks off an explosion of violence that threatens everyone. As events in these two countries collide, Chastity prepares to face the inevitable, battling the ghosts of her past and the lost souls that could be her future and, perhaps, finally finding redemption for them all.Breathtakingly emotive, River Clyde is an electrifying, poignant and powerful story of damage and hope, and one woman’s fight for survival.–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Praise for the Chastity Riley series‘[A] nerve-racking narrative … [with] a cunning climax that is shocking and deeply romantic’ The Times‘Modern noir, with taut storytelling, a hard-bitten heroine, and underlying melancholy peppered with wry humour … there’s a fizz, a poetry and a sense of coolness’ New Zealand Listener‘The coolest character in crime fiction … Darkly funny and written with a huge heart’ Big Issue‘Fierce enough to stab the heart’ Spectator‘A stylish, whip-smart thriller’ Herald Scotland‘Combines slick storytelling with substance … like a straight shot of top-shelf liquor: smooth yet fiery, packing a punch with no extraneous ingredients watering things down’ Mystery Scene'Caustic, incisive prose. A street-smart, gutsy heroine. A timely and staggeringly stylish thriller' Will Carver'With plenty of dry humour and a good old dash of despair, Simone Buchholz is an unconventional, refreshing new voice' Crime Fiction Lover'With brief, pacy chapters and fizzling dialogue, this almost feels like American procedural noir and not a translation' Maxim Jakubowski'There is a fantastic pace to the story which keeps you hooked from the first sentence all the way to the end a unique voice that delivers a stylish story' NB Magazine'A smart and witty book that shines a probing spotlight on society' CultureFly'Fans of Brookmyre could do worse than checking out Simone Buchholz, a star of the German crime lit scene who has been deftly translated into English by Rachel Ward' Goethe Institute'By turns lyrical and pithy, this adventure set in the melting pot of contemporary Hamburg has a plot and a sensibility that both owe something to mind-altering substances. Lots of fun' Sunday Times'Constantly surprising an original, firecracker of a read' LoveReading
Mademoiselle Maupin
by James FrostOnce a renowned opera Diva, lethal duellist and scandalous libertine, Julie d’Aubigny carries the vampiric contagion in her veins five decades after her apparent death. In a life of inhuman power and cruel sensuality, she navigates the occult intrigues of Europe with the aid of twin companions, facing down enemies both righteous and unholy. Arnold Brennan is a devout young clergyman who believes that all evil stems from mankind’s rebellion against God’s laws, and that so-called monsters are nought but pagan myth and fanciful superstition. But events set in motion by his father’s murder will lead him on a search for truth that brings him face to face with inhuman forces. As their paths cross, these very different individuals must contend with the deadly machinations of hostile occult societies and ancient, merciless predators.
Chilling Cocktails: Classic Cocktails with a Horrifying Twist
by Jason WardDid Silence of the Lambs leave you reaching for a smooth bottle of dry red wine?After reading The Shining did you have an unaccountable urge to sip a red rum concoction?And did Bram Stoker's Dracula induce a craving for... well, perhaps the less said about that the better.If so, fear not – you are not alone! Chilling Cocktails is a creepy compendium of 50 drinks inspired by the most frightening horror stories ever written. Each delicious recipe is accompanied by dark and compelling facts and anecdotes about the inspiring story, certain to get you in the mood for a cool refreshment.What's more, if you can keep your appetite after reading the grisly details, a selection of complementary snack ideas are also sprinkled throughout. Try pairing 'Dracula's Kiss' with some 'Night of the Living Dead Cheddar Bites'. Or 'Carrie's Prom Punch' with 'Paranormal eggtivity Deviled Eggs'.The perfect gift for the horror and booze fan in your life, Chilling Cocktails is all you need to get the party started for your next horror movie night or Halloween party – just make sure the doors and windows are locked first!
Between the Virgin and the Sea
by Cath BartonCath Barton's melancholic novella Between The Virgin and the Sea is set in an unnamed city which has fallen off the map of the world, and is accessible now only by sea.Violence has broken out in the city and the people, fearing that the church is involved, pray instead at roadside shrines.The story tells the events of a day at the end of which the white statue of the Virgin which stands on a hill overlooking the city may ― or may not ― come to life to restore peace to its people. Central to the story and living in the barrios is a boy called Tag, the things of which he dreams and the maps he draws.Set in a surreal and changing city, in which pizza delivery is carried out by donkey, and nothing may be what it seems, Between the Virgin and the Sea explores themes of childhood and coming of age.A captivating blend of magical realism, tender comedy, and literary experimentation, Between the Virgin and the Sea is a captivating portrait of urban life quite unlike any other.
Heaven Burns
by Jen McGregorHeaven Burns is a historical novella, dramatising one of the most barbarous practices prevalent in Restoration Scotland.It is 1662 and Scotland suffers a scourge of witches. What else could explain the wars, the plagues, the storms?Runaway housewife Isobel has a duty to do, acting as clerk to John Dixon, the finest witchpricker in the country. She’s sure it’s what God wants her to do. She’s sure she can keep her growing feelings for Dixon in check.When a stranger appears telling wild tales of stolen names and false identities, Isobel’s loyalty is put to the test. Is the stranger telling her of a great wrong to be put right, or sent from Hell to thwart the witch hunts?*The background to Heaven Burns is very real. Research estimates that between 1590 and 1622, around 1,000 women may have been executed in Scotland for witchcraft, and many more tried.In Scotland, under the second King Charles, and especially after the passing of the 1649 Witchcraft Act, local religious leaders began hunt and execute witches. Once a woman had been accused of witchcraft, all that was needed by the local minister was a confession. Instead of a confession however, women could be condemned through the use of witchpricking. Just as it sounds, witch pricking was a vicious practice, which involved pricking accused women with various needles in order to obtain proof of witchcraft.The cover and interior illustrations of Heaven Burns show an imaginative rendering of some of the witchpricker’s accoutrements and chattelsAs well as being brutally drawn in places, Heaven Burns is also a story of passion. It is excellently researched, for anyone interested in historical fiction, especially around the period of Scottish witch hunting.
Little Apples
by Ricky Monahan BrownAn aspiring writer of gothic fiction and his wife move upstate when financial crisis hits New York City. Their destination ― a house that was once the height of modernity and the orchard that they establish there. As the couple begin a new life, crisis continues to stalk them. Astrid is slowly consumed by her beloved apple trees. The police are joined by the local community in investigating a headline missing person case, and nothing is quite as it seems. Then, when the pair seem to have established their own personal Eden, they must confront the ungodly powers gathering in the roots of the surrounding forests. Ricky Monahan Brown’s Little Apples has all the aromatic flavour of the modern Gothic: sharply tart amid rot and decay. This dark and wry tale explores some of the strangest manifestations ever to be found growing at the heart of a contemporary marriage.
Ghostwriting
by John HerdmanA delicious study in paranoia from the master of the modern Scottish Gothic. Ghost-writer Leonard Balmain finds himself drawn into an unwanted complicity with the dark revelations unfolding within that of his subject ― the mysterious Torquil Tod. When Tod's tale turns into murder and sexual betrayal, Leonard realises he knows too much and is in danger of ending up on the very pages of Tod's turbulent history.Black magic, sacrificial murder and cannibalism collide in an uneasy voyage towards, and from beyond, the grave."A dark, cautionary tale, utterly compelling and charged with Herdman's unwavering sense of irony and his sharp satirical bite." Brian McCabe, The Scotsman."A story of deception and betrayal, of obsession and confused identities, but more importantly it is Herdman's best novel." Carl MacDougall, The HeraldBlack magic, sacrificial murder and cannibalism collide in an uneasy voyage towards, and from beyond, the grave.Brian McCabe, The Scotsman ."A powerful evocation of the uncanny psychological bonding between ghost biographer Leonard Balmain and his elusive and sinister subject, Torquil Tod..... Herdman captures very clearly the tone of the dramatic monologues of Hogg and Stevenson, while managing to maintain a contemporary resonance."Douglas Gifford, Books in Scotland"Hogg's and Stevenson's manic private memorists meet the postmodernist theories they anticipated. Cleverly, Ghostwriting investigates the paradoxes of narrative itself ... The novel wears its intellectual sophistication lightly."Gavin Wallace, Chapman
The Black Vampyre: A Legend of St. Domingo
by Uriah Derick D'ArcyWARNING! Contains moderate bloody violence against slavers and plantation owners!This pioneer vampire tale from 1819 spills revenge-cold blood as its narrator leads us through high gothic terror to radical outrage on the subject of slavery, reaching a blood-soaked conclusion dripping with 'biting' polemic vilifying the bankers who caused the economic recession of that same year.An anti-capitalist horror fable from 200 years ago, The Black Vampyre vilified the worst financial predation the capitalist world would ever see, decades before Karl Marx ― the enslavement of Africans in the New World.One dead man said no! And this is his story.The Black Vampyre; A Legend of St. Domingo tells the affrighting tale of a slave who is resurrected as a vampire after being killed by his owner; the slave seeks revenge by stealing the owner's son and marrying the owner's wife. The anonymous writer D'Arcy sets the story against the conditions that led to the Haitian Revolution.First published in chapbook form in New York in 1819, this emancipatory tale from literary New York in the 1810s arguably dates the birth of horror as know it!This edition features a new introduction as well as extensive notes and a guide to literary allusions.
Screams & Nightmares: The Films of Wes Craven
by Brian J RobbIn a remarkable career that spanned more than forty years, writer, producer, and director Wes Craven successfully tapped into the horror vein to create scary, funny, cutting-edge thrillers that have become classics in the genre. His films have been both critical and commercial successes, most notably A Nightmare on Elm Street, which spawned a series of sequels and made Craven (and his creation, Freddy Krueger) an international sensation. He then created a second indelible horror movie series with Scream. In Screams & Nightmares, Brian J. Robb examines Craven’s entire career, from his low-budget beginnings to his most recent box office hits, from the banned thriller The Last House on the Left and the cult classic The Hills Have Eyes to the outrageous Shocker and The People Under the Stairs . Through exclusive interviews with Craven, Robb provides in-depth accounts of the making of each of the films – including the final instalments of the Scream series – Craven’s foray into writing novels, and his numerous television projects, charting the rich tapestry of his life and career until his death in 2015.
Fifty Forgotten Books
by R. B. RussellFifty Forgotten Books is a very special sort of book about books, by a great bibliophile and for book-lovers of all ages and levels of experience. Not quite literary criticism, not quite an autobiography, it is at once a guided tour through the dusty backrooms of long vanished used bookstores, a love letter to bookshops and bookselling, and a browser’s dream wish list of often overlooked and unloved novels, short story collections, poetry collections and works of nonfiction. In these pages, R. B. Russell, publisher of Tartarus Press, doesn’t only discuss the books of his life, but explains what they have meant to him over time, charting his progress as a writer and publisher for over thirty years, and a bibliophile for many more. Here is living proof of how literature, books, and book collecting can be an intrinsic part of one’s personal, professional and imaginative life, and as not only a solitary act, but a social one, resulting in treasured friendships, experiences, and loves one might never, otherwise, have enjoyed. Filled with a lively nostalgia for the era when finding strange new books meant pounding the pavement and not just searching booksellers’ websites, Fifty Forgotten Books is for anyone who wishes they could still browse the dusty bookshelves of their youth, and who can't wait to get back out into the world in quest of the next text liable to change their life.