The Best Books of 2023 - Mystery, Horror, and Thriller (A Year-End List Aggregation)

#1

All the Sinners Bleed

Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County, Virginia. In recent decades, quiet Charon has had only two murders. But after years of working as an FBI agent, Titus knows better than anyone that while his hometown might seem like a land of moonshine, cornbread, and honeysuckle, secrets always fester under the surface.

#2

The Last Devil to Die: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery

by Richard Osman

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The gang's search leads them into the antiques business, where the tricks of the trade are as old as the objects themselves. As they encounter drug dealers, art forgers, and online fraudsters—as well as heartache close to home—Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim have no idea whom to trust.

#3

Bright Young Women

by Jessica Knoll

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Masterfully blending elements of psychological suspense and true crime, Jessica Knoll—author of the bestselling novel Luckiest Girl Alive and the writer behind the Netflix adaption starring Mila Kunis—delivers a new and exhilarating thriller in Bright Young Women. The book opens on a Saturday night in 1978, hours before a soon-to-be-infamous murderer descends upon a Florida sorority house with deadly results. The lives of those who survive, including sorority president and key witness, Pamela Schumacher, are forever changed. Across the country, Tina Cannon is convinced her missing friend was targeted by the man papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer—and that he’s struck again. Determined to find justice, the two join forces as their search for answers leads to a final, shocking confrontation.

#4

How to Sell a Haunted House

by Grady Hendrix

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When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world

#5

The Only One Left

by Riley Sager

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Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

#6

VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS

by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to

#7

Don’t Fear the Reaper

by Stephen Graham Jones

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Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho.

#8

Lone Women

by Victor LaValle

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The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader. Dragging the trunk with her at every stop, she will become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land for those who can tame it—except that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried so desperately to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the harsh territory.

#9

Our Share of Night

by Mariana Enriquez

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A young father and son set out on a road trip, devastated by the death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travel to her ancestral home, where they must confront the terrifying legacy she has bequeathed: a family called the Order that commits unspeakable acts in search of immortality.

#10

SILVER NITRATE

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood.

#11

The Reformatory

by Tananarive Due

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Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

#12

Vampires of El Norte

by Isabel Cañas

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As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

#13

Age of Vice

by Deepti Kapoor

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In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family’s ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence and revenge, will these characters’ connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction?

#14

Camp Damascus

by Chuck Tingle

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Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.

#15

Holly

by Stephen King

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Stephen King’s Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Readers have witnessed Holly’s gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges’s partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King’s new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.

#16

Monstrilio

by Gerardo Samano Cordova

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Grieving mother Magos cuts out a piece of her deceased eleven-year-old son Santiago’s lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her family’s decaying Mexico City estate. Eventually, Monstrilio begins to resemble the Santiago he once was, but his innate impulses―though curbed by his biological and chosen family’s communal care―threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life.

#17

None of This Is True

by Lisa Jewell

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Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

#18

Small Mercies: A Detective Mystery

by Dennis Lehane

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In the summer of 1974 a heatwave blankets Boston and Mary Pat Fennessy is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. Mary Pat has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart.

#19

What Kind of Mother

by Clay McLeod Chapman

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After striking out on her own as a teen mom, Madi Price is forced to return to her hometown of Brandywine, Virginia, with her seventeen-year-old daughter. With nothing to her name, she scrapes together a living as a palm reader at the local farmers market.

#20

A House with Good Bones

by T. Kingfisher

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She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out.

#21

Happiness Falls

by Angie Kim

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Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical twenty-year-old daughter, has an explanation for everything—which is why she isn’t initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don’t return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia’s brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak.

#22

Looking Glass Sound

by Catriona Ward

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It is the story about the sun-drenched summer days of his youth in Whistler Bay, and the blood-stained path of the killer that stalked his small vacation town. About the terrible secret he and his companions, Nat and Harper, discovered entombed in the coves off the bay. And how the pact they swore that day echoed down the decades, forever shaping their lives.

#23

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror

by Jordan Peele

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A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele’s anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and—like his spine-chilling films—its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world . . . and redefine what it means to be afraid.

#24

Pet

by Catherine Chidgey

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Like every other girl in her class, twelve-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher and longs to be her pet. However, when a thief begins to target the school, Justine’s sense that something isn’t quite right grows ever stronger. With each twist of the plot, this gripping story of deception and the corrosive power of guilt takes a yet darker turn. Justine must decide where her loyalties lie.

#25

Rouge

by Mona Awad

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For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother’s considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother’s demise, followed by a cryptic video about a transformative spa experience. With the help of a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the barbed embrace of La Maison de Méduse, the same lavish, culty spa to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle discovers the frightening secret behind her (and her mother’s) obsession with the mirror—and the great shimmering depths (and demons) that lurk on the other side of the glass.

#26

Strange Sally Diamond

by Liz Nugent

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Reclusive Sally Diamond is thrust into the media spotlight when she tries to incinerate her dead father, causing widespread outrage. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from hungry reporters and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the repressed memories of her horrific early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.

#27

Symphony of Secrets

by Brendan Slocumb

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Bern Hendricks has just received the call of a lifetime. As one of the world’s preeminent experts on the famed twentieth-century composer Frederick Delaney, Bern knows everything there is to know about the man behind the music. When Mallory Roberts, a board member of the distinguished Delaney Foundation and direct descendant of the man himself, asks for Bern’s help authenticating a newly discovered piece, which may be his famous lost opera, RED, he jumps at the chance. With the help of his tech-savvy acquaintance Eboni, Bern soon discovers that the truth is far more complicated than history would have them believe.

#28

Tell Me I’m Worthless

by Alison Rumfitt

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Three years ago, Alice spent one night in an abandoned house with her friends, Ila and Hannah. Since then, Alice’s life has spiraled. She lives a haunted existence, selling videos of herself for money, going to parties she hates, drinking herself to sleep.

#29

The Golden Gate

by Amy Chua

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In Berkeley, California, in 1944, Homicide Detective Al Sullivan has just left the swanky Claremont Hotel after a drink in the bar when a presidential candidate is assassinated in one of the rooms upstairs. A rich industrialist with enemies among the anarchist factions on the far left, Walter Wilkinson could have been targeted by any number of groups. But strangely, Sullivan’s investigation brings up the specter of another tragedy at the Claremont, ten years earlier: the death of seven-year-old Iris Stafford, a member of the Bainbridge family, one of the wealthiest in all of San Francisco. Some say she haunts the Claremont still.

#30

The River We Remember

by William Kent Krueger

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On Memorial Day in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past.

#31

The Secret Hours

by Mick Herron

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Two years ago, a hostile prime minister launched the Monochrome inquiry, investigating “historical over-reaching” by the British Secret Service. Monochrome’s mission was to ferret out any hint of misconduct by any MI5 officer—and allowed Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, the two civil servants seconded to the project, unfettered access to any and all confidential information in the Service archives in order to do so.

#32

A Haunting on the Hill

by Elizabeth Hand

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From award-winning author Elizabeth Hand comes the first-ever novel authorized to return to the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House--a "scary and beautifully written" (Neil Gaiman) new story of isolation and longing perfect for our present time. Open the door . . . . Holly Sherwin has been a struggling playwright for years, but now, after receiving a grant to develop her play Witching Night, she may finally be close to her big break. All she needs is time and space to bring her vision to life. When she stumbles across Hill House on a weekend getaway upstate, she is immediately taken in by the mansion, nearly hidden outside a remote village. It's enormous, old, and ever-so eerie--the perfect place to develop and rehearse her play. Despite her own hesitations, Holly's girlfriend, Nisa, agrees to join Holly in renting the house for a month, and soon a troupe of actors, each with ghosts of their own, arrive. Yet as they settle in, the house's peculiarities are made known: strange creatures stalk the grounds, disturbing sounds echo throughout the halls, and time itself seems to shift. All too soon, Holly and her friends find themselves at odds not just with one another, but with the house itself. It seems something has been waiting in Hill House all these years, and it no longer intends to walk alone . . . "Hill House is back and haunting as ever." --Ana Reyes "A fitting--and frightening--homage." --New York Times Book Review "It's thrilling to find this is a true hybrid of these two ingenious women's work--a novel with all the chills of Jackson that also highlights the contemporary flavor and evocative writing of Hand." --Washington Post "A timeless, gothic ode that serves up the stuff of nightmares." --Kirkus Reviews "Only the brilliant Elizabeth Hand could so expertly honor Jackson's rage, wit, and vision." --Paul Tremblay "Eerily beautiful, strangely seductive, and genuinely upsetting." --Alix E. Harrow "Keeps the scares coming." --Minneapolis Star-Tribune

#33

Beware the Woman

by Megan Abbott

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By the "master of thinly veiled secrets often kept by women who rage underneath their delicate exteriors" (Kirkus Reviews), Beware the Woman is Megan Abbott at the height of her game. Honey, I just want you to have everything you ever wanted. That's what Jacy's mom always told her. And Jacy felt like she finally did. Newly married and with a baby on the way, Jacy and her new husband, Jed, embark on their first road trip together to visit his father, Dr. Ash, in Michigan's far-flung Upper Peninsula. The moment they arrive at the cottage snug within the lush woods, Jacy feels bathed in love by the warm and hospitable Dr. Ash, if less so by his house manager, the enigmatic Mrs. Brandt. But their Edenic first days take a turn when Jacy has a health scare. Swiftly, vacation activities are scrapped, and all eyes are on Jacy's condition. Suddenly, whispers about Jed's long-dead mother and complicated family history seem to eerily impinge upon the present, and Jacy begins to feel trapped in the cottage, her every move surveilled, her body under the looking glass. But are her fears founded or is it paranoia, or cabin fever, or--as is suggested to her--a stubborn refusal to take necessary precautions? The dense woods surrounding the cottage are full of dangers, but are the greater ones inside?

#34

Black Sheep

by Rachel Harrison

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A cynical twentysomething must confront her unconventional family's dark secrets in this fiery, irreverent horror novel from the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle. Nobody has a "normal" family, but Vesper Wright's is truly...something else. Vesper left home at eighteen and never looked back--mostly because she was told that leaving the staunchly religious community she grew up in meant she couldn't return. But then an envelope arrives on her doorstep. Inside is an invitation to the wedding of Vesper's beloved cousin Rosie. It's to be hosted at the family farm. Have they made an exception to the rule? It wouldn't be the first time Vesper's been given special treatment. Is the invite a sweet gesture? An olive branch? A trap? Doesn't matter. Something inside her insists she go to the wedding. Even if it means returning to the toxic environment she escaped. Even if it means reuniting with her mother, Constance, a former horror film star and forever ice queen. When Vesper's homecoming exhumes a terrifying secret, she's forced to reckon with her family's beliefs and her own crisis of faith in this deliciously sinister novel that explores the way family ties can bind us as we struggle to find our place in the world.

#35

Chlorine

by Jade Song

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#36

Crook Manifesto

by Colson Whitehead

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of Harlem Shuffle continues his Harlem saga in a powerful and hugely-entertaining novel that summons 1970s New York in all its seedy glory. "Dazzling" -Walter Mosley, The New York Times Book Review. It's 1971. Trash piles up on the streets, crime is at an all-time high, the city is careening towards bankruptcy, and a shooting war has broken out between the NYPD and the Black Liberation Army. Amidst this collective nervous breakdown furniture store owner and ex-fence Ray Carney tries to keep his head down and his business thriving. His days moving stolen goods around the city are over. It's strictly the straight-and-narrow for him -- until he needs Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter May and he decides to hit up his old police contact Munson, fixer extraordinaire. But Munson has his own favors to ask of Carney and staying out of the game gets a lot more complicated - and deadly. 1973. The counter-culture has created a new generation, the old ways are being overthrown, but there is one constant, Pepper, Carney's endearingly violent partner in crime. It's getting harder to put together a reliable crew for hijackings, heists, and assorted felonies, so Pepper takes on a side gig doing security on a Blaxploitation shoot in Harlem. He finds himself in a freaky world of Hollywood stars, up-and-coming comedians, and celebrity drug dealers, in addition to the usual cast of hustlers, mobsters, and hit men. These adversaries underestimate the seasoned crook - to their regret. 1976. Harlem is burning, block by block, while the whole country is gearing up for Bicentennial celebrations. Carney is trying to come up with a July 4th ad he can live with. ("Two Hundred Years of Getting Away with It!"), while his wife Elizabeth is campaigning for her childhood friend, the former assistant D.A and rising politician Alexander Oakes. When a fire severely injures one of Carney's tenants, he enlists Pepper to look into who may be behind it. Our crooked duo have to battle their way through a crumbling metropolis run by the shady, the violent, and the utterly corrupted. CROOK MANIFESTO is a darkly funny tale of a city under siege, but also a sneakily searching portrait of the meaning of family. Colson Whitehead's kaleidoscopic portrait of Harlem is sure to stand as one of the all-time great evocations of a place and a time.

#37

Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421

by T. J. Newman

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES * "Reads like Apollo 13 underwater." --Don Winslow * "Masterful." --Patricia Cornwell * "A stunningly vivid tour de force!" Gripping. Shocking." --Brad Thor Flight attendant turned New York Times bestselling author T. J. Newman's adrenaline-fueled thriller about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean and sinks to the bottom with passengers trapped inside--and the extraordinary rescue operation to save them. Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors--but it's too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside. More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives. Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent--Shannon's mother and Will's soon-to-be ex-wife--who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff. There's not much time. There's even less air. With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family's desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them--against impossible odds.

#38

Homecoming

by Kate Morton

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#39

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU

by Rebecca Makkai

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A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A twisty, immersive whodunit perfect for fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History." --People "Spellbinding." --The New York Times Book Review "[An] irresistible literary page-turner." --The Boston Globe Named a Best Book of 2023 by USA Today, Esquire, Real Simple, PopSugar, and CrimeReads The riveting new novel -- "part true-crime page-turner, part campus coming-of-age" (San Francisco Chronicle) -- from the author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist The Great Believers A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past--the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia's death and the conviction of the school's athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers--needs--to let sleeping dogs lie. But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent ﬂaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn't as much of an outsider at Granby as she'd thought--if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case. In I Have Some Questions for You, award-winning author Rebecca Makkai has crafted her most irresistible novel yet: a stirring investigation into collective memory and a deeply felt examination of one woman's reckoning with her past, with a transﬁxing mystery at its heart. Timely, hypnotic, and populated with a cast of unforgettable characters, I Have Some Questions for You is at once a compulsive page-turner and a literary triumph.

#40

Mother-Daughter Murder Night

by Nina Simon

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK Nothing brings a family together like a murder next door."I just loved how intriguing the mystery is but also the dynamics between a grandmother, a mother, and a teenage daughter." --Reese WitherspoonThink: Gilmore Girls, but with murder.High-powered businesswoman Lana Rubicon has a lot to be proud of: her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and the L.A. real estate empire she's built. But when she finds herself trapped 300 miles north of the city, convalescing in a sleepy coastal town with her adult daughter Beth and teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuck counting otters instead of square footage--and hoping that boredom won't kill her before the cancer does. Then Jack--tiny in stature but fiercely independent--happens upon a dead body while kayaking. She quickly becomes a suspect in the homicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. Beth thinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana has a better idea. She'll pull on her wig, find the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power.With Jack and Beth's help, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath the surface of a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But as their amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory, the headstrong Rubicon women must learn to do the one thing they've always resisted: depend on each other.

#41

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide

by Rupert Holmes

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A New York Times bestseller! From Edgar Award-winning novelist, playwright, and story-songwriter Rupert Holmes comes a diabolical thriller with a killer concept: The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, "a fantasy academy laid out like a combination of Hogwarts, Downton Abbey, and a White Lotus-style resort" (Los Angeles Times) dedicated to the art of murder where students study how best to "delete" their most deserving victim. Who hasn't wondered for a split second what the world would be like if a person who is the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you've probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death. The campus of this "Poison Ivy League" college--its location unknown to even those who study there--is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate...and where one's mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live. Prepare for an education you'll never forget. A "fiendishly funny" (Booklist) mix of witty wordplay, breathtaking twists and genuine intrigue, Murder Your Employer will gain you admission into a wholly original world, cocooned within the most entertaining book about well-intentioned would-be murderers you'll ever read.

#42

Red Queen

by Juan Gomez-Jurado

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#43

Reykjavík

by Ragnar Jónasson

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With over four million copies sold worldwide, Ragnar Jónasson, along with Katrín Jakobsdóttir, brings us a gripping and chilling new thriller, Reykjavík. What happened to Lára? Iceland, 1956. Fourteen-year-old Lára decides to spend the summer working for a couple on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, the girl disappears without a trace. Time passes, and the mystery becomes Iceland's most infamous unsolved case. What happened to the young girl? Is she still alive? Did she leave the island, or did something happen to her there? Thirty years later, as the city of Reykjavík celebrates its 200th anniversary, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lára's case. But as he draws closer to discovering the secret, and with the eyes of Reykjavík upon him, it soon becomes clear that Lára's disappearance is a mystery that someone will stop at nothing to keep unsolved . . .

#44

Spin a Black Yarn

by Josh Malerman

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Five harrowing novellas of horror and speculative fiction from the singular mind of the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box Josh Malerman is a master weaver of stories--and in this spine-chilling collection he spins five twisted tales from the shadows of the human soul: A sister insists to her little brother that "Half the House Is Haunted" by a strange presence. But is it the house that's haunted--or their childhoods? In "Argyle," a dying man confesses to homicides he never committed, and he reveals long-kept secrets far more sinister than murder. A tourist takes the ultimate trip to outer space in "The Jupiter Drop," but the real journey is into his own dark past. In "Doug and Judy Buy the House Washer(TM)," a trendy married couple buys the latest home gadget only to find themselves trapped by their possessions, their history . . . and each other. And in "Egorov," a wealthy old cretin murders a young man, not knowing the victim was a triplet. The two surviving brothers stage a savage faux-haunting--playing the ghost of their slain brother--with the aim of driving the old murderer mad.

#45

Starling House

by Alix E. Harrow

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"This book has everything you could possibly want this fall...a cursed town, a haunted house, a vivid & eerie setting--plus, characters willing to risk everything." --Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club October '23 Pick) Starling House is a gorgeous, modern gothic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I dream sometimes about a house I've never seen.... Opal is a lot of things--orphan, high school dropout, full-time cynic and part-time cashier--but above all, she's determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jasper. One that gets them out of Eden, Kentucky, a town remarkable for only two things: bad luck and E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth century author of The Underland, who disappeared over a hundred years ago. All she left behind were dark rumors--and her home. Everyone agrees that it's best to ignore the uncanny mansion and its misanthropic heir, Arthur. Almost everyone, anyway. I should be scared, but in the dream I don't hesitate. Opal has been obsessed with The Underland since she was a child. When she gets the chance to step inside Starling House--and make some extra cash for her brother's escape fund--she can't resist. But sinister forces are digging deeper into the buried secrets of Starling House, and Arthur's own nightmares have become far too real. As Eden itself seems to be drowning in its own ghosts, Opal realizes that she might finally have found a reason to stick around. In my dream, I'm home. And now she'll have to fight. Welcome to Starling House: enter, if you dare. A Book of the Month Club Pick An October 2023 Indie Next Pick A LibraryReads October 2023 Hall of Fame Pick Apple, Best Books of October EW.com, Fall Book Must Reads 2023 Washington Post, Noteworthy Books for October Paste Magazine, The Must-Read Fantasy Books of Fall 2023 PopSugar Best New Fantasy Books of 2023 BookPage, Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023 Observer, Must-Read Books of Fall 2023 Polygon, 12 Best New SFF for the Fall LitHub, October's Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books Bookish, October's Most-Anticipated Books Gizmodo, October's Huge List of New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books

#46

The Drift

by C.J. Tudor

Amazon Bookshop

Three ordinary people risk everything for a chance at redemption in this audacious, utterly gripping novel of catastrophe and survival at the end of the world, from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man. "The wildest thriller of the year is three thrillers in one. Buckle up."--Linwood Barclay Hannah awakens to carnage, all mangled metal and shattered glass. After she was evacuated from a secluded boarding school during a snowstorm, her coach careered off the road, trapping her with a handful of survivors. They'll need to work together to escape--with their sanity and secrets intact. Meg awakens to a gentle rocking. She's in a cable car stranded high above snowy mountains, with five strangers and no memory of how they got on board. They are heading to a place known only as "The Retreat," but as the temperature drops and tensions mount, Meg realizes they may not all make it there alive. Carter is gazing out the window of an isolated ski chalet that he and his companions call home. As their generator begins to waver in the storm, something hiding in the chalet's depths threatens to escape, and their fragile bonds will be tested when the power finally fails--for good. The imminent dangers faced by Hannah, Meg, and Carter are each one part of the puzzle. Lurking in their shadows is an even greater danger--one with the power to consume all of humanity.

#47

The Last Remains

by Elly Griffiths

Amazon Bookshop

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#48

The Quiet Tenant

by Clémence Michallon

Amazon Bookshop

NATIONAL BEST SELLER - ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED NOVELS OF 2023 - GMA BUZZ PICK - "A bravura feat of storytelling...daring and completely satisfying." --James Patterson, #1 best-selling author A PULSE-POUNDING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER ABOUT A SERIAL KILLER NARRATED BY THOSE CLOSEST TO HIM: HIS 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, HIS GIRLFRIEND--AND THE ONE VICTIM HE HAS SPARED "Intelligent and suspenseful." --Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World "All...of the expected suspense and psychological tension, but offering a story about women--the ones who didn't know the evil that lurked within, the ones who tried to placate or fight but still perished, the ones who might actually survive. Haunting but never prurient...truly unforgettable." -- Alafair Burke, author of The Wife Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He's the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he's been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He's a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there's a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life. When Aidan's wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a "family friend" who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia's orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan's secret. Told through the perspectives of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan's crimes on the women in his life--and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back. Both a searing thriller and an astute study of trauma, survival, and the dynamics of power, The Quiet Tenant is an electrifying debut thriller by a major talent.

#49

The Raging Storm

by Ann Cleeves

Amazon Bookshop

Ann Cleeves--New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows--returns with The Raging Storm, the extraordinary third installment in the Matthew Venn series. Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions. When Jem Rosco--sailor, adventurer, and legend--blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own. This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded. As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove's storm of dark secrets. "A friend of mine once joked that the work of Ann Cleeves is the closest the crime fiction genre comes to evoking ASMR--the euphoric, pleasant, spine-tingling sensation that's all the rage on YouTube. The books never get too dark, never venture too far into dangerous territory, but aren't outright cozy, either."--The New York Times

#50

The Salt Grows Heavy

by Cassandra Khaw

Amazon Bookshop

From Cassandra Khaw, USA Today bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth, comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a razor-sharp and bewitching fairy tale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself. "This brilliant novella is not to be missed." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED review "With this brilliantly constructed tale...Khaw cements their status as a must-read author." --Library Journal, STARRED review An Indie Next Pick! You may think you know how the fairy tale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three "saints" who control them. The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruelest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive. Also by Cassandra Khaw: Nothing But Blackened Teeth A Song for Quiet Hammers on Bone The Dead Take the A Train (co-written with Richard Kadrey)

#51

The Spite House

by Johnny Compton

Amazon Bookshop

A Best Horror Book of the Year (Esquire)! A terrifying Gothic thriller about grief and death and the depths of a father's love, Johnny Compton's The Spite House is a stunning debut by a horror master in the making--The Babadook meets A Head Full of Ghosts in Texas Hill Country. Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. When he comes across an ad for a caretaker for the Masson House, Eric hopes they have finally caught a lucky break. The owner of the "most haunted place in Texas" is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there--provided the house's horrors don't drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them. The job calls to Eric, not just because of the huge payout, but because he needs access to the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it will help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, too afraid to stop running...

#52

The Stolen Coast

by Dwyer Murphy

Amazon Bookshop

"A perfect summer escape." --Maureen Corrigan, NPR Fresh Air "A twisty, enthralling heist yarn . . . loaded with the threat of a double cross any time. . . . smart and satisfying."--The New York Times, Editors' Choice Adrift in a sleepy coastal Massachusetts town, a man who ferries fugitives by day gets twisted up in a plot to pilfer diamonds in this Casablanca-infused heist novel. Jack might be a polished, Harvard-educated lawyer on paper, but everyone in the down-at-the-heels, if picturesque, village of Onset, Massachusetts, knows his real job: moving people on the run from powerful enemies. The family business--co-managed with his father, a retired spy--is smooth sailing, as they fill up Onset's holiday homes during the town's long, drowsy off-season and help clients shed their identities in preparation for fresh starts. But when Elena, Jack's former flame--a dedicated hustler who's no stranger to the fugitive life--makes an unexpected return to town, her arrival upends Jack's routine existence. Elena, after all, doesn't go anywhere without a scheme in mind, and it isn't long before Jack finds himself enmeshed in her latest project: intercepting millions of dollars' worth of raw diamonds before they're shipped overseas. Infusing a fast-paced plot with sharp wit and stylish prose, CrimeReads editor-in-chief Dwyer Murphy serves up an irresistible page-turner as full of heart as it is of drama.

#53

WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED

by Angeline Boulley

Amazon Bookshop

An Instant New York Times bestseller! A #1 Indies Bestseller! An Amazon Best Book of the Year! Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award! A BookPage Best Book of the Year! An Indigo Teen Staff Pick of the Month! An Indie Next Pick! FIVE STARRED REVIEWS FOR WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED! #1 New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper's Daughter Angeline Boulley takes us back to Sugar Island in this high-stakes thriller about the power of discovering your stolen history. Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is - the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won't ever take her far from home, and she wouldn't have it any other way. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything. In order to reclaim this inheritance for her people, Perry has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She can only count on her friends and allies, including her overachieving twin and a charming new boy in town with unwavering morals. Old rivalries, sister secrets, and botched heists cannot - will not - stop her from uncovering the mystery before the ancestors and missing women are lost forever. Sometimes, the truth shouldn't stay buried. Pick this up if you love: ● high stakes heist ● will-they-won't-they romance ● family secrets spanning decades

#54

Whalefall

by Daniel Kraus

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A USA TODAY BESTSELLER The Martian meets 127 Hours in this "powerfully humane" (Owen King, New York Times bestselling author) and scientifically accurate thriller about a scuba diver who's been swallowed by an eighty-foot, sixty-ton sperm whale and has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out. Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool's errand--to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it's a long shot, but Jay feels it's the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad's death by suicide the previous year. The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid's tentacles and drawn into the whale's mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tanks run out--one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale. Suspenseful and cinematic, Whalefall is an "astoundingly great" (Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author) thriller about a young man who has given up on life...only to find a reason to live in the most dangerous and unlikely of places.

#55

A Guest in the House

by Emily Carroll

Amazon Bookshop

In Emily Carroll's haunting adult graphic novel horror story A Guest in the House, a young woman marries a kind dentist only to realize that there's a dark mystery surrounding his former wife's death. After many lonely years, Abby's just gotten married. She met her new husband--a recently widowed dentist--when he arrived in town with his young daughter, seeking a new start. Although it's strange living in the shadow of her predecessor, Abby does her best to be a good wife and mother. But the more she learns about her new husband's first wife, the more things don't add up. And Abby starts to wonder . . . was Sheila's death really by natural causes? As Abby sinks deeper into confusion, Sheila's memory seems to become a force all its own, ensnaring Abby in a mystery that leaves her obsessed, fascinated, and desperately in love for the first time in her life. Emily's masterful balance of black and white, surreal colors, rich textures, and dramatic lettering is assured to bring this story to life and give readers a chill up their spine as they read.

#56

A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens

by Raul Palma

Amazon Bookshop

A genre-bending debut with a fiercely political heart, A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens explores the weight of the devil's bargain, following the lengths one man will go to for the promise of freedom. Hugo Contreras's world in Miami has shrunk. Since his wife died, Hugo's debt from her medical bills has become insurmountable. He shuffles between his efficiency apartment, La Carreta (his favorite place for a cafecito), and a botanica in a strip mall where he works as the resident babaláwo. One day, Hugo's nemesis calls. Alexi Ramirez is a debt collector who has been hounding Hugo for years, and Hugo assumes this call is just more of the same. Except this time Alexi is calling because he needs spiritual help. His house is haunted. Alexi proposes a deal: If Hugo can successfully cleanse his home before Noche Buena, Alexi will forgive Hugo's debt. Hugo reluctantly accepts, but there's one issue: Despite being a babaláwo, he doesn't believe in spirits. Hugo plans to do what he's done with dozens of clients before: use sleight of hand and amateur psychology to convince Alexi the spirits have departed. But when the job turns out to be more than Hugo bargained for, Hugo's old tricks don't work. Memories of his past--his childhood in the Bolivian silver mines and a fraught crossing into the United States as a boy--collide with Alexi's demons in an explosive climax. Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens explores questions of visibility, migration, and what we owe--to ourselves, our families, and our histories.

#57

A Light Most Hateful

by Hailey Piper

Amazon Bookshop

Mona Awad's Bunny meets Stranger Things when a summer storm sweeps through a sleepy town, unleashing a monstrous power that threatens to bend reality, from the Bram Stoker award winning author of Queen of Teeth. Three years after running away from home, Olivia is stuck with a dead-end job in nowhere town Chapel Hill, Pennsylvania. At least she has her best friend, Sunflower. Olivia figures she'll die in Chapel Hill, if not from boredom, then the summer night storm which crashes into town with a mind-bending monster in tow. If Olivia's going to escape Chapel Hill and someday reconcile with her parents, she'll need to dodge residents enslaved by the storm's otherworldly powers and find Sunflower. But as the night strains friendships and reality itself, Olivia suspects the storm, and its monster, may have its eyes on Sunflower and everything she loves. Including Olivia.

#58

A Line in the Sand

by Kevin Powers

Amazon Bookshop

In this "spellbinding and totally original thriller" (Philipp Meyer, author of The Son) a lonely veteran's gruesome discovery throws him right into the face of danger as a twisted investigation unravels the secrets of his dark past. One early morning on a Norfolk beach in Virginia, a dead body is discovered by a man taking his daily swim--Arman Bajalan, formerly an interpreter in Iraq. After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt that killed his wife and child, Arman has been given lonely sanctuary in the US as a maintenance worker at the Sea Breeze Motel. Now, convinced that the body is connected to his past, he knows he is still not safe. Seasoned detective Catherine Wheel and her newly minted partner have little to go on beyond a bus ticket in the dead man's pocket. It leads them to Sally Ewell, a local journalist as grief-stricken as Arman is by the Iraq War, who is investigating a corporation on the cusp of landing a multi-billion-dollar government defense contract. As victims mount around Arman, taking the team down wrong turns and towards startling evidence, they find themselves in a race, committed to unraveling the truth and keeping Arman alive--even if it costs them absolutely everything.

#59

Abnormal Statistics

by Max Booth III

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"Abnormal Statistics takes us on a desolate walking tour of the everyday American nightmare. Come see what's happening behind the closed doors and shuttered windows of your neighbors, your best friends, the people you trust most. Bleak and bloody horror that's as raw and immediate as a pile of yellowed teeth, roots and all."- Trevor Henderson, creator of Siren Head Suburban decay, familial horror, bleak lullabies. Abnormal Statistics is the debut story collection from Max Booth III. Bad times are waiting for you. Featuring 10 reprints and 3 stories original to this collection (including a brand-new novella called "Indiana Death Song").

#60

After That Night (Will Trent, #11)

by Karin Slaughter

Amazon Bookshop

WATCH WILL TRENT ON ABC! "Enter the world of Karin Slaughter. Just be forewarned, there's no going back." --Lisa GardnerWill Trent and Sara Linton are back in an electrifying thriller featuring GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton from New York Times bestselling author Karin SlaughterAfter that night, everything changed . . .Fifteen years ago, Sara Linton's life changed forever when a celebratory night out ended in a violent attack that tore her world apart. Since then, Sara has remade her life. A successful doctor, engaged to a man she loves, she has finally managed to leave the past behind her.Until one evening, on call in the ER, everything changes. Sara battles to save a broken young woman who's been brutally attacked. But as the investigation progresses, led by GBI Special Agent Will Trent, it becomes clear that Dani Cooper's assault is uncannily linked to Sara's.And the past isn't going to stay buried forever . . .

#61

Bad Cree VERSION FRANÇAISE

by Jessica Johns

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#62

Becoming the Boogeyman

by Richard Chizmar

Amazon Bookshop

The terrifying sequel to the acclaimed New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling novel Chasing the Boogeyman, which was hailed as "genuinely chilling and something brand-new and exciting" (Stephen King) and "unforgettable" (Harlan Coben). A riveting, haunting sequel to the New York Times bestselling thriller Chasing the Boogeyman--a tale of obsession and the adulation of evil, exploring modern society's true-crime obsession with unflinching honesty, sparing no one from the glare of the spotlight. Will those involved walk away from the story of a lifetime in order to keep their loved ones safe? Or will they once again be drawn into a killer's web? As the story draws to its shattering conclusion, only one person holds all the answers--and he just may be the most terrifying monster of them all.

#63

Birnam Wood

by Eleanor Catton

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INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A Best Book of the Year (So Far) at The New Yorker, The BBC, Vulture, CrimeReads A Barack Obama Summer Reading Pick "[A] savagely satirical thriller." --People The Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries brings us Birnam Wood, a gripping thriller of high drama and kaleidoscopic insight into what drives us to survive. Birnam Wood is on the move . . . A landslide has closed the Korowai Pass on New Zealand's South Island, cutting oﬀ the town of Thorndike and leaving a sizable farm abandoned. The disaster presents an opportunity for Birnam Wood, an undeclared, unregulated, sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic guerrilla gardening collective that plants crops wherever no one will notice. For years, the group has struggled to break even. To occupy the farm at Thorndike would mean a shot at solvency at last. But the enigmatic American billionaire Robert Lemoine also has an interest in the place: he has snatched it up to build his end-times bunker, or so he tells Birnam's founder, Mira, when he catches her on the property. He's intrigued by Mira, and by Birnam Wood; although they're poles apart politically, it seems Lemoine and the group might have enemies in common. But can Birnam trust him? And, as their ideals and ideologies are tested, can they trust one another? A gripping psychological thriller from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton's Birnam Wood is Shakespearean in its drama, Austenian in its wit, and, like both inﬂuences, fascinated by what makes us who we are. A brilliantly constructed study of intentions, actions, and consequences, it is a mesmerizing, unﬂinching consideration of the human impulse to ensure our own survival.

#64

Black River Orchard

by Chuck Wendig

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A small town is transformed when seven strange trees begin bearing magical apples in this masterpiece of horror from the author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents. "Chuck Wendig is one of my very favorite storytellers. Black River Orchard is a deep, dark, luscious tale that creeps up on you and doesn't let go."--Erin Morgenstern, author of The Night Circus It's autumn in the town of Harrow, but something besides the season is changing there. Because in that town there is an orchard, and in that orchard, seven most unusual trees. And from those trees grows a new sort of apple: strange, beautiful, with skin so red it's nearly black. Take a bite of one of these apples, and you will desire only to devour another. And another. You will become stronger. More vital. More yourself, you will believe. But then your appetite for the apples and their peculiar gifts will keep growing--and become darker. This is what happens when the townsfolk discover the secret of the orchard. Soon it seems that everyone is consumed by an obsession with the magic of the apples . . . and what's the harm, if it is making them all happier, more confident, more powerful? Even if something else is buried in the orchard besides the seeds of these extraordinary trees: a bloody history whose roots reach back to the very origins of the town. But now the leaves are falling. The days grow darker. It's harvest time, and the town will soon reap what it has sown.

#65

Dead Eleven

by Jimmy Juliano

Amazon Bookshop

"An ominously slow burn...Keep the lights on for this one."--A PEOPLE MUST-READ FOR SUMMER "Very creepy...you've been warned."--R.L. STINE "Gripping."--ANA REYES On a creepy island where everyone has a strange obsession with the year 1994, a newcomer arrives, hoping to learn the truth about her son's death--but finds herself pulled deeper and deeper into the bizarrely insular community and their complicated rules... Clifford Island. When Willow Stone finds these words written on the floor of her deceased son's bedroom, she's perplexed. She's never heard of it before, but soon learns it's a tiny island off Wisconsin's Door County peninsula, 200 miles from Willow's home. Why would her son write this on his floor? Determined to find answers, Willow sets out for the island. After a few days on Clifford, Willow realizes: This place is not normal. Everyone seems to be stuck in a particular day in 1994: They wear outdated clothing, avoid modern technology, and, perhaps most mystifyingly, watch the OJ Simpson car chase every evening. When she asks questions, people are evasive, but she learns one thing: Close your curtains at night. High schooler Lily Becker has lived on Clifford her entire life, and she is sick of the island's twisted mythology and adhering to the rules. She's been to the mainland, and everyone is normal there, so why is Clifford so weird? Lily is determined to prove that the islanders' beliefs are a sham. But are they? Five weeks after Willow arrives on the island, she disappears. Willow's brother, Harper, comes to Clifford searching for his sister, and when he learns the truth--that this island is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined--he is determined to blow the whole thing open. If he can get out alive....

#66

Death of a Bookseller

by Alice Slater

Amazon Bookshop

Roach would rather be listening to the latest episode of her favorite true crime podcast than assisting the boring and predictable customers at her local branch of the bookstore Spines, where she's worked her entire adult life. A serious true crime junkie, Roach looks down her nose at the pumpkin-spice-latte-drinking casual fans who only became interested in the genre once it got trendy. But when Laura, a pretty and charismatic children's bookseller, arrives to help rejuvenate the struggling bookstore branch, Roach recognizes in her an unexpected kindred spirit.Despite their common interest in true crime, Laura keeps her distance from Roach, resisting the other woman's overtures of friendship. Undeterred, Roach learns everything she can about her new colleague, eventually uncovering Laura's traumatic family history. When Roach realizes that she may have come across her very own true crime story, interest swiftly blooms into a dangerous obsession.A darkly funny suspense novel, Death of a Bookseller raises ethical questions about the fervor for true crime and how we handle stories that don't belong to us.

#67

Edenville

by Sam Rebelein

Amazon Bookshop

"[A]n essential read for horror enthusiasts." --Booklist An unsettling, immersive, and wildly entertaining debut novel from "a major new talent!" (R.L. Stine), for fans of Paul Tremblay and Stephen Graham Jones."[A] delightfully gooey blend of gothic, cosmic, folk and body horror churned by a sharp-bladed critique of academia."-- Lucy A. Snyder, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Sister, Maiden, MonsterAfter publishing his debut novel, The Shattered Man, to disappointing sales and reviews, Campbell P. Marion is struggling to find inspiration for a follow-up. When Edenville College invites him to join as a writer-in-residence, he's convinced that his bad luck has finally taken a turn. His girlfriend Quinn isn't so sure--she grew up near Edenville and has good reasons for not wanting to move back. Cam disregards her skepticism and accepts the job, with Quinn reluctantly following along.But there's something wrong in Edenville. Despite the charming old ladies milling about Main Street and picturesque sunflowers dotting the sidewalks, poison lurks beneath the surface. As a series of strange and ominous events escalate among Edenville and its residents, Cam and Quinn find themselves entangled in a dark and disturbing history.Told with equal parts horror and humor, Edenville explores the urban legends that fuel our nightmares and the ways in which ambition can overshadow our best instincts. Sam Rebelein is an exciting, sharp new voice, sure to terrify readers for years to come."The mundane horrors of rural and academic living collide with pure cosmic weirdness in Sam Rebelein's Edenville. Not since Jason Pargin's John Dies at the End have I been so horrified and grossed out by a book...I could say more, but honestly, the less you know about this book, the better. A fantastic debut."-- Todd Keisling, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Devil's Creek and Cold, Black & Infinite

#68

Every Man a King

by Walter Mosley

Amazon Bookshop

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#69

Everybody Knows

by Jordan Harper

Amazon Bookshop

In this "hardboiled mystery" (Maureen Corrigan) from an Edgar Award winning author, a fearless black-bag publicist exposes the belly of the L.A. beast. Welcome to Mae Pruett's Los Angeles, where "Nobody talks. But everybody whispers." As a "black-bag" publicist tasked not with letting the good news out but keeping the bad news in, Mae works for one of LA's most powerful and sought-after crisis PR firms, at the center of a sprawling web of lawyers, PR flaks, and private security firms she calls "The Beast." They protect the rich and powerful and depraved by any means necessary. After her boss is gunned down in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel in a random attack, Mae takes it upon herself to investigate and runs headfirst into The Beast's lawless machinations and the twisted systems it exists to perpetuate. It takes her on a roving neon joyride through a Los Angeles full of influencers pumped full of pills and fillers; sprawling mansions footsteps away from sprawling homeless encampments; crooked cops and mysterious wrecking crews in the middle of the night. Edgar Award-winner Jordan Harper's Everybody Knows is addicting and alarming, a "juggernaut of a novel" and "an absolute tour de force." It is what the crime novel can achieve in the modern age: portray the human lives at the center of vast American landscapes, and make us thrill at their attempts to face impossible odds. Recommended by New York Times Book Review - NPR/Fresh Air - Wall Street Journal - Washington Post - LA Times -CrimeReads- Alta Online - Lit Hub- Kirkus Reviews- Publishers Weekly- NBC/TODAY and many more! - An ABA January 2023 Indie Next List Pick - A NYTBR Editors' Choice Selection "The book everybody's been waiting for" --Michael Connelly "An absolute tour de force"--S. A. Cosby "The best mystery novel I've read in years" --James Patterson

#70

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

by Benjamin Stevenson

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#71

Excavations

by Hannah Michell

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A former journalist turned stay-at-home mother must find her missing husband and protect her children in Excavations, a "sharp, impressive debut about corruption among South Korea's elite" (The Boston Globe, Best New Books for Summer 2023). A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Sae is waiting with two clingy toddlers for her husband to come home from work when she learns of a horrific disaster, the collapse of a massive skyscraper where Jae is an engineer. Minutes, then hours, and then days pass. Speculations of North Korean terrorism and structural instability circulate as possible causes of the Tower's collapse. No one has seen Jae, but things aren't adding up. Jae had told Sae he was working on a swimming pool on the top floor, but reports showed he was in the basement, on a different project. The government was involved, but the contractors were missing. Sae--who met Jae when they were students at an anti-government protest and has relied on him as her guiding and steadying hand--is troubled and suspicious. Leaving the children with her estranged mother, Sae sets out to uncover the truth of what happened to her husband. Her investigation takes her to an upscale club where the proprietor, Myonghee, is not merely supplying booze and girls but also seeking information, for her own purposes, from every drunken businessman who lets corporate secrets slip. As Sae begins to find what she sought, she must ask herself: How well can you truly know the one you love and how is truth shaped by power?

#72

Graveyard of Lost Children

by Katrina Monroe

Amazon Bookshop

"With nimble pacing, genuine scares, and a riveting central mystery, Graveyard of Lost Children is a bonafide page-tuner." --Rachel Harrison, author of Cackle and Such Sharp TeethONCE SHE HAS HER GRIP ON YOU, SHE'LL NEVER LET YOU GO.At four months old, Olivia Dahl was almost murdered. Driven by haunting visions, her mother became obsessed with the idea that Olivia was a changeling, and that the only way to get her real baby back was to make a trade with the "dead women" living at the bottom of the well. Now Olivia is ready to give birth to a daughter of her own...and for the first time, she hears the women whispering.Everyone tells Olivia she should be happy. She should be glowing, but the birth of her daughter only fills Olivia with dread. As Olivia's body starts giving out, slowly deteriorating as the baby eats and eats and eats, she begins to fear that the baby isn't her daughter at all and, despite her best efforts, history is repeating itself.Soon images of a black-haired woman plague Olivia's nightmares, drawing her back to the well that almost claimed her life--tying mother and daughter together in a desperate cycle of fear and violence that must be broken if Olivia has any hope of saving her child...or herself.Baby Teeth meets The Invited in a haunting horror novel about the sometimes-fragile connection between a woman's sense of self and what it means to be a "good" mother.

#73

Hell Bent

by Leigh Bardugo

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#74

Her Little Flowers

by Shannon Morgan

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Readers of Eve Chase, Kate Morton, and Anita Frank will devour this bewitchingly atmospheric, melancholy modern ghost story set in the lush hills of England's Lake District. There, a solitary women's quiet life spent in her crumbling ancestral manor house with the company of a child's ghost is dramatically interrupted when her estranged sister returns to share a horrific story of cruelty and desperation from decades earlier... Goodreads Most Anticipated Books "Atmospheric...a compelling supernatural mystery that will hold a reader's attention right up to the last page."-- Library Journal Francine Thwaite has lived all her fifty-five years in her family's ancestral home, a rambling Elizabethan manor in England's Lake District. No other living soul resides there, but Francine isn't alone. There are ghosts in Thwaite Manor, harmless and familiar. Most beloved is Bree, the mischievous ghost girl who has been Francine's companion since childhood. When Francine's estranged sister, Madeleine, returns to the manor after years away, she brings with her a story that threatens everything Francine has always believed. It is a tale of cruelty and desperation, of terror and unbearable heartache. And as Francine learns more about the darkness in her family's past--and the role she may have played in it--she realizes that confronting the truth may mean losing what she holds most dear. As moving and poignant as it is chilling, Her Little Flowers is a story of grief and enduring love--and of the haunting regrets only forgiveness can dispel.

#75

House of Cotton

by Monica Brashears

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An enchanting Black Southern gothic debut, perfect for readers of Mexican Gothic... "Fresh, haunting...In her roller-coaster ride of a gothic debut novel, Monica Brashears upends expectations at every turn." --The New York Times "Every page, every scene, every sentence of Monica Brashears's debut novel House of Cotton dazzles and surprises. An intense, enthralling, and deeply satisfying read!" --Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies "A new, dazzling, and essential American voice." --George Saunders, author of Lincoln in the Bardo Magnolia Brown is nineteen years old, broke, and effectively an orphan. She feels stuck and haunted: by her overdrawn bank account, her predatory landlord, and the ghost of her late grandmother Mama Brown. One night, while working at her dead-end gas station job, a mysterious, slick stranger named Cotton walks in and offers to turn Magnolia's luck around with a lucrative "modeling" job at his family's funeral home where she'll impersonate the dead. There's a lucrative fee involved and she accepts. But despite things looking up, Magnolia's problems fatten along with her wallet. And when Cotton's requests become increasingly demanding, Magnolia discovers there's a lot more at stake than just her rent. Sharp as a belted knife, this sly and haunting social commentary cuts straight to the bone. "Brashears offers a fresh new perspective on Appalachia and the American South, and Magnolia's rich voice will echo with readers long after the pages are closed" (Shelf Awareness).

#76

How Can I Help You

by Laura Sims

Amazon Bookshop

The lives of two librarians become dangerously intertwined in this razor-sharp exploration of human nature and the lure of artistic obsession. No one knows Margo's real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small-town public library know only her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality, and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges. That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo's subtly sinister edge, and watches her carefully. When a tragic incident in the library bathroom gives her a hint of Margo's mysterious past, Patricia can't resist digging deeper--even as her new fixation becomes all-consuming and sends both women hurtling toward disaster. Chilling, incisive, and darkly humorous, How Can I Help You is a propulsive work of psychological suspense that asks how far we might go to justify our most monstrous desires.

#77

It Found Us

by Lindsay Currie

Amazon Bookshop

From the author of Scritch Scratch and The Girl in White comes a new spooky mystery about a girl detective who must decode a series of ominous clues tied to a century-old tragedy to find a missing teenager before it's too late...Twelve-year-old Hazel Woods has always had an unusual knack for sleuthing. Some may call it snooping, but all she really wants is to solve mysteries around town. So, when she not-so-accidentally overhears her brother Den planning to sneak into the cemetery at night for an epic game of hide-and-seek, she decides to secretly tag along. This seems like the perfect opportunity to investigate the claims that the cemetery is haunted.But the moment the game ends, Hazel realizes something is very, very wrong. From her hiding spot in the bushes, she overhears that her brother's best friend, Everett, is missing. Everyone else was found by the seeker but there's no sign of Everett anywhere. It's as if he just . . . vanishedHazel and Den are determined to find Everett before it's too late. But as they begin to unravel the terrifying clues that started appearing since that night in the graveyard-eerie whispers that sound like someone counting, the intermittent smell of smoke, and the cold, lost presence that follows them everywhere, she's not sure what they are dealing with. But Everett needs more than search parties and scent-tracking dogs to find him, especially if his disappearance is tied to the history of the cemetery, and the lost, century-old spirits that might still be trapped there . . .

#78

Kala

by Colin Walsh

Amazon Bookshop

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR - A gripping literary page-turner from a rising Irish talent in which former friends, estranged for twenty years, reckon with the terrifying events of the summer that changed their lives. "[A] gritty heartbreaker of a thriller...a spectacular read for Donna Tartt and Tana French fans."--Kirkus "A master class in building suspense...Walsh manages a deft balance between adolescent angst and ecstasy -- discoveries bringing horror, sorrow and joy -- and the more deliberate, often elegiac reflections of adulthood, reckoning with the promises of the past."--The Washington Post In the seaside town of Kinlough, on Ireland's west coast, three old friends are thrown together for the first time in years. They--Helen, Joe, and Mush--were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann as their group's white-hot center. Soon after that summer's peak, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now it's fifteen years later: Helen has reluctantly returned to Ireland for her father's wedding; Joe is a world-famous musician, newly back in town; and Mush has never left, too scared to venture beyond the counter of his mother's café. But human remains have been discovered in the woods. Two more girls have gone missing. And as past and present begin to collide, the estranged friends are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala's disappearance. Against the backdrop of a town suffocating on its own secrets, in a story that builds from a smolder to a stunning climax, Kala brilliantly examines the sometimes brutal costs of belonging, as well as the battle in the human heart between vengeance and forgiveness, despair and redemption.

#79

Kennedy 35

by Charles Cumming

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1995: In the wake of the Rwandan genocide, 24-year-old spy Lachlan Kite and his girlfriend, Martha Raine, are sent to Senegal on the trail of a hunted war criminal. The mission threatens to spiral out of control, forcing Kite to make choices which will have devastating consequences not only for his career at top-secret intelligence agency BOX 88, but also for his relationship with Martha. 2023: Eric Appiah, an old friend from Kite's days at school and an off-the-record BOX 88 asset, makes contact with explosive information about what happened all those years ago in West Africa. When tragedy strikes, Kite must use all the resources at his disposal to protect Martha from a criminal network with links to international terror. Charles Cumming once again straddles two timelines to create a high-tension thriller in this latest Lachlan Kite novel.

#80

Lotería

by Cynthia Pelayo

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Award-winning author Cynthia "Cina" Pelayo's acclaimed short story collection Lotería, now with added illustrations and new bonus stories...as well as an exclusive preview for her upcoming sequel to CHILDREN OF CHICAGO, THE SHOEMAKER'S MAGICIAN (out this Spring).The Mexican board game of Lotería is a game of chance--similar to bingo. However, in Lotería instead of matching up numbers on a game board, players match up images. There are 54 cards in the Lotería game, and for this short story collection you will find one unique story per card based on a Latin American myth, folklore, superstition, or belief--with a slant towards the paranormal and horrific. In this deck of cards you will find murderers, ghosts, goblins and ghouls. This collection features creatures and monsters, vampires, werewolves and more. Many of these legends existed long before their European counterparts--passed throughout the Americas via word of mouth, collected just like the tales the Brothers Grimm. These are indeed fairy tales--Latin American fairy tales--but with a horrifying slant.

#81

Maeve Fly

by CJ Leede

Amazon Bookshop

A Best Horror Book of the Year (Esquire) - An Indie Next Pick! "This is gory and brutal and beautiful and painful and terrifying and a pure delight."--Stephen Graham Jones A provocative and unforgettable debut that is both a blood-soaked love letter to Los Angeles and a gleeful send-up to iconic horror villains, Maeve Fly will thrill fans of slashers and the macabre. By day, Maeve Fly works at the happiest place in the world as every child's favorite ice princess. By the neon night glow of the Sunset Strip, Maeve haunts the dive bars with a drink in one hand and a book in the other, imitating her misanthropic literary heroes. But when Gideon Green - her best friend's brother - moves to town, he awakens something dangerous within her, and the world she knows suddenly shifts beneath her feet. Untethered, Maeve ditches her discontented act and tries on a new persona. A bolder, bloodier one, inspired by the pages of American Psycho. Step aside Patrick Bateman, it's Maeve's turn with the knife. "An apocalyptic Anaheim Psycho." --Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House

#82

Mister Magic

by Kiersten White

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER - Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show--and discover the secret of its enigmatic host--in this "skin-crawling story of pop culture fandom and '90s nostalgia" (Melissa Albert, author of The Hazel Woods) from the author of Hide. "[A] propulsive, exciting, often genuinely scary, endlessly compelling mystery."--Terry Miles, author of Rabbits Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children's program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic. But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who--or what--the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has. Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it's been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven't seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since. After all, they're the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap? Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship. . . .

#83

Murder in the Family

by Cara Hunter

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THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!ONE BODY. SIX EXPERTS. CAN YOU SOLVE THE CASE BEFORE THEY DO?Mega-bestselling British crime novelist Cara Hunter makes her big American debut with a wholly immersive thriller like none you've seen before: written as the teleplay of a true-crime documentary, it has the reader puzzling away, reviewing photos, maps, coroner's reports and other evidence as they read. Can you tell who's lying?"An excellent, wholly original whodunnit! You won't have read a mystery like this, and you'll be kept in the dark right to the end." --Gilly MacMillan, bestselling author of The Long WeekendIt was a case that gripped the nation. In December 2003, Luke Ryder, the stepfather of acclaimed filmmaker Guy Howard (then aged 10), was found dead in the garden of their suburban family home.Luke Ryder's murder has never been solved. Guy Howard's mother and two sisters were in the house at the time of the murder--but all swear they saw nothing. Despite a high-profile police investigation and endless media attention, no suspect was ever charged.But some murder cases are simply too big to forget...Now comes the sensational new streaming series Infamous, dedicated to investigating--and perhaps cracking--this famous cold case. Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence - with shocking results. Does the team know more than they've been letting on?True crime lovers and savvy readers, you can review the evidence and testimony at the same time as the experts. But can you solve the case before they do?

#84

My Darling Girl

by Jennifer McMahon

Amazon Bookshop

The New York Times bestselling author of the "otherworldly treat" (People) The Drowning Kind and The Children on the Hill returns with a spine-tingling psychological thriller about a woman who, after taking in her dying, alcoholic mother, begins to suspect demonic possession is haunting her family. Alison has never been a fan of Christmas. But with it right around the corner and her husband busily decorating their cozy Vermont home, she has no choice but to face it. Then she gets the call. Mavis, Alison's estranged mother, has been diagnosed with cancer and has only weeks to live. She wants to spend her remaining days with her daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters. But Alison grew up with her mother's alcoholism and violent abuse and is reluctant to unearth these traumatic memories. Still, she eventually agrees to take in Mavis, hoping that she and her mother could finally heal and have the relationship she's always dreamed of. But when mysterious and otherworldly things start happening upon Mavis's arrival, Alison begins to suspect her mother is not quite who she seems. And as the holiday festivities turn into a nightmare, she must confront just how far she is willing to go to protect her family.

#85

My Murder

by Katie Williams

Amazon Bookshop

NATIONAL BESTSELLER "One of those rare emotionally intelligent books that are also fun reads... Going to keep readers turning pages late into the night." -The New York Times "Ingenious...fresh and unpredictable." -The Washington Post "Gleefully overturn[s] the age-old 'woman-in-trouble' plot...eerie and inventive." -NPR's Fresh Air What if the murder you had to solve was your own? Lou is a happily married mother of an adorable toddler. She's also the victim of a local serial killer. Recently brought back to life and returned to her grieving family by a government project, she is grateful for this second chance. But as the new Lou re-adapts to her old routines, and as she bonds with other female victims, she realizes that disturbing questions remain about what exactly preceded her death and how much she can really trust those around her. Now it's not enough to care for her child, love her husband, and work the job she's always enjoyed--she must also figure out the circumstances of her death. Darkly comic, tautly paced, and full of surprises, My Murder is a devour-in-one-sitting, clever twist on the classic thriller.

#86

Natural Beauty

by Ling Ling Huang

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Sly, surprising, and razor-sharp, Natural Beauty follows a young musician into an elite, beauty-obsessed world where perfection comes at a staggering cost. Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents--also talented musicians--who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City. Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures--from remoras that suck out cheap Botox to eyelash extensions made of spider silk--and her new job affords her entry into a world of privilege and gives her a long-awaited sense of belonging. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik's charismatic owner, and the two strike up a friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair. But beneath these creams and tinctures lies something sinister. A piercing, darkly funny debut, Natural Beauty explores questions of consumerism, self-worth, race, and identity--and leaves readers with a shocking and unsettling truth.

#87

Never Whistle at Night

by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A bold, clever, and sublimely sinister collection that dares to ask the question: "Are you ready to be un-settled?" "Never failed to surprise, delight, and shock." --Nick Cutter, author of The Troop and Little Heaven Featuring stories by: Norris Black - Amber Blaeser-Wardzala - Phoenix Boudreau - Cherie Dimaline - Carson Faust - Kelli Jo Ford - Kate Hart - Shane Hawk - Brandon Hobson - Darcie Little Badger - Conley Lyons - Nick Medina - Tiffany Morris - Tommy Orange - Mona Susan Power - Marcie R. Rendon - Waubgeshig Rice - Rebecca Roanhorse - Andrea L. Rogers - Morgan Talty - D.H. Trujillo - Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. - Richard Van Camp - David Heska Wanbli Weiden - Royce K. Young Wolf - Mathilda Zeller Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai'po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear--and even follow you home. These wholly original and shiver-inducing tales introduce readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds, and chilling acts of revenge. Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, these stories are a celebration of Indigenous peoples' survival and imagination, and a glorious reveling in all the things an ill-advised whistle might summon.

#88

Night Will Find You

by Julia Heaberlin

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A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK BEING DEVELOPED BY FOX TELEVISION AS A TV SERIES "It's nearly impossible to stop reading. Heaberlin at her best." --Publishers Weekly, starred review In the new thriller from the author of the bestselling We Are All the Same in the Dark, a brilliant young astrophysicist with an uncanny gift is asked to find a girl who vanished. Their story will make you examine everything you believe. Vivvy Bouchet was only ten when she saved a boy's life by making an impossible prediction. She doesn't want to explain it. A wunderkind scientist, she just wants to be left in peace to scan the desert Texas sky with her telescopes in one of the darkest places on earth. But when the boy she saved, now a Fort Worth cop, begs for her help on a cold case, she can't turn him down. In the past decade, Lizzie Solomon and the Victorian mansion where she disappeared have taken on almost mythic status. Conspiracy theorists feed the frenzy that Lizzie is still buried in the crumbling walls while her mother, who sits in prison convicted of killing her, loudly proclaims her innocence. Paired with a skeptical detective, Vivvy falls deeper into the mystery of why Lizzie has never been found. When a vicious podcaster takes aim at Vivvy's own secrets--and those of the vanished girl--Vivvy's life unravels like the mysterious galaxies she chases. Julia Heaberlin delivers a resilient and unforgettable heroine in Vivvy Bouchet, a woman who walks the line between evidence-based science and unexplained phenomenon. Sharply relevant, Night Will Find You explores the mysterious nature of belief―in science, in conspiracies, in a higher power―and the delicate dance with the things we can't know.

#89

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird: Stories

by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses

Amazon Bookshop

A collection of nineteen dark, wildly imaginative short stories from the author of the award-winning TikTok sensation Tender Is the Flesh. From celebrated author Agustina Bazterrica, this collection of nineteen brutal, darkly funny short stories takes into our deepest fears and through our most disturbing fantasies. Through stories about violence, alienation, and dystopia, Bazterrica's vision of the human experience emerges in complex, unexpected ways--often unsettling, sometimes thrilling, and always profound. In "Roberto," a girl claims to have a rabbit between her legs. A woman's neighbor jumps to his death in "A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound," and in "Candy Pink," a woman fails to contend with a difficult breakup in five easy steps. Written in Bazterrica's signature clever, vivid style, these stories question love, friendship, family relationships, and unspeakable desires.

#90

Penance

by Eliza Clark

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One of Granta's Best Young British Novelists 2023 "Eliza Clark's writing embraces the socially unacceptable and wryly explores themes of gender, power, and violence."--Granta's Best of Young British Novelists 2023"Chilling, clever, and unputdownable."--GuardianFrom the author of the cult hit Boy Parts comes a chilling, brilliantly told story of murder among a group of teenage girls--a powerful and disturbing novel as piercing in its portrait of young women as Emma Cline's The Girls.On a beach in a run-down seaside town on the Yorkshire coastline, sixteen-year-old Joan Wilson is set on fire by three other schoolgirls.Nearly a decade after the horrifying murder, journalist Alec Z. Carelli has written the definitive account of the crime, drawn from hours of interviews with witnesses and family members, painstaking historical research, and most notably, correspondence with the killers themselves. The result is a riveting snapshot of lives rocked by tragedy, and a town left in turmoil.But how much of the story is true?Compulsively readable, provocative, and disturbing, Penance is a cleverly nuanced, unflinching exploration of gender, class, and power that raises troubling questions about the media and our obsession with true crime while bringing to light the depraved side of human nature and our darkest proclivities.

#91

Piñata

by Leopoldo Gout

Amazon Bookshop

A Best Horror Book of the Year (Esquire)! A Head Full of Ghosts meets Mexican Gothic in Piñata, a terrifying possession tale by author and artist Leopoldo Gout. It was supposed to be the perfect summer. Carmen Sanchez is back in Mexico, supervising the renovation of an ancient abbey. Her daughters Izel and Luna, too young to be left alone in New York, join her in what Carmen hopes is a chance for them to connect with their roots. Then, an accident at the worksite unearths a stash of rare, centuries-old artifacts. The disaster costs Carmen her job, cutting the family trip short. But something malevolent and unexplainable follows them home to New York, stalking the Sanchez family and heralding a coming catastrophe. And it may already be too late to escape what's been awakened... They were worshiped by our ancestors. Now they are forgotten. Soon, they'll make us remember.

#92

Prophet

by Helen MacDonald and Sin Blaché

Amazon Bookshop

From the extraordinary minds of award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author of H Is for Hawk Helen Macdonald and first time author Sin Blaché, Prophet is their electric debut, a tantalizing adventure fusing noir, sci-fi and a slow burn queer romance--set in a universe just one perilous step from our own. Adam Rubenstein and Sunil Rao have been reluctant partners since their Uzbekistan days. Adam is a seemingly unflappable American Intelligence officer and Rao is an ex-MI6 agent, an addict and rudderless pleasure hound, with the uncanny ability to discern the truth of things--about everyone and everything other than Adam. When an American diner turns up in a foggy field in the UK after a mysterious death, Adam and Rao are called in to investigate, setting into motion the most dangerous and otherworldly mission of their lives. In a surreal, action-packed quest that takes Adam and Rao from secret laboratories in Colorado, to a luxury lodge in Aspen, to the remote Nevada desert, the pair begins to uncover how and why people's fondest memories are being weaponized against them by a spooky, ever-shifting substance called Prophet. As the unlikely twosome battles this strange new reality, Prophet's victims' memories are materializing in increasingly bizarre forms: favorite games, beloved pets, fairground rides, each more malevolent than the next. Prophet is like no enemy Adam and Rao - or the world - have ever come up against. A tension-shot odd-couple romance, an unflinching send-up of corporate corruption, and a genre-bending tour de force, Prophet is a triumph of storytelling by a new writing duo with a thrilling future.

#93

Resurrection Walk

by Michael Connelly

Amazon Bookshop

INSPIRATION FOR THE ORIGINAL SERIES THE LINCOLN LAWYER - THE #1 TV SHOW ON NETFLIX From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly: Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller enlists the help of his half-brother, Harry Bosch, to prove the innocence of a woman convicted of killing her husband. Defense attorney Mickey Haller is back, taking the long shot cases, where the chances of winning are one in a million. After getting a wrongfully convicted man out of prison, he is inundated with pleas from incarcerated people claiming innocence. He enlists his half brother, retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, to weed through the letters, knowing most claims will be false. Bosch pulls a needle from the haystack: a woman in prison for killing her husband, a sheriff's deputy, but who still maintains her innocence. Bosch reviews the case and sees elements that don't add up, and a sheriff's department intent on bringing quick justice in the killing of one of its own. Now Haller has an uphill battle in court, a David fighting Goliaths to vindicate his client. The path for both lawyer and investigator is fraught with danger from those who don't want the case reopened and will stop at nothing to keep the Haller-Bosch dream team from finding the truth. Packed with intrigue and courtroom drama, Resurrection Walk shows once again that Michael Connelly is "the most consistently superior living crime fiction author" (South Florida Sun Sentinel).

#94

Sing Her Down

by Ivy Pochoda

Amazon Bookshop

"I read everything Ivy Pochoda writes. Her capture of the complexities, diversities, and insanities of today's life and culture is next to none. I loved Sing Her Down. The world will too." --Michael Connelly, author of Desert Star No Country for Old Men meets Killing Eve in this gritty, feminist Western thriller from the award-winning author of These Women. Florence "Florida" Baum is not the hapless innocent she claims to be when she arrives at the Arizona women's prison--or so her ex-cellmate Diosmary Sandoval keeps insinuating. Dios knows the truth about Florida's crimes, understands what Florence hides even from herself: that she was never a victim of circumstance, an unlucky bystander misled by a bad man. Dios knows that darkness lives in women too, despite the world's refusal to see it. And she is determined to open Florida's eyes and unleash her true self. When an unexpected reprieve gives both women their freedom, Dios's fixation on Florida turns into a dangerous obsession, and a deadly cat-and-mouse chase ensues from Arizona to the desolate streets of Los Angeles. With blistering, incisive prose, the award-winning author Ivy Pochoda delivers a razor-sharp Western. Gripping and immersive, Sing Her Down is a spellbinding thriller setting two indelible women on a path to certain destruction and an epic, stunning showdown.

#95

Sisters of the Lost Nation

by Nick Medina

Amazon Bookshop

Named a Most Anticipated Book by Barnes and Noble ∙ BuzzFeed ∙ GoodReads ∙ Book Riot ∙ CrimeReads ∙ Ms. Magazine ∙ SheReads ∙ Amazon Editor's Pick ∙ Tor.com ∙ and more! A young Native girl's hunt for answers about the women mysteriously disappearing from her tribe's reservation leads her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself, in this atmospheric and stunningly poignant debut. Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation's casino...and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step--an ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one that's intent on devouring her whole. With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she's sure lies in the legends of her tribe's past. When Anna's own little sister also disappears, she'll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation--both ancient and new--are strong, and sometimes, it's the stories that never get told that are the most important. Part gripping thriller and part mythological horror, author Nick Medina spins an incisive and timely novel of life as an outcast, the cost of forgetting tradition, and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be.

#96

Skin Thief

by Suzan Palumbo

Amazon Bookshop

"Pure goth." --Leigh Harlen, author of Queens of Noise and Blood Like GarnetsThe stories in this collection of dark fantasy and horror short stories grapple with the complexities of identity, racism, homophobia, immigration, oppression and patriarchy through nature, gothic hauntings, Trinidadian folklore and shape shifting. At the heart of the collection lie the questions: how do we learn to accept ourselves? How do we live in our own skin?Includes the stories: "The Pull of the Herd" "Personal Rakshasi" "Her Voice, Unmasked" "Of Claw and Bone" "Propagating Peonies" "Kill Jar" (original novelette) "Tessellated" "Laughter Among the Trees" "Apolepisi: A De-Scaling" "Tara's Mother's Skin" "The Bride" "Douen"

#97

Standing in the Shadows

by Peter Robinson

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#98

The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies

by Alison Goodman

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A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an 'old maid' to protect other women in a new and fiercely feminist historical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman. Lady Augusta Colebrook, "Gus," is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a distraction. One soon presents itself: to rescue their friend's goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband. The sisters set out to Caroline's country estate with a plan, but their carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally shoots and injures the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia twenty years ago. What follows is a high adventure full of danger, clever improvisation, heart-racing near misses, and a little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan. Back in London, Gus can't stop thinking about her unlikely (not to mention handsome) comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. She persuades Julia to join her in a quest to help Lord Evan, and others in need--society be damned! And so begins the beguiling secret life and adventures of the Colebrook twins.

#99

The Centre

by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

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A New York Times Editors' Choice - An Amazon Editors' Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense "The most fascinating debut I've read in years--enigmatic, biting, absurd, and right when you think you've got it figured out, utterly horrifying." --Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling author of Whalefall and The Shape of Water (with Guillermo del Toro) "A gripping, surreal mystery about language, identity, and greed." --Peng Shepherd, bestselling author of The Cartographers "The Centre draws you in with a gentle hand until it throws the mallet down." --Chelsea G. Summers, author of A Certain Hunger "The Centre is as haunting as it is tempting; this book devoured me back." --Sarah Gailey, author of Just Like Home and Eat the Rich In this "dazzling" speculative debut, a London-based Pakistani translator furthers her stalled career by attending a mysterious language school that boasts near-instant fluency--but at a secret, sinister cost (Gillian Flynn) Anisa Ellahi dreams of being a translator of "great works of literature," but mostly spends her days subtitling Bollywood movies and living off her parents' generous allowance. Adding to her growing sense of inadequacy, her mediocre white boyfriend, Adam, has successfully leveraged his savant-level aptitude for languages into an enviable career. But when Adam learns to speak Urdu practically overnight, Anisa forces him to reveal his secret. Adam begrudgingly tells her about The Centre, an elite, invite-only program that guarantees complete fluency in any language, in just ten days. This sounds, to Anisa, like a step toward the life she's always wanted. Stripped of her belongings and all contact with the outside world, she enrolls and undergoes The Centre's strange and rigorous processes. But as Anisa enmeshes herself further within the organization, seduced by all that it's made possible, she soon realizes the hidden cost of its services. By turns darkly comic and surreal, and with twists as page-turning as they are shocking, The Centre journeys through Karachi, London, and New Delhi, interrogating the sticky politics of language, translation, and appropriation along the way. Through Anisa's addictive tale of striving and self-actualization, Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi ultimately asks the reader: What is the real price we pay in our scramble to the center?

#100

The Collector

by Daniel Silva

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#1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva delivers another stunning thriller in his action-packed tale of high stakes international intrigue.Legendary art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon joins forces with a brilliant and beautiful master-thief to track down the world's most valuable missing painting but soon finds himself in a desperate race to prevent an unthinkable conflict between Russia and the West. Silva's powerhouse novel showcases his outstanding skill and brilliant imagination, destined to be a must-read for both his multitudes of fans and growing legions of converts.

#101

The Coworker

by Freida McFadden

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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER"Don't start a Freida McFadden book late at night. You won't be able to put it down!"-- Natalie Barelli, bestselling author of UnforgivableTwo women. An office filled with secrets. One terrible crime that can't be taken back.Dawn Schiff is strange.At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.So when Dawn doesn't show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell--beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running--is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything...It turns out Dawn wasn't just an awkward outsider--she was being targeted by someone close. And now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who's the real victim?But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff. Enough to kill.The Coworker is a tense, unputdownable thriller from New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden that explores the dark ways the past can echo through the present--with deadly consequences.

#102

The Dead Take the A Train

by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey

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Bestselling authors Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey have teamed up to deliver a dark new story with magic, monsters, and mayhem, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill. Julie is a coked-up, burnt-out thirty-year-old whose only retirement plan is dying early. She's been trying to establish herself in the NYC magic scene, and she'll work the most gruesome gigs, exorcize the nastiest demons, and make deals with the cruelest gods to claw her way to the top. But nothing can prepare her for the toughest job yet: when her best friend, Sarah, shows up at her door in need of help. Keeping Sarah safe becomes top priority. Julie is desperate for a quick fix to break the dead-end grind and save her friend. But her power grab sets off a deadly chain of events that puts Sarah - and the entire world - directly in the path of annihilation. The first explosive adventure in the Carrion City Duology, The Dead Take the A Train fuses Cassandra Khaw's cosmic horror and Richard Kadrey's gritty fantasy into a full-throttle thrill ride straight into New York's magical underbelly.

#103

The Devil’s Playground

by Craig Russell

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A riveting 1920s Hollywood thriller about the making of the most terrifying silent film ever made, and a deadly search for the single copy rumored still to exist, from the internationally acclaimed author of The Devil Aspect. "An excellent, engrossing historical horror novel."--New York Times Book Review "Rich and riveting...a masterful thriller." --Lincoln Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Addictive." --A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window "Totally engaging." --Kathy Reichs, author of the Temperance Brennan series 1927: Mary Rourke--a Hollywood studio fixer--is called urgently to the palatial home of Norma Carlton, one of the most recognizable stars in American silent film. Norma has been working on the secret film everyone is openly talking about... a terrifying horror picture called The Devil's Playground that is rumored to have unleashed a curse on everyone involved in the production. Mary finds Norma's cold, dead body, and she wonders for just a moment if these dark rumors could be true. 1967: Paul Conway, a journalist and self-professed film aficionado, is on the trail of a tantalizing rumor. He has heard that a single copy of The Devil's Playground--a Holy Grail for film buffs--may exist. He knows his Hollywood history and he knows the film endured myriad tragedies and ended up lost to time. The Devil's Playground is Craig Russell's tour de force, a richly researched and constructed thriller that weaves through the Golden Age of Hollywood and reveals a blossoming industry built on secrets, invented identities, and a desperate pursuit of image. As Mary Rourke charges headlong through the egos, distractions, and traps that threaten to take her down with the doomed production, she discovers a truth far more sinister than she--or we--could have imagined.

#104

The Eden Test

by Adam Sternbergh

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"A galloping and exhilarating thriller." --Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me From Edgar Award-finalist Adam Sternbergh, an electrifying domestic suspense novel for fans of The Perfect Marriage and Rock Paper Scissors, about a couple who are forced to the ultimate extremes to save their marriage--and themselves. Seven Days. Seven Questions. Forever Changed. Daisy and Craig's marriage is in serious trouble. That's why Daisy has signed up for The Eden Test, a week-long getaway for couples in need of a fresh start. Yet even as she's struggling to salvage her marriage, it seems Craig has plans to leave her for another woman. In fact, his bags are already packed--long before he arrives to meet Daisy in this remote cabin in the woods of upstate New York. At first, their week away is marked by solitude, connection, and natural beauty--and only a few hostile locals. But what Craig doesn't know is that Daisy, a slyly talented actress, has her own secrets, including a burner phone she's been using for mysterious texts. Not to mention the Eden Test itself, which poses a searing new question to the couple every day, each more explosive than the last. Their marriage was never perfect, but now the lies and revelations are piling up, as the week becomes much more than they bargained for...How far are they willing to go? Adam Sternbergh brings his wit, originality, and a Hitchcockian sense of dread to this chilling, surprising, and wholly entertaining portrait of a marriage on the brink.

#105

The Enchanters

by James Ellroy

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James Ellroy--Demon Dog of American Letters--goes straight to the tragic heart of 1962 Hollywood with a wild riff on the Marilyn Monroe death myth in an astonishing, behind-the-headlines crime epic. Los Angeles, August 4, 1962. The city broils through a midsummer heat wave. Marilyn Monroe ODs. A B-movie starlet is kidnapped. The overhyped LAPD overreacts. Chief Bill Parker's looking for some getback. The Monroe deal looks like a moneymaker. He calls in Freddy Otash. The freewheeling Freddy O: tainted ex-cop, defrocked private eye, dope fiend, and freelance extortionist. A man who lives by the maxim "Opportunity is love." Freddy gets to work. He dimly perceives Marilyn Monroe's death and the kidnapped starlet to be a poisonous riddle that only he has the guts and the brains to untangle. We are with him as he tears through all those who block his path to the truth. We are with him as he penetrates the faux-sunshine of Jack and Bobby Kennedy and the shuck of Camelot. We are with him as he falters, and grasps for love beyond opportunity. We are with him as he tracks Marilyn Monroe's horrific last charade through a nightmare L.A. that he served to create -- and as he confronts his complicity and his own raging madness. It's the Summer of '62, baby. Freddy O's got a hot date with history. The savage Sixties are ready to pop. It's just a shot away. The Enchanters is a transcendent work of American popular fiction. It is James Ellroy at his most crazed, brilliant, provocative, profanely hilarious, and stop-your-heart tender. It is a luminous psychological drama and an unparalleled thrill ride. It is, resoundingly, the great American crime novel.

#106

The Frozen River

by Ariel Lawhon

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From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history. Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town's most respected gentlemen--one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own. Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie. Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon's newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

#107

The God of Endings

by Jacqueline Holland

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"A new kind of vampire story, and the result is a surprising and spellbinding tale." --Laura Moriarty, New York Times bestselling author of The Chaperone "Great for fans of Interview with a Vampire and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue." --Library Journal Suspenseful and enchanting, this breathtaking debut spans history, weaving a story of love, family, history, and myth as seen through the eyes of one immortal woman. Collette LeSange has been hiding a dark truth: She is immortal. In 1834, Collette's grandfather granted her the gift of eternal life and since then, she has endured centuries of turmoil and heartache. Now, almost 150 years later, Collette is a lonely artist running an elite fine art school for children in upstate New York. But her life is suddenly upended by the arrival of a gifted child from a troubled home, the return of a stalking presence from her past, and her own mysteriously growing hunger for blood. Combining brilliant prose with breathtaking suspense, Jacqueline Holland's The God of Endings serves as a larger exploration of the human condition in all its complexity, asking us the most fundamental question: is life in this world a gift or a curse?

#108

The Handyman Method

by Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan

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A chilling domestic story of terror for fans of Black Mirror and The Amityville Horror. When a young family moves into an unfinished development community, cracks begin to emerge in both their new residence and their lives, as a mysterious online DIY instructor delivers dark subliminal suggestions about how to handle any problem around the house. The trials of home improvement, destructive insecurities, and haunted house horror all collide in this thrilling story perfect for fans of Nick Cutter's bestsellers The Troop and The Deep.

#109

The Haunting of Alejandra

by V. Castro

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A woman is haunted by the Mexican folk demon La Llorona in this "utterly terrifying and wholly immersive . . . story about generational trauma, colonization, systemic oppression, and the horror at the heart of motherhood" (Library Journal, starred review). "Castro is one of the most exciting genre authors on the scene right now, and this might be her most powerful book yet."--Paste Alejandra no longer knows who she is. To her husband, she is a wife, and to her children, a mother. To her own adoptive mother, she is a daughter. But they cannot see who Alejandra has become: a woman struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her. Nor can they see what Alejandra sees. In times of despair, a ghostly vision appears to her, the apparition of a crying woman in a ragged white gown. When Alejandra visits a therapist, she begins exploring her family's history, starting with the biological mother she never knew. As she goes deeper into the lives of the women in her family, she learns that heartbreak and tragedy are not the only things she has in common with her ancestors. Because the crying woman was with them, too. She is La Llorona, the vengeful and murderous mother of Mexican legend. And she will not leave until Alejandra follows her mother, her grandmother, and all the women who came before her into the darkness. But Alejandra has inherited more than just pain. She has inherited the strength and the courage of her foremothers--and she will have to summon everything they have given her to banish La Llorona forever.

#110

The Insatiable Volt Sisters

by Rachel Eve Moulton

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"Weird and exhilarating and funny and sad and disturbing and scary and poignant and righteous." --Paul Tremblay, author of The Pallbearers Club "Pure nightmare fuel." --Gus Moreno, author of This Thing Between Us It's the summer of 1989 and Beatrice and Henrietta Volt are coming of age on remote Fowler Island, their ancestral home and wild playground. Thicker than thieves, the sisters plot their futures, having no idea that their parents are separating. Or that the plan is to separate them. Ten years pass before Henrie gets a desperate call from her sister--their father has died suddenly and B.B. needs her to come back to the island for the funeral. But Henrie doesn't want to go back. She's barely put the island and all those rumors about missing women behind her. And isn't it odd that she remembers nothing at all about the night she left? And why is she suddenly filled with fear about the quarry pond behind the house? Told from the perspectives of four flawed, fascinating women, The Insatiable Volt Sisters is a lush, enthralling fable about monsters real and imagined. From the unbounded imagination of Rachel Eve Moulton, the critically acclaimed author of Tinfoil Butterfly, comes another eerie, terrifying exploration of family and legacy: Will the Volt sisters inherit the horrors of their past or surpass them?

#111

The Last One

by Will Dean

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An unputdownable locked-room thriller about family, trust, and survival from the acclaimed author of the "utterly thrilling" (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author) First Born. When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it's the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing. And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that's just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.

#112

The Leftover Woman

by Jean Kwok

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A Most Anticipated Book by The New York Times - Elle - Good Morning America - TIME - People - New York Post - PopSugar - Goodreads - LibraryReads - and many more! An evocative family drama and a riveting mystery about the ferocious pull of motherhood for two very different women--from the New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee and Girl in Translation. "Intriguing. . . Kwok is a skilled writer of suspenseful family drama. . . . We root for Jasmine and Rebecca as they face impossible choices and emerge stronger for all the battles they've fought, always resisting becoming the 'leftover' women." --Leigh Haber, New York Times Book Review Jasmine Yang arrives in New York City from her rural Chinese village without money or family support, fleeing a controlling husband, on a desperate search for the daughter who was taken from her at birth--another female casualty of China's controversial One Child Policy. But with her husband on her trail, the clock is ticking, and she's forced to make increasingly risky decisions if she ever hopes to be reunited with her daughter.Meanwhile, publishing executive Rebecca Whitney seems to have it all: a prestigious family name and the wealth that comes with it, a high-powered career, a beautiful home, a handsome husband, and an adopted Chinese daughter she adores. She's even hired a nanny to help her balance the demands of being a working wife and mother. But when an industry scandal threatens to jeopardize not only Rebecca's job but her marriage, this perfect world begins to crumble and her role in her own family is called into question.The Leftover Woman finds these two unforgettable women on a shocking collision course. Twisting and suspenseful and surprisingly poignant, it's a profound exploration of identity and belonging, motherhood and family. It is a story of two women in a divided city--separated by severe economic and cultural differences yet bound by a deep emotional connection to a child."A magnetic meditation on secret histories, motherhood, love, and how we show up for each other in the most surprising of ways. A beautiful, propulsive story!" -- Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me"A heart-tugging exploration of love, belonging, and the meaning of family." -- Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The It Girl

#113

The Lock-Up

by John Banville

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Mystery A must-read mystery to curl up with this fall *NATIONAL BESTSELLER* A New York Times Editors' Choice Booker Prize winner and "Irish master" (The New Yorker) John Banville's most ambitious crime novel yet brings two detectives together to solve a globe-spanning mystery In 1950s Dublin, Rosa Jacobs, a young history scholar, is found dead in her car. Renowned pathologist Dr. Quirke and DI St. John Strafford begin to investigate the death as a murder, but it's the victim's older sister Molly, an established journalist, who discovers a lead that could crack open the case. One of Rosa's friends, it turns out, is from a powerful German family that arrived in Ireland under mysterious circumstances shortly after World War II. But as Quirke and Strafford close in, their personal lives may put the case--and everyone involved--in peril, including Quirke's own daughter. Spanning the mountaintops of Italy, the front lines of World War II Bavaria, the gritty streets of Dublin and other unexpected locales, The Lock-Up is an ambitious and arresting mystery by one of the world's most celebrated authors.

#114

The Peacock and the Sparrow

by I.S. Berry

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A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE WEEK During the Arab Spring, an American spy's final mission goes dangerously awry in this explosive and "remarkable debut" (Joseph Kanon, New York Times bestselling author) from a former CIA officer that is perfect for fans of John le Carré, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Alan Furst. Shane Collins, a world-weary CIA spy, is ready to come in from the cold. Stationed in Bahrain off the coast of Saudi Arabia for his final tour, he's anxious to dispense with his mission--uncovering Iranian support for the insurgency against the monarchy. But then he meets Almaisa, a beautiful and enigmatic artist, and his eyes are opened to a side of Bahrain most expats never experience, to questions he never thought to ask. When his trusted informant becomes embroiled in a murder, Collins finds himself drawn deep into the conflict and his growing romance with Almaisa upended. In an instant, he's caught in the crosshairs of a revolution. Drawing on all his skills as a spymaster, he must navigate a bloody uprising, win Almaisa's love, and uncover the murky border where Bahrain's secrets end and America's begin. "A breathless tour-de-force, the perfect spy tale" (Ian Caldwell, author of The Fifth Gospel) and dripping with authenticity, The Peacock and the Sparrow is a timely story of the elusiveness of truth, the power of love and belief, and the universal desire to be part of a cause greater than oneself.

#115

The Promise of Plague Wolves

by Coy Hall

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AUSTRIA. 1686. Two plagues rage in the countryside. One plague is smallpox, a torturous disease that ravages the body, turning homes into tombs. The other ailment is more mysterious, a scourge of occult origin, a plague that ravages the mind and consumes the soul. Here the deepest horrors are made manifest. Here the dead walk the shadowed wood. Here a spirit and its brood of changelings emerge from the earth to feed. Into this malefic maelstrom enters Dorin Toth, famed occultist and investigator. Accompanied by his faithful greyhound, Vinegar Tom, Toth must find the source of the eldritch epidemic. Will Toth and Tom prevail against the blights that they uncover? Or will the dark storm of ghosts consume them?

#116

The Running Grave

by Robert Galbraith

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In the seventh installment in the "outrageously entertaining" Strike series, detective duo Cormoran and Robin must rescue a man ensnared in the trap of a dangerous cult. (Financial Times) Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside. The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organization that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths. In order to try to rescue Will, Strike's business partner, Robin Ellacott, decides to infiltrate the cult, and she travels to Norfolk to live incognito among its members. But in doing so, she is unprepared for the dangers that await her there or for the toll it will take on her. . . Utterly page-turning, The Running Grave moves Strike's and Robin's story forward in this epic, unforgettable seventh installment of the series.

#117

The Sanctuary

by Gustavo Eduardo Abrevaya

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Treading the line between crime thriller, detective story, and horror novel, The Sanctuary is a chilling portrayal of an upside down world, where evil is the norm and spaces once considered safe havens hold unimaginable terror. When their car breaks down outside of the small Argentinian village of Los Huemules, indie filmmaker Álvaro and his wife, muse, and lead actress Alicia consider it a minor inconvenience. Seeking shelter in the town's lone motel, they settle in for a night of decadent fun, but after Alicia disappears without a trace the following morning, Álvaro embarks on an increasingly desperate quest to find her. Armed only with a video camera and with a growing sense of dread, Álvaro begins gradually uncovering the town's many dark secrets, with each revelation being more horrific than the last. "Comparable to a David Lynch nightmare."

#118

The September House

by Carissa Orlando

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"Why run from a haunted house when you can stay and ignore the ghosts? Just when you thought you'd seen everything a haunted house novel could do, The September House comes along and delivers an eerie, darkly funny, and emotionally grounded book about the ghosts that haunt houses and marriages."- Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel. When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street--for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price--they couldn't believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. Margaret is not most people. Margaret is staying. It's her house. But after four years Hal can't take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he's not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine--who knows nothing about the hauntings--arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

#119

The Shoemaker’s Magician

by Cynthia Pelayo

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A fabled lost movie. An increasing body count. How much do you risk for art? Paloma has been watching the Grand Vespertilio Show her entire life. Grand, America's most beloved horror host showcases classic, low-budget and cult horror movies with a flourish, wearing his black tuxedo and hat, but Paloma has noticed something strange about Grand, stranger than his dark make-up and Gothic television set. After Paloma's husband, a homicide detective, discovers an obscure movie poster pinned on a mutilated corpse on stage at the Chicago Theater, she knows that the only person that can help solve this mystery is Grand. When another body appears at an abandoned historic movie palace the deaths prove to be connected to a silent film, lost to the ages, but somehow at the center of countless tragedies in Chicago. The closer Paloma gets to Grand she discovers that his reach is far greater than her first love, horror movies, and even this film. And she soon becomes trapped between protecting a silent movie that's contributed to so much death in her city and the life of her young son.

#120

The Villa

by Rachel Hawkins

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#121

The Whispers

by Ashley Audrain

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"Expertly, subtly and powerfully rendered....[The Whispers] delivers a sucker-punch ending you'll have to read twice to believe."--The New York Times Book Review "[An] electrifying...razor-sharp page-turner." --Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After Featured in summer reading recommendations by Good Morning America, TIME, ELLE, The Washington Post & more From the New York Times bestselling author of The Push, a propulsive page-turner about four families whose lives are changed when the unthinkable happens--and what is lost when we give in to our own worst impulses On Harlow Street, the well-to-do neighborhood couples and their children gather for a catered barbecue as the summer winds down; drinks continue late into the night. Everything is fabulous until the picture-perfect hostess explodes in fury because her son disobeys her. Everyone at the party hears her exquisite veneer crack--loud and clear. Before long, that same young boy falls from his bedside window in the middle of the night. And then, his mother can only sit by her son's hospital bed, where she refuses to speak to anyone, and his life hangs in the balance. What happens next, over the course of a tense three days, as each of these women grapple with what led to that terrible night? Exploring envy, women's friendships, desire, and the intuitions that we silence, The Whispers is a chilling novel that marks Audrain as a major women's fiction talent.

#122

The White Lady

by Jacqueline Winspear

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#123

The Year of the Locust

by Terry Hayes

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Terry Hayes, author of the #1 global bestseller I Am Pilgrim, returns with a terrifying and eagerly awaited new thriller. If, like Kane, you're a Denied Access Area spy for the CIA, then boundaries have no meaning. Your function is to go in, do whatever is required, and get out again--by whatever means necessary. You know when to run, when to hide--and when to shoot. But some places don't play by the rules. Some places are too dangerous, even for a man of Kane's experience. The badlands where the borders of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan meet are such a place--a place where violence is the only way to survive. Kane travels there to exfiltrate a man with vital information for the safety of the West--but instead he meets an adversary who will take the world to the brink of extinction. A frightening, clever, vicious man with blood on his hands and vengeance in his heart...

#124

There’s No Way I’d Die First

by Lisa Springer

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A spine-tingling contemporary horror-comedy novel that follows a scary-movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly game, from debut author Lisa Springer. Seventeen-year-old Noelle Layne knows horror. Every trope, every warning sign, every survival tactic. She even leads a successful movie club dedicated to the genre. Who better to throw the ultimate, most exclusive Halloween party on all of Long Island? With some of the top influencers in her school on the guest list, including gorgeous singer-songwriter Archer Mitchell, her popularity is bound to spike. She could really use the social boost for an upcoming brand expansion. Nothing is going to ruin this party. Except...maybe the low budget It clown she hired for a stirring round of tag. He axes one of her classmates. From the looks of his devilish grin and bag full of killer tricks, he's just getting started. A murderous clown is out for blood, but Noelle has been waiting her entire life to prove that she's a Final Girl.

#125

Wasps in the Ice Cream

by Tim McGregor

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What happens when you fall for the girl everyone hates? Summer 1987: Mark Prewitt's only priority is to avoid his dad's new wife and waste time with his friends, but idle nights are the devil's playground. When his friends decide to pull a cruel prank on the reclusive and strange Farrow sisters, Mark regrets caving in to peer pressure. Wanting to make amends, Mark is drawn into the mysterious world of the Farrow girls, finding a kindred spirit in the middle sister, George. She is unlike anyone he's ever known; a practicing witch who uses folk magic to protect her family. They bond over books, loneliness, and homemade spells. She even invites Mark to join a séance to contact her dead sister, who died under mysterious circumstances. Keeping their relationship secret, Mark learns that living a double life in a town this small is impossible. When the secret is exposed, and his friends plot to punish the witch sisters for stealing one of their own, Mark is forced to choose between these two worlds. "Filled with evocative and captivating scenes, strong female characters, and an engaging narration, readers will become engrossed immediately, while the threat and fear at the heart of this story, satisfyingly, sneaks up on them." -Booklist, starred

#126

What Lies in the Woods

by Kate Alice Marshall

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They were eleven when they sent a killer to prison. They were heroes . . . but they were liars. Kate Alice Marshall's What Lies in the Woods is a thrilling novel about friendship, secrets, betrayal, and lies - and having the courage to face the past. "Clever and deliciously dark." --Alice Feeney, bestselling author of Rock Paper Scissors "Unexpected plot twists, deep psychological perspicacity, and an endlessly interesting dance between past and present...evokes the dread and intensity of Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects." --New York Times Book Review Naomi Shaw used to believe in magic. Twenty-two years ago, she and her two best friends, Cassidy and Olivia, spent the summer roaming the woods, imagining a world of ceremony and wonder. They called it the Goddess Game. The summer ended suddenly when Naomi was attacked. Miraculously, she survived her seventeen stab wounds and lived to identify the man who had hurt her. The girls' testimony put away a serial killer, wanted for murdering six women. They were heroes. And they were liars. For decades, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods--no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be. "What Lies In the Woods is a gorgeous fever dream of a novel about the dangers lurking in the hearts and imaginations of little girls. Kate Alice Marshall deftly charts a winding path through her creepy woods, doubling back and changing course to build a labyrinth of secrets and lies in which I was delighted to lose myself for hours. Hands down, it's the best thriller I've read in a long, long time."--Chandler Baker, bestselling author of The Husbands "Shines an incisive light on the secrets of a small-town community...Great writing and boldly drawn characters bring a terrifying tale to all-too-vivid life." --Kirkus, starred review

#127

Wild Spaces

by S.L. Coney

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An Esquire Best of Horror 2023 pick "Without question, one of the most beautifully written books I've read this year."--The Wall Street Journal "Can a horror story be beautiful? Wild Spaces tells a terrible truth in the most achingly beautiful way."--Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor Robert R. McCammon's Boy's Life meets Lovecraftian horror in this foreboding, sensual coming-of-age debut in which the corrosive nature of family secrets and toxic relatives assume eldritch proportions. An eleven-year-old boy lives an idyllic childhood exploring the remote coastal plains and wetlands of South Carolina alongside his parents and his dog Teach. But when the boy's eerie and estranged grandfather shows up one day with no warning, cracks begin to form as hidden secrets resurface that his parents refuse to explain. The longer his grandfather outstays his welcome and the greater the tension between the adults grows, the more the boy feels something within him changing --physically--into something his grandfather welcomes and his mother fears. Something abyssal. Something monstrous.

#128

Your Lonely Nights Are Over

by Adam Sass

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Scream meets Clueless in this YA horror from Adam Sass in which two gay teen BFFs find their friendship tested when a serial killer starts targeting their school's Queer Club. Dearie and Cole are inseparable, unlikeable, and (in bad luck for them) totally unbelievable. From the day they met, Dearie and Cole have been two against the world. But whenever something bad happens at Stone Grove High School, they get blamed. Why? They're beautiful, flirtatious, dangerously clever queen bees, and they're always ready to call out their fellow students. But they've never faced a bigger threat than surviving senior year, when Mr. Sandman, a famous, never-caught serial killer emerges from a long retirement--and his hunting ground is their school Queer Club. As evidence and bodies begin piling up and suspicion points at Dearie and Cole, they will need to do whatever it takes to unmask the real killer before they and the rest of Queer Club are taken down. But they're not getting away from the killer without a fight. Along the way, they must confront dark truths hidden beneath the surface of their small desert community. When the world is stacked against them and every flop they know is a suspect, can Dearie and Cole stop Mr. Sandman's rampage? Or will their lonely nights soon be over . . .

#129

Zero Days

by Ruth Ware

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The New York Times bestselling "new Agatha Christie" (Air Mail) Ruth Ware returns with this adrenaline-fueled thriller that combines Mr. and Mrs. Smith with The Fugitive about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband's murderer. Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect--her. Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery from an author whose "propulsive prose keeps readers on the hook and refuses to let anyone off until all has been revealed" (Shelf Awareness).

#130

101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered

by Sadie Hartmann

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#131

73 Dove Street

by Julie Owen Moylan

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#132

A Dark Corner

by Celia Dale

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#133

A Dark Roux

by Blaine Daigle

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Beneath the black waters of the Louisiana bayou hides a world of dark mysticism. A world steeped in superstition and the decay of family legacies. A world Rhiannon LeBeau thought she'd left behind fifteen years ago after a summer of tragedy and horror. But following the death of their mother, Rhiannon LeBeau and her younger brother Rhett find themselves drawn back to their crumbling ancestral home deep in the sugarcane farms of Terrebonne Parish. A place full of family secrets and lost memories that will force both siblings to come face to face with the demons of their past...and present. Because something has been waiting for their return. Something with a long memory and a debt to collect. Something tied to the bayou in blood. Something that intends to make sure Rhiannon and Rhett never leave again.

#134

A Death in the Parish – Canon Clement Mystery

by Reverend Richard Coles

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#135

A Game of Deceit

by Tim Glister

Amazon Bookshop

Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Value for money Easy to use Ideal product

#136

A Game of Lies – DC Morgan

by Clare Mackintosh

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#137

A Good House for Children

by Kate Collins

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#138

A Good Man

by P.J. McIlvaine

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#139

A Guide to the Dark

by Meriam Metoui

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

You can check out of Room 9, but you can never leave. The Haunting of Hill House meets Nina LaCour in this paranormal mystery YA about the ghosts we carry with us. Something is building, simmering just out of reach. The room is watching. But Mira and Layla don't know this yet. When the two best friends are stranded on their spring break college tour road trip, they find themselves at the Wildwood Motel, located in the middle of nowhere, Indiana. Mira can't shake the feeling that there is something wrong and rotten about their room. Inside, she's haunted by nightmares of her dead brother. When she wakes up, he's still there. Layla doesn't see him. Or notice anything suspicious about Room 9. The place may be a little run down, but it has a certain charm she can't wait to capture on camera. If Layla is being honest, she's too preoccupied with confusing feelings for Mira to see much else. But when they learn eight people died in that same room, they realize there must be a connection between the deaths and the unexplainable things that keep happening inside it. They just have to find the connection before Mira becomes the ninth. Readers won't be able to put down this tender thriller that includes over thirty interior black and white photos by the author!

#140

A Helping Hand

by Celia Dale

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#141

A Hunter Called Night

by Tim Waggoner

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#142

A Killing of Innocents

by Deborah Crombie

Amazon Bookshop

Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

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#143

A Long Time Dead

by Samara Breger

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Samara Breger's A Long Time Dead is a lush, Victorian romance, drenched in blood and drama, about the lengths two women will go to secure a love that cannot die. Somewhere foggy, 1837 . . . Poppy had always loved the night, which is why it wasn't too much of a bother to wake one evening in an unfamiliar home far from London, weak and confused and plagued with a terrible thirst for blood, to learn that she could no longer step out into the day. And while vampirism presented several disadvantages, it more than made up for those in its benefits: immortality, a body that could run at speed for hours without tiring, the thrill of becoming a predator, the thing that pulls rabbits from bushes and tears through their fur and flesh with the sharp point of a white fang. And, of course, Roisin. The mysterious woman who has lived for centuries, who held Poppy through her painful transformation, and who, for some reason, is now teaching her how to adjust to her new, endless life. A tight, lonely, buttoned-up woman, with kindness and care pressed up behind her teeth. The time they spend together is as transformative to Poppy as the changes in her body, and soon, she finds herself hopelessly, overwhelmingly attached. But Roisin has secrets of her own, and can't make any promises; not when vengeance must be served. Soon, their little world explodes. Together and apart, they encounter scores of vampires, shifty pirates, conniving opera singers, ancient nobles, glamorous French women, and a found family that throws a very particular sort of party. But overhead, threat looms--one woman who is capable of destroying everything Poppy and Roisin hold dear.

#144

A Man Among Ghosts

by Steven Hopstaken

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#145

A Manual for How to Love Us

by Erin Slaughter

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A debut, interlinked collection of stories exploring the primal nature of women’s grief—offering insight into the profound experience of loss and the absurd ways in which we seek control in an unruly world. Seamlessly shifting between the speculative and the blindingly real, balancing the bizarre with the subtle brutality of the mundane, A Manual for How to Love Us is a tender portrait of women trying their best to survive, love, and find genuine meaning in the aftermath of loss. In these unconventional and unpredictably connected stories, Erin Slaughter shatters the stereotype of the soft-spoken, sorrowful woman in distress, queering the domestic and honoring the feral in all of us. In each story, grieving women embrace their wildest impulses as they attempt to master their lives: one woman becomes a “gazer” at a fraternity house, another slowly moves into her otherworldly stained-glass art, a couple speaks only in their basement’s black box, and a thruple must decide what to do when one partner disappears. The women in Erin Slaughter’s stories suffer messy breaks, whisper secrets to the ghosts tangled in the knots of their hair, eat raw meat to commune with their inner wolves, and build deadly MLM schemes along the Gulf Coast. Set across oft-overlooked towns in the American South, A Manual for How to Love Us spotlights women who are living on the brink and clinging to its precipitous edge. Lyrical and surprisingly humorous, A Manual for How to Love Us is an exciting debut that reveals the sticky complications of living in a body, in all its grotesquerie and glory.

#146

A Moonlit Path of Madness

by Catherine McCarthy

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#147

A Most Agreeable Murder

by Julia Seales

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Publishers Weekly – Best Mystery of 2023

#148

A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe

by Mark Dawidziak

Amazon Bookshop

Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

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#149

A Newlywed’s Guide to Fortune and Murder

by Dianne Freeman

Amazon Bookshop

Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen, Deanna Raybourn, and Tasha Alexander, a witty romp through the high society of Victorian England with a touch of romance, an independent female lead, and rich historical detail from the acclaimed and Agatha Award-winning author. With her new husband George busy on a special mission for the British Museum, Frances has taken on an assignment of her own. The dowager Viscountess Winstead needs someone to sponsor her niece, Kate, for presentation to Queen Victoria. Frances--who understands society's quirks and constraints as only an outsider can--is the perfect candidate. Kate is charming and intelligent, though perhaps not quite as sheltered as she might first appear. More worrying to Frances is the viscountess's sudden deterioration. The usually formidable dowager has become shockingly frail, and Frances suspects someone may be drugging her. The spotlight falls on Kate, who stands to inherit if her aunt passes, yet there are plenty of other likely candidates within the dowager's household, both above and belowstairs. Joining forces with her beloved George, Frances comes to believe that the late viscount, too, was targeted. And with the dowager seeming to be in greater danger every day, they must flush out the villain before she follows in her husband's footsteps, directly to the grave . . .

#150

A Night of Screams: Latino Horror Stories

by Richard Z. Santos

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#151

A Red Winter in the West

by C.S. Humble

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#152

A Season of Monstrous Conceptions

by Lina Rather

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#153

A Sleight of Shadows

by Kat Howard

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Return to Kat Howard's Alex Award-winning world begun in An Unkindness of Magicians, a secret society of power-hungry magicians in New York City. After taking down the source of the corruption of the Unseen World, Sydney is left with almost no magical ability. Feeling estranged from herself, she is determined to find a way back to her status as one of the world's most dangerous magicians. Unfortunately, she needs to do this quickly: the House of Shadows, the hell on earth that shaped her into who she was, the place she sacrificed everything to destroy, is rebuilding itself. "The House of Shadows sits on bones. All of the sacrifices, all of the magicians who died in Shadows, they're buried beneath the foundations. Bones hold magic." The magic of the Unseen World is acting strangely, faltering, bleeding out from the edges. Determined to keep the House of Shadows from returning to power and to defeat the magicians who want nothing more than to have it back, Sydney turns to extremes in a desperate attempt to regain her sacrificed magic. She is forced to decide what she will give up and what she will lose and whether what must be destroyed is not only the House of Shadows, but the Unseen World itself. World Fantasy Award finalist Kat Howard has written a sequel that asks how you have a happily ever in a world that doesn't want it, where the cost of that happiness may be too much to bear.

#154

A Sword of Bronze and Ashes

by Anna Smith Spark

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Readers of Shauna Lawless and Thilde Kold Holdt will love this Celtic-inflected adventure by critically acclaimed, grimdark epic fantasy novelist, Anna Smith Spark. A Sword of Bronze and Ashes combines the fierce beauty of Celtic myth with grimdark battle violence. It's a lyrical, folk horror high fantasy. Kanda has a good life until shadows from her past return threatening everything she loves. And Kanda, like any parent, has things in her past she does not want her children to know. Red war is coming: pursued by an ancient evil, Kanda must call upon all her strength to protect her family. But how can she keep her children safe, if they want to stand as warriors beside her when the light fades and darkness rises? FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress

#155

A Thread of Violence: A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder

by Mark O'Connell

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE From the award-winning author comes the gripping tale of one of the most scandalous murderers in modern Irish history, at once a propulsive work of true crime and an act of literary subversion. "A masterpiece"--The Observer - "Disturbing [and] compelling"--Colm Toíbín - "Superb and unforgettable"--Sally Rooney - "Brilliant"--New York Times Book Review - "A masterly work"--John Banville - "Fascinating"--Emmanuel Carrère - "Morally complex and mesmerizing"--Fintan O'Toole Malcolm Macarthur was a well-known Dublin socialite. Suave and urbane, he passed his days mingling with artists and aristocrats, reading philosophy, living a life of the mind. But by 1982, his inheritance had dwindled to almost nothing, a desperate threat to his lifestyle. Macarthur hastily conceived a plan: He would commit bank robbery, of the kind that had become frightfully common in Dublin at the time. But his plan spun swiftly out of control, and he needlessly killed two innocent civilians. The ensuing manhunt, arrest, and conviction amounted to one of the most infamous political scandals in modern Irish history, contributing to the eventual collapse of a government. Winner of the Wellcome and Rooney Prizes, Mark O'Connell spent countless hours in conversation with Macarthur--interviews that veered from confession to evasion. Through their tense exchanges and O'Connell's independent reporting, a pair of narratives unspools: a riveting account of Macarthur's crimes and a study of the hazy line between truth and invention. We come to see not only the enormity of the murders but the damage that's inflicted when a life is rendered into story. At once propulsive and searching, A Thread of Violence is a hard look at a brutal act, its subterranean origins, and the long shadow it casts. It offers a haunting and insightful examination of the lies we tell ourselves--and the lengths we'll go to preserve them.

#156

A Very Lively Murder

by Katy Watson

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#157

Abandon

by Blake Crouch

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A century-old mystery—and a desperate battle to survive—unfold in this standalone thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion. On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman, and child in a remote mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins, and not a single bone found. Now, journalist Abigail Foster and her historian father have set out to explore the long-abandoned town and learn what happened. With them are two backcountry guides—along with a psychic and a paranormal photographer who are there to investigate rumors that the town is haunted. But Abigail and her companions are about to learn that the town’s ghosts are the least of their worries. Twenty miles from civilization, with a blizzard bearing down, they realize they are not alone. The ordeal that follows will test this small team past the breaking point as they battle the elements and human foes alike—and discover that the town’s secrets still have the power to kill. Part journey into old-West history, part nail-biting survival thriller, Abandon is a bloody, darkly surprising tale as only Blake Crouch could deliver.

#158

Against the Currant

by Olivia Matthews

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NYPL – Best Books for Adults 2023

In Olivia Matthews's Against the Currant, the first Spice Isle Bakery Mystery, investigating a murder was never supposed to be on the menu... Little Caribbean, Brooklyn, New York: Lyndsay Murray is opening Spice Isle Bakery with her family, and it's everything she's ever wanted. The West Indian bakery is her way to give back to the community she loves, stay connected to her Grenadian roots, and work side-by-side with her family. The only thing getting a rise out of Lyndsay is Claudio Fabrizi, a disgruntled fellow bakery owner who does not want any competition. On opening day, he comes into the bakery threatening to shut them down. Fed up, Lyndsay takes him to task in front of what seems to be the whole neighborhood. So when Claudio turns up dead a day later--murdered--Lyndsay is unfortunately the prime suspect. To get the scent of suspicion off her and her bakery, Lyndsay has to prove she's innocent--under the watchful eyes of her overprotective brother, anxious parents, and meddlesome extended family--what could go wrong?

#159

Agony’s Lodestone

by Laura Keating

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#160

AHH! That’s What I Call Horror: An Anthology of ‘90s Horror

by Chelsea Pumpkins

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#161

Aliens: Bishop

by T.R. Napper

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#162

All Hallows

by Christopher Golden

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#163

All That Is Mine I Carry With Me: A Novel

by William Landay

Amazon Bookshop

Amazon – Best Mysteries, Thrillers and Suspense Books of 2023

#164

All the Dangerous Things

by Stacy Willingham

Amazon Bookshop

Goodreads – Best Mystery & Thriller 2023

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#165

All the Dead Lie Down

by Kyrie McCauley

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The Haunting of Bly Manor meets House of Salt and Sorrows in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley's contemporary YA gothic romance about a dark family lineage, the ghosts of grief, and the lines we'll cross for love. The Sleeping House was very much awake . . .Days after a tragedy leaves Marin Blythe alone in the world, she receives a surprising invitation from Alice Lovelace--an acclaimed horror writer and childhood friend of Marin's mother. Alice offers her a nanny position at Lovelace House, the family's coastal Maine estate. Marin accepts and soon finds herself minding Alice's peculiar girls. Thea buries her dolls one by one, hosting a series of funerals, while Wren does everything in her power to drive Marin away. Then Alice's eldest daughter returns home unexpectedly. Evie Hallowell is every bit as strange as her younger sisters, and yet Marin is quickly drawn in by Evie's compelling behavior and ethereal grace. But as Marin settles in, she can't escape the anxiety that follows her like a shadow. Dead birds appear in Marin's room. The children's pranks escalate. Something dangerous lurks in the woods, leaving mutilated animals in its wake. All is not well at Lovelace House, and Marin must unravel its secrets before they consume her.

#166

All These Sunken Souls

by Circe Moskowitz

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#167

An Ordinary Violence

by Adriana Chartrand

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Terrible things happen side by side with the ordinary. Dawn hasn't spoken to her brother, Cody, since he was sent to prison for a violent crime seven years ago. But when Dawn's seemingly perfect life in the big city implodes, she is forced to return to her childhood home and the prairie city that still holds so much pain for her and her fractured family. Cody is released from prison with a mysterious new friend by his side, and Dawn must follow increasingly sinister leads to uncover their nefarious plans to access a dangerous supernatural network. As the lines between right and wrong blur and dissolve, Dawn recons with trauma and violence, loss and reclamation in an unsettling world where spirit realms entwine with the living—and where it is humans who carry out the truly monstrous acts.

#168

An Unholy Triquetra: Celtic Fairy Tales

by Jason Parent

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#169

Ancient Images

by Ramsey Campbell

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#170

And Then She Fell

by Alicia Elliott

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A Most Anticipated Book Pick by Good Morning America, Bustle, CrimeReads, Electric Literature, Debutiful, Ms. Magazine, The Nerd Daily, and Paste A mind-bending, razor-sharp look at motherhood and mental health that follows a young Indigenous woman who discovers the picture-perfect life she always hoped for may have horrifying consequences On the surface, Alice is exactly where she thinks she should be: She's just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Dawn; her charming husband, Steve--a white academic whose area of study is conveniently her own Mohawk culture--is nothing but supportive; and they've moved into a new home in a posh Toronto neighborhood. But Alice could not feel like more of an impostor. She isn't connecting with her daughter, a struggle made even more difficult by the recent loss of her own mother, and every waking moment is spent hiding her despair from Steve and their ever-watchful neighbors, among whom she's the sole Indigenous resident. Even when she does have a minute to herself, her perpetual self-doubt hinders the one vestige of her old life she has left: her goal of writing a modern retelling of the Haudenosaunee creation story. Then, as if all that wasn't enough, strange things start to happen. She finds herself losing bits of time and hearing voices she can't explain, all while her neighbors' passive-aggressive behavior begins to morph into something far more threatening. Though Steve assures her this is all in her head, Alice cannot fight the feeling that something is very, very wrong, and that in her creation story lies the key to her and Dawn's survival.... She just has to finish it before it's too late. Told in Alice's raw and darkly funny voice, And Then She Fell is an urgent and unflinching exploration of inherited trauma, womanhood, denial, and false allyship, which speeds to an unpredictable--and surreal--climax.

#171

And Your Enemies Closer

by Rob Parker

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#172

Apparitions

by Adam Pottle

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Violence was his first language. A nameless Deaf teen escapes his father's basement after years of imprisonment. Bloody, alone, and without language, he stumbles through the Saskatchewan prairies and lands in a psychiatric facility, where he meets Felix, another Deaf teen. Felix-cunning and ambitious-teaches the nameless narrator Sign Language and begins to mold the abused teen's mind. But mold into what?

#173

Ascension

by Nicholas Binge

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"You've gotta read Ascension by Nicholas Binge. Old-school creepy. . .five-star horror."--Stephen King "Smartly paced, deploying twists and turns strategically to keep the reader moving. . . The ideas are big and the journey is a whole lot of fun." --The New York Times "[An] excellent page-turner. . . a macabre, escapist pleasure for the thoughtful set."--The Wall Street Journal A mind-bending speculative thriller in which the sudden appearance of a mountain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean leads a group of scientists to a series of revelations that challenge the notion of what it means to be human The only way out is up. . . An enormous snow-covered mountain has appeared in the Pacific Ocean. No one knows when exactly it showed up, precisely how big it might be, or how to explain its existence. When Harold Tunmore is contacted by a shadowy organization to help investigate, he has no idea what he is getting into as he and his team set out for the mountain. The higher Harold's team ascends, the less things make sense. Time moves differently, turning minutes into hours, and hours into days. Amid the whipping cold of higher elevation, the climbers' limbs numb and memories of their lives before the mountain begin to fade. Paranoia quickly turns to violence among the crew, and slithering, ancient creatures pursue them in the snow. Still, as the dangers increase, the mystery of the mountain compels them to its peak, where they are certain they will find their answers. Have they stumbled upon the greatest scientific discovery known to man or the seeds of their own demise? Framed by the discovery of Harold Tunmore's unsent letters to his family and the chilling and provocative story they tell, Ascension considers the limitations of science and faith and examines both the beautiful and the unsettling sides of human nature.

#174

At the End of Every Day

by Arianna Reiche

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A loyal employee of an iconic California theme park questions the death of a popular and beloved Hollywood starlet on the park grounds while two other people with ties to the enterprise discuss why employees have been disappearing.

#175

Bad Kids

by Zijin Chen

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NYPL – Best Books for Adults 2023

An edge-of-your-seat game of cat-and-mouse as a trio of young witnesses blackmail a murderer and follow the path of their own darkest impulses Stand by Me meets Strangers on a Train in this blockbuster suspense thriller that's taken China by storm, proving anyone can become a killer THE PERFECT CRIME DOESN'T EXIST... One beautiful morning, Zhang Dongsheng pushes his wealthy in-laws off a remote mountain. It's the perfect crime. Or so he thinks. For Zhang did not expect that 3 kids would catch him in the act while they're working on a photography project. When an opportunity for blackmail presents itself the trio start down a dark path that will lead to the unravelling of all their lives. This dark and grizzly story, where no one is innocent, is perfect for fans of Keigo Higashino and Un-Su Kim. HERE'S WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BAD KIDS "A fabulously dark suspense novel... totally different and fresh." "It was fast paced, twisty and unpredictable and kept me guessing. Just when I thought it was the best it could be, it got better. Honestly one of the best books I have read. "An incredibly suspenseful thriller that I couldn't put down... I would recommend to anyone as the plot, characters and pacing were perfect." "The kind of twisty, jet-fuelled thriller that explodes on page 1 and has you abandoning work, sleep, and life as you race to the stunning end." "The twists kept getting darker & darker. Not for the faint of heart." "A suspenseful, gripping cat-and-mouse game that never lets the reader go. Unpredictable twists keep coming as the darkness inside various characters spills out more and more with every chapter."

#176

Bad Omens

by Jessica Drake-Thomas

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"Bad Omens by Jessica Drake-Thomas begets a canticle of death and resurrection, a spell for love and revenge, a bellow to claw your way out of the dark and back into this world with fire in your heart. Gothic and mystical, this occult collection drips with saccharine siren songs that tear you apart and inspire righteous anger. Readers will be haunted, enticed, and moved to be true to the darkness in their hearts and 'let the wolves loose.'" -Grace R. Reynolds, author of Lady of The House "... a seance, a collection of shadows. These poems are both plague and witch, a journey into the burning, a dance into the violent. Best enjoyed with a cup of black tea, readers will siphon the poison off these pages, kiss the death that awaits between each word." -Stephanie M. Wytovich, Bram Stoker award-winning poet of Brothel.

#177

Bear Season

by Gemma Fairclough

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

When Jade Hunter, a PhD student from Manchester, goes missing in the Alaskan wilderness, suspicion falls on the reclusive survivalist Ursula Smith, who is swiftly arrested and convicted of murder.

#178

Beast

by Lindz McLeod

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#179

Beasts of 42nd Street

by Preston Fassel

Amazon Bookshop

Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#180

Beholder

by Ryan La Sala

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

From Ryan La Sala, author of the tantalizingly twisted The Honeys and riotously imaginative Reverie, comes a chilling new contemporary fable about art, aesthetic obsession, and the gaze that peers back at us from behind our reflections.No one survived the party at the penthouse. Except Athan.Athanasios "Athan" Bakirtzis has made it far in life relying on his charm and good looks, even securing an invitation to a mysterious penthouse soiree for New York City's artsy elite. But when he sneaks off to the bathroom, he hears a slam, followed by a scream. Athan peers outside, only to be pushed back in by a boy his age. The boy gravely tells him not to open the door, then closes Athan in.Outside the door, the party descends into chaos. Through hours of howls, laughter, and sobs, Athan stays hidden. When he finally emerges, he discovers a massacre where the corpses appear to have arranged themselves into a disturbingly elegant sculpture--and Athan's mysterious savior is nowhere to be found. Athan--the only known survivor--is now the primary suspect.In a race to prove his innocence, Athan is swept up in a supernatural mystery, one of secret occult societies and deadly eldritch horrors with rather distinctive taste. Something evil is waking up in the walls of New York City, and it's compelling victims toward violence, chaos, and self-destruction. Bound to him by a mysterious hereditary power, Athan has felt this evil hiding behind his reflection his entire life, watching him. Waiting. Now, it's taking over.

#181

Being Dead

by Richard Leise

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#182

Beleth Station

by Samantha Kolesnik & Bryan Smith

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#183

Better the Blood

by Michael Bennett

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NPR – Books We Love

An absorbing, clever debut thriller that speaks to the longstanding injustices faced by New Zealand's indigenous peoples, by an acclaimed Māori screenwriter and directorA tenacious Māori detective, Hana Westerman juggles single motherhood, endemic prejudice, and the pressures of her career in Auckland CIB. Led to a crime scene by a mysterious video, she discovers a man ritualistically hanging in a secret room and a puzzling inward-curving inscription. Delving into the investigation after a second, apparently unrelated, death, she uncovers a chilling connection to an historic crime: 160 years before, during the brutal and bloody British colonization of New Zealand, a troop of colonial soldiers unjustly executed a Māori Chief.Hana realizes that the murders are utu--the Māori tradition of rebalancing for the crime committed eight generations ago. There were six soldiers in the British troop, and since descendants of two of the soldiers have been killed, four more potential murders remain. Hana is thus hunting New Zealand's first serial killer.The pursuit soon becomes frighteningly personal, recalling the painful event, two decades before, when Hana, then a new cop, was part of a police team sent to end by force a land rights occupation by indigenous peoples on the same ancestral mountain where the Chief was killed, calling once more into question her loyalty to her roots. Worse still, a genealogical link to the British soldiers brings the case terrifyingly close to Hana's own family. Twisty and thought-provoking, Better the Blood is the debut of a remarkable new talent in crime fiction.

#184

Black Cats and Exit Wounds

by P.A. Sheppard

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#185

Black Dove

by Colin McAdam

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#186

BLAZE ME A SUN

by Christoffer Carlsson

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Kirkus Review – Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK - "The first great crime novel of 2023"--The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - A serial killer in a small Swedish town commits his first murder the same night the prime minister is assassinated--a "thrilling and profoundly poignant" (Angie Kim) novel by one of the country's top criminologists, hailed as "the finest crime writer we have in Sweden" (David Lagercrantz, author of The Girl in the Spider's Web and other novels in Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series) "Christoffer Carlsson is to the police procedural what Cormac McCarthy is to the Western."--Anthony Marra, author of Mercury Pictures Presents and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena In February 1986, the Halland police receive a call from a man who claims to have attacked his first victim. I'm going to do it again, he says before the line cuts off. By the time police officer Sven Jörgensson reaches the crime scene, the woman is taking her last breath. For Sven, this will prove a decisive moment. On the same night, Sweden plunges into a state of shock after the murder of the prime minister. Could there possibly be a connection? As Sven becomes obsessed with the case, two more fall victim. For years, Sven remains haunted by the murders he cannot solve, fearing the killer will strike again. Having failed to catch him, Sven retires from the police, passing his obsession to his son, who has joined the force to be closer to his father. Decades later, the case unexpectedly resurfaces when a novelist returns home to Halland amid a failed marriage and a sputtering career. The writer befriends the retired police officer, who helps the novelist--our narrator--unspool the many strands of this engrossing tale about a community confronting its shames and legacies. A #1 bestseller in Sweden, Blaze Me a Sun marks the American debut of the youngest winner of the Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year award, the top prize for Swedish crime writers whose past winners include Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell.

#187

Bleak Houses

by Kate Maruyama

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#188

Blight

by Tom Carlisle

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Fungi are everywhere. Most are harmless; some are helpful. A few are killers. Collectively, infectious fungi are the most devastating agents of disease on earth, and a fungus that can persist in the environment without its host is here to stay. In Blight, Emily Monosson documents how trade, travel, and a changing climate are making us all more vulnerable to invasion. Populations of bats, frogs, and salamanders face extinction. In the Northwest, America's beloved national parks are covered with the spindly corpses of whitebark pines. Food crops are under siege, threatening our coffee, bananas, and wheat--and, more broadly, our global food security. Candida auris, drug-resistant and resilient, infects hospital patients and those with weakened immune systems. Coccidioides, which lives in drier dusty regions, may cause infection in apparently healthy people. The horrors go on.Yet prevention is not impossible. Tracing the history of fungal spread and the most recent discoveries in the field, Monosson meets scientists who are working tirelessly to protect species under threat, and whose innovative approaches to fungal invasion have the potential to save human lives. Delving into case studies at once fascinating, sobering, and hopeful, Blight serves as a wake-up call, a reminder of the delicate interconnectedness of the natural world, and a lesson in seeing life on our planet with renewed humility and awe.

#189

Blood from the Air

by Gemma Files

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Angels and insects, holes in the known world's fabric and what comes out of them, the love of death and the death of love. In award-winning horror author Gemma Files's seventh collection of short fiction, the numinous and the awful tango together through a collapsing series of not-so-alternate realities, and everyone they touch emerges changed, whether or not they may have wanted to be. This is fantasy of the darkest sort, horror-cured, marinating in its own transformative juices. So enter a fractured universe of creepy delights, one where the oldest tropes are turned inside out and wrung for their oddest components, as forgotten gods and monsters cavort beneath a storm of BLOOD FROM THE AIR. Formerly a film critic, journalist, screenwriter and teacher, Gemma Files has been an award-winning horror author since 1999. She has published five collections of short work, three collections of speculative poetry, a Weird Western trilogy, a story-cycle and a stand-alone novel (Experimental Film, which won the 2015 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel and the 2016 Sunburst Award for Best Adult Novel). Her collection In That Endlessness, Our End won both the Bram Stoker Award and the This Is Horror Award in that category for 2021.

#190

Blood on Satan’s Claw: or, The Devil’s Skin

by Robert Wynne-Simmons

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

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#191

Blood Sisters

by Vanessa Lillie

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The Washington Post – The 10 best mystery novels of 2023

#192

Body of Work

by C.Z. Tacks

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#193

Bored Gay Werewolf

by Tony Santorella

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Book Riot – Best Books Of 2023

Juno Dawson's Her Majesty's Royal Coven meets a Jim Jarmusch movie. A directionless college-dropout deals with sexuality, minimum-wage jobs, lunar cycles, toxic masculinity and the everyday perils of life as a modern werewolf. Brian, an aimless slacker, works doubles at his shift job, forgets to clean his room and lays about with his friends Nik and Darby. He's been struggling to manage his transition to adulthood almost as much as his monthly transitions to a werewolf. Really, he is not great at the whole werewolf thing, and his recent murderous slip-ups have caught the attention of Tyler, a Millennial were-mentor determined to take the mythological world by storm. Tyler has got a plan, and weirdly his self-help punditry actually encourages Brian to shape up and to stop accidentally marking out guys who ghosted him on Grindr as potential monthly victims. But as Brian gets closer to Tyler's pack, and alienated from Nik and Darby, he realizes that Tyler's expansion plans are much more nefarious than a little lupine enlightenment... Big-hearted, goofy, anarchic and funny, Bored Gay Werewolf is a smart take on the doomsday logic of late capitalism and the complicated meeting point of masculinity and sexuality. More than that, though, and like Scooby Doo with Grindr or Stranger Things with sex and ennui, it's a buddy novel about finding your pack, the power of friendship, and learning how to be comfortable in your own, shaggy werewolf pelt.

#194

Bound in Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror

by Lor Gislason

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#195

Boys in the Valley

by Philip Fracassi

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"Old-school horror." ―Stephen King The Exorcist meets Lord of the Flies, by way of Midnight Mass, in Boys in the Valley, a brilliant coming-of-age tale from award-winning author Philip Fracassi. "A sublimely chilling story." --Library Journal, STARRED review St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys. Early twentieth century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania. Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a future...a family. Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads like sickness, infecting St. Vincent's and the children within. Soon, boys begin acting differently, forming groups. Taking sides. Others turn up dead. Now Peter and those dear to him must choose sides of their own, each of them knowing their lives -- and perhaps their eternal souls -- are at risk.

#196

Boys Weekend

by Mattie Lubchansky

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

From the award-winning cartoonist and editor at The Nib, a hilarious trans-"final girl" horror graphic novel about a bachelor party gone very, very wrong. "A witty, tender romp through the cosmic horror of being alive." --Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties Newly-out trans artist's assistant Sammie is invited to an old friend's bachelor weekend in El Campo, a hedonistic wonderland of a city floating in the Atlantic Ocean's international waters--think Las Vegas with even fewer rules. Though they have not identified as a man for over a year, Sammie's college buddies haven't quite gotten the message--as evidenced by their formerly closest friend Adam asking them to be his "best man." Arriving at the swanky hotel, Sammie immediately questions their decision to come. Bad enough that they have to suffer through a torrent of passive-aggressive comments from the groom's pals--all met with zero pushback from supposed "nice guy" Adam. But also, they seem to be the only one who's noticed the mysterious cult that's also staying at the hotel, and is ritually dismembering guests and demanding fealty to their bloodthirsty god. Part satire, part horror, Boys Weekend explores what it's like to exist as a transfemme person in a man's world, the difficulty of maintaining friendships through transition, and the more cult-like effects of masculinity, "hustle" culture, and capitalism--all through the vibrant lens of a surreal, scary, and immensely imaginative romp.

#197

Brainwyrms

by Alison Rumfitt

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"Smart, seething social horror...Rumfitt gives her worms the grotesque and triumphant glory they demand." --The New York Times Book Review From Alison Rumfitt, the author of Tell Me I'm Worthless -- "a triumph of transgressive queer horror" (Publishers Weekly) -- comes Brainwyrms, a searing body horror novel of obsession, violence, and pleasure. "Alison is like the twisted daughter of Clive Barker and Shirley Jackson." --Joe Hill, New York Times bestselling author on Tell Me I'm Worthless When a transphobic woman bombs Frankie's workplace, she blows up Frankie's life with it. As the media descends like vultures, Frankie tries to cope with the carnage: binge-drinking, sleeping with strangers, pushing away her friends. Then, she meets Vanya. Mysterious, beautiful, terrifying Vanya. The two hit it off immediately, but as their relationship intensifies, so too does Frankie's feeling that Vanya is hiding something from her. When Vanya's secrets threaten to tear them apart, Frankie starts digging, and unearths a sinister, depraved conspiracy, the roots of which go deeper than she ever imagined. Shocking, grotesque, and downright filthy, Brainwyrms confronts the creeping reality of political terrorism while exploring the depths of love, pain, and identity. "[An] intimate, vulnerable triumph." --Library Journal, STARRED review "Rumfitt's talent for portraying the deplorable, disgusting, and grotesque shines throughout her masterful sophomore horror outing." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED review Also by Alison Rumfitt: Tell Me I'm Worthless

#198

Brave New Weird: The Best New Weird Horror of 2022

by Alex Woodroe

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#199

Bride of the Tornado

by James Kennedy

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

“A powerfully weird, original tale that combines American folk horror with a surreal coming-of-age nightmare.”—The Guardian Stephen King’s The Mist meets David Lynch’s Twin Peaks in this surreal, mind-bending horror-thriller. In a small town tucked away in the midwestern corn fields, the adults whisper about Tornado Day. Our narrator, a high school sophomore, has never heard this phrase but she soon discovers its terrible meaning: a plague of sentient tornadoes is coming to destroy them. The only thing that stands between the town and total annihilation is a teen boy known as the tornado killer. Drawn to this enigmatic boy, our narrator senses an unnatural connection between them. But the adults are hiding a secret about the origins of the tornadoes and the true nature of the tornado killer—and our narrator must escape before the primeval power that binds them all comes to claim her. Audaciously conceived and steeped in existential dread, this genre-defying fever dream of a novel reveals the mythbound madness at the heart of American life.

#200

Bridge

by Lauren Beukes

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A grieving daughter's search for her mother becomes a journey across alternate realities in this dazzling new thriller from the author of The Shining Girls that is "sheer thrilling madness with a big, beating heart that reminds us we're all connected" (Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author). There are infinite realities. She's looking for one . . . Twenty-four-year-old Bridge is paralyzed by choices: all the other lives she could have lived, the decisions she could have made. And now, who she should be in the wake of her mother's unexpected death. Jo was a maverick neuroscientist fixated on an artifact she called the "dreamworm" that she believed could open the doors to other worlds. It was part of Jo's grand delusion, her sickness, and it cost her everything, including her relationship with her daughter. But in packing up Jo's house, Bridge discovers Jo's obsession hidden amongst her things. And the dreamworm works, exactly the way it's supposed to, the way Bridge remembers from when she was a little girl. Suddenly Bridge can step into other realities, otherselves. In one of them, could she find out what really happened to her mother? What Bridge doesn't know is that there are others hunting for the dreamworm--who will kill to get their hands on it. Bridge is a highly original, reality-bending thrill-ride that could only have come from the brilliant mind of award-winning novelist, Lauren Beukes, about mothers and daughters, hunters and seekers, and who we each choose to be. "A fantastic high-wire act of a novel . . . at once a cosmic narrative and a deeply intimate human story." --Catriona Ward "Ass-kicking, mind-bending entertainment." --Kirkus Reviews "A suspenseful, deeply immersive odyssey that will make you consider the alternate possibilities inside us all." --Katie Gutierrez "Spiders out into alternate universes yet manages to be very much about us and our fractured now." --Paul Tremblay "Lauren Beukes is a major, major talent." --George R. R. Martin

#201

Broadway Butterfly

by Sara DiVello

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#202

Broken Light

by Joanne Harris

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#203

Brooklyn Crime Novel

by Jonathan Lethem

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NPR – Books We Love

Named a Most Anticipated Book by: New York Times * Boston Globe * CrimeReadsFrom the bestselling and award-winning author of The Fortress of Solitude and Motherless Brooklyn comes a sweeping story of community, crime, and gentrification, tracing more than fifty years of life in one Brooklyn neighborhood."A blistering book. A love story. Social commentary. History. Protest novel. And mystery joins the whole together: is the crime 'time'? Or the almighty dollar? I got a great laugh from it too. Every city deserves a book like this." -- Colum McCann, author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World SpinOn the streets of 1970s Brooklyn, a daily ritual goes down: the dance. Money is exchanged, belongings surrendered, power asserted. The promise of violence lies everywhere, a currency itself. For these children, Black, brown, and white, the street is a stage in shadow. And in the wings hide the other players: parents; cops; renovators; landlords; those who write the headlines, the histories, and the laws; those who award this neighborhood its name.The rules appear obvious at first. But in memory's prism, criminals and victims may seem to trade places. The voices of the past may seem to rise and gather as if in harmony, then make war with one another. A street may seem to crack open and reveal what lies behind its glimmering facade. None who lived through it are ever permitted to forget.Written with kaleidoscopic verve and delirious wit, Brooklyn Crime Novel is a breathtaking tour de force by a writer at the top of his powers. Jonathan Lethem, "one of America's greatest storytellers" (Washington Post), has crafted an epic interrogation of how we fashion stories to contain the uncontainable: our remorse at the world we've made.

#204

Brother, Sister, Mother, Explorer

by Jamie Figueroa

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Shortlisted for the Reading the West Book Award A fableistic, "beautifully crafted, poetic" debut novel of enormous power and grace about a sister trying to hold back her brother from the edge of the abyss for readers of Jesmyn Ward and Tommy Orange (The New York Times Book Review). In the tourist town of Ciudad de Tres Hermanas, in the aftermath of their mother's passing, two siblings spend a final weekend together in their childhood home. Seeing her brother, Rafa, careening toward a place of no return, Rufina devises a bet: if they can make enough money performing for privileged tourists in the plaza over the course of the weekend to afford a plane ticket out, Rafa must commit to living. If not, Rufina will make her peace with Rafa's own plan for the future, however terrifying it may be. As the siblings reckon with generational and ancestral trauma, set against the indignities of present-day prejudice, other strange hauntings begin to stalk these pages: their mother's ghost kicks her heels against the walls; Rufina's vanished child creeps into her arms at night; and above all this, watching over the siblings, a genderless, flea-bitten angel remains hell-bent on saving what can be saved.

#205

Brute: Stories of Dark Desire, Masculinity & Rough Trade

by Steve Berman

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#206

Brutes

by Dizz Tate

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NPR – Books We Love

The Virgin Suicides meets The Florida Project in this wildly original debut--a coming-of-age story about the crucible of girlhood, from a writer of rare and startling talent We would not be born out of sweetness, we were born out of rage, we felt it in our bones. In Falls Landing, Florida--a place built of theme parks, swampy lakes, and scorched bougainvillea flowers--something sinister lurks in the deep. A gang of thirteen-year-old girls obsessively orbit around the local preacher's daughter, Sammy. She is mesmerizing, older, and in love with Eddie. But suddenly, Sammy goes missing. Where is she? Watching from a distance, they edge ever closer to discovering a dark secret about their fame-hungry town and the cruel cost of a ticket out. What they see will continue to haunt them for the rest of their lives. Through a darkly beautiful and brutally compelling lens, Dizz Tate captures the violence, horrors, and manic joys of girlhood. Brutes is a novel about the seemingly unbreakable bonds in the "we" of young friendship, and the moment it is broken forever.

#207

Burn the Negative

by Josh Winning

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#208

Candelaria

by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#209

Candy Cain Kills

by Brian McAuley

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Oh what fun it is to DIE! When Austin's parents drag him and his little sister Fiona to a remote cottage for Christmas, he's less than thrilled about the forced bonding exercise. But after learning that their holiday getaway was the site of a horrific crime, this family on the rocks will have to fight for their lives against a legendary killer... because Candy Cain is slashing through the snow with a very long naughty list.

#210

Cast a Cold Eye – Jimmy Dreghorn series

by Robbie Morrison

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#211

Central Park West

by James Comey

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

A Newsweek and Reader's Digest most-anticipated read of 2023. In the thrilling first crime novel from the former director of the FBI, a murder investigation reveals deadly connections between high-ranking politicians and the mafia

#212

Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective: A Modern and Witty Mystery

by Katie Siegel

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Indigo 3 – Top 10 Mystery Books

#213

Charwood

by Josh Schlossberg

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#214

Children of the Dark

by Jonathan Janz

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#215

Christmas and Other Horrors: An Anthology of Solstice Horror

by Ellen Datlow

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#216

Churn the Soil

by Steve Stred

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#217

City of Dreams

by Don Winslow

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

A quiet, peaceful existence. But the Feds track him down and want Danny to do them a favour that could make him a fortune or kill him. And when Hollywood starts shooting a film of his former life, Danny demands a piece of the action and begins to rebuild his criminal empire. Then he falls in love with a beautiful movie star who has a dark past of her own. As their worlds collide in an explosion that could destroy them both, Danny Ryan has to fight for his life in a city where dreams are born, or where they go to die. From the shores of Rhode Island to the deserts of California where bodies disappear, from the power corridors of Washington where the real criminals operate to the fabled movie studios of Hollywood where the real money is made, this novel is a saga of family, love, revenge, survival and the fierce reality behind the dream.

#218

City of Snares

by April Yates

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Hazel crosses an ocean, moving to the City of Dreams, not for stardom or the limelight that comes from rubbing elbows with celebrities, but for the chance to be her true self. So she's stunned when fading star of the silver screen, Diana Blake, wanders into the diner where she works and declares her intention of turning Hazel into the next, hot ingénue. While the idea of following in Diana's footsteps is not the path Hazel would've chosen, the prospect of being close to Diana, of realising the impossible dream of winning the affection of her lifelong obsession, is too seductive to pass up. Hazel agrees to let Diana mould her into her protege and is thrown headlong into the Hollywood star machine. Glimmers of sexual interest from Diana keep Hazel on the hook as she offers herself up, piece by piece to show-business. But Diana's behaviour grows increasingly controlling, suspicious accidents on set begin to pile up, and Hazel will have to fight to maintain any shred of herself, lest Hollywood eat her alive.

#219

CODE OF THE HILLS

by Chris Offutt

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Kirkus Review – Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023

In this blistering return to Chris Offutt's acclaimed crime series, Mick Hardin is tested like never before as familial allegiances and old wounds collide, threatening to destroy everything he lovesWith his signature crackling prose, literary master Chris Offutt has staked out his own territory in crime fiction, a place of familial allegiances, old wounds, and revenge--the code of the hills. His new book, a sharp, twisty southern noir with echoes of James Sallis and Daniel Woodrell, will force Mick to face up to the way of life he thought he'd escaped.Mick Hardin is supposed to be retired, transitioning to civilian life. Back in the hills of Kentucky after a two-year absence, he'd planned to touch down briefly before heading to France, marking the end of his twenty-year Army career.But in Rocksalt, trouble is brewing. Mick's sister Linda, recently reelected as sheriff, and her deputy Johnny Boy Tolliver are investigating the murder of Pete Lowe, a sought-after mechanic at the local racetrack. Mick doesn't want to get involved--he wants to say his goodbyes and get out of Dodge. But when he reluctantly agrees to intervene in a family dispute requiring a light touch, he uncovers evidence of an illegal cockfighting ring and another body, somehow linked to the first. And then, Linda steps into harm's way, leaving Mick to solve the crimes himself.Code of the Hills is a harrowing novel of family--of what we're willing to do to protect and avenge the ones we love.

#220

Cold, Black, & Infinite: Stories of the Horrific and Strange

by Todd Keisling

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#221

Colossus

by Ryan Leslie

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#222

Concert Hall Hit

by J.C. Kenney

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#223

Confidence

by Rafael Frumkin

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Crime Reads – THE BEST CRIME NOVELS OF 2023

"Theranos but make it gay." --Electric Literature Best friends (and occasional lovers) Ezra and Orson are teetering on top of the world after founding a company that promises instant enlightenment in this "propulsive, cheeky, eat-the-rich page-turner" (The Washington Post) about scams, schemes, and the absurdity of the American Dream. At seventeen, Ezra Green doesn't have a lot going on for him: he's shorter than average, snaggle-toothed, internet-addicted, and halfway to being legally blind. He's also on his way to Last Chance Camp, the final stop before juvie. But Ezra's summer at Last Chance turns life-changing when he meets Orson, brilliant and Adonis-like with a mind for hustling. Together, the two embark upon what promises to be a fruitful career of scam artistry. But things start to spin wildly out of control when they try to pull off their biggest scam yet--Nulife, a corporation that promises its consumers a lifetime of bliss. "Propulsive" (The New York Times Book Review) and "laugh-out-loud funny" (BuzzFeed), with the suspense of The Talented Mr. Ripley, the decadence of The Great Gatsby, and the wit of Succession, Confidence is a story for anyone who knows that the American Dream is just another pyramid scheme.

#224

Conjuring the Witch

by Jessica Leonard

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

There are witches in the woods. These are the words the reverend of the Lilin Assembly of Our Lord repeats to his parishioners each week. Steve and Nicole Warby think it's just a metaphor, until Nicole takes a walk in those woods and comes back changed. Something came out of them with her, and the simple small-town life they've always known is forever altered when they discover the dark secrets buried deep and those intent on keeping them there. Fearing for his wife's sanity, and his own comfortable status in the church, Steve is unsure if he wants to help or ignore the problems. The reverend believes there are witches in the woods, and he thinks Nicole is only the most recent. Conjuring the Witch is a dark, haunted story about what those in power are willing to do to stay in power, and the sins we convince ourselves are forgivable.

#225

Conviction

by Jack Jordan

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#226

Country Roads

by Colin Leonard

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Something is outside; in the fields, by the ditches, on the roads. Something old and cruel and vicious. When Luke Sheridan moves out of Dublin city to rural Kilcross with his wife and baby, he imagines the worst part will be his extended commute to work. They can look forward to enjoying the countryside and being part of a small community. After all, his old friend Declan Maguire lives in the house next door and is a Garda in the nearest town. But Declan's devilish attitude towards drink, drugs and women means trouble is never far from his door. And worse, gruesome murders and the appearance of sinister figures at night mean the countryside is becoming a very dangerous place to live. Country Roads-don't go outside alone.

#227

Court of the Undying Seasons

by A.M. Strickland

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Sarah J. Maas meets A Deadly Education in A.M. Strickland's lush, queer YA dark fantasy novel. In becoming a vampire, I’m less than a girl. And more. Or maybe I’m becoming what I always have been, deep inside. A blade. When nineteen-year-old Fin volunteers to take her secret love's place in their village's Finding, she is terrified. Those who are chosen at the Finding are whisked away to Castle Courtsheart, a vampire school where human students either succeed and become vampires, fail and spend the rest of their lives as human thralls...or they don't survive long enough to become either. Fin is determined to forge a different path: learn how to kill the undead and get revenge for her mother, who was taken by the vampires years ago. But Courtsheart is as captivating as it is deadly, and Fin is quickly swept up in her new world and its inhabitants - particularly Gavron, her handsome and hostile vampire maker, whose blood is nothing short of intoxicating. As Fin begins to discover new aspects of her own identity and test her newfound powers, she stumbles across a string of murders that may be connected to a larger ritual - one with potentially lethal consequences for vampires and humans alike. Fin must uncover the truth and find the killer before she loses her life...or betrays her own heart. Court of the Undying Seasons is a deliciously dark romantic novel and a pitch perfect modern take on classic vampire tropes. "With brutal romance, vicious stakes, and a twisty mystery, Court of The Undying Seasons takes everything we love about vampires and cranks it to a whole new level." —Hannah Whitten, author of For the Wolf and For the Throne

#228

Cruel Angels Past Sundown

by Hailey Piper

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

New Mexico Territory, 1882: She comes to the Klein ranch at sunset, a strange naked pregnant woman dragging a cavalry saber. Annette Klein and her husband have built peace between their marriage and secret relations beyond, but their serenity dies in bloodshed tonight through a cannibalistic demon and a mad preacher. Annette barely escapes the bloodbath to the nearby town of Low's Bend, where she might find safety with a shotgun-toting barkeep, two no-nonsense boarding room ladies, and the gunslinging bounty hunter who's captured Annette's heart. But hell is at her heels. If she's going to survive until dawn, she'll have to forget everything she knows about peace and mercy, and face a hollow malevolence more ancient and ruthless than she's ever imagined.

#229

Curse of the Cob Man

by Robert P. Ottone

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Curse of the Cob Man is written like one of the old Italian horror movies! Blood! Gore! A giant killer corn cob on the rampage! This fast paced Bloody Bones Horror novel will entertain you until the bitter and climatic ending! You might even get a laugh or two from it. Designed with an Italian giallo flare in mind; This book should satisfy all connoisseurs of gory horror fiction!The sleepy, beautiful town of Apple Valley has a curse.A curse that's been kept at bay for hundreds of years.A curse that's about to be unleashed on the entire town.When teenager Mikey Tomasi breaks Apple Valley's covenant with the harvest deity that's kept them flourishing with agricultural success for over two centuries, all hell breaks loose. What started as a simple prank turns into the darkest chapter in peaceful Apple Valley's rich history.What Mikey doesn't realize is that he's set in motion the ... CURSE OF THE COB MAN.

#230

Damned If You Do

by Alex Brown

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Queer Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Filipino folklore in this horror comedy about a high school stage manager who accidentally sells her soul to a demon. Seven years ago, Cordelia Scott's abusive father left without a word, and life has been normal ever since. The seventeen-year-old spends her days stage managing the school play (which is going great, if anyone asks), pining over her best friend, Veronica, and failing one too many pop quizzes. She's never been sad that her father left, but she knows something is...missing. When her school guidance counselor, Fred, reveals during a session that he's actually a demon, she learns that something is indeed missing: a piece of her actual soul. Why? She unwittingly made a deal with him to make her father disappear - then bargained to have the memory erased. To make matters worse, Fred is here to make another bargain: Help him with a "little" demonic problem, or she's doomed to spend eternity in Hell with her father. The deal? Help Fred neutralize a rival demon, who means to do more harm in her hometown than your average demon deal.

#231

Dark Horizon

by James Swallow

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

A fatal crash on a rain-slick road and a brutal murder in a small town set off a deadly chain of events, leading from the dark skies over the Atlantic to an explosive confrontation on a remote desert airstrip...

#232

Dark Matter Presents: Monstrous Futures

by Alex Woodroe

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#233

Dark Matter Presents: Zero Dark Thirty

by Rob Carroll

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#234

Dark Ride

by Lou Berney

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#235

Dark Woods, Deep Water

by Jelena Dunato

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

In the depths of a remote forest, an enchanted castle preys on unwary travellers. The servants of the Goddess Morana sacrifice to their dark mistress every soul who crosses its threshold. One terrible night, three people who should never have met find themselves trapped there: a spoiled lady escaping an unwanted marriage, an aging warrior-prince on a deadly mission, and a resourceful rogue caught up in a botched heist. As their destinies entwine and the dawn approaches, the solution to the castle's riddle becomes clear: if they want to escape, one of them must die. A dark fantasy tale inspired by Slavic folklore, Dark Woods, Deep Water is the debut novel by Croatian author Jelena Dunato. Set in an intricately imagined world that staggers the line between fairytale and brutality, this novel will appeal to fans of Katherine Arden and Naomi Novik, as well as lovers of classic Gothic fiction.

#236

Darkness Beckons

by Mark Morris

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#237

Dazzling

by Chikodili Emelumadu

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The Girl with the Louding Voice meets The Water Dancer in Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ's magical, award-winning literary debut, Dazzling, offering a new take on West African mythology. Treasure and her mother lost everything when Treasure's father died. Haggling for scraps in the market, Treasure meets a man who promises to change their fortunes, but his feet are hovering just a few inches above the ground. He's a spirit, and he promises to bring Treasure's beloved father back to life if she'll do one terrible thing for him first. Ozoemena has an itch in the middle of her back. It's an itch that speaks to her patrilineal destiny, an honor never before bestowed upon a girl, to defend the land and protect its people by becoming a Leopard. Her father impressed upon her what an honor this was before he vanished, but it's one she couldn't want less--she has enough to worry about as she tries to fit in at a new boarding school. But as the two girls reckon with their burgeoning wildness and the legacy of their missing fathers, Ozoemena's fellow students start to vanish. Treasure's obligations to the spirit escalate, and Ozoemena's duty of protection as a Leopard grows. Soon the girls' destinies and choices alike set them on a dangerous collision course. Ultimately, they must ask themselves: in a world that always says no to women, what must two young girls sacrifice to get what is theirs?

#238

Dead Ends

by Marc E. Fitch

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#239

Dead Letters: Episodes of Epistolary Horror

by Jacob Steven Mohr

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#240

Dead Man’s Wake

by Paul Doiron

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#241

Dead Meat

by Kyle Wright

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#242

Dead Mountain

by Douglas Preston

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#1 New York Times bestselling authors Preston & Child return in the latest installment of the bestselling series featuring renowned archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Agent Corrie Swanson, who investigate a mystery so enigmatic it may have no solution. In 2008, nine mountaineers failed to return from a winter backpacking trip in the New Mexico mountains. At their final campsite, searchers found a bizarre scene: something had appeared at the door of their tent so terrifying that it impelled them to slash their way out and flee barefoot to certain death in a blizzard. Despite a diligent search, only six bodies were found, two violently crushed and inexplicably missing their eyes. The case, given the code name "Dead Mountain" by the FBI, was never solved. Now, two more bodies from the lost expedition are unexpectedly discovered in a cave, one a grisly suicide. Young FBI Agent Corrie Swanson teams up with archaeologist Nora Kelly to investigate what really happened on that fateful trip fifteen years ago--and to find the ninth victim. But their search awakens a long-slumbering evil, which pursues Corrie and Nora with a vengeance, determined to prevent the final missing corpse from ever coming to light.

#243

Dead River

by Brian J. Smith

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#244

Deadly Game

by Michael Caine

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#245

Death at the Chateau – A Follet Valley Mystery

by Ian Moore

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#246

Dehiscent

by Ashley Deng

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

As the world’s climate swings rapidly between oppressively hot and freezing cold, the remnants of civilization huddle in small communities to scrape together what they can to survive. All except the Zhu family. Yi has lived in her ancestral house her entire life, sheltered and safe from the scarcity that plagues her community. Her family enjoys a secret life of running water, electricity, and an abundance of food. But as Yi seeks a way to share their fortune, she learns the terrible secret of the Zhu house. DEHISCENT is an Eco-Horror tale of a future that has practically arrived, and the humanity that lurks in the most inhuman of places.

#247

Delicate Condition

by Danielle Valentine

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The Push meets The Silent Patient in a gripping thriller that follows a woman convinced a sinister figure is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens—while the men in her life refuse to believe a word she says. Anna Alcott is desperate to be pregnant. But as she tries to balance her increasingly public life with a grueling IVF journey, she starts to suspect that someone is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens. Crucial medicines are lost. Appointments get swapped without her knowledge. And even when she finally manages to get pregnant, not even her husband is willing to believe that someone's playing a twisted game with her. When the increasingly cryptic threats drive her out of her Brooklyn brownstone and into hiding in the cold, gray ghost town that is the Hamptons in the depths of winter, Anna is almost at the end of her rope. Then her doctor tells her she's had a miscarriage—except Anna's convinced she's still pregnant, despite everything the grave-faced men around her claim. Could it be that her mind is playing tricks on her? Or is something more sinister at play? As her symptoms become ever more horrifying and the sense of danger ever more present, Anna can't help but wonder what exactly she's carrying inside of her...and why no one will listen when she says something is horribly, painfully wrong.

#248

Delicious Monsters

by Liselle Sambury

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#249

Deliver Me

by Elle Nash

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

At a meatpacking facility in the Missouri Ozarks, Dee-Dee and her co-workers kill andbutcher 40,000 chickens in a single shift. The work is repetitive and brutal, with eachstab and cut a punishment to her hands and joints, but Dee-Dee's more concerned withwhat is happening inside her body. After a series of devastating miscarriages, Dee-Deehas found herself pregnant, and she is determined to carry this child to term. Dee-Dee fled the Pentecostal church years ago, but judgment follows her in theform of regular calls from her mother, whose raspy voice urges Dee-Dee to quit livingin sin and marry her boyfriend Daddy, an underemployed ex-con with an insectfetish. With a child on the way, at long last Dee-Dee can bask in her mother's andboyfriend's newfound parturient attention. She will matter. She will be loved. Shewill be complete. When her charismatic friend Sloane reappears after a twenty-year absence, feeding her insecurities and awakening suppressed desires, Dee-Dee fears she will goback to living in the shadows. Neither the ultimate indignity of yet another miscarriage nor Sloane's own pregnancy deters her: she must prepare for the baby's arrival.

#250

Destroyer of Worlds: A Return to Lovecraft Country

by Matt Ruff

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#251

Devil’s Creek

by Todd Kiesling

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#252

Don’t Let Her Stay

by Nicola Sanders

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Goodreads – Best Mystery & Thriller 2023

#253

Downpour

by Christopher Hawkins

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#254

Dread

by Kevin Bachar

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#255

Dying to Know

by Rae Cairns

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#256

Edith Holler

by Edward Carey

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NPR – Books We Love

The witty and entrancing story of a young woman trapped in a ramshackle English playhouse--and the mysterious figure who threatens the theater's very survival The year is 1901. England's beloved queen has died, and her aging son has finally taken the throne. In the eastern city of Norwich, bright and inquisitive young Edith Holler spends her days among the boisterous denizens of the Holler Theatre, warned by her domineering father that the playhouse will literally tumble down if she should ever leave its confines. Fascinated by tales of the city she knows only from afar, she decides to write a play of her own: a stage adaptation of the legend of Mawther Meg, a monstrous figure said to have used the blood of countless children to make the local delicacy known as Beetle Spread. But when her father suddenly announces his engagement to a peculiar, imposing woman named Margaret Unthank, heir to the actual Beetle Spread fortune, Edith scrambles to protect her father, the theatre, and her play--the one thing that's truly hers--from the newcomer's sinister designs. Teeming with unforgettable characters and illuminated by the author's trademark fantastical illustrations, Edith Holler is a surprisingly modern fable of one young woman's struggle to escape her family's control--and to reveal inconvenient truths about the way children are used.

#257

Epiphany

by J.V. Gachs

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

When pregnant Estela learns that her wife Eva has hanged herself from an oak tree, she can't believe she would have done so voluntarily. Eva, a journalist obsessed with the crimes of the so-called Garden of Horrors, was about to release a podcast about the convicted killer, Coral, who always maintained it wasn't her who slaughtered her family and her missing new born, but an evil forest spirit. As Estela dives deep into the recordings, emails, and letters from Eva's investigation, in Coral's retelling of the murders, she will be forced to face a simple question that could cost her life as well as her unborn baby's: "Do you believe in magic?"

#258

Episode Thirteen

by Craig DiLouie

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

From the macabre mind of a Bram Stoker Award-nominated author, this heart-pounding novel of horror and psychological suspense takes a ghost hunting reality TV crew into a world they could never have imagined. Fade to Black is the newest hit ghost hunting reality TV show. Led by husband and wife team Matt and Claire Kirklin, it delivers weekly hauntings investigated by a dedicated team of ghost hunting experts. Episode Thirteen takes them to every ghost hunter's holy grail: the Paranormal Research Foundation. This brooding, derelict mansion holds secrets and clues about bizarre experiments that took place there in the 1970s. It's also famously haunted, and the team hopes their scientific techniques and high tech gear will prove it. But as the house begins to reveal itself to them, proof of an afterlife might not be everything Matt dreamed of. A story told in broken pieces, in tapes, journals, and correspondence, this is the story of Episode Thirteen—and how everything went terribly, horribly wrong. "An epistolary descent into a living nightmare . . . well-written and genuinely unsettling. Fans of paranormal documentaries, ghost-hunting shows, and found-footage horror will lose their minds over this one." —Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Kin “A beautiful Russian doll of a story… Episode Thirteen hooks you, creeps you out, and then it overwhelms you. It’s House of Leaves meets Haunting of Hill House, in all the best possible ways.”—Peter Clines, NYT bestselling author of The Broken Room For more from Craig DiLouie, check out: The Children of Red Peak Our War One of Us

#259

Evergreen

by Naomi Hirahara

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

A picture book by Caldecott medal winner Matt Cordell about a timid squirrel who makes a brave journey to help a relative who is ill. Evergreen the squirrel is afraid of many things: thunder, hawks, and the dark paths of Buckthorn Forest. But when her mother tasks Evergreen with delivering soup to her sick Granny Oak, the little squirrel must face her fears and make the journey. Along the way, Evergreen is met by other forest dwellers - some want to help her, but some want her mother's delicious soup! It's up to Evergreen to stay the course, and those who help her will surprise and delight young readers. Using an art style reminiscent of the work of William Steig and Arnold Lobel, Matthew Cordell creates a classic tale of bravery and love.

#260

Every Woman Knows This

by Laurel Hightower

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#261

Everyone Here Is Lying

by Shari Lapena

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Indigo – Top 10 Thriller Books

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door "The most addictive book I've read in ages--so slick and disquieting and clever. Just brilliant." --Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Family Remains "Lapena is a master of manipulation." --USA Today Welcome to Stanhope. A safe neighborhood. A place for families. William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing. Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbors become increasingly unhinged. Who took Avery Wooler? Nothing will prepare you for the truth.

#262

Everything the Darkness Eats

by Eric LaRocca

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A haunting and horror-filled tale of loneliness, trauma and spiritual yearning from the award-winning author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes. An insidious darkness threatens to devastate a rural New England village when occult forces are conjured and when bigotry is left unrestrained. After a recent string of disappearances in a small Connecticut town, a grieving widower with a grim secret is drawn into a dangerous ritual of dark magic by a powerful and mysterious older gentleman named Heart Crowley. Meanwhile, a member of local law enforcement tasked with uncovering the culprit responsible for the bizarre disappearances soon begins to learn of a current of unbridled hatred simmering beneath the guise of the town's idyllic community—a hatred that will eventually burst and forever change the lives of those who once found peace in the quiet town of Henley's Edge.

#263

Exiles

by Jane Harper

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BookPage – The Best Mystery & Suspense of 2023

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#264

Extended Stay

by Juan Martinez

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

In a rundown neighborhood in the heart of Las Vegas, the Alicia hotel awakens and beckons to the most vulnerable-those with something to hide. After his parents are killed in a horrific roadside execution, Alvaro flees his home in Colombia and finds work as a line cook at the seedy hotel. Together with his sister, Carmen, he begins to make a new life in the desert, earning a promotion to management along with an irresistible offer to stay at the hotel rent-free. But as beloved photographs go missing, cockroaches seep from the walls, and grotesque strangers wander the corridors, the promise of the Alicia decays into nightmare. Alvaro discovers that the hotel is a small appendage of an enormous creature that feeds on guests and their secrets, one that will eventually bring him face-to-face with the memories he most wants to outrun. Alvaro, Carmen, and their friends decide to cooperate with the creature rather than fight it. But in their efforts to appease it, do they sacrifice too much of themselves? Haunting and visceral, Extended Stay uses the language of body horror and the gothic to comment on the complicated relationship between the Latinx undocumented experience and capitalism, the erasure of those living and working on the margins, the heavy toll exacted by memory, and the queasy permeability of boundaries that separate the waking world from the world of dreams.

#265

Extermination

by Matthew Johnson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#266

Fallen Graces

by Jim Sano

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#267

Fatal Witness

by Michelle Godard-Richer

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#268

Fearless

by M.W. Craven

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Find your style.Increase your confidence. Uplift your life. Throughout my life, I have encountered fear and I know how much it has stopped me in my tracks. I want every woman to be able to move forward, to feel empowered at every stage of their lives. This manual includes all the advice you might expect. Whether you need help with how to dress, defining your style, finding out the colours that suit you or understanding the right beauty routine for the skin you have now, FEARLESS contains it all. But the most important thing that I have come to know is that life is not just about how we look - it's about gaining the knowledge we need to navigate whatever life throws at us. So, I've included a life section to share what I've learned along the way, the everyday barriers that impact my confidence and how I feel. In each chapter I set you a practical challenge, because there is a big difference between reading and action - it is action that propels us and allows us to make positive change in your own life. To represent the different ages, shapes, styles and attitudes I cover, the inspiring Trinny Tribers from around the world have all come together to share too.I very much hope this book will help and inspire you. I look forward to sharing this new journey with you. We can all thrive and live fearlessly.With practical fashion, beauty, health, and life advice, everyone will be able to transform their self-confidence, to look and feel great in a holistic and inspiring, yet achievable way.

#269

Feed Them Silence

by Lee Mandelo

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Lee Mandelo dives into the minds of wolves in Feed Them Silence, a novella of the near future. What does it mean to "be-in-kind" with a nonhuman animal? Or in Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon's case, to be in-kind with one of the last remaining wild wolves? Using a neurological interface to translate her animal subject's perception through her own mind, Sean intends to chase both her scientific curiosity and her secret, lifelong desire to experience the intimacy and freedom of wolfishness. To see the world through animal eyes; smell the forest, thick with olfactory messages; even taste the blood and viscera of a fresh kill. And, above all, to feel the belonging of the pack. Sean's tireless research gives her a chance to fulfill that dream, but pursuing it has a terrible cost. Her obsession with work endangers her fraying relationship with her wife. Her research methods threaten her mind and body. And the attention of her VC funders could destroy her subject, the beautiful wild wolf whose mental world she's invading. Also Available by Lee Mandelo: Summer Sons

#270

Feeders

by Caleb Stephens

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

It's just an average night at the Ink Tank, the tattoo shop in Austin, Texas, where Brynn works as a tattoo artist. After a long shift, all she wants to do is head home, pop a few pills from the fresh bottle of Roxicodone in her jacket pocket, and slip into a nice buzz. Her plans crumble when she's abducted by her convict father, Alan, and forced into the road trip from hell: a cross-country trek to the Rocky Mountains and the shelter he built years ago to protect his family from the monsters living in his head, the monsters he says will erupt from the earth at any minute-the Feeders. With each mile he unravels further, thrusting Brynn back into the childhood nightmare she thought she'd escaped forever. Alan is paranoid, and he's definitely dangerous-but is he crazy? In this novel, we find that truth is not always what it seems, and that some secrets are better left buried.

#271

Fettered and Other Tales of Terror

by Greye La Spina

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The first major collection of horror stories by Greye La Spina, one of the few women who wrote for pulp magazines like Weird Tales in the 1920s and 1930s. At the time more successful than H.P. Lovecraft, La Spina has been mostly forgotten.

#272

Fever House

by Keith Rosson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

“Exciting, suspenseful, horrifying, and written at a flurry-of-punches pace. Read Fever House now.”—STEPHEN KING A small-time criminal. A has-been rock star. A shadowy government agency. And a severed hand whose dark powers threaten to destroy them all. A WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR When leg-breaker Hutch Holtz rolls up to a rundown apartment complex in Portland, Oregon, to collect overdue drug money, a severed hand is the last thing he expects to find stashed in the client’s refrigerator. Hutch quickly realizes that the hand induces uncontrollable madness: Anyone in its proximity is overcome with a boundless compulsion for violence. Within hours, catastrophic forces are set into motion: Dark-op government agents who have been desperately hunting for the hand are on Hutch’s tail, more of the city’s residents fall under its brutal influence, and suddenly all of Portland stands at the precipice of disaster. . . . But it’s all the same for Katherine Moriarty, a singer whose sudden fame and precipitous downfall were followed by the mysterious death of her estranged husband—suicide, allegedly. Her trauma has made her agoraphobic, shackled within the confines of her apartment. Her son, Nick, has moved home to care for her, quietly making his living working for Hutch’s boss. When Hutch calls Nick in distress, looking for someone else to take the hand, Katherine and Nick are plunged into a global struggle that will decimate the walls of the carefully arranged life they’ve built. Mother and son must evade both crazed, bloodthirsty masses and deceitful government agents while exorcising family secrets that have risen from the dead—secrets, they soon discover, that might hold the very key to humanity’s survival. Can you resist the hand? Find an excerpt from the next Fever House novel, The Devil by Name, at the end of the book.

#273

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead

by Kristen Simmons

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#274

Flags on the Bayou

by James Lee Burke

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Publishers Weekly – Best Mystery of 2023

EDGAR AWARD WINNER FOR BEST NOVEL OF THE YEAR From New York Times-bestselling author James Lee Burke comes a novel set in Civil War-era Louisiana as the South transforms and a brilliant cast of characters – enslaved and free women, plantation gentry, and battle-weary Confederate and Union soldiers – are caught in the maelstrom In the fall of 1863, the Union army is in control of the Mississippi river. Much of Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, is occupied. The Confederate army is retreating toward Texas, and being replaced by Red Legs, irregulars commanded by a maniacal figure, and enslaved men and women are beginning to glimpse freedom. When Hannah Laveau, an enslaved woman working on the Lufkin plantation, is accused of murder, she goes on the run with Florence Milton, an abolitionist schoolteacher, dodging the local constable and the slavecatchers that prowl the bayous. Wade Lufkin, haunted by what he observed—and did—as a surgeon on the battlefield, has returned to his uncle’s plantation to convalesce, where he becomes enraptured by Hannah. Flags on the Bayou is an engaging, action-packed narrative that includes a duel that ends in disaster, a brutal encounter with the local Union commander, repeated skirmishes with Confederate irregulars led by a diseased and probably deranged colonel, and a powerful story of love blossoming between an unlikely pair. As the story unfolds, it illuminates a past that reflects our present in sharp relief. James Lee Burke, whose “evocative prose remains a thing of reliably fierce wonder” (Entertainment Weekly), expertly renders the rich Louisiana landscape, from the sunsets on the Mississippi River to the dingy saloons of New Orleans to the tree-lined shores of the bayou and the cottonmouth snakes that dwell in its depths. Powerful and deeply moving, Flags on the Bayou is a story of tragic acts of war, class divisions upended, and love enduring through it all.

#275

Food For Thought

by Ariana Ferrante

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#276

For You And Only You

by Caroline Kepnes

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#277

Forbidden Gardens

by Clare Castleberry

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#278

Force of Hate

by Graham Bartlett

Amazon Bookshop

Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

AN EXPLOSIVE ASSAULT When a firebomb attack at a Brighton travellers' site kills women and children, Chief Superintendent Jo Howe has strong reason to believe the new, far-right council leader is behind the murders. A CORRUPT LEADER Howe digs deeper into the case and uncovers a criminal ring of human trafficking and euthanasia leading to a devastating plot threatening thousands of lives and from which the murderous politician will walk away scot-free. A DETECTIVE AT BREAKING POINT Unflinching, brutal and disturbingly plausible' KIA ABDULLAH Masterful' S. A. Cosby Unputdownable' A. A. Chaudhuri

#279

Foxfire

by Rowan Hill

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#280

Fresh Dirt From the Grave

by Giovanna Rivero

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Shipwrecks, dive bars, possession, and science—this is where contemporary horrors and ancient terrors meet. In Fresh Dirt from the Grave , a hillside is “an emerald saddle teeming with evil and beauty.” It is this collision of harshness and tenderness that animates Giovanna Rivero’s short stories, where no degree of darkness (buried bodies, lost children, wild paroxysms of violence) can take away from the gentleness she shows all violated creatures. A mad aunt haunts her family, two Bolivian children are left on the outskirts of a Metis reservation outside Winnipeg, a widow teaches origami in a women’s prison and murders, housefires, and poisonings abound, but so does the persistent bravery of people trying to forge ahead in the face of the world. They are offered cruelty, often, indifference at best, and yet they keep going. Rivero has reworked the boundaries of the gothic to engage with pre-Columbian ritual, folk tales, sci-fi and eroticism, and found in the wound their humanity and the possibility of hope.

#281

Frost Bite

by Angela Sylvaine

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#282

Games for Dead Girls

by Jen Williams

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Exploring the fine line where supernatural ends and real human monstrosity begins, Games for Dead Girls is a haunting, dark read from award-winning author Jen Williams. In the vein of Jennifer Hillier and Alex North, and told in alternating timelines, a ritualistic game turns deadly for two young girls, but it will be years before they must face the true horrors of their past. When Charlie was eleven, she created a monster… For Charlie and her niece Katie, it’s supposed to be a quiet holiday in the peaceful, out-of-the-way seaside town of Hithechurch, England. Charlie is researching a book on the folklore of the area, and the gloomy sea and dangerous caves seem to offer up plenty of material, while Katie is just there to run wild and get some fresh air. But Charlie’s research reveals a deeper, darker secret, one that uncovers her own, carefully hidden past. Because young women are going missing again: a teenage girl snatched from the beach in broad daylight, and before that, other girls through the decades have vanished from the area, their families left with no answers and no bodies to bury. Charlie’s creation was a thing of felt, straw, fury, and a rusty pair of scissors in the dark. It couldn’t be her monster. Could it? Charlie is set on discovering the truth about the girls’ disappearances, but she’s about to encounter a force of pure, obsessive malevolence that threatens to destroy anything in its path.

#283

Gaslight

by Femi Kayode

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

In this follow-up to Kayode's "action-packed and spirited debut" Philip Taiwo returns to solve a missing-persons case, and in so doing, uncovers dark secrets the church has worked tirelessly to hide (Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of My Sister, the Serial Killer). A shadow has fallen over the megachurch in Ogun State, Nigeria: the beloved Bishop Dawodu has been arrested for the murder of his wife. Sade Dawodu has vanished without a trace and although no body has been found, the police have acted based on what they claim is damning evidence. Philip Taiwo, hot off the success of solving the Okriki Three case, is brought on to investigate. He quickly learns that Sade, young, impulsive, and outspoken, is no favorite of the congregants. She has also been known to disappear for long stretches of time. As Taiwo and his trusted associate, Chika plunge into the investigation, they unearth secrets that go beyond the missing persons case, ones that if leaked, threaten to shatter not only the Bishop, but the church itself. Taiwo quickly begins to feel like a hired gun, put up to the task with the express purpose to clear the bishop's name rather than find the naked truth. As Taiwo strives to crack the vast conspiracy he's up against, he's tugged away by the demands of family life, and derailed by systemic challenges: in Nigeria, cash is king, there are no viable databases, and records are sparse. Through his eyes, we're treated to religion's cult-like grip, the ways in which the state is in bed with the church, and the difference between police corruption in Nigeria and America, where Philip has been living for over two decades. In turns high-octane, dark and political, but always emotionally stirring, this highly-anticipated follow-up to LIGHTSEEKERS has the bones of a classic mystery with a fresh, global tilt.

#284

Generation Annihilation

by Tracy Hewitt Meyer

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#285

Geneva

by Richard Armitage

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#286

Ghost 19

by Simone St. James

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#287

Ghostly: A Collection of Ghost Stories

by Audrey Niffenegger

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#288

Ghosts of West Baltimore

by David Simmons

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"Save the Westside, save the world" Our hero, Worm, has just been released from Sinai Hospital in West Baltimore after losing an eye and suffering a soon-to-be fatal blast of radiation. A rabbi believing himself to be the messiah plans to unleash an unspeakable evil on the same Park Heights neighborhood in which our hero has been placed by the state. Meanwhile, a predatory probation officer with a proclivity for research chemicals and ultra-violence, stalks his human caseload, terrorizing his "boas" as sickness rots his brain. With a body full of ionized cells, expensive medicine that Medicaid won't cover, and a time-sensitive placement at a halfway house for critically injured felons, can Worm save the city, again, without violating the terms of his probation?" "Visceral and grounded, but with a kind of ineffable strangeness wound into it. Simmons is carving out a space that feels specifically his own." - Brian Evenson Ghosts of West Baltimore is the sequel to Ghosts of East Baltimore (Broken River Books - 2022)

#289

Girl Among Crows

by Brendon Vayo

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Beware the Brotherhood of the Raven When two boys vanish from her hometown, Daphne Gauge notices uncanny parallels to her brother’s disappearance 30 years earlier. Symbols of an ancient Norse god. Rumors of a promise to reward the town’s faithful with wealth and power, for a price. She warns her husband that another sacrifice is imminent, but just like last time, no one believes her. This leaves her with a desperate choice: investigate with limited resources, or give in to the FBI’s request for an interview. For years, they’ve wanted a member of the Gauge family to go on record about the tragedy back in 1988. If she agrees to a deposition now, Daphne must confess her family’s dark secrets. But she also might have one last chance to unmask the killer from back then . . . and now. For readers who enjoy Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, Joshilyn Jackson, Riley Sager, Jennifer McMahon, and Simone St. James.

#290

Glass House

by Paul Jessup

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#291

Glory and the Master of Shadows

by Grace Callaway

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Don't miss this thrilling new historical romance by USA Today Bestseller Grace Callaway! Set during the Opium Wars, this steamy and spellbinding Charlie’s Angels meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon romance will leave you breathless. “I was absolutely blown away by this book. Grace has created a delightful world filled with love, friendship and family, humour, passion, depth, emotion and a genuine connection between the leads.” -Nazmin, Goodreads “Wei is inspired by the heroes of Cantonese dramas–tortured, graceful, elegant, DADDY–and there’s this sense of wuxia throughout…. Still waters run deep with Wei, and, it must be said, he’s also SICK HOT.” -Caroline, Netgalley Their love is forbidden…and irresistible. The daughter of a half-Chinese duke and a lady fossil hunter, Lady Glory Cavendish is a free-spirited campaigner for justice. She belongs to a secret society of lady detectives whose goal is to help women in need. During her latest case involving a dastardly dognapping, Glory crosses paths with the handsome and mysterious Wei Chen, a master of healing and martial arts. Fascinated by the noble shifu, Glory convinces him to take her on as a pupil; the more time she spends with him, however, the more she longs for lessons of a more intimate nature. Master Wei Chen has led a life of discipline focused on a single goal: avenging his murdered kin. His journey takes him to London where, by day, he treats opium users in his East End clinic and, by night, he secretly hunts the villain who destroyed his family. Yet for the first time, temptation distracts Wei: his spirited and lovely new pupil stirs dangerous needs in him. Desires that are forbidden between a shifu and his student…and between a commoner and a duke’s daughter. As Wei and Glory’s slow-burn romance ignites into fiery passion, they are drawn into a web of betrayal and deceit. Torn between honor and desire, revenge and love, the pair must decide if they will let the past determine their future…or if they will fight the shadows for their chance at happily ever after. “This writer to me is in the leagues of Johanna Lindsey, Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn and Amanda Quick.” -Kathie, Amazon Reviews ~~~ Grace's books feature steamy historical romance, fun and feel-good happily ever afters, and exciting mystery and adventure. Her books are standalones which can also be enjoyed as part of her interconnected series set in the same universe. LADY CHARLOTTE'S SOCIETY OF ANGELS (hot Victorian romance) #1 Olivia and the Masked Duke (Livy & Ben) #2 Pippa and the Prince of Secrets (Pippa & Cullen) #3 Fiona and the Enigmatic Earl (Fiona & Thomas) #4 Glory and the Master of Shadows (Glory & Wei) #5 Charlotte and the Seductive Spymaster (Charlie & her hero) GAME OF DUKES (hot Victorian romance) #1 The Duke Identity (Harry & Tessa) #2 Enter the Duke (Ransom & Maggie) #3 Regarding the Duke (Garrity & Gabby) #4 The Duke Redemption (Wickham & Beatrice) #5 The Return of the Duke (Severin & Fancy) #6 Steamy Winter Wishes: A Hot Historical Romance Short Story (featuring characters from all of Grace's series) HEART OF ENQUIRY (THE KENTS) (hot Regency romance) Prequel Novella: The Widow Vanishes (Will & Annabel) #1 The Duke Who Knew Too Much (Alaric & Emma) #2 M is for Marquess (Gabriel & Thea) #3 The Lady Who Came in from the Cold (Marcus & Penny) #4 The Viscount Always Knocks Twice (Richard & Violet) #5 Never Say Never to an Earl (Sinjin & Polly) #6 The Gentleman Who Loved Me (Andrew & Primrose) MAYHEM IN MAYFAIR (hot Regency romance) #1 Her Husband's Harlot (Helena & Nicholas) #2 Her Wanton Wager (Percy & Gavin) #3 Her Protector's Pleasure (Marianne & Ambrose) #4 Her Prodigal Passion (Charity & Paul)

#292

Glory Be

by Danielle Arceneaux

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The Washington Post – The 10 best mystery novels of 2023

The first in a vivid and charming crime series set in the Louisiana bayou, introducing the hilariously uncensored amateur sleuth Glory Broussard. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club. *A Washington Post Best Mystery Novel of the Year* It’s a hot and sticky Sunday in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Glory has settled into her usual after-church routine, meeting gamblers at the local coffee shop, where she works as a small-time bookie. Sitting at her corner table, Glory hears that her best friend—a nun beloved by the community—has been found dead in her apartment. When police declare the mysterious death a suicide, Glory is convinced that there must be more to the story and, with her reluctant daughter, with troubles of her own, in tow, launches a shadow investigation in a town of oil tycoons, church gossips, and a rumored voodoo priestess. As a Black woman of a certain age who grew up in a segregated Louisiana, Glory is used to being minimized and overlooked. But she’s determined to make her presence known as the case leads her deep into a web of intrigue she never realized Lafayette could harbor. Danielle Arcenaux’s riveting debut brings for an unforgettable character that will charm and delight crime fans everywhere and leave them hungry for her next adventure.

#293

God Machine

by Greg F. Gifune

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

In a hotel room on Cape Cod, a troubled young prostitute brutally takes her own life, leaving cryptic clues as to why written in blood on the walls. When head of hotel security and former cop Chris Tallo finds her savaged body, he sets out to discover why the woman committed suicide in such a vicious manner. Saddled with a drinking problem, and already emotionally destroyed and grieving the loss of his daughter, killed in Iraq five years earlier, his search lures him into a disturbing underworld populated by those who trade in black magic, pain and death. The closer Chris gets to the truth, and its ties to a secret occult ritual that took place more than 100 years ago that ended in madness and rumors of demonic possession, the more he struggles with his own history and sanity. And as the forces haunting and manipulating not only him, but reality as he knows it, rise in a tempest of blood and fire, a horrific evil awakens... The Machine lives. "The best writer of horror novels and supernatural thrillers at work today." - Christopher Rice Greg F. Gifune is a best-selling, internationally-published author of several acclaimed novels, novellas and two short story collections. He has been described as "The best writer of horror and thrillers at work today" by author Christopher Rice, "Among the finest dark suspense writers of our time" by author Ed Gorman, and "One of the best writers of his generation" by author Brian Keene. Working predominantly in the horror and crime genres, Gifune's work has been translated into several languages, received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal and others, and is consistently praised by readers and critics alike. A feature film based on his novel LONG AFTER DARK is set to go into production in 2022/23. His novel THE BLEEDING SEASON, originally published in 2003, is still popular and in print in several languages, has been hailed as a classic in the horror/suspense genres, and is considered by many, including Famous Monsters of Filmland, to be one of the best horror novels of its kind ever written. Greg resides in Massachusetts with his wife Carol and two English Labrador Retrievers, Dozer and Dudley. He can be reached online at gfgauthor@verizon.net or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

#294

Godly Heathens

by H.E. Edgmon

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Godly Heathens is the first book in H.E. Edgmon's YA contemporary fantasy duology The Ouroboros, in which a teen, Gem, finds out they're a reincarnated god from another world. Maybe I have always just been bad at being human because I'm not one. Gem Echols is a nonbinary Seminole teen living in the tiny town of Gracie, Georgia. Known for being their peers' queer awakening, Gem leans hard on charm to disguise the anxious mess they are beneath. The only person privy to their authentic self is another trans kid, Enzo, who's a thousand long, painful miles away in Brooklyn. But even Enzo doesn't know about Gem's dreams, haunting visions of magic and violence that have always felt too real. So how the hell does Willa Mae Hardy? The strange new girl in town acts like she and Gem are old companions, and seems to know things about them they've never told anyone else. When Gem is attacked by a stranger claiming to be the Goddess of Death, Willa Mae saves their life and finally offers some answers. She and Gem are reincarnated gods who've known and loved each other across lifetimes. But Gem - or at least who Gem used to be - hasn't always been the most benevolent deity. They've made a lot of enemies in the pantheon--enemies who, like the Goddess of Death, will keep coming. It's a good thing they've still got Enzo. But as worlds collide and the past catches up with the present, Gem will discover that everyone has something to hide.

#295

Going Zero: A Novel

by Anthony McCarten

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Amazon – Best Mysteries, Thrillers and Suspense Books of 2023

TWO HOURS TO VANISH. ONE CHANCE TO ESCAPE. ZERO ALTERNATIVES. Ten Americans have been carefully selected to Beta test a ground-breaking piece of spyware. FUSION can track anyone on earth. But does it work? For one contestant, an unassuming Boston librarian named Kaitlyn Day, the stakes are far higher than money, and her reasons for entering the test more personal than anyone imagines. When the timer hits zero, there will only be one winner… From four-time Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten comes a breakneck, wickedly entertaining thriller for our times, a twisty, action-packed novel reminiscent of the best Michael Crichton technothrillers.

#296

Gollitok

by Andrew Najberg

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

In a post-nuclear Eastern Europe, Hammel E Varka departs for a remote island to join a survey team cataloguing the abandoned Gollitok prison in the hopes that he will redeem his family's tarnished reputation. After the passage across the strait leaves a team member injured, Varka quickly realizes that this survey is far from routine and that what he thought he knew about the island was a cover for more horrifying truths. As his team presses deeper into the decaying facility, hidden agendas splinter the team, and they find themselves beset with dangers beyond their worst nightmares.

#297

Good Bad Girl

by Alice Feeney

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Goodreads – Best Mystery & Thriller 2023

THE INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER!! Sometimes bad things happen to good people, so good people have to do bad things. Queen of Twists, bestselling author of Daisy Darker and Rock Paper Scissors Alice Feeney, returns with another thrilling mystery filled with drama and her trademark surprises. Twenty years after a baby is stolen from a stroller, a woman is murdered in a care home. The two crimes are somehow linked, and a good bad girl may be the key to discovering the truth. Edith may have been tricked into a nursing home, but at eighty-years-young, she’s planning her escape. Patience works there, cleaning messes and bonding with Edith, a kindred spirit. But Patience is lying to Edith about almost everything. Edith’s own daughter, Clio, won’t speak to her. And someone new is about to knock on Clio’s door...and their intentions aren’t good. With every reason to distrust each other, the women must solve a mystery with three suspects, two murders, and one victim. If they do, they might just find out what happened to the baby who disappeared, the mother who lost her, and the connections that bind them. In the style of Daisy Darker and Rock Paper Scissors, Good Bad Girl is a thriller in which nobody can be trusted and the twists come fast and furious.

#298

Good Girls Don’t Die

by Christina Henry

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#299

Gordon B. White is Creating Haunting Weird Horrors

by Gordon B. White

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#300

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces

by Linda Cheng

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A cutthroat K-pop competition leads to a dark obsession in this twisty horror-romance, perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting "A perfect blend of folk horror and dazzling showbiz that will grip you from page one." ―Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times-bestselling author of She is a Haunting "The sweetest spot between horror and romance." ―Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of These Violent Delights You'll love them to death . . . THEN: Sunny Lee is on the top of the world. She's one third of Sweet Cadence, the hottest up-and-coming teen pop group, alongside her new BFFs, Candie and Mina. The three are inseparable as they ride their way to the top of the charts, even as Candie and Sunny fight to resist the growing spark between them. But when a shocking scandal breaks, the group is suddenly torn apart. Then the unthinkable - Mina dies tragically right before Sunny and Candie's eyes. And Sunny suspects the dark and otherworldly secrets she and Candie were keeping may have had something to do with it . . . NOW: For the past two years, Sunny has spent her days longing for her former life and her nights wondering just what caused Mina's death. So when she discovers that Candie is attending a new K-pop workshop right in her hometown, Sunny has no choice but to follow her there. Candie might be chasing stardom again, but Sunny is only after one thing: answers. At the workshop, the lines between nightmare and reality start to blur as Sunny is haunted by ghostly visions and her competitors' bodies turn up bizarrely maimed and mutilated. To survive the twisted carnage, Sunny will have to expose the ugly truth behind the workshop's spotlights and the sinister forces swirling around Candie. Stitched with cutting commentary on the ugly side of stardom and impossible beauty standards, Linda Cheng's mind-bending thriller will have readers screaming and swooning for more.

#301

Gothic

by Philip Fracassi

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#302

Grave Expectations

by Alice Bell

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A fast-paced and hilarious debut crime novel, in which a burnt-out Millennial medium must utilize her ability to see ghosts and team-up with a band of oddball investigators to figure out which member(s) of a posh English family are guilty of murder. “This book has bags of humor, bags of heart, and a proper murder mystery at its core.” —Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal Almost-authentic medium Claire and her best friend, Sophie, agree to take on a seemingly simple job at a crumbling old manor in the English countryside: performing a seance for the family matriarch's 80th birthday. The pair have been friends since before Sophie went missing when they were seventeen. Everyone else is convinced Sophie simply ran away, but Claire knows the truth. Claire knows Sophie was murdered because Sophie has been haunting her ever since. Despite this traumatic past, Claire and Sophie are still unprepared for what they encounter when they arrive at the manor: a ghost, tragic and unrecognizable, and clearly the spirit of someone killed in a rage at the previous year's party. Given her obsession with crime shows—not to mention Sophie's ability to walk through walls—Claire decides they're the best people to solve the case. And with the help of the only obviously not-guilty members of their host family—sexy ex-policeman Sebastian and far-too-cool non-binary teen Alex—they launch an investigation into which of last year's guests never escaped the manor's grounds. What follows is somewhat irregular detective work involving stealing a priest's cassock, getting too drunk to remember to question your suspect, and of course, Chekhov's sparkly purple dildo. As Claire desperately tries to keep a lid on the shameful secret that would definitely alienate her new friends, the gang must race against their own incompetence to find the murderer before the murderer finds them.

#303

GREEN FOR DANGER

by Christianna Brand

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Kirkus Review – Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023

"Hands down one of the best formal detective stories ever written."-- Kirkus Reviews, STARRED reviewThis Golden Age masterclass of red herrings and tricky twists, first published in 1944, features a tense and claustrophobic investigation with a close-knit cast of suspects."You have to reach for the greatest of the Great Names (Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr, Ellery Queen) to find Christianna Brand's rivals in the subtleties of the trade."--Anthony Boucher in The New York TimesIt is 1942, and struggling up the hill to the new Kent military hospital Heron's Park, postman Joseph Higgins is soon to deliver seven letters of acceptance for roles at the infirmary. He has no idea that the sender of one of the letters will be the cause of his demise in just one year's time.When Higgins returns to Heron's Park with injuries from a bombing raid in 1943, his inexplicable death by asphyxiation in the operating theatre casts four nurses and three doctors under suspicion, and a second death in quick succession invites the presence of the irascible--yet uncommonly shrewd--Inspector Cockrill to the hospital. As an air raid detains the inspector for the night, the stage is set for a tense and claustrophobic investigation with a close-knit cast of suspects.

#304

Green Fuse Burning

by Tiffany Morris

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The debut novella from the Elgin Award winning author of Elegies of Rotting Stars. After the death of her estranged father, artist Rita struggles with grief and regret. There was so much she wanted to ask him-about his childhood, their family, and the Mi'kmaq language and culture from which Rita feels disconnected. But when Rita's girlfriend Molly forges an artist's residency application on her behalf, winning Rita a week to paint at an isolated cabin, Rita is both furious and intrigued. The residency is located where her father grew up. On the first night at the cabin, Rita wakes to strange sounds. Was that a body being dragged through the woods? When she questions the locals about the cabin's history, they are suspicious and unhelpful. Ignoring her unease, Rita gives in to dark visions that emanate from the forest's lake and the surrounding swamp. She feels its pull, channelling that energy into art like she's never painted before. But the uncanny visions become more insistent, more intrusive, and Rita discovers that in the swamp's decay the end of one life is sometimes the beginning of another.

#305

Greyhowler

by Sarah Day

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#306

Greymist Fair

by Francesca Zappia

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

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#307

Harvest House

by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

NSK Neustadt Laureate and New York Times best-selling author Cynthia Leitich Smith delivers a thrilling cross-genre follow-up to the acclaimed Hearts Unbroken. Deftly leading readers to the literary crossroads of contemporary realism and haunting mystery, Cynthia Leitich Smith revisits the world of her American Indian Youth Literature Award winner Hearts Unbroken. Halloween is near, and Hughie Wolfe is volunteering at a new rural attraction: Harvest House. He’s excited to take part in the fun, spooky show—until he learns that an actor playing the vengeful spirit of an “Indian maiden,” a ghost inspired by local legend, will headline. Folklore aside, unusual things have been happening at night at the crossroads near Harvest House. A creepy man is stalking teenage girls and young women, particularly Indigenous women; dogs are fretful and on edge; and wild animals are behaving strangely. While Hughie weighs how and when to speak up about the bigoted legend, he and his friends begin to investigate the crossroads and whether it might be haunted after all. As Moon rises on All Hallow’s Eve, will they be able to protect themselves and their community? Gripping and evocative, Harvest House showcases a versatile storyteller at her spooky, unsettling best.

#308

Hatchet Girls

by Diana Rodriguez Wallach

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Set more than one hundred years after the Borden murders, this propulsive, supernatural thriller imagines what might happen if history were to repeat itself today. Perfect for fans of Kara Thomas and Courtney Summers! When Mariella Morse accuses her boyfriend, Vik Gomez, of murdering her wealthy parents with an axe, the town is quick to believe her. It doesn’t help that Vik is caught standing over her parents’ bodies with blood on his hands, unable to remember anything about the night in question. But Vik’s sister, Tessa, knows that Vik would never be capable of such a gruesome crime. Haunted by the mistakes she made that led her family to move to Fall River, MA in the first place, she sets out to prove her brother’s innocence. Tessa’s search for answers will lead her into a sprawling, notoriously cursed forest, where she and Mariella must face a darkness that has lurked within their town since before the days of Lizzie Borden—the original axe murderess of Fall River.

#309

Haunted Reels: Stories from the Minds of Professional Filmmakers

by David Lawson Jr.

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#310

Have You Seen the Moon Tonight? and Other Rumors

by Jonathan Louis Duckworth

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#311

Heavy Oceans

by Tyler Jones

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#312

Hellweg’s Keep

by Justin Holley

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#313

Hemlock Island

by Kelley Armstrong

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#314

Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night

by Sophie Hannah

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#315

Here in the Night: Stories

by Rebecca Turkewitz

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#316

Here Lies Olive

by Kate Anderson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#317

Hidden Beneath

by Barbara Ross

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

In Barbara Ross' award-winning series featuring sleuth Julia Snowden and her family's coastal Maine clambake business, two mysteries rock the colony of Chipmunk Island after a suspicious memorial service has Julia and her mother shifting into some family sleuthing. Serving up mouthwatering shellfish, the Snowden Family Clambake has become a beloved institution in Busman's Harbor, Maine. But when new clues rise to the surface five years after the disappearance of Julia Snowden' s mother's friend, the family business shifts to sleuthing . . . Julia and her mother, Jacqueline, have come to the exclusive summer colony of Chipmunk Island to attend a memorial service for Jacqueline's old friend Ginny, who's been officially declared dead half a decade after she went out for her daily swim in the harbor and was never seen again. But something seems fishy at the service--especially with the ladies of the Wednesday Club. As Julia and Jacqueline begin looking into Ginny's cold case, a present-day murder stirs the pot, and mother and daughter must dive into the deep end to get to the bottom of both mysteries . . .

#318

Hollow Beasts

by Alisa Lynn Valdés

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The Washington Post – The 10 best mystery novels of 2023

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Dirty Girls Social Club comes a wilderness thriller featuring Jodi Luna, a rookie game warden who takes on a terrorist group in rugged New Mexico. After a long stint in academia, Jodi Luna leaves Boston for the wilds of New Mexico to start a new life as a game warden. Jodi is no stranger to the wilderness; her family has lived here for generations. Determined to protect her homeland, she nabs a poacher in her first week on the job. But when he retaliates by stalking Jodi and her teenage daughter, a cat and mouse game leads Jodi to a white supremacist group deep in the mountains. She learns that new recruits are kidnapping women of color to prove their mettle to the organization's leader. When the local sheriff refuses to assist, Jodi joins up with young deputy Ashley Romero. Together, they set out to take down a terrorist network that will test not just their skills as investigators but also their knowledge of the land and commitment to its people. But will Jodi's fierce resolve to protect the voiceless put her loved ones in harm's way?

#319

Horror Library Vol. 8

by Eric J. Guignard

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#320

HorrorScope: A Zodiac Anthology

by H. Everend

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#321

Hospital

by Han Song

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

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#322

Hot Iron and Cold Blood: An Anthology of the Weird West

by Patrick R. McDonough

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#323

Hot Springs Drive

by Lindsay Hunter

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Crime Reads – THE BEST CRIME NOVELS OF 2023

#324

House Gone Quiet

by Kelsey Norris

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#325

House of Roots and Ruin

by Erin A. Craig

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy from bestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever. In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed. Despite dreams of adventures far beyond the Salann shores, seventeen-year-old Verity Thaumas has remained at her family’s estate, Highmoor, with her older sister Camille, while their sisters have scattered across Arcannia. When their sister Mercy sends word that the Duchess of Bloem—wife of a celebrated botanist—is interested in having Verity paint a portrait of her son, Alexander, Verity jumps at the chance, but Camille won’t allow it. Forced to reveal the secret she’s kept for years, Camille tells Verity the truth one day: Verity is still seeing ghosts, she just doesn’t know it. Stunned, Verity flees Highmoor that night and—with nowhere else to turn—makes her way to Bloem. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape and is quickly drawn to charming, witty, and impossibly handsome Alexander Laurent. And soon, to her surprise, a romance . . . blossoms. But it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darker side of Bloem begins to show through its sickly-sweet facade. . . .

#326

House of Rot

by Danger Slater

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The pink mold growing on the walls isn’t the worst thing about Elenya and Myles’ brand new fixer upper. There’s also the inexplicable footsteps in the night; the sealed-over windows and doors; the neighbor that hears their screams but can’t be bothered to help. Soon, there’s no leaving at all. No hope of cleaning. And that encroaching mold? It’s practically become a second skin. Welcome to the House of Rot. You’re never getting out. Cover art by Kate Blairstone Interior illustrations by Echo Echo.

#327

How The Skin Sheds

by Chad Lutzke

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

When Garrett Walkinshaw pays a visit to his sister, he finds her murdered-- throat sliced and nipples missing, his albino niece left emotionally scarred on her bed.Determined on getting revenge, the two set out after the killer, following a bloody trail of skin-lacking bodies. After Garrett's best friend-- a recently freed slave-- joins the road-trip hunt, they' re forced to teach Garret' s niece the dark world of survival and assassination in the gritty, wild west, where they' re met with myriad of roadblocks in the form of evil lawmen, bizarro brothers, a swamp witch, and more.Hap & Leonard meets Leon: The Professional, chasing down Ed Gein.

#328

HUGE: A novel

by Brent Butt

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Indigo – Top 10 Thriller Books

#329

HUMAN SACRIFICES

by María Fernanda Ampuero

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NY Times – The Best Horror Books of 2023

A groundbreaking voice in contemporary Latin American literature, María Fernanda Ampuero’s writing is “raw and savage” as she confronts machismo, inequity, and violence in this acclaimed short story collection (Vistazo). An undocumented woman answers a job posting only to find herself held hostage, a group of outcasts obsess over boys drowned while surfing, and an unhappy couple finds themselves trapped in a terrifying maze. With scalpel-like precision, Ampuero considers the price paid by those on the margins so that the elite might lounge comfortably, considering themselves safe in their homes. Simultaneously terrifying and exquisite, Human Sacrifices is “tropical gothic” at its finest—decay and oppression underlie our humid and hostile world, where working-class women and children are consistently the weakest links in a capitalist economy. Against this backdrop of corrosion and rot, these twelve stories contemplate the nature of exploitation and abuse, illuminating the realities of those society consumes for its own pitiless ends.

#330

Hungers As Old As This Land

by Zachary Rosenberg

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#331

Hunt for Eden’s Star

by D.J. Williams

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"A coming-of-age teen is thrown into a world of ancient secrets when he discovers a supernatural artifact that protects a weapon of mass destruction. With the help of a diverse group of friends, he embarks on a global adventure, seeking the truth about his sister's death, and uncovers two clandestine, supernatural societies waging an epic, hidden war that threatens the future of civilization."--Provide dby publisher.

#332

I Died Too, But They Haven’t Buried Me Yet

by Ross Jeffery

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#333

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

by Jamison Shea

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

There will be blood. Ace of Spades meets House of Hollow in this villain origin story. Laure Mesny is a perfectionist with an axe to grind. Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cutthroat world of the Parisian ballet, she will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take center stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood. The primordial power Laure gains promises influence and adoration, everything she’s dreamed of and worked toward. With retribution on her mind, she surpasses her bitter and privileged peers, leaving broken bodies behind her on her climb to stardom. But even as undeniable as she is, Laure is not the only monster around. And her vicious desires make her a perfect target for slaughter. As she descends into madness and the mystifying underworld beneath her, she is faced with the ultimate choice: continue to break herself for scraps of validation or succumb to the darkness that wants her exactly as she is—monstrous heart and all. That is, if the god-killer doesn’t catch her first. From debut author Jamison Shea comes I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, a twisted dark fantasy that lifts a veil on the institutions that profit on exclusion and the toll of giving everything to a world that will never love you back.

#334

I Only Read Murder: A Novel

by Ian Ferguson

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Indigo 3 – Top 10 Mystery Books

“Strap in for a hilarious and satisfying ride.” —Terry Fallis, bestselling author of Operation Angus A once-famous TV sleuth An amateur theater production An onstage murder A town full of suspects… Miranda Abbott, once known for the crime-solving, karate-chopping church pastor she played on network television, has hit hard times. She’s facing ruin when a mysterious postcard arrives, summoning her to Happy Rock, a small town in the Pacific Northwest. But when she gets there, nothing is what she expected. In dire straits, she signs up for an amateur production at the Happy Rock Little Theater. On opening night, one of the actors is murdered, live, in front of the audience. But no one actually saw what happened. Now everyone is under a cloud of suspicion, including the town doctor, the high school drama teacher, an oil-stained car mechanic, an elderly gentleman who may have been in the CIA—and Miranda herself. Clearly, the only way to solve this mystery is for Miranda to summon her skills as television’s Pastor Fran. Because the show must go on! Miranda Abbott Mystery Book 1: I Only Read Murder by Will Ferguson and Ian Ferguson Book 2: Mystery in the Title by Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson Book 2: Mystery in the Title by Will Ferguson and Ian Ferguson

#335

I Will Find You

by Harlan Coben

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

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#336

Imago and Other Transformations

by Erica Ruppert

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"Ruppert is a master of atmosphere...it’s impossible to tell exactly when the comfortable reality she presents morphs into something strange, terrifying, and terrible"—Publishers Weekly In the twenty-one stories in Imago and Other Transformations there is faith, found and lost again. There are eldritch horrors and profane rituals. And there are characters caught in circumstances they thought they could control. A woman discovers the cost of the magic to resurrect her lost child. A husband struggles against hungry, old gods to win back his missing wife. A child wields a dangerous power his mother had long hoped to harness for her own. Plagues spread. Cities crumble. And the world that ends for some still goes on…

#337

Immortality: A Love Story

by Dana Schwartz

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Indigo 2 – Top 10 Horror Books

*INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* *INSTANT #1 INDIE BESTSELLER* Immortality: A Love Story is the eagerly-anticipated sequel to Dana Schwartz's #1 bestselling gothic romance, Anatomy: A Love Story. "Schwartz continues to seamlessly blend fiction with historical events, creating a richly detailed and engaging look at life in Regency London...the central mystery is intriguing and fun, with a delightful historical who's who in the form of a secret society." --School Library Journal, starred review "Accomplished prose" --Kirkus Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before--the immortality, Beecham's vial--were a figment of her imagination. She doesn't even know if Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her. When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: Hazel has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly granddaughter of King George III. Soon Hazel is pulled into the glamor and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death. As Hazel's work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn't the only thing at stake. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.

#338

Impulses of a Necrotic Heart

by Red Lagoe

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#339

In a Lonely Place

by Karl Edward Wagner

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#340

In Nightfall

by Suzanne Young

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#341

In the House of In Between

by J.D. Buffington

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The Backlund House is haunted, but no one knows why. No violence has taken place there, no one has died within its walls. Over the course of a century, no one has determined what--or who--haunts the storied property. Even Phoebe Backlund, who built her family's dream home, has no explanation for the events that take place there. She invites curious thrill seekers and notorious skeptics alike in the golden age of spiritualism to experience the house's clockwork poltergeists. Knocks, slamming doors, screams, and looming specters delight and terrify her guests, but answers are as elusive as the phantoms. The inexplicable and supernatural beckons Noah Benjamin and his crew to investigate the mystery. Using tomorrow's state-of-the-art technology, Noah aims to reveal what is happening, and why, to finally provide an answer to the enigma. IN THE HOUSE OF IN BETWEEN is horror with a dash of sci-fi spanning the paranormal history of the Backlund House, and tells the story of the lives within and their experiences with whatever is inside.

#342

In the Interest of N.K.

by S. A. O'Laughlin

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#343

In The Pines

by Mariah Stillbrook

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#344

Infernas

by West Ambrose

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#345

Infested

by Angel Luis Colon

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#346

Into the Darkness: Stories Volume 1

by Steve Stred

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#347

Into the Light: Stories Volume 2

by Steve Stred

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#348

Invisible Son

by Kim Johnson

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NPR – Books We Love

From the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of This Is My America comes another thriller about a wrongly accused teen desperate to recclaim both his innocence and his first love. Life can change in an instant. When you're wrongfully accused of a crime. When a virus shuts everything down. When the girl you love moves on. Andre Jackson is determined to reclaim his identity. But returning from juvie doesn't feel like coming home. His Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, and COVID-19 shuts down school before he can return. And Andre's suspicions about his arrest for a crime he didn't commit even taint his friendships. It's as if his whole life has been erased. The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with the Whitaker kids--especially his longtime crush, Sierra. But Sierra's brother Eric is missing, and the facts don't add up as their adoptive parents fight to keep up the act that their racially diverse family is picture-perfect. If Andre can find Eric, he just might uncover the truth about his own arrest. But in a world where power is held by a few and Andre is nearly invisible, searching for the truth is a dangerous game. Critically acclaimed author Kim Johnson delivers another social justice thriller that shines a light on being young and Black in America--perfect for fans of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone.

#349

I’m Not Done With You Yet

by Jesse Q Sutanto

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Crime Reads – THE BEST CRIME NOVELS OF 2023

Some friends—and friendships—are worth killing for in this dark, twisty suspense novel by national bestselling author Jesse Q. Sutanto. Jane is unhappy. A struggling midlist writer whose novels barely command four figures, she feels trapped in an underwhelming marriage, just scraping by to pay a crippling Bay Area mortgage for a house—a life—she's never really wanted. There's only ever been one person she cared about, one person who truly understood her: Thalia. Jane's best and only friend nearly a decade ago during their Creative Writing days at Oxford. It was the only good year of Jane’s life—cobblestones and books and damp English air, heady wine and sweet cider and Thalia, endless Thalia. But then one night ruined everything. The blood-soaked night that should have bound Thalia to Jane forever but instead made her lose her completely. Thalia disappeared without a trace, and Jane has been unable to find her since. Until now. Because there she is, her name at the top of the New York Times bestseller list: A Most Pleasant Death by Thalia Ashcroft. When she discovers a post from Thalia on her website about attending a book convention in New York City in a week—“Can’t wait to see you there!”—Jane can’t wait either. She’ll go to New York City, too, credit card bill be damned. And this time, she will do things right. Jane won’t lose Thalia again.

#350

Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark and Fantastic

by Tobi Ogundiran

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#351

Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind

by Molly McGhee

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"The novel is a magical-realist office drama infused with millennial anomie, and McGhee's canny, often bittersweetly hilarious prose reads as if George Saunders infiltrated the Severance writers' room." --Rafael Frumkin, Washington Post "This laugh-out-loud debut is a wildly imaginative, tender and piercing critique of the squeeze of capitalism." --Xochitl Gonzalez, Good Morning America "A scathing critique of capitalism that holds onto the humanity of its characters." --Laura Zornosa, TIME Jonathan Abernathy is a self-proclaimed loser. . . he's behind on his debts, has no prospects, no friends, and no ambitions. But when a government loan forgiveness program offers him a literal dream job, he thinks he's found his big break. If he can appear to be competent at his new job, entering the minds of middle class workers while they sleep and removing the unsavory detritus of their waking lives from their unconscious, he might have a chance at a new life. As Abernathy finds his footing in this role, reality and morality begin to warp around him. Soon, the lines between life and work, love and hate, right and wrong, even sleep and consciousness, begin to blur. Molly McGhee touches on themes most people know all too well--the relentlessly crushing weight of debt, the recognition that work won't love you back and the awkwardness of finding love when you are without hope. A workplace novel, at once tender, startling, and deeply funny, Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind is a stunning, critical work of surrealist fiction, a piercing critique of late-stage capitalism, and a reckoning with its true cost.

#352

Just a Little Snack: An Afro-Gothic Short Story Collection

by Yah Yah Scholfield

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#353

Just Another Missing Person Intl: A Novel

by Gillian Mcallister

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Indigo – Top 10 Thriller Books

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#354

Kill For Love

by Laura Picklesimer

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#355

Kill For Me Kill For You

by Steve Cavanagh

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#356

Kill Show: A True Crime Novel

by Daniel Sweren-Becker

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Amazon – Best Mysteries, Thrillers and Suspense Books of 2023

#357

Killer

by Peter Tonkin

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#358

Killing It

by Mike Bockoven

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#359

Killing Moon

by Jo Nesbo

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

This killer will get inside your head. • Brilliant rogue police investigator Harry Hole is back, this time as an outsider assembling his own team to help find a serial killer who is murdering young women in Oslo in the next novel in the New York Times best-selling series. "One of today's most interesting thriller writers." —Lee Child, author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Jack Reacher series THE HUNT IS ON AND THE POLICE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. Two young women are missing, their only connection a party they both attended, hosted by a notorious real-estate magnate. When one of the women is found murdered, the police discover an unusual signature left by the killer, giving them reason to suspect he will strike again. THEY'RE FACING A KILLER UNLIKE ANY OTHER. And exposing him calls for a detective like no other. But the legendary Harry Hole is gone—fired from the force, drinking himself to oblivion in Los Angeles. It seems that nothing can entice him back to Oslo. Until the woman who saved Harry's life is put in grave danger, and he has no choice but to return to the city that haunts him and track down the murderer. CATCHING HIM WILL PUSH HARRY TO THE LIMIT. He'll need to bring together a misfit team of former operatives to accomplish what he can't do alone: stop an unstoppable killer. But as the evidence mounts, it becomes clear that there is more to this case than meets the eye...

#360

Killingly

by Katharine Beutner

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#361

King’s Hill

by Josh Hanson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#362

Knock Knock, Open Wide

by Neil Sharpson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#363

Last Stay

by Brennan LaFaro

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#364

Last to Leave the Room

by Caitlin Starling

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#365

Let Me Out

by Emmett Nahil

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A face-off with the devil! From writer Emmett Nahil (Leatherwood) and illustrator George Williams (Croc and Roll) comes a riveting queer horror story set against the backdrop of an outbreak of satanic panic sweeping the New Jersey suburbs in 1979. When Pastor Holley's wife, Kelly, is found murdered, FBI agent Garrett takes on the case with local New Jersey Sheriff Mullen. Together they start drumming up a convenient satanic-flavored scapegoat to cover up their own crimes of murder and experimentation. That scapegoat comes in the form of four friends: Mitch, Terri, Lupe, and Jackson. The punks, the queers, and the outcasts. Soon the group becomes the prime suspects of Kelly's murder. Now on the run from Garrett and Mullen, the group finds themselves in the midst of a deal with the devil themself.

#366

Let the Woods Keep Our Bodies

by E. M. Roy

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

In the small town of Eston, Maine . . . Weird Things Happen Sometimes Leo Bates knows what's behind every corner in her hometown, where she's lived her whole life. Some disjointed memories and grief for her late parents, sure, but nothing dangerous. Nothing unexplainable. But the familiar becomes strange the longer you look at it. When Tate Mulder goes missing and Leo is pinned as the prime suspect, she can only watch as the town she thought she knew deteriorates around her. She is forced to confront the truth about her parents, Eston, and her relationship if she is to survive an onslaught of conspiracies, cryptic monstrosities, and whatever is hiding in the woods where Tate was last seen. Finding the girl she loves may be the only way to restore balance to Eston-if such a thing ever existed to begin with.

#367

Life Support

by Elton Skelter

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#368

Like Real

by Shelly Lyons

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#369

Linghun

by Ai Jiang

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A modern Gothic ghost story set in a mysterious town where the dead live again as spirits, conjured by a grief-sick population that refuses to let go.

#370

Love The Sinner

by Mo Moshaty

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#371

Loyalty

by Martina Cole

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

* Don't miss GUILTY, the brand new novel from Martina Cole. Out now. * 'The Queen of Crime' Woman & Home Dara Tailor and Grace Perry couldn't be more different. But both had to grow up fast when their circumstances led them to Holly Brookes Children's Home. There, the two girls unite in the face of horrific abuse and form an unbreakable bond. But when their loyalty is put to the ultimate test, can they rely on each other to do the right thing? Friendship - it's all about trust. Don't miss the explosive new novel from the queen of crime Martina Cole. 'She's a total one-off' Guardian 'The stuff of legend . . . utterly compelling' Mirror 'Superstar crime writer' This Morning 'The undisputed Queen of crime writing' Erwin James 'Her gripping plots pack a mean emotional punch' Mail on Sunday 'One of the best fiction authors around . . . spectacular' Closer 'Dark and dangerous' Sunday Mirror Due to health reasons, Martina Cole has chosen to collaborate with writer Jacqui Rose to finish her upcoming novel Loyalty.

#372

Lumberjack

by Anthony Engebretson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Nebraska city, 1901. There’s a curse on Arbor Lodge—an elusive demon reclaiming the illustrious home in the name of the prairie—and its owner, J. Sterling Morton, proud statesman, is desperate. It couldn’t be more fortuitous for lumberjack Neville, whose greatest desire is to prove himself a true man to the world. Morton offers respect, security, pride, even the father figure Neville never had; and all the lumberjack has to do is find and kill this creature. There’s no doubt in Neville’s mind that he deserves to rise to the status of legend. He will prevail. It’s in his blood. Or else, his blood will be in the prairie.

#373

Maddalena and the Dark

by Julia Fine

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#374

Manor House, The Intl: A Novel

by Gilly Macmillan

Amazon Bookshop

Indigo – Top 10 Thriller Books

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nanny and What She Knew comes the terrifying story of what can happen after all your dreams come trueBe careful what you wish for...Childhood sweethearts Nicole and Tom are a normal, loving couple--until a massive lottery win changes their lives overnight.Soon they've moved into a custom-built state-of-the-art Glass Barn on the stunning grounds of Lancaut Manor in Gloucestershire. They have fancy cars, expensive hobbies, and an exclusive lifestyle they never could have imagined.But this dream world quickly turns into a nightmare when Tom is found dead in the swimming pool. Was Tom's death a tragic accident, or was it something worse?Nicole is devastated. Tom was her rock. And their beautiful barn --with all its smart features that never seem to work for her--is beginning to feel very lonely. But she's not entirely by herself out there in the country. There's a nice young couple who live in the Manor itself along with their middle-aged housekeeper who has the Coach House. And an old friend of Tom's from school has turned up to help her get through her grief. But big money can bring big problems and big threats. And is Nicole's life in danger as well?Nicole's beginning to feel like a little fish in a big glass bowl.Surrounded by piranhas.Don't miss these other chilling novels by New York Times bestselling author Gilly Macmillan: The Long WeekendTo Tell You the TruthThe NannyI Know YouOdd Child OutThe Perfect GirlWhat She Knew

#375

Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger

by KC Grifant

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#376

Merciless Waters

by Rae Knowles

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#377

Midas

by Tyler Jones

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#378

Midnight is the Darkest Hour

by Ashley Winstead

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

From the critically acclaimed author of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and The Last Housewife comes Midnight is the Darkest Hour, a gothic Southern thriller about a killer haunting a small Louisiana town, where two outcasts--the preacher's daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks--hold the key to uncovering the truth.For fans of Verity and A Flicker in the Dark, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is a twisted tale of murder, obsessive love, and the beastly urges that lie dormant within us all...even the God-fearing folk of Bottom Springs, Louisiana. In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devil are the myths that haunt the area, like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners' bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. When a skull is found deep in the swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, Bottom Springs is thrown into uproar--and Ruth realizes only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the power to comb the town's secret underbelly in search of true evil.A dark and powerful novel like fans have come to expect from Ashley Winstead, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is an examination of the ways we've come to expect love, religion, and stories to save us, the lengths we have to go to in order to take back power, and the monstrous work of being a girl in this world."Where The Crawdads Sing meets Twilight meets Thelma and Louise in this brilliantly realized, totally original thriller. Absolutely sensational--I couldn't put it down." --Clare Mackintosh, New York Times bestselling author

#379

Midnight Showing

by Megan Shepherd

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#380

Midnight Under the Big Top

by Brian James Freeman

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#381

Mister Lullaby

by J.H. Markert

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

From J. H. Markert, the author Peter Farris calls the "clear heir to Stephen King," Mister Lullaby brings our darkest dreams and nightmares to life. In the vein of T. Kingfisher and Christopher Golden, the boundary protecting our world from the monsters on the other side is weakening—and Mister Lullaby is about to break through. The small town of Harrod’s Reach has seen its fair share of the macabre, especially inside the decrepit old train tunnel around which the town was built. After a young boy, Sully Dupree, is injured in the abandoned tunnel and left in a coma, the townspeople are determined to wall it up. Deputy sheriff Beth Gardner is reluctant to buy into the superstitions until she finds two corpses at the tunnel’s entrance, each left with strange calling cards inscribed with old lullabies. Soon after, Sully Dupree briefly awakens from his coma. Before falling back into his slumber, Sully manages to give his older brother a message. Sully's mind, since the accident, has been imprisoned on the other side of the tunnel in Lalaland, a grotesque and unfamiliar world inhabited by evil mythical creatures of sleep. Sully is trapped there with hundreds of other coma patients, all desperately fighting to keep the evils of the dream world from escaping into the waking world. Elsewhere, a man troubled by his painful youth has for years been hearing a voice in his head he calls Mr. Lullaby, and he has finally started to act on what that voice is telling him—to kill any coma patient he can find, quickly. Something is waking up in the tunnel—something is trying to get through. And Mr. Lullaby is coming.

#382

Monstersona

by Chloe Spencer

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#383

Monstrous

by Jessica Lewis

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Forced to spend her summer in her aunt's strange small town, a teen girl discovers dark secrets hidden in the woods. From the author of Bad Witch Burning comes another pulse-pounding novel perfect for fans of Supernatural and Lovecraft Country. Don't go outside past dark. Come straight home after church. And above all—never, ever, go into Red Wood. These are the rules Latavia's aunt gives her when Latavia arrives in Sanctum, Alabama for the summer. Though, weird as they are, living in Sanctum does have its pros. Mainly, the cute girl who works at the local ice cream shop. But Sanctum is turning out to be as strange as the rules—and the longer Latavia’s in town, the more suspicious she is that the people there are hiding something. And the more clear it is that she’s an outsider. Everyone’s nice enough, but they seem determined to prove everything is normal. But it's not. Because there’s something in Red Wood that the towns’ people are hiding. And if Latavia doesn't follow her aunt’s rules, she might not be able to leave Sanctum. Ever...

#384

Mooncalves

by John WM Thompson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#385

Mosaic

by Catherine McCarthy

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#386

Mothered

by Zoje Stage

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#387

Mothtown

by Caroline Hardaker

Amazon Bookshop

Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#388

Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge

by Spencer Quinn

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Mrs. Plansky's Revenge is bestselling author Spencer Quinn's first novel in a new series since the meteoric launch of Chet and Bernie--introducing the irresistible and unforgettable Mrs. Plansky, in a story perfect for book clubs and commercial fiction readers. Mrs. Loretta Plansky, a recent widow in her seventies, is settling into retirement in Florida while dealing with her 98-year-old father and fielding requests for money from her beloved children and grandchildren. Thankfully, her new hip hasn't changed her killer tennis game one bit. One night Mrs. Plansky is startled awake by a phone call from a voice claiming to be her grandson Will, who desperately needs ten thousand dollars to get out of a jam. Of course, Loretta obliges--after all, what are grandmothers for, even grandmothers who still haven't gotten a simple "thank you" for a gift sent weeks ago. Not that she's counting. By morning, Mrs. Plansky has lost everything. Law enforcement announces that Loretta's life savings have vanished, and that it's hopeless to find the scammers behind the heist. First humiliated, then furious, Loretta Plansky refuses to be just another victim. In a courageous bid for justice, Mrs. Plansky follows her only clue on a whirlwind adventure to a small village in Romania to get her money and her dignity back--and perhaps find a new lease on life, too.

#389

Muckross Abbey and Other Stories

by Sabina Murray

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#390

Murder at Holly House

by Denzil Meyrick

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

*AN INSTANT NO.1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* *A WATERSTONES THRILLER OF THE MONTH PICK* Discover the book everyone is talking about - this fun and festive murder mystery is the perfect Christmas read. 'The feel-good factor is off the scale' The Times ‘Your new festive fave’ My Weekly ‘A crime Christmas stocking must!’ Yorkshire Life A village of secrets. Yorkshire, 1952. Christmas is fast approaching when a dead stranger is found lodged up the chimney of Holly House in the snow-covered village of Elderby. Is he a simple thief, or a would-be killer? A mystery that can’t be solved. Inspector Frank Grasby is ordered to investigate. But as is often the way for him, things don’t go according to plan. A Christmas to remember. When the local doctor’s husband is murdered, Grasby begins to realize that everyone in Elderby is hiding something. And if he can’t uncover the truth soon, the whole country will pay a dreadful price... Praise for Murder at Holly House 'A quintessential slice of Yuletide murder mystery' Sun 'A fun book. Playful. One to make you smile' Stuart MacBride, Sunday Times bestselling crime thriller author of The Dead of Winter ‘Intricately plotted and laced with deliciously dark humour’ The Sunday Post ‘A complete joy of a historical Christmas crime novel’ Miranda Dickinson, Sunday Times bestselling author of Fairytale of New York ‘A hugely entertaining story with an authentic period feel’ The Herald 'Vintage crime from a true master of the genre!' 5* Reader Review 'Wonderful, imaginative and difficult to put down...a real festive treat!' 5* Reader Review 'An intriguing mystery peppered with some delightful touches of humour.' 5* Reader Review 'The plot was immersive and the pacing was superb. There are twists and turns, secrets and lies. All you really need for a romp in the snow!' 5* Reader Review 'Who doesn’t love a Christmas murder mystery?' 5* Reader Review Waterstones Thriller of the Month, November 2024 Denzil Meyrick, Audible bestseller, November 2024 Denzil Meyrick, No.1 New York Times bestseller, November 2025

#391

Murder, I Spy

by Lynn Morrison

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#392

Murdle – Murdle Puzzle Series

by G.T. Karber

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#393

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix

by Kalynn Bayron

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#394

My Father’s House

by Joseph O'Connor

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Chicago Public Library – Must-Read Books of 2023: Mystery & Thriller

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#395

Nails and Eyes

by Kaori Fujino

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#396

Necessary Death: What Horror Movies Teach Us About Navigating the Human Experience

by Preston Fassel & Chris Grosso

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#397

Nefando

by Mónica Ojeda

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#398

Nestlings

by Nat Cassidy

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Nat Cassidy is at his razor-sharp best again with his horror novel Nestlings, which harnesses the creeping paranoia of Rosemary's Baby and the urban horror of Salem's Lot, set in an exclusive New York City residential building. NPR Books We Love 2023 Best Horror of 2023 (so far!)--Den of Geek Most Anticipated Horror Books of 2023--Paste Magazine, Goodreads, Bibliosanctum Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of Fall 2023--Crimereads October's Best Sci Fi and Fantasy Books -- LitHub, Bibliosanctum Ana and Reid needed a lucky break. The horrifically complicated birth of their first child has left Ana paralyzed, bitter, and struggling: with mobility, with her relationship with Reid, with resentment for her baby. That's about to change with the words any New Yorker would love to hear--affordable housing lottery. They've won an apartment in the Deptford, one of Manhattan's most revered buildings with beautiful vistas of Central Park and stunning architecture. Reid dismisses disturbing events and Ana's deep unease and paranoia as the price of living in New York--people are odd--but he can't explain the needle-like bite marks on the baby. Other Books by Nat Cassidy: Mary: An Awakening of Terror

#399

Never Dead

by Joe Scipione

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#400

Neverest

by T.L. Bodine

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#401

Night of a Million Maniacs

by Jeremy Herbert

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Horror novel set in an amusement park as Halloween draws near.

#402

Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight

by Shelly Page & Alex Brown

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#403

Nightfall & Other Dangers

by Jacob Steven Mohr

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#404

Nightwood

by Elana Gomel

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

All fairy tales were history once. Ally is a Ukrainian bride who married a wealthy Californian, Carl Morris. Everything is strange in her new home: the shadowy redwoods, the peculiar neighbors, and the mystery surrounding the death of Carl's first wife. But Ally is determined to leave her own tragic past behind and to be a good wife and a good American. Escaping darkness is not so easy, however. Ally discovers that her house is situated on the borders of Nightwood, where fairy tales become nightmares and nightmares become reality. And the ruler of Nightwood has plans of his own. When Carl is abducted by a forest monster, Ally follows him into the land where the Red, Black, and White Horsemen drag the sun in their wake. There she is taken prisoner by the ghoulish Little Mother and is forced to labor in a filthy farmyard filled with deformed human livestock. But Little Mother is not the most terrifying creature in Nightwood. The Ogre, squatting in the Castle with no Windows, is poised to invade our world. He has Carl; and he wants Ally. Unexpectedly joined by new friends, Ally escapes to embark on a perilous journey across a dying land filled with mythical beasts and creatures from fairy tales. To save Carl, Ally will have to brave the horrors of Nightwood and uncover the shattering secret of her own identity.

#405

Night’s Edge

by Liz Kerin

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#406

No Child of Mine

by Nichelle Giraldes

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#407

No Guilt of Bloodshed

by John Baltisberger

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him." -- Exodus22:2 1859 Malechai ben Pallache, a Ukranian-Jew and soldier of fortune who has made his way through the world fueled by blood and pain has been enlisted to hunt down Dragan, the bastard priest who kicked off the pogroms before fleeing to California. But the profane holy man has more than blood on his hands, he has also stolen a box that holds terrible evil. Brodie is infested with hungry demons and dangerous men, gold and vice drawing in the worst that humanity or demonkind have to offer, all standing between Malechai and the priest. But, he does not travel alone. Joined by a succubus of terrible power and the silent golem Mishpat, Malechai will stop at nothing to find Dragan and bring his twisted reign to an end. What follows is a blood-drowned, hatred-fueled battle of wills, bullets, and mutilation that will forever stain the ground of Brodie California.

#408

NO ONE WILL COME BACK FOR US: And Other Stories

by Premee Mohamed

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NY Times – The Best Horror Books of 2023

Here there be gods and monsters - forged from flesh and stone and vengeance - emerging from the icy abyss of deep space, ascending from dark oceans, and prowling strange cities to enter worlds of chaos and wonder, where scientific rigor and human endeavour is tested to the limits. These are cosmic realms and watery domains where old offerings no longer appease the ancient Gods or the new and hungry idols. Deities and beasts. Life and death. Love and hate. Science and magic. And smiling monsters in human skin.Premee Mohamed's debut collection of contemporary cosmic horror and dark fantasy heralds the arrival of a new and vibrant voice on the cutting edge of modern speculative fiction.PRAISE FOR "No One Will Come Back for Us""Dark, strange, and wonderfully wild ... by turns brutal and tender, terrifying and sweet ... Mohamed accomplishes the rare feat of maintaining a sense of human connection no matter how outlandish the stories' premises. The result will both terrify and delight."- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review"Premee Mohamed is a top-notch fantasist with a dark streak of unease bubbling through her fiction."- Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Author of Mexican Gothic"In Premee Mohamed's elegant, arresting stories, flawed, fragile characters face entities and events vast and strange. The result is the best kind of fiction, moving and memorable."- John Langan, Author of Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies "No One Will Come Back for Us does an incredible job showcasing Premee Mohamed's short fiction, vivid anatomical studies of anguished human hearts opened up so wide and vulnerable in worlds far too big, far too broken, too far gone. Stories of what people will do for each other, do to each other, out of love and pride and cruelty. This is contemporary cross-genre horror at its finest, having stolen organs from fantasy and science fiction alike to incorporate them, pulsating and alive, into its own body. It's alive, it's behind you, and it needs your eyeballs. Give them immediately."- Vajra Chandrasekera, Author of The Saint of Bright Doors"A catalog of turmoils, each achingly human."- John Wiswell, Nebula Award Winning Author of Open House on Haunted Hill"Mesmeric, beautifully human, limned with a heart-broken tenderness even in its darkest moments."- Cassandra Khaw, Author of The Salt Grows Heavy"Visits to the place where the mundane turns suddenly into the uncanny. Every story is an elegant masterpiece of imagination and the unexpected."- Adrian Tchaikovsky, Author of Children of Time

#409

Now She is Witch

by Kirsty Logan

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#410

October Screams: A Halloween Anthology

by Kenneth W. Cain

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#411

Odious Ghouls

by Tom Rimer

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#412

Old God’s Time

by Sebastian Barry

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NPR – Books We Love

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZE "You should be reading Sebastian Barry. [He] has a special understanding of the human heart." --Adam Begley, The Atlantic "Combining verbal exuberance and narrative intricacy, Barry reimagines the hauntings of Irish history." --Giles Harvey, The New Yorker "This is an unforgettable novel from one of our finest writers." --Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain From the two-time Booker Prize finalist, a dazzlingly written novel exploring love, memory, grief, and long-buried secrets Recently retired policeman Tom Kettle is settling into the quiet of his new home, a lean-to annexed to a Victorian castle overlooking the Irish Sea. For months he has barely seen a soul, catching only glimpses of his eccentric landlord and a nervous young mother who has moved in next door. Occasionally, fond memories return, of his family, his beloved wife June and their two children, Winnie and Joe. But when two former colleagues turn up at his door with questions about a decades-old case, one which Tom never quite came to terms with, he finds himself pulled into the darkest currents of his past. A beautiful, haunting novel, in which nothing is quite as it seems, Old God's Time is about what we live through, what we live with, and what may survive of us.

#413

On His Majesty’s Secret Service – James Bond 007

by Charlie Higson

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#414

ONE LAST KILL

by Robert Dugoni

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Kirkus Review – Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023

An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling series.Detective Tracy Crosswhite draws a long-dormant serial killer out of hiding in a nerve-shattering novel by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni.Tracy Crosswhite is reopening the investigation into Seattle's Route 99 serial killer. After thirteen victims, he stopped hunting and the trail went cold, stirring public outrage. Now, nearly three decades after his first kill, Tracy is expected to finally bring closure to the victims' families and redeem the Seattle PD's reputation. Even if it means working with her nemesis, Captain Johnny Nolasco.Lead detective of the original task force, Nolasco dares Tracy to do what he failed to: close the case. Forming an uneasy alliance, Tracy and Nolasco revisit old leads and pursue new evidence only to unearth high-level corruption and cover-ups as dangerous as the elusive killer himself. At the risk of being exposed, such deadly and powerful forces will go to extremes to stay in the shadows.That's just where Tracy and Nolasco are headed--to find the twisted truth behind a killer's motives, his disappearance, and his chilling comeback.

#415

One or Several Deserts

by Carter St Hogan

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#416

Only the Living Are Lost

by Simon Strantzas

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#417

Other Women

by Emma Flint

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Soon to be featured on Zoe Ball's Radio 2 Book Club.'Exquisite' - Will Dean, author of Dark Pines'This is a book that will stay with you' - Ann Cleeves, bestselling author of the Vera series'Compelling, twisty and wonderfully suspenseful' - Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled GroundIt is 1923 and a country is in mourning. Thousands of husbands, fathers, sons and sweethearts were lost in Europe, millions more returned home wounded and forever changed.Beatrice Cade is an orphan, unmarried and childless. London is full of invisible women who struggle to find somewhere to work through their grief. But Bea is determined to make a new life for herself. She takes a room in a Bloomsbury ladies' club and a job in the City. Just when her her new world is taking shape, a fleeting encounter threatens to ruin everything.Kate Ryan is an ordinary wife and mother. Following the end of the war, she has managed to build an enviable life with her husband and young daughter. To anyone looking in from the outside, they seem like a normal, happy family. But when two policemen knock on her door one morning and threaten to destroy the facade Kate has created, she knows what she has to do to protect the people she loves. And suddenly, two women who never should have met are connected for ever . . .Mesmerising, haunting and utterly remarkable, this is a devastating story of fantasy, obsession inspired by a murder that took place almost a hundred years ago.

#419

Our Black Hearts Beat As One

by Brian Asman

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"Hearts break. But they don't just break, they explode. Destroying everything around them." Michael Mallory's living the dream as the lead singer of a hot, up-and-coming band, Modern Love. When a sudden breakup shatters his world, he plunges headlong into the city's occult underbelly in a desperate bid to salve his pain. Lost amidst wayward souls and brutish killers, godlings and grotesqueries, Mike's about to learn one incontrovertible fact: There's nothing more terrifying than love.

#420

Our Hideous Progeny

by C. E. McGill

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#421

Our Own Unique Affliction

by Scott J. Moses

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#422

Out of the Ashes

by Louisa Scarr

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#423

Ozark Dogs

by Eli Cranor

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Crime Reads – THE BEST CRIME NOVELS OF 2023

In this Southern thriller, two families grapple with the aftermath of a murder in their small Arkansas town. After his son is convicted of capital murder, Vietnam War veteran Jeremiah Fitzjurls takes over the care of his granddaughter, Joanna, raising her with as much warmth as can be found in an Ozark junkyard outfitted to be an armory. He teaches her how to shoot and fight, but there is not enough training in the world to protect her when the dreaded Ledfords, notorious meth dealers and fanatical white supremacists, come to collect on Joanna as payment for a long-overdue blood debt. Headed by rancorous patriarch Bunn and smooth-talking, erudite Evail, the Ledfords have never forgotten what the Fitzjurls family did to them, and they will not be satisfied until they have taken an eye for an eye. As they seek revenge, and as Jeremiah desperately searches for his granddaughter, their narratives collide in this immersive story about family and how far some will go to honor, defend—or in some cases, destroy it.

#424

Paradise-1

by David Wellington

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

An electric blend of sci-fi and horror, Paradise-1 begins a terrifying new trilogy of exploration and survival in deep space from Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated author David Wellington. "A superior space thriller that never flags....Readers will be on the edge of their seats." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) Paradise-1. Earth’s first deep space colony. For thousands of people, it was an opportunity for a new life. Until it went dark. No communication has been received from the colony for months. And it falls to Firewatch inspector Alexandra Petrova and the crew of the Artemis to investigate. What they find is more horrifying than anything they could have imagined.

#425

Past Lying – Karen Pirie

by Val McDermid

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#426

Perplexing Plots

by David Bordwell

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Narrative innovation is typically seen as the domain of the avant-garde. However, techniques such as nonlinear timelines, multiple points of view, and unreliable narration have long been part of American popular culture. How did forms and styles once regarded as "difficult" become familiar to audiences? In Perplexing Plots, David Bordwell reveals how crime fiction, plays, and films made unconventional narrative mainstream. He shows that since the nineteenth century, detective stories and suspense thrillers have allowed ambitious storytellers to experiment with narrative. Tales of crime and mystery became a training ground where audiences learned to appreciate artifice. These genres demand a sophisticated awareness of storytelling conventions: they play games with narrative form and toy with audience expectations. Bordwell examines how writers and directors have pushed, pulled, and collaborated with their audiences to change popular storytelling. He explores the plot engineering of figures such as Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, Patricia Highsmith, Alfred Hitchcock, Dorothy Sayers, and Quentin Tarantino, and traces how mainstream storytellers and modernist experimenters influenced one another's work. A sweeping, kaleidoscopic account written in a lively, conversational style, Perplexing Plots offers an ambitious new understanding of how movies, literature, theater, and popular culture have evolved over the past century.

#427

Pet Peeves

by Nicole Goux

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#428

Phantom

by Helen Power

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Would you sell your hand for a million dollars? Regan "Roz" Osbourne is broke. Her ex-boyfriend won't take no for an answer, and no one is taking her artwork seriously. So when a mysterious stranger offers her a million dollars and safety from her unstable ex in exchange for her left hand, she can't afford to refuse. & Immediately following the amputation, she's racked with insufferable phantom limb pain. Desperate for relief, she enrolls in an experimental drug trial. But this drug has a peculiar side effect—she develops a psychic connection to her missing limb. She soon discovers that Chicago's long-dormant Phantom Strangler is now wearing her hand and is using it . . . to kill.

#429

Pilgrim: A Medieval Horror

by Mitchell Lüthi

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#430

Playing It Safe

by Ashley Weaver

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

The third in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, Playing It Safe is a delightful World War II mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and wit. “Ellie is a smart and gutsy new heroine.” —Ann Lee Huber As the Blitz continues to ravage London, Ellie McDonnell—formerly a safecracking thief, but currently determined to stay on the straight and narrow to help her country—is approached by British Intelligence officer Major Ramsey with a new assignment. She is to travel under an assumed identity to the port city of Sunderland and there await further instructions. In his usual infuriating way, the Major has left her task as vague and mysterious as possible. Ellie, ever-ready to aid her country, heads north, her safecracking tools in tow. But before she can rendezvous with the major, she witnesses an unnatural death. A man falls dead in the street in front of her, with a note clutched in his hand. Ellie’s instincts tell her that the man’s death is connected in some way to her mission. Soon, Ellie and the major are locked in a battle of wits and a race against time with an unknown and deadly adversary, and a case that leads them to a possible Nazi counterfeiting operation. With bombs dropping on the city and a would-be assassin shadowing their every move, it will take all of Ellie’s resourcefulness and Major Ramsey’s fortitude to unmask the spymaster and avert disastrous consequences—for England and for their own lives.

#431

Polyphemus

by Michael Shea

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#432

Posthaste Manor

by Carson Winter & Jolie Toomajan

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#433

Pre-Approved for Haunting: And Other Stories

by Patrick Barb

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#434

Prom Mom: A Thriller

by Laura Lippman

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NPR – Books We Love

New York Times bestseller Laura Lippman tells the story of Amber Glass, desperately trying to get away from her tabloid past but compulsively drawn back to the city of her youth and the prom date who destroyed everything she was reaching for. Amber Glass has spent her entire adult life putting as much distance as possible between her and her hometown of Baltimore, where she fears she will forever be known as "Prom Mom"--the girl who allegedly killed her baby on the night of the prom after her date, Joe Simpson, abandoned her to pursue the girl he really liked. But when circumstances bring Amber back to the city, she realizes she can have a second chance--as long as she stays away from Joe, now a successful commercial real estate developer, married to a plastic surgeon, Meredith, to whom he is devoted. The problem is, Amber can't stay away from Joe. And Joe finds that it's increasingly hard for him to ignore Amber, if only because she remembers the boy he was and the man he said he was going to be. Against the surreal backdrop of 2020 and early 2021, the two are slowly drawn to each other and eventually cross the line they've been trying not to cross. And then Joe asks Amber to help him do the unthinkable . . . and she must decide if she is willing to let their toxic and dangerous past repeat itself.

#435

Promise

by Christi Nogle

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

New Collection from WINNER of the 2022 Bram Stoker Award(R) in Superior Achievement in a First Novel Promise collects Christi Nogle's best futuristic stories ranging from plausible tech-based science fiction to science fantasy stories about aliens in our midst: chameleonic foils hover in the skies, you can order a headset to speak and dream with your dog, and your devices sometimes connect not just to the web but to the underworld. These tales will recall the stories of Ray Bradbury, television programs such as Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, and novels such as Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin or Under the Skin by Michel Faber. They are often strange and dreadful but veer towards themes of hope, potential, promise FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress

#436

Ragman

by JG Faherty

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

If you love a great horror tale with ancient mummies, a deluded priest and two oddball cops, then you're in for a treat... "Conjuring ancient secrets, and with a body count that is out of this world, Ragman blends history and myth in a gritty procedural that severs bone and sears skin. Outstanding.” - Lee Murray, USA Today Bestselling author and four-time Bram Stoker Award® winner “If ever there was a cautionary tale about not robbing temples, this is it. The spiritual rage of ancient Egypt catches up with modern America in a complex, dazzling, bloodthirsty epic of demonic revenge. Hold on to your heads!”- Graham Masterton In 1882, a group of British soldiers plunder an Egyptian temple and kill the high priest. The priest vows revenge, and is finally revived in the present day. He finds the great-grandson of the man who killed him, but they form an uneasy partnership to get back all the stolen artifacts and send all the descendants of the other soldiers to the Underworld. Two police officers, former partners who had a falling out, must put aside their differences as they go from trying to solve gruesome, unexplained murders to risking their lives to stop the supernatural mummy the priest has called forth.

#437

Rainbow Filth

by Tim Meyer

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#438

Red Rabbit

by Alex Grecian

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"Impossible to put down." --Kelly Link, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Get In Trouble A ragtag posse must hunt down a witch through a wild west beset by demons and ghosts--where death is always just around the bend--in this new supernatural horror by bestselling author Alex Grecian. Sadie Grace is wanted for witchcraft, dead (or alive). And every hired gun in Kansas is out to collect the bounty on her head, including bona fide witch hunter Old Tom and his mysterious, mute ward, Rabbit. On the road to Burden County, they're joined by two vagabond cowboys with a strong sense of adventure - but no sense of purpose - and a recently widowed schoolteacher with nothing left to lose. As their posse grows, so too does the danger. Racing along the drought-stricken plains in a stolen red stagecoach, they encounter monsters more wicked than witches lurking along the dusty trail. But the crew is determined to get that bounty, or die trying. Written with the devilish cadence of Stephen Graham Jones and the pulse-pounding brutality of Nick Cutter, Red Rabbit is an epic adventure of luck and misfortune. "Echoing True Grit, RED RABBIT is a riotous, Boschian, gun-slinging marvel." --Laird Hunt, author of In the House in the Dark of the Woods

#439

Revenge Arc

by Cat Voleur

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#440

Riding the Nightmare

by Lisa Tuttle

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#441

Root Rot & Other Grim Tales

by Sarah Read

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#442

Rubicons: A Freaks Novel

by Brett Riley

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#443

Sacrifice of the Sisters Lot

by Chris Kuriata

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#444

Saint Grit

by Kayli Scholz

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#445

Sasquatch, Baby!

by Bethany Browning

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

From the author of Dead Spread, this unputdownable creature feature has readers raving. After her posh Napa Valley friends expel her for committing an unspeakable betrayal, Tabitha Eggs retreats to the redwood forests of Del Norte County, California to drink herself to death. But when she stumbles over two decomposing corpses near her new home-among a growing list of other frightening, unexplainable experiences-she believes that walking into a raging wildfire is preferable to whatever waits in the woods. Her plans are foiled when she's kept alive by a curious sasquatch (who adores salad dressing and is overjoyed by luxury body wash), and they create a bizarre and everlasting union.

#446

Scarewaves

by Trevor Henderson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#447

Scarlet Town – Laurence Jago

by Leonora Nattrass

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#448

Schrader’s Chord

by Scott Leeds

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Heart-Shaped Box meets The Haunting of Hill House in Schrader's Chord, Scott Leeds's chilling debut about cursed vinyl records that open a gateway to the land of the dead. I told you they were real. After his estranged father's mysterious death, Charlie Remick returns to Seattle to help with the funeral. There, he discovers his father left him two parting gifts: the keys to the family record store and a strange black case containing four antique records that, according to legend, can open a gate to the land of the dead. When Charlie, his sister, and their two friends play the records, they unwittingly open a floodgate of unspeakable horror. As the darkness descends, they are stalked by a relentless, malevolent force and see the dead everywhere they turn. With time running out, the only person who can help them is Charlie's resurrected father, who knows firsthand the awesome power the records have unleashed. But can they close the gate and silence Schrader's Chord before it's too late?

#449

Scorched Grace

by Margot Douaihy

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun, puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test in this "unique and confident" debut crime novel (Gillian Flynn). When Saint Sebastian's School becomes the target of a shocking arson spree, the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and their surrounding New Orleans community are thrust into chaos. Patience is a virtue, but punk rocker turned nun Sister Holiday isn't satisfied to just wait around for officials to return her home and sanctuary to its former peace, instead deciding to unveil the mysterious attacker herself. Her investigation leads her down a twisty path of suspicion and secrets, turning her against colleagues, students, and even fellow Sisters along the way. And to piece together the clues of this high-stakes mystery, she must at last reckon with the sins of her own past. An exciting start to a bold series that breathes new life into the hard-boiled genre, Scorched Grace is a fast-paced and punchy whodunnit that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

#450

Secrets Gnaw at the Flesh

by C.J. Weiss

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#451

She is a Haunting

by Trang Thanh Tran

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller! This house eats and is eaten . . . "A riveting debut from a remarkable new voice! Trang Thanh Tran weaves an impressive gothic mystery in which Jade's father is determined to restore a decrepit home to its former glory and Jade is the only person who feels the soul-crushing devastation of colonialism lingering within its walls." --Angeline Boulley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Firekeeper's Daughter A House with a terrifying appetite haunts a broken family in this atmospheric horror, perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic. When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She's always lied to fit in, so if she's straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised. But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don't belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can't ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves cryptic warnings: Don't eat. Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house--the home they have always wanted--will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house's rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.

#452

Shimmerfish

by Bethany Browning

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Mermaids, mer-witches, scary twists, psychological suspense and more.

#453

Show Me Betrayal

by Ellen E Withers

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Two deaths occur decades apart. Is it possible these deaths are related?...

#454

Sign of the Slayer

by Sharina Harris

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#455

Silent Key

by Laurel Hightower

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#456

Sing, Nightingale

by Marie Hélène Poitras

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#457

Sister, Maiden, Monster

by Lucy A. Snyder

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#458

Sleep Alone

by J.A.W. McCarthy

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Finalist for both the Shirley Jackson Award and the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction Includes a new bonus short story, "With Animals"! "Instantly intoxicating. Sleep Alone thrives in a lustful, hungry ballad... A classic trinity of sex, blood, and rock and roll." —Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth For the past six years, Ronnie has worked selling merch for a perpetually touring band. Late nights, sweaty clubs, dingy motel rooms, endless roads—as rough as it's been, there is no other way of life for this band of hungry succubi leaving bodies in their wake. Until she meets the enigmatic Helene. Helene is just as restless, just as lonely, and just as full of secrets. With Helene in tow, Ronnie and the band make their way across the Pacific Northwest, trying to outrun not only their mistakes, but the mysterious disease stalking the band, a disease that devours succubi from the inside out. The hunger is as endless as the road, but maybe Ronnie doesn't always want to sleep alone.

#459

Sloe

by Marc Ruvolo

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#460

Snarl

by John Boden

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#461

Soft Targets

by Carson Winter

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

You know that office bromance: two of a kind, always taking their lunch together, always wearing the same sly grin. Only ever a hair away from a cold joke about how spreadsheets are a living hell; about taking a bullet if it means going home early on Friday. Sometimes in these fantasies, they’re heroes being hauled out on a stretcher. Sometimes they’re the ones pulling the trigger. Now, say these guys discover a loophole that makes some days less real than others—less permanent—and start to act out their violent fantasies without fear of reprisal. Why shouldn’t they? Tomorrow, everything will go back to normal, with no one the wiser but them. They’ll always remember what it felt like to act on their basest impulses. They’ll know how it could feel to do it again. Maybe you don’t know these guys. Maybe you don’t want to. Soft Targets is a reality-bending novella about malignant malaise; the surrender to violence; and the addictive appeal of tragedy as entertainment. Contains graphic depictions of gun violence in the workplace; caution recommended.

#462

Speak of the Devil

by Rose Wilding

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#463

Starve Acre

by Andrew Michael Hurley

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

An atmospheric and unsettling story of the depths of grief found in an ancient farm in northern England—now a major motion picture starring Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark. The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby's son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, their house by the moors, was to be full of life, but is now a haunted place. Convinced Ewan still lives there in some form, Juliette seeks the help of the Beacons, a seemingly benevolent group of occultists. Richard, to try and keep the boy out of his mind, has turned his attention to the field opposite the house, where he patiently digs the barren dirt in search of a legendary oak tree. But as they delve further into their grief, both uncover more than they set out to. Starve Acre is a devastating novel by the author of the prize-winning bestseller The Loney. It is a novel about the way in which grief splits the world in two and how, in searching for hope, we can so easily unearth horror.

#464

Stolen

by Ann-Helén Laestadius, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles

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NPR – Books We Love

SOON TO BE A NETFLIX FILM Louise Erdrich meets Jo Nesbø in this spellbinding Swedish novel that follows a young indigenous woman as she struggles to defend her family's reindeer herd and culture amidst xenophobia, climate change, and a devious hunter whose targeted kills are considered mere theft in the eyes of the law. On a winter day north of the Arctic Circle, nine-year-old Elsa--daughter of Sámi reindeer herders--sees a man brutally kill her beloved reindeer calf and threaten her into silence. When her father takes her to report the crime, local police tell them that there is nothing they can do about these "stolen" animals. Killings like these are classified as theft in the reports that continue to pile up, uninvestigated. But reindeer are not just the Sámi's livelihood, they also hold spiritual significance; attacking a reindeer is an attack on the culture itself. Ten years later, hatred and threats against the Sámi keep escalating, and more reindeer are tortured and killed in Elsa's community. Finally, she's had enough and decides to push back on the apathetic police force. The hunter comes after her this time, leading to a catastrophic final confrontation. Based on real events, Ann-Helén Laestadius's award-winning novel Stolen is part coming-of-age story, part love song to a disappearing natural world, and part electrifying countdown to a dramatic resolution--a searing depiction of a forgotten part of Sweden.

#465

Stop Them Dead – Roy Grace

by Peter James

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#466

Strange Tales of Terror

by Eugene Johnson

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#467

Suburban Monsters

by Christopher Hawkins

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#468

Such Pretty Flowers

by K. L. Cerra

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#469

Sucker

by Daniel Hornsby

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Succession meets Bad Blood in this sharp-toothed satire of Silicon Valley and the 1 percent • The black-sheep son of an industrial tycoon starts working for a tech pioneer who's running a biomedical startup selling nothing less than immortality, only to uncover the horrifying truth at the heart of her sublime promises. "Exceptional, horrifically hilarious, and deeply original.” —Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here Chuck Gross would like nothing more than to prune himself from his family tree. He’s already clipped his name, turning Charles Grossheart, Jr.—son of a billionaire labor exploiter, weapons manufacturer, and climate change denier—into ordinary good-guy Chuck, the “self-made” proprietor of an up-and-coming punk label. But when Daddy threatens to cut him off, Chuck is forced to get a “real job”—and conveniently, an old college friend has just swept back into his life with the perfect opportunity. Famed Harvard dropout and biotech darling Olivia Watts says she is on the verge of totally reinventing the field of medicine, but when Chuck signs on, he soon discovers that things at the vast Kenosis campus are not quite how they appear. Secret labs, vanished employees, and mutated test subjects seem to be as impossible as they are sinister. Is Olivia simply a scammer, or does her technology threaten to usher humanity toward a far bloodier fate? Moreover, does Chuck—who has never accomplished anything without the aid of Daddy’s money—stand a chance of stopping her? Daniel Hornsby hilariously skewers the insatiable hungers of the ultrarich in a novel that no one will be able to resist sinking their teeth into.

#470

Sundown in San Ojuela

by Matthew Olivas

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#471

Teach Them How to Bleed

by L.L. Soares

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#472

Tell Me Pleasant Things About Immortality

by Lindsay Wong

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#473

Tell Me What I Am

by Una Mannion

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Publishers Weekly – Best Mystery of 2023

#474

That Night in the Woods

by Kristopher Triana

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#475

The Absolutes

by Molly Dektar

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#476

The After-Death of Caroline Rand

by Catherine Cavendish

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A chilling, dark fantasy, in the slipstream of Tarantino’s .Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.' At a weekend house-party at ancient Canonbury Manor, Alli is caught between fantasy and reality, past and present, in the life of Caroline Rand, a famous singer from the late Sixties, who reportedly killed herself in that house. Alli soon learns that evil infests the once-holy building. A sinister cabal controls it, as it has for centuries. Before long, her fate will be sealed, and she will learn about her role in the after-death of Caroline Rand. It begins with a chilling greeting: "Welcome to The Columbine, Miss Sinclair. You are expected."

#477

The Alchemy of Moonlight

by David Ferraro

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

In this queer gothic romance, a young marquis caught between freedom and passion, honor and love will have to unravel a centuries-old curse to find his own happy ending. Trapped in a world of straight expectations, queer marquis Emile longs for independence. So, when his aunt declares he must marry to produce an heir or be disowned, he runs away disguised as a servant until he can come of age and reclaim his inheritance. All Emile needs to do is keep his head down and bide his time, but he quickly stumbles into a mystery beyond his imagination. While working in the service of the intimidating Count Montoni and his family, Emile learns that they suffer from a strange affliction every full moon, which requires full sedation. And when he discovers a mangled corpse on the estate the same night as suspicious family arguments break out, he reports it. But Emile cannot guess what lengths Count Montoni is willing to go to to keep his family’s secrets safe. As Emile becomes more entangled in the household and its paranormal origins, his inquiries draw the attention of the handsome doctor, Bram, and the count’s charismatic nephew, Henri. But how can Emile earn the esteem of the earnest doctor, while keeping his own identity and desires a secret? And how can he trust—let alone love—Henri, a man as mercurial as the ever-changing moon? To find the love he deserves and survive the Montoni family, Emile will have to risk his title as well as his life.

#478

The Angel Makers: The True Story of the Most Astonishing Murder Ring in History

by Patti McCracken

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

The Angel Makers The True Story of the Most Astonishing Murder Ring in History. ABISBOOK. Mudlark.

#479

The Apology

by Jimin Han

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#480

The Beach Party

by Nikki Smith

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#481

The Beast You Are: Stories

by Paul Tremblay

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A haunting collection of short fiction from the bestselling author of The Pallbearers Club, A Head Full of Ghosts, and The Cabin at the End of the World. Paul Tremblay has won widespread acclaim for illuminating the dark horrors of the mind in novels and stories that push the boundaries of storytelling itself. The fifteen pieces in this brilliant collection, The Beast You Are, are all monsters of a kind, ready to loudly (and lovingly) smash through your head and into your heart.In "The Dead Thing," a middle-schooler struggles to deal with the aftermath of her parents' substance addictions and split. One day, her little brother claims he found a shoebox with "the dead thing" inside. He won't show it to her and he won't let the box out of his sight. In "The Last Conversation," a person wakes in a sterile, white room and begins to receive instructions via intercom from a woman named Anne. When they are finally allowed to leave the room to complete a task, what they find is as shocking as it is heartbreaking.The title novella, "The Beast You Are," is a mini epic in which the destinies and secrets of a village, a dog, and a cat are intertwined with a giant monster that returns to wreak havoc every thirty years.A masterpiece of literary horror and psychological suspense, The Beast You Are is a fearlessly imagined collection from one of the most electrifying and innovative writers working today.

#482

The Belladonna Invitation

by Rose Biggin

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#483

The Bellwoods Game

by Celia Krampien

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#484

The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future

by Christi Nogle

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future is whimsical and dreadful, verdant and sinister. Readers of "quiet horror" or "slow-burn horror" will enjoy this collection. "Without a doubt, Christi Nogle is one of my favorite new voices in horror. Her fiction is by turns devastating, horrifying, and beyond beautiful. With her collection, The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future, she's created something truly remarkable, the kind of horror that's filled with grit and heart. Don't miss this book; it's sure to be one of the very best collections of 2023."- Gwendolyn Kiste, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens and Reluctant Immortals The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future collects Christi Nogle's finest psychological and supernatural horror stories. Their rural and small-town characters confront difficult pasts and look toward promising but often terrifying futures. The pieces range in genre from psychological horror through science fiction and ghost stories, but they all share fundamental qualities: feminist themes, an emphasis on voice, a focus on characters' psychologies and a sense of the gothic in contemporary life. Stories here may recall Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," Shirley Jackson's "The Renegade," or Kelly Link's "Stone Animals."

#485

The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar

by Robin R. Means Coleman and Mark H. Harris

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A definitive and surprising exploration of the history of Black horror films, after the rising success of Get Out, Candyman, and Lovecraft Country from creators behind the acclaimed documentary, Horror Noire. The Black Guy Dies First explores the Black journey in modern horror cinema, from the fodder epitomized by Spider Baby to the Oscar- winning cinematic heights of Get Out and beyond. This eye-opening book delves into the themes, tropes, and traits that have come to characterize Black roles in horror since 1968, a year in which race made national headlines in iconic moments from the enactment of the 1968 Civil Rights Act and Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in April. This timely book is a must-read for cinema and horror fans alike.

#486

The Black Lord

by Colin Hinckley

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

New Weird Folk Horror intertwines with a troubled family history in the debut novella from Colin Hinckley! Eddie’s parents may be arguing about the disappearance of his infant brother Danny, but Eddie’s facing a terror all of his own. There’s a strange figure outside that claims it has Danny safe and sound—all Eddie needs to do to get his brother back is open that window. Eddie’s father is filled with guilt over his relationship with his own lost brother. His mother has been abandoned to navigate her grief and terror alone. And his grandmother carries a disturbing, all-too-relevant truth about their shared family history. As minutes tick by and hope for Danny grows ever smaller, the very fabric of their world disintegrates, welcoming eldritch terrors of unspeakable provenance to their doorstep. The family is losing a decades- long struggle against an entity that is not of this world, and its hunger threatens to swallow them whole.

#487

The Black Tree Atop the Hill

by Karla Yvette

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#488

The Body by the Sea

by Jean-Luc Bannalec

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The Washington Post – The 10 best mystery novels of 2023

In all of Commissaire Georges Dupin’s time living in Brittany, there has never been a murder on his home turf, until now, in Jean-Luc Bannalec's The Body by the Sea. A town on the sea, Concarneau’s nickname is Ville Bleue, or the Blue Town. With three harbors at its center, visitors can see enormous ships, sailors, fishermen, and the industry that goes alongside it. Because of its geographical location, Concarneau has shown it’s perfectly positioned to protect its inhabitants from enemy attacks. For this reason and more, including his favorite restaurant, the Amiral, Commissaire Georges Dupin calls this town home. Most of his colleagues are on vacation for the Pentecost long weekend, but Dupin remains. His future in-laws are coming to visit. But what happens when an enemy attacks from within? Dupin’s plans as host must change when the body of Doctor Chaboseau is discovered. Chaboseau fell to his death, pushed from his home above the Amiral. With only two new colleagues to help—no one else is answering their phone—Dupin is tasked with finding out what happened to the doctor.

#489

The Bone Hacker

by Kathy Reichs

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#490

The Bonus Room

by Ben H. Winters

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From New York Times best-selling and Edgar Award-winning author Ben H. Winters, this supernatural page-turner about a real-estate nightmare will make you think twice about your dream home Susan and Alex Wendt have found their dream apartment in a gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone. Sure, the landlady is a little eccentric. And the elderly handyman drops some cryptic remarks about the basement. But the rent is so low, it’s too good to pass up. Big mistake. Susan awakens every morning with fresh bug bites, but neither Alex nor their daughter, Emma, has a single welt. An exterminator searches the property and turns up nothing. The landlady insists her building is clean. Susan fears she’s going mad—until she makes a chilling discovery in the bonus room. Filled with Hitchcockian suspense, The Bonus Room is a horrifying tale of a dream home that becomes a nightmare. Previously published in 2011 as Bedbugs.

#491

The Book of Queer Saints: Volume II

by Mae Murray

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#492

The Briars

by Stephanie Parent

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#493

The Burning Child of Bantry

by Hanna Nielson

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#494

The Cage of Dark Hours

by Marina Lostetter

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#495

The Caretaker

by Cass Clarke

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#496

The Carrefour Curse

by Dianne K. Salerni

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

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#497

The Cat Who Solved Three Murders – Conrad the Cat Detective

by L T Shearer

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#498

The Cherished

by Patricia Ward

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#499

The Christmas Appeal

by Janice Hallett

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

When a dead body interrupts the rehearsals for their holiday production of Jack and the Beanstalk, Fairway Players Femi and Charlotte page through letters, emails and police transcripts to identify both the victim and killer before its curtains for their production-permanently.

#500

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders

by Alexandra Benedict

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

A puzzling new Christmas mystery from USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Benedict! Rest. In. Pieces. On 1st of December, renowned puzzle setter, loner, and Christmas curmudgeon Edie O'Sullivan finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep. Unwrapping it, she finds a jigsaw box and, inside, six jigsaw pieces. When fitted together, the pieces show part of a crime scene – blood-spattered black and white tiles and part of an outlined body. Included in the parcel is a message: 'Four, maybe more, people will be dead by midnight on Christmas Eve, unless you can put all the pieces together and stop me.' It's signed, Rest In Pieces. Edie contacts her nephew, DI Sean Brand-O'Sullivan, and together they work to solve the clues. But when a man is found near death with a jigsaw piece in his hand, Sean fears that Edie might be in danger and shuts her out of the investigation. As the body count rises, however, Edie knows that only she has the knowledge to put together the killer's murderous puzzle. Only by fitting all the pieces together will Edie be able to stop a killer – and finally lay her past to rest.

#501

The Cloisters

by Katy Hays

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#502

The Consultant

by Seong-sun Im

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Sometimes work can be murder.... In this sharp, satirical Korean thriller, the Consultant provides the ultimate solution to problematic employees

#503

The Cozy Cosmic

by Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito & Mark Teppo

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#504

The Crash

by Robert Peston

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

HE MUST FIND THE TRUTH . . . NO MATTER THE COST. THE BRAND NEW THRILLER FROM BRITAIN'S TOP POLITICAL JOURNALIST AND BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE WHISTLEBLOWER. ______________________ London, 2007. It's summer in the City: the economy is booming, profits are up and the stock market sits near record highs. But journalist Gil Peck is a lone voice worrying it can't last. Deep in the plumbing of the financial system, he has noticed strange things happening which could threaten the whole economy. But nobody wants to hear it: not the politicians taking credit for an end to boom and bust, not the bankers pocketing vast bonuses, not even Gil's bosses at the BBC, who think it's irrelevant. When Gil gets a tip-off that a small northern bank has run out of money, everything changes. His report sparks the first run on a UK bank in 140 years. The next day, Marilyn Krol, a director of the Bank of England dies in an apparent suicide. For Gil, it's personal. Marilyn was his lover: was his scoop connected to her suicide? Or is there something more sinister in her death? Gil is determined to find out. The more he investigates, the more he is drawn into the rotten heart of the financial system, where old school ties and secret Oxbridge societies lubricate vast and illegal conflicts of interest. The whole economy has been built on a house of cards, and Gil is threatening to bring it down. When simply reporting the facts can make or break fortunes, Gil has to ask himself: is he crossing the line between journalist and participant? Are his own conflicts of interest making him reckless? And in a world ruled by greed where nothing and no-one is too big to fail, what price will he pay for uncovering the truth? PRAISE FOR ROBERT PESTON'S DEBUT THRILLER, THE WHISTLEBLOWER: 'Brilliant' - THE TIMES 'Cracking' - DAILY MAIL 'Winning' - SUNDAY TIMES 'A hell of a read' - OBSERVER 'Enthralling' - FINANCIAL TIMES 'Enjoyable, intelligent' - GUARDIAN 'A romping thriller' - INDEPENDENT 'A rollicking read' - EVENING STANDARD 'A gripping thriller' - DAILY EXPRESS 'Fascinating' - DAILY MIRROR 'Gripping' - RADIO TIMES 'Compelling' - THE SUN

#505

The Cryptids

by Elana Gomel

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

An invasion like no other is threatening the Silicon Valley. A cutting-edge quantum communication technology has unleashed a flood of cryptid sightings. From headless Mothmen to dog-faced cats, strange beasts are prowling the streets and emerging from the woods, spreading a deadly epidemic of mind-blindness. Children mutate into protean monsters; people are carried away by thunderbirds; and those who survive fail to recognize themselves in the mirror. Cryptozoologist Sharon Manley, a stranger in a strange land, thinks she knows what is going on. But who is going to believe her if her information comes to her in dreams? Torn between two countries and two men, she finally embarks on a one-way odyssey into the heart of the cryptid Earth to uncover its shocking secrets. Her quest takes her to the forest of flayed bears, to the beach colonized by Mothmen, and finally to the golden city of Hell. There she has to confront the enigmatic cryptid masters and to make the choice that will determine the fate of more worlds than one.

#506

The Cuban Heiress

by Chanel Cleeton

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NPR – Books We Love

#507

The Daughters of Block Island

by Christa Carmen

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#508

The Dead of Winter

by Stuart MacBride

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#509

The Deep Sky

by Yume Kitasei

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NYPL – Best Books for Adults 2023

Yume Kitasei's The Deep Sky is an enthralling sci fi thriller debut about a mission into deep space that begins with a lethal explosion that leaves the survivors questioning the loyalty of the crew. They left Earth to save humanity. They'll have to save themselves first. It is the eve of Earth's environmental collapse. A single ship carries humanity's last hope: eighty elite graduates of a competitive program, who will give birth to a generation of children in deep space. But halfway to a distant but livable planet, a lethal bomb kills three of the crew and knocks The Phoenix off course. Asuka, the only surviving witness, is an immediate suspect. As the mystery unfolds on the ship, poignant flashbacks reveal how Asuka came to be picked for the mission. Despite struggling through training back on Earth, she was chosen to represent Japan, a country she only partly knows as a half-Japanese girl raised in America. But estranged from her mother back home, The Phoenix is all she has left. With the crew turning on each other, Asuka is determined to find the culprit before they all lose faith in the mission--or worse, the bomber strikes again.

#510

The Defector

by Chris Hadfield

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

From a New York Times bestselling author, astronaut, and fighter pilot comes a "full-throttle, adrenaline-laced espionage page-turner" (Jack Carr, New York Times bestselling author) and Cold War thriller perfect for fans of Top Gun and The Hunt for Red October.Israel, October 1973. As the Yom Kippur War flares into life, a state-of-the-art Soviet MiG fighter plane plummets to an unexpected landing. NASA Flight Controller and former US test pilot Kaz Zemeckis watches from the ground--unaware that its arrival will pull him into a high-stakes game of spies, lies, and secrets that hold the key to Cold War air and space supremacy. For within that plane is a Soviet pilot pleading to defect, offering a prize beyond value: the workings of the Soviets' mythical "Foxbat" MiG-25, the fastest, highest-flying fighter plane in the world. But trusting him is risky, and Kaz must tread a careful line. As Kaz accompanies the defector into the United States, to the military's most secret test site, he must hope that, with skill and cunning, the game plays out his way. Rich with insider detail and political intrigue drawn from real events, The Defector is a propulsive thriller from a growing master of the genre, filled with the nerve-shredding rush of aerial combat as it could only be told by one of the world's best fighter pilots. "Wondering what to do until Top Gun 3 arrives? Don't worry, Hadfield's got it covered." --Rowland White "Brimming with detail and realism and full of pulse-pounding action." --Mark Greaney "Hadfield's writing is superb. Fans of The Apollo Murders will seek out this one, but newcomers will also thoroughly enjoy it." --Booklist Praise for The Apollo Murders "A Cold War thriller packed with cosmic action." --New York Times "An exciting journey into an alternate past." --Andy Weir, author of The Martian "Propulsive . . . a space race thrill ride." --Newsweek "An intelligent and surprising nail-biter that Tom Clancy fans will relish." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

#511

The Department of Truth

by James Tynion IV

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

COLE TURNER has studied conspiracy theories all his life, but he isn't prepared for what happens when he discovers that all of them are true: the JFK Assassination, Flat Earth Theory, Bigfoot, Mothman, and so much worse. One organization has been covering them up for generations, controlling the narrative for what they claim is the greater good. What is the deep, dark secret behind the Department of Truth--and will learning it destroy Cole's life from the inside out? The first three arcs of the critically acclaimed series by Eisner Award-winning writer JAMES TYNION IV (Something is Killing the Children, The Nice House on the Lake) and ART MARTIN SIMMONDS (Dying is Easy) are collected here for the first time in deluxe hardcover format. Experience...THE COMPLETE CONSPIRACY. Collects THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #1-#17

#512

The Detective Up Late

by Adrian McKinty

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

"Adrian McKinty is a gifted storyteller I love to read, and Sean Duffy is a character you will never forget." - Don Winslow, #1 internationally bestselling authorFrom New York Times bestselling author Adrian McKinty comes the next thrilling mystery in the Edgar Award-winning Sean Duffy detective seriesSlamming the door on the hellscape of 1980s Belfast, Detective Inspector Sean Duffy hopes that the 1990s are going to be better for him and the people of Northern Ireland. As a Catholic cop in the mainly Protestant RUC he still has a target on his back, and with a steady girlfriend and a child the stakes couldn't be higher. After handling a mercurial triple agent and surviving the riots and bombings and assassination attempts, all Duffy wants to do now is live. But in his final days in charge of Carrickfergus CID, a missing persons report captures his attention. A fifteen-year-old traveler girl has disappeared and no one seems to give a damn about it. Duffy begins to dig and uncovers a disturbing underground of men who seem to know her very well. The deeper he digs the more sinister it all gets. Is finding out the truth worth it if DI Duffy is going to get himself and his colleagues killed? Can he survive one last case before getting himself and his family out over the water?

#513

The Devil Thinks I’m Pretty

by Charlene Elsby

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#514

The Devil’s in the Flaws: And Other Dark Truths

by David Niall Wilson

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#515

The Devil’s Pocketbook

by Ross Jeffery

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#516

The Devil’s Promise

by Celso Hurtado

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#517

The Disappearance of Tom Nero

by TJ Price

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#518

The Dog Sitter Detective

by Antony Johnston

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Penniless Gwinny Tuffel is delighted to attend her good friend Tina's upmarket wedding. But when the big day ends with a dead body and not a happily-ever-after, Gwinny is left with a situation as crooked as a dog's hind leg. When her friend is accused of murder, Gwinny takes it upon herself to sniff out the true culprit. With a collection of larger-than-life suspects and two pedigree Salukis in tow, she is set to have a ruff time of it.

#519

The Dogcatcher

by Sean Patrick Carlin

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#520

The Eater of Gods

by Dan Franklin

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

In the dying village of Al Tarfuk, lost among the war-stained dunes of eastern Libya, professor Norman Haas learns the location of the tomb that had been his wife's life pursuit. The final resting place of Kiya, the lost queen of Akhenaten, whose history had been etched from the stone analogues of history for her heresies against the long absent pantheon of Egyptian gods. He never expected to discover that the tomb was the final resting place to more than the dead. And as his team of researchers find themselves trapped inside the ancient tomb, Norman realizes all too soon that his wife was right--nothing really dies if it's remembered.

#521

The Echo of Old Books

by Barbara Davis

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

A novel about the magical lure of books and summoning the courage to rewrite our stories by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Keeper of Happy Endings and The Last of the Moon Girls. Rare-book dealer Ashlyn Greer's affinity for books extends beyond the intoxicating scent of old paper, ink, and leather. She can feel the echoes of the books' previous owners--an emotional fingerprint only she can read. When Ashlyn discovers a pair of beautifully bound volumes that appear to have never been published, her gift quickly becomes an obsession. Not only is each inscribed with a startling incrimination, but the authors, Hemi and Belle, tell conflicting sides of a tragic romance. With no trace of how these mysterious books came into the world, Ashlyn is caught up in a decades-old literary mystery, beckoned by two hearts in ruins, whoever they were, wherever they are. Determined to learn the truth behind the doomed lovers' tale, she reads on, following a trail of broken promises and seemingly unforgivable betrayals. The more Ashlyn learns about Hemi and Belle, the nearer she comes to bringing closure to their love story--and to the unfinished chapters of her own life.

#522

The Ecstasy of Agony

by Wrath James White

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#523

The Edge – Travis Devine

by David Baldacci

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#524

The Edge of Sleep

by Jake Emanuel and Willie Block with Jason Gurley

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#525

The End of Drum-Time

by Hanna Pylväinen

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NPR – Books We Love

FINALIST FOR THE 2023 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD An epic love story in the vein of Cold Mountain and The Great Circle, about a young reindeer herder and a minister's daughter in the nineteenth century Arctic Circle In 1851, at a remote village in the Scandinavian tundra, a Lutheran minister known as Mad Lasse tries in vain to convert the native Sámi reindeer herders to his faith. But when one of the most respected herders has a dramatic awakening and dedicates his life to the church, his impetuous son, Ivvár, is left to guard their diminishing herd alone. By chance, he meets Mad Lasse's daughter Willa, and their blossoming infatuation grows into something that ultimately crosses borders--of cultures, of beliefs, and of political divides--as Willa follows the herders on their arduous annual migration north to the sea. Gorgeously written and sweeping in scope, Hanna Pylväinen's The End of Drum-Time immerses readers in a world lit by the northern lights, steeped in age-old rituals, and guided by passions that transcend place and time.

#526

The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle

by Steve Hugh Westenra

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#527

The Exchange

by John Grisham

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#528

The False Sister

by Briar Ripley Page

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#529

The Fiction Writer

by Jillian Cantor

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#530

The Flatmate

by Gemma Rogers

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Always trust your very basic instincts or prepare for the consequences... It was surreal returning to work after a sabbatical following the suspicious death of my best friend Livvy. On my return to the company apartment, I was surprised to find Livvy’s replacement, Amanda Dowd firmly entrenched as my new flatmate. She’d seemingly appeared out of nowhere. But something didn’t feel right. I felt on edge. Everyone seemed to love Amanda, even my ex-Jayden was blinded by her outgoing personality and model-like looks.Yet her desperation to become friends felt unnatural. When I began to receive calls, photos and presents from Livvy, I became spooked. Someone was targeting me, watching me. With my job, home and life on the line, I had to find out who was doing this to me and why. I hadn’t caused Livvy’s death but still believed it was no accident. Someone else was guilty and I had to find out who before I was next. Bestseller Gemma Rogers is back with another page-turning thriller. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Shari Lapena and Lisa Jewell Praise for Gemma Rogers 'Unputdownable. a nail-biting thriller that grips to the very last page' - Keri Beevis 'A claustrophobic psychological thriller with an explosive finale. Gripping and absorbing'- David Beckler ‘It’s a shocking thriller that grabs at your emotions on every page! Loved it’ - Lauren North ‘Captivating and enthralling, I give this book five shiny golden stars’ - Anita Waller ‘A well-written and thoroughly entertaining thriller from a very talented author’ - John Nicoll ‘A beautifully written edge-of-your-seat thriller that had me guessing right until the end’ - Dreda Say Mitchell 'A brilliant thriller from an exciting new voice. Stalker it had me on the edge of my seat' - Kerry Barnes 'An atmospheric, taut thriller which keeps you hooked from the first page' - Jacqui Rose

#531

The Folly

by Gemma Amor

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The Lighthouse meets My Cousin Rachel in this gothic horror in which Morgan and her ex-con father are stalked by a mysterious stranger after taking up residence in an old tower. Morgan always knew her father, Owen, never murdered her mother. She has spent the last six years campaigning for his release from prison. Finally, mid-pandemic, Owen is set free, but the debt-riddled pair can no longer afford (or bear) to live in the family home- a house last decorated by a dead woman’s blood. Salvation and the chance for a new start in life comes in the form of a tall, dark and notorious decorative granite tower on the Cornish coastline known only as ‘The Folly’. The structure is empty, prone to break-ins, and the owner needs a caretaker- food and bills included. It’s an offer too good to refuse. Morgan and Owen relocate, leaving everything of their former lives behind and hoping that a change of scene and the remote location will be good for them both. At first, the Folly is indeed idyllic, but soon enough that peace is shattered when a bald-headed stranger arrives. A stranger who acts like Morgan’s mother, talks like her mother, and wears her dead mother’s clothes. What does he want? Why won’t he leave them alone? Why does he keep mentioning the year 1976?And what secrets does the Folly tower hold?

#532

The Forest Demands Its Due

by Kosoko Jackson

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#533

The Game

by Martin Kemp

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

Secrets. Lies. Murder. Fame can be deadly. A British icon delivers a powerful blockbuster in an exhilarating thriller set in London’s East End.

#534

The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons – Millenium 7

by Karin Smirnoff

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#535

The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories

by Rebecca Hirsch Garcia

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#536

The Girls in the Cabin

by Caleb Stephens

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#537

The Golden Spoon

by Jessa Maxwell

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NPR – Books We Love

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#538

The Graveyard Shift

by Maria Lewis

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#539

The Great Deceiver

by Elly Griffiths

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

Magician Max Mephisto is on his way to visit his daughter Ruby and her newborn baby when he is hailed by a voice from the past: fellow performer Ted English, a.k.a. the Great Deceiver. Ted's assistant Cherry has been found dead in her Brighton boarding house, and he's convinced that he'll be accused of her murder. Max agrees to talk to his friend Superintendent Edgar Stephens, who is investigating the case. What Max doesn't know is that Cherry's family have hired private detective duo Emma Holmes (a.k.a. Mrs Stephens) and Sam Collins to do some digging of their own. When a second magician's assistant is killed, Edgar suspects a serial killer. He has the wild idea of persuading Max to come out of semi-retirement and take part in a summer show. But who can pose as his assistant? Edgar shocks him with his recommendation...

#540

The Grief Nurse

by Angie Spoto

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A supernaturally gifted servant is trapped on an island estate with a murderous wealthy family in this gothic fantasy set in a reimagined 1920s Scotland. "A conceptually-explosive and vividly-rendered story that offers skewering insights into memory, grief, and desire. An anthem for our times." —C.J. Cooke, author of The Lighthouse Witches Lynx is a grief nurse, capable of taking away someone's negative emotions and transforming them into something beautiful. She is a servant kept by the powerful and privileged Aster family, ensuring that they never experience sadness, anxiety, heartache, or fear. Restricted to the grounds of the Asters' manor house on a secluded Scottish island, Lynx knows no other life. When the Asters' eldest son tragically dies, Lynx must do what she can to alleviate the family's sorrow. But as guests arrive for the wake, she is faced with more jealousy, suspicion, hatred, and treachery than she can handle. Tensions rise, and Lynx is soon trapped in the middle of a family tearing itself apart. And when the first body appears, she must choose between solving this deadly puzzle or fleeing for her life . . . "A wonderful debut. . . . A dark fantasy, dystopian, crime novel." — The Courier (UK), Scottish Book of the Week "Powerful . . . explores serious, sensitive issues through a unique prism of fantasy." — The Guardian (UK) "Unforgettable and quietly devastating." —Helen Marshall, author of The Migration "Spoto's extraordinary rendering of loss conveys humanness at its brightest and its most troubled." —Elizabeth Reeder, author of An Archive of Happiness

#541

The Grimmer

by Naben Ruthnum

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#542

The Helios Syndrome

by Vivian Shaw

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#543

The Horror at Pleasant Brook

by Kevin Lucia

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#544

The Housekeepers

by Alex Hay

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

The night of London's grandest ball, a bold group of women downstairs plot a daring revenge heist against Mayfair society in this dazzling historical novel about power, gender, and class Named a Best Book of Summer by The Washington Post * Good Housekeeping * Harper's Bazaar * Reader's Digest “Rollicking fun and entirely original... Anyone who relishes a good party gone wrong will devour this.” —Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary Mrs. King is no ordinary housekeeper. Born into a world of con artists and thieves, she’s made herself respectable, running the grandest home in Mayfair. The place is packed with treasures, a glittering symbol of wealth and power, but dark secrets lurk in the shadows. When Mrs. King is suddenly dismissed from her position, she recruits an eclectic group of women to join her in revenge: A black market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs. King’s predecessor, with her own desire for vengeance. Their plan? On the night of the house’s highly anticipated costume ball—set to be the most illustrious of the year—they will rob it of its every possession, right under the noses of the distinguished guests and their elusive heiress host. But there’s one thing Mrs. King wants even more than money: the truth. And she’ll run any risk to get it… After all, one should never underestimate the women downstairs. “A deliciously clever novel... You’ll never have so much fun cheering on grand larceny.” —Nina de Gramont, New York Times bestselling author of The Christie Affair, a Reese’s Book Club Pick *Don't miss Alex Hay's clever next novel, The Queen of Fives, in which a mysterious heiress with a secret sets her sights on London's biggest wedding of the season

#545

The Housemaid’s Secret (The Housemaid, #2)

by Freida McFadden

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Goodreads – Best Mystery & Thriller 2023

#546

The Hunger and Other Stories

by Charles Beaumont

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Used Book in Good Condition

#547

The Inconsolables

by Michael Wehunt

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

In his first collection, Greener Pastures, Michael Wehunt introduced the world to his singular voice--a poetic, resonant force of darkness and unique terrors. He returns with The Inconsolables, a chilling selection of stories sure to brighten this star of literary horror. Inside, meet masterfully rendered characters who grapple with desires as powerful and personal as the monsters that stalk them from the edges of perception. A man revisits a childhood game of pretend in "Vampire Fiction." A found-footage collaboration turns nightmarish in "The Pine Arch Collection," which links to "October Film Haunt: Under the House" from Greener Pastures. In "An Ending (Ascent)," Wehunt steps beyond horror in a devastating near-future elegy for living and dying in a changing world. Readers have waited for years to discover which cracks between the everyday and the extraordinary Wehunt would explore next. His latest collection offers ten resounding, haunting, terrifying answers. The Inconsolables is fully illustrated by acclaimed artist Trevor Henderson."No other living author writes the weird and the uncanny with the verve and deftness of Michael Wehunt. In this remarkable follow up to his highly praised debut collection, Wehunt issues a mournful shriek into the carnivorous void and bares his soul so completely and so openly. Elegantly written and utterly harrowing, The Inconsolables is an exemplary achievement of short fiction penned by a master craftsman who knows all too well how to hurt you."-Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke"The Inconsolables is a seismic literary event in the horror genre, and Michael Wehunt is among our best living writers, full stop." - Andy Davidson, author of The Hollow Kind "Michael Wehunt is one of my favorite, trusted guides navigating stories of grief and loss, sadness and regret. My reader's heart left standing in Greener Pastures so eager to welcome that unique, familiar voice ushering me toward a new strange path twisting through Wehunt's garden of eerie, weird, beautiful things-The Inconsolables; what a gift." --Sadie Hartmann, Author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered, Bram Stoker Award(R)-nominated editor"I was slowly savoring The Inconsolables by Michael Wehunt, but by 'Caring for a Stray Dog (Metaphors), ' I knew I had to read the whole book as quickly as possible. These stories offer communion with awe and terror, the profane and beautiful all at once. You will not be the same person after finishing. This is a must-have. It aches."--Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Ghost Eaters "There aren't a lot of 'traditional' monsters in The Inconsolables, save for the author himself, who keeps drenching the audience with sorrow and heartbreak and the dread of existence. No 'traditional' monsters save for the modern universe Wehunt explores and inhabits here, in narrative. These stories exist in the liminal space between elegy and the uncanny and prove beyond all doubt that Wehunt is one of our modern day masters of horror. -- John Hornor Jacobs, Author of A Lush and Seething Hell and The Incorruptibles

#548

The Infested

by Renee Lake

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#549

The Intruders

by Brian Pinkerton

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The Intruders is in the rich tradition of science fiction movie classics such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing and The Day The Earth Stood Still, with a nod to contemporary series like Stranger Things, The X-Files and Supernatural. The Intruders have arrived. Something strange is taking place in the small town of Engles, Indiana. Greg Garrett returns home from a business trip to discover his wife and children have disappeared. More people begin to vanish without a trace. The skies produce a substance that doesn’t look like natural rain. Aggressive swarms of insects attack without warning. And late at night, residents are haunted by ghosts desperate to reveal the secrets of their existence but unable to speak.Engles is undergoing a terrifying transformation that could threaten all of civilization Who is this unseen enemy? What is their mission? Discover the terrifying secrets of The Intruders. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

#550

The Invisible World

by Nora Fussner

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#551

The Keep Within

by J. L. Worrad

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Packed with unforgettable characters, sharp wits, and wild plots, a bastard noble with dreams of the theatre and the ruthless first-queen are both caught up in a tangled web of murder and court intrigue in this savagely funny dark fantasy. When Sir Harrance ‘Harry’ Larksdale, bastard brother of the king, falls for a mysterious lad from the mountains, he is unwillingly caught up in a chaotic world of court intrigue and murderous folk tales. Meanwhile Queen Carmotta Il’Lunadella, First-Queen of the Brintland, needs to save her life and her unborn child. With the Third-Queen plotting against her, and rumours of coups rocking the court, Carmotta can rely only on her devious mind and venomous wit. But deep within the walls of Becken Keep squats the keep-within – patient, timeless, and evil. To speak of the keep-within outside the walls of Becken Keep guarantees your bizarre and agonising demise within nine days. All the while, people fearfully whisper the name Red Marie: a bloodied demon with rusted nails for teeth and swinging scythes who preys on the innocent. Harry and Carmotta are clinging to their dreams, their lives, by threads. And, beneath all, the keep-within awaits.

#552

The Kingdom of Sweets

by Erika Johansen

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

This gloriously transportive reimagining of The Nutcracker tells the tale of twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against each another one fateful Christmas Eve. Light and dark--this is the cursed birthright placed upon Clara and Natasha by their godfather, Drosselmeyer, whose power and greed hold an entire city in his sway. Charming Clara, the favorite, grows into a life of beauty and ease, while Natasha is relegated to her sister's shadow, ignored and unloved. But Natasha seizes the opportunity for revenge one Christmas Eve, when Drosselmeyer arrives at the family gala with the Nutcracker, an enchanted gift that offers entry into an alternate world: the Kingdom of Sweets. Following Clara into the glittering land of snow and sugar, Natasha discovers a source of power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who offers her own wondrous gifts . . . and chilling bargains. But as Natasha uncovers the truth about a dark destiny crafted long before her birth, she must reckon with forces both earthly and magical, human and diabolical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.

#553

The Last Haunt

by Max Booth III

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#554

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library

by Hester Fox

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The Witch of Willow Hall The Widow of Pale Harbor The Orphan of Cemetery Hill A Lullaby for Witches

#555

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

by Roshani Chokshi

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

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#556

The Late Mrs. Willoughby

by Claudia Gray

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#557

The Legend of Charlie Fish

by Josh Rountree

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Acclaimed short-story writer Josh Rountree's (Fantastic Americana) long-awaited debut novel wades into the literary waters of True Grit and Lonesome Dove by way of The Creature From the Black Lagoon. This powerful tale of Texas in the 1900s pits found-family against relentless villains, all set against the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. "Odd, creepy, funny, the Black Lagoon meets the Six Gun universe. High up on the way-cool factor. You need this." --Joe R. Lansdale, Edgar Award-winning author of the Hap and Leonard series After burying his father, Floyd Betts returns home to Galveston, Texas. He is not be alone in his journey, riding out of town with the orphaned siblings Nellie and Chuck. On the way, they have also rescued the mysterious, not-quite human, Charlie Fish. Now dangerous men planning to profit from the spectacle of Charlie are on their trail, and winds are picking up from the impending hurricane Descended from a long line of a witches, Nellie struggles with visions she experiences from other people's minds. Her younger brother Chuck just wants to use his oversized revolver, a legacy from his father. Floyd is struggling to protect his young charges. Meanwhile, all Charlie Fish wants is to go home. With the taut intensity of an impending storm, Josh Rountree's neo-Gothic Western is a mesmerizing tale from a rising star of American fiction.

#558

The Light of a Black Star

by C.S. Humble

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#559

The Light on Farallon Island

by Jen Wheeler

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

From debut author Jen Wheeler comes a spellbinding tale about the dangers a nineteenth-century woman encounters as she flees a tragic past to the menacing Farallon Islands. Thirty miles off the coast of San Francisco lie the Farallon Islands, known to sailors as the Devil's Teeth. Despite their fearsome reputation, their remote nature appeals to young Lucy Riley, who in 1859 seeks a new start as a teacher to the lighthouse keepers' children. But Lucy brings treacherous secrets with her, including a name that isn't hers and a past she can't escape. On the island, she meets Will Sisson, a mysterious man who seems to recognize her name--but not her face. Wary of Will at first, Lucy slowly starts to trust him. As Lucy embeds herself in the island's community, she discovers numerous dangers: deadly cliffs, shark-infested waters, and disorienting fogs. A dark presence of another sort, too, disguises an encroaching threat. In this forbidding place, Lucy must find the courage to confront the perils of her past and the ever-present dangers of the world around her for the new life she's sought to finally begin.

#560

The Lonely Lands

by Ramsey Campbell

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"He is unsurpassed in the subtle manipulation of mood... You forget you're just reading a story" - Publishers Weekly The latest bestseller from the ultimate craftsman of the dark fantastic, Ramsey Campbell. Joe Hunter has begun to adjust to the loss of his wife when he hears her calling from beyond, "Where am I?" His urge to help leads him into her afterlife, which is made up of their memories. Even the best of those is no refuge from the restless dead, and Joe can only lure them away from her. Soon they begin to invade his everyday life, and every journey he makes to find her leaves him less able to return. When her refuges turn nightmarish he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice to keep her safe... FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress.

#561

The Longmire Defense

by Craig Johnson

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Sheriff Walt Longmire uncovers a cold case that hits very close to home and forces him to put his life on the line with implications that some people would kill to keep buried forever Sheriff Walt Longmire and Dog are called on a routine search and rescue to Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains, where Walt finds himself on a rock outcropping remembering when his father told him about the first time he saw a man die. In the late forties, Bill Sutherland was shot but the investigation was stymied because no member of the elk camp--where he was found--was carrying the caliber rifle that killed the state accountant. When Dog discovers the missing weapon, the sheriff of Absaroka County is plunged headfirst into a cold case. His investigation quickly finds ties to a hidden mineral fund that someone is willing to kill to keep secret. The embodiment of the fair-minded detective, Walt is pushed to his ethical boundaries. In his relentless pursuit of the truth, he discovers the rifle in question belonged to none other than Walt's infamous and uncompromising grandfather, Lloyd Longmire.

#562

THE LOST AMERICANS

by Christopher Bollen

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Kirkus Review – Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023

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#563

The Madwomen of Paris

by Jennifer Cody Epstein

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

EDGAR AWARD FINALIST • “Epstein’s page-turning historical novel—an indictment of the medical establishment’s manipulation of women—remains eerily relevant and timely.”—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Spectacular Two women fall under the influence of a powerful doctor in Paris’s notorious nineteenth-century women’s asylum—a gripping novel inspired by true events, from the bestselling author of Wunderland. After being dragged into the Salpêtrière asylum screaming, covered in blood, and suffering from amnesia, Josephine is diagnosed with what the nineteenth-century Parisian press has dubbed “the epidemic of the age”: hysteria. It’s a disease so uniquely baffling that Jean-Martin Charcot, the Salpêtrière’s acclaimed director, devotes popular lectures to it, using hypnosis to elicit fits and fantastical symptoms in front of rapt audiences. Young, charismatic, and highly susceptible to this entrancement, Josephine quickly becomes a favorite of the powerful doctor and the Parisian public alike. But her true ally at the Salpêtrière is Laure, a lonely ward attendant. As their friendship blossoms into something more, the two women find comfort and even joy together despite their bleak surroundings. Soon, Josephine’s memory returns, and with it images of a gruesome crime she’s convinced she’s committed. Ensnared in Charcot’s hypnotic web, she starts spiraling into seeming insanity, prompting a terrified Laure to plot their escape together. First, though, Laure must solve a grim mystery: Who, really, is the girl she’s grown to love? Is Josephine a madwoman . . . or a murderer? Inspired by true events, expertly researched, and masterfully written, The Madwomen of Paris is a Gothic saga for the ages with themes that remain hauntingly resonant today.

#564

The Maid’s Diary

by Loreth Anne White

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Goodreads – Best Mystery & Thriller 2023

#565

The Maiden

by Kate Foster

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#566

The Man in the McIntosh Suit

by Rina Ayuyang

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NYPL – Best Books for Adults 2023

A Filipino-American take on Depression-era noir featuring mistaken identities, speakeasies, and lost love. The year is 1929 and Bobot is just another migrant worker in rural California. Or rather, a migrant worker with a law degree from the Philippines reduced to manual labor in America. Bobot, like so many other young Filipinos, finds himself bunking in the fields, picking fruit by day. When his cousin writes claiming to have spotted his estranged wife in nearby San Francisco, he swipes a co-worker's favorite nightclub suit and heads to the big city to find her. What follows is classic noir with seedy dives, mouthy pool sharks, and obsession. Rina Ayuyang indulges her passion for old Hollywood and elaborate movie musicals while exploring her immigrant roots in a playful and mysterious drama, creating something she never saw but always had hoped for--a classic tale about people who looked just like her. The Man in the McIntosh Suit is a gripping, romantic, and psychological exploration of a fledgling community chasing the American dream in an unwelcoming society heightened by racial hostility and the bubbling undercurrent of the coming Great Depression.

#567

The Marigold

by Andrew F. Sullivan

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"This impressively bleak vision of the near future is as grotesquely amusing as it is grim." -- Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW "A gripping tour-de-force torn from tomorrow's headlines." -- David Demchuk, author of Red X and The Bone Mother "A bold dystopian novel that captivates with its dread and depth. The Marigold is unhinged literary horror that goes right to the source of decay." -- Iain Reid, award-winning author of I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Foe, and We Spread In a near-future Toronto buffeted by environmental chaos and unfettered development, an unsettling new lifeform begins to grow beneath the surface, feeding off the past. The Marigold, a gleaming Toronto condo tower, sits a half-empty promise: a stack of scuffed rental suites and undelivered amenities that crumbles around its residents as a mysterious sludge spreads slowly through it. Public health inspector Cathy Jin investigates this toxic mold as it infests the city's infrastructure, rotting it from within, while Sam "Soda" Dalipagic stumbles on a dangerous cache of data while cruising the streets in his Camry, waiting for his next rideshare alert. On the outskirts of downtown, 13-year-old Henrietta Brakes chases a friend deep underground after he's snatched into a sinkhole by a creature from below.All the while, construction of the city's newest luxury tower, Marigold II, has stalled. Stanley Marigold, the struggling son of the legendary developer behind this project, decides he must tap into a hidden reserve of old power to make his dream a reality -- one with a human cost.Weaving together disparate storylines and tapping into the realms of body horror, urban dystopia, and ecofiction, The Marigold explores the precarity of community and the fragile designs that bind us together.

#568

The Massacre at Yellow Hill

by C. S. Humble

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

When George Miller is killed in the mines of Yellow Hill, his wife and children are left to try and piece their lives back together. Tabitha Miller, George's widow, is thrown into deeper chaos when she discovers that George's death had nothing to do with the cave's collapse, but was caused by some terrible predator deep within the earth. His death covered up by the mine's Proprietor-Jeremiah Hart. In nearby Big Spring, freed slave-turned-occult bounty hunter Gilbert Ptolemy arrives with his adopted son in search of a murderous vampire. New revelations in Yellow Hill draw the duo toward the struggling Miller family, the strange mine, and the horrors lurking within. The Miller and Ptolemy families are pitted against mundane and supernatural forces in this Weird West adventure. Family struggles, heart-stopping gunfights, and nightmare creatures from dark realms abound in this award-winning novel from C.S. Humble. "Humble writes with rare passion in the tradition of Robert E. Howard and a young Stephen King." - Laird Barron, author of The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All C.S. Humble is an award-winning American novelist and short story writer. He is the author of the Black Wells series (Dark Hart Books) and the That Light Sublime western horror trilogy (Cemetery Dance). He lives in East Texas and can be found @cshumble(twitter) or at his website www.cshumble.com.

#569

The Memory Eater

by Rebecca Mahoney

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#570

The Merry Dredgers

by Jeremy C. Shipp

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Seraphina Ramon will stop at nothing to find out the truth about why her sister Eff is in a coma after a very suspicious "accident." Even if it means infiltrating the last place Seraphina knows Eff was alive: a once-abandoned amusement park now populated by a community of cultists. Follow Seraphina through the mouth of the Goblin: To the right, a wolf-themed roller coaster rests on the blackened earth, curled up like a dead snake. To the left, an animatronic Humpty Dumpty falls off a concrete castle and shatters on the ground, only to reform itself moments later. Up ahead, cultists giggle as they meditate in a hall of mirrors. This is the last place in the world Seraphina wants to be, but the best way to investigate this bizarre cult, is to join them.

#571

The Militia House

by John Milas

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#572

The Mill House Murders

by Yukito Ayatsuji

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#573

The Mistress Of Bhatia House

by Sujata Massey

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Bombay's only female solicitor, Perveen Mistry, grapples with class divisions, sexism, and complex family dynamics as she seeks justice for a mistreated young woman in this thrilling fourth installment in Sujata Massey's award-winning series. India, 1922: Perveen Mistry is the only female lawyer in Bombay, a city where child mortality is high, birth control is unavailable and very few women have ever seen a doctor. Perveen is attending a lavish fundraiser for a new women's hospital specializing in maternal health issues when she witnesses an accident. The grandson of an influential Gujarati businessman catches fire--but a servant, his young ayah, Sunanda, rushes to save him, selflessly putting herself in harm's way. Later, Perveen learns that Sunanda, who's still ailing from her burns, has been arrested on trumped-up charges made by a man who doesn't seem to exist. Perveen cannot stand by while Sunanda languishes in jail with no hope of justice. She takes Sunanda as a client, even inviting her to live at the Mistry home in Bombay's Dadar Parsi colony. But the joint family household is already full of tension. Perveen's father worries about their law firm taking so much personal responsibility for a client, and her brother and sister-in-law are struggling to cope with their new baby. Perveen herself is going through personal turmoil as she navigates a taboo relationship with a handsome former civil service officer. When the hospital's chief donor dies suddenly, Miriam Penkar, a Jewish-Indian obstetrician, and Sunanda become suspects. Perveen's original case spirals into a complex investigation taking her into the Gujarati strongholds of Kalbadevi and Ghatkopar, and up the coast to Juhu Beach, where a decadent nawab lives with his Australian trophy wife. Then a second fire erupts, and Perveen realizes how much is at stake. Has someone powerful framed Sunanda to cover up another crime? Will Perveen be able to prove Sunanda's innocence without endangering her own family?

#574

The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity

by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Brett Helquist

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NPR – Books We Love

A propulsive work of narrative nonfiction about how the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, how the robbery made the portrait the most famous artwork in the world--and how the painting by Leonardo da Vinci should never have existed at all. On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c'est partie! The Mona Lisa, she's gone! No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting? Travel back to an extraordinary period of revolutionary change: turn-of-the-century Paris. Walk its backstreets. Meet the infamous thieves--and detectives--of the era. And then slip back further in time and follow Leonardo da Vinci, painter of the Mona Lisa, through his dazzling, wondrously weird life. Discover the secret at the heart of the Mona Lisa--the most famous painting in the world should never have existed at all. Here is a middle-grade nonfiction, with black-and-white illustrations by Brett Helquist throughout, written at the pace of a thriller, shot through with stories of crime and celebrity, genius and beauty.

#575

The Morass: Servant of the Fly God

by Zachary Ashford

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#576

The Most Secret Memory of Men

by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr

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Publishers Weekly – Best Mystery of 2023

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS A gripping literary mystery in the vein of Bolaño's Savage Detectives, this coming-of-age novel unravels the fascinating life of a maligned Black author, based on Yambo Ouologuem. The first Sub-Saharan African winner of France's top literary prize, the Goncourt. In 2018, Diégane Latyr Faye, a young Senegalese writer in Paris, discovers a legendary book from the 1930s, The Labyrinth of Inhumanity. No one knows what became of its author, once hailed as the "Black Rimbaud," after the book caused a scandal. Enthralled by this mystery, Diégane decides to search for T.C. Elimane, going down a path that will force him to confront the great tragedies of history, from colonialism to the Holocaust. Alongside his investigation, Diégane becomes part of a group of young African writers in Paris. Together they talk, drink, make love, philosophize about the role of exile in artistic creation. Diégane grows particularly close to two women: the seductive Siga, who holds so many secrets, and the photojournalist Aïda, impossible to pin down. The Most Secret Memory of Men is an astonishing novel about the choice between living and writing, and the desire to transcend the divide between Africa and the West. Above all, it is an ode to literature and its timelessness.

#577

The Motion Picture Teller

by Colin Cotterill

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BookPage – The Best Mystery & Suspense of 2023

An enchanting new standalone novel from CWA Dagger winner Colin Cotterill, set in Bangkok: a mystery without a crime, where the line between fact and fiction blurs, and nothing is as simple as it appears Thailand, 1996: Supot, a postman with the Royal Thai Mail service, hates his job. The only bright spot in his life is watching classic movies with his best friend, Ali, the owner of a video store. These cinephiles adore the charisma of the old Western stars, particularly the actresses, and bemoan the state of modern Thai cinema—until a mysterious cassette, entitled Bangkok 2010, arrives at Ali’s store. Bangkok 2010 is a dystopian film set in a near-future Thailand—and Supot and Ali, immediately obsessed, agree it’s the most brilliant Thai movie they’ve ever seen. But nobody else has ever heard of the movie, the director, the actors, or any of the crew. Who would make a movie like this and not release it, and why? Feeling a powerful calling to solve the mystery of Bangkok 2010, Supot journeys deep into the Thai countryside and discovers that powerful people are dead set on keeping the film buried.

#578

The Murmurs

by Michael J. Malone

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#579

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

by Janice Hallett

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

"A novel about a journalist in pursuit of a story about a child who survived a cult mass suicide, which may not be all that it appeared to be, told in Janice Hallett's signature original and innovative style of emails, messages, news clips, and screenplay excerpts"--

#580

The Mystery Guest: A Maid Novel (Molly the Maid Book 2)

by Nita Prose

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Chicago Public Library – Must-Read Books of 2023: Mystery & Thriller

A new mess. A new mystery. It's up to Molly the maid to uncover the truth, no matter how dirty, in this standalone novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid, a Good Morning America Book Club pick. "Polished to perfection!"--Shari Lapena, author of Everyone Here Is Lying "A page-turning delight from start to finish . . . Once I checked into the Regency Grand, I never wanted to leave."--Jenny Jackson, author of Pineapple Street Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J. D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead--very dead--on the hotel's tearoom floor. When Detective Stark, Molly's old foe, investigates the author's unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author's secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel's beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems? As the high-profile death threatens the hotel's pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer's identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there's one thing she knows for sure, it's that secrets don't stay buried forever.

#581

The Nigerwife: A Novel

by Vanessa Walters

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NYPL – Best Books for Adults 2023

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK "The perfect beach read...catapults you into a world that most of us have never seen before--and will have you glued to every page." --HuffPost "White Lotus meets Big Little Lies" (Good Morning America) in this riveting domestic drama about a young woman who goes missing in Lagos, Nigeria, and her estranged auntie who will stop at nothing to find her. Nicole Oruwari has the perfect life: a hand-some husband, a palatial house in the heart of glittering Lagos, and a glamorous group of friends. She left gloomy London and a troubled family past behind for sunny, moneyed Lagos, becoming part of the Nigerwives--a com-munity of foreign women married to Nigerian men. But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her so-called perfect life start to show. As the investigation turns up nothing but dead ends, her auntie Claudine decides to take matters into her own hands. Armed with only a cell phone and a plane ticket to Nigeria, she digs into her niece's life and uncov-ers a hidden side filled with dark secrets, isolation, and even violence. But the more she discovers about Nicole, the more Claudine's own buried history threatens to come to light. An inventively told and keenly observant debut novel, The Nigerwife offers a razor-sharp look at the bonds of family, the echoing consequences of secrets, and whether we can ever truly outrun our past.

#582

The Night Begins

by Abigail Taylor

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Freshman, Darcy Mills, wants nothing more than to repair a strained relationship with her mother. When Darcy receives a letter from Althea asking for help with a downsizing move to Dallas, she is excited at the prospect of reconnecting. Facing the frightening memories trapped in the walls of her childhood home, is daunting, but Darcy is determined to have Althea back. Unfortunately, the past isn't the only thing to haunt Darcy. An evil lurks in the nearby woods, and It has noted her arrival. A story of family rituals, southern folklore, and magic set in rural Texas.

#583

The Night Belongs to Us: And Other Stories

by Jess Landry

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Mothers. Daughters. Sisters. Friends. No one is safe from this horror short story collection.

#584

The Night House: A novel

by Jo Nesbo

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Indigo 2 – Top 10 Horror Books

#585

The Night Parade: A Speculative Memoir

by Jami Nakamura Lin

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A Most Anticipated Book by Poets & Writers • The Boston Globe • San Francisco Chronicle • Los Angeles Times • The Millions • Library Journal • Book Riot • Debutiful • and many more! In the groundbreaking tradition of In the Dream House and The Collected Schizophrenias, a gorgeously illustrated speculative memoir that draws upon the Japanese myth of the Hyakki Yagyo—the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons—to shift the cultural narrative around mental illness, grief, and remembrance. “Jami Nakamura Lin has reinvented the genre of memoir. . . . Serpentine, polyphonic, and stunningly textured, The Night Parade positively pulses with life." — Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, award-winning author of The Fact of a Body Are these the only two stories? The one, where you defeat your monster, and the other, where you succumb to it? Jami Nakamura Lin spent much of her life feeling monstrous for reasons outside of her control. As a young woman with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, much of her adolescence was marked by periods of extreme rage and an array of psychiatric treatments, and her relationships suffered as a result, especially as her father’s cancer grasped hold of their family. As she grew older and learned to better manage her episodes, Lin became frustrated with the familiar pattern she found in mental illness and grief narratives, and their focus on recovery. She sought comfort in the stories she’d loved as a child—tales of ghostly creatures known to terrify in the night. Through the lens of the yokai and other figures from Japanese, Taiwanese, and Okinawan legend, she set out to interrogate the very notion of recovery and the myriad ways fear of difference shapes who we are as a people. Featuring stunning illustrations by her sister, Cori Nakamura Lin, and divided into the four acts of a traditional Japanese narrative structure, The Night Parade is a genre-bending and deeply emotional memoir that mirrors the sensation of being caught between realms. Braiding her experience of mental illness, the death of her father, the grieving process, and other haunted topics with storytelling tradition, Jami Nakamura Lin shines a light into dark corners, driven by a question: How do we learn to live with the things that haunt us?

#586

The Nighthouse Keeper

by Lora Senf

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#587

The Nightmare Man

by J.H. Markert

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

T. Kingfisher meets Cassandra Khaw in this “fast-paced” haunted house story full of “old-school horror” and “brimming with edgy tension and evil” (Library Journal)! When the terrifying plot of a horror novel comes to life, its author discovers there’s a fine line between humanity and monstrosity . . . Blackwood mansion looms, surrounded by nightmare pines, atop the hill over the small town of Crooked Tree. Ben Bookman, bestselling novelist and heir to the Blackwood estate, spent a weekend at the ancestral home to finish writing his latest horror novel, The Scarecrow. Now, on the eve of the book’s release, the terrible story within begins to unfold in real life. Detective Mills arrives at the scene of a gruesome murder: a family butchered and bundled inside cocoons stitched from corn husks, and hung from the rafters of a barn, eerily mirroring the opening of Bookman’s latest novel. When another family is killed in a similar manner, Mills, along with his daughter, rookie detective Samantha Blue, is determined to find the link to the book—and the killer—before the story reaches its chilling climax. As the series of “Scarecrow crimes” continues to mirror the book, Ben quickly becomes the prime suspect. He can’t remember much from the night he finished writing the novel, but he knows he wrote it in The Atrium, his grandfather’s forbidden room full of numbered books. Thousands of books. Books without words. As Ben digs deep into Blackwood’s history he learns he may have triggered a release of something trapped long ago—and it won’t stop with the horrors buried within the pages of his book.

#588

The Nightwalker

by Thomas Tessier

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#589

The Once Yellow House

by Gemma Amor

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The 'Yellow Massacre' of November 19th 2020, in which three hundred and forty-seven members of a secretive society known as 'The Retinue' were brutally slaughtered, has gone down in history as one of the most horrific and compelling unsolved mysteries of the decade, if not century. So far, information about this tragedy has been patchy and heavily censored by authorities. Questions abound: what was the exact cause of death of so many victims? What role did married couple Hope and Thomas Gloucester play in the massacre? What exactly went on at the property know as the 'Once Yellow House', where the Retinue were encamped? And are the rumours true -- were the Retinue really a cult? So far, these questions have gone unanswered. Until Now. Bram Stoker Award nominated author Gemma Amor (DEAR LAURA) has been granted exclusive access to never before seen documents collated from a variety of sources, including entries and sketches from the alleged personal scrapbook of Hope Gloucester herself, verbatim transcriptions of recorded conversations, emails, articles, and letters, and, driven by a desire to help shed light on a mystery that has affected the lives of so many, has compiled them into the world's first coherent account of the Yellow Massacre. What follows is a collection of somewhat surreal first-hand descriptions of a catastrophe that seems to be part truth, part rumour, party fantasy, and one might even suggest: part performance art. "I say this with the utmost certainty: The Once Yellow House is probably my favorite work of Gemma's to date. Not only is it a testament to her remarkable talent as one of our finest contemporary horror writers, but the book skillfully illustrates how the epistolary format remains one of the most effective sub-genres of horror." - Eric LaRocca

#590

The Only Safe Place Left is the Dark

by Warren Wagner

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#591

The Others Of Edenwell

by Verity M. Holloway

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Esquire – The Best Horror Books of 2023 Will Scare You Sh*tless

Titan Books The Others of Edenwell. ABISBOOK. Titan Books.

#592

The Otherwoods

by Justine Pucella Winans

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

The Otherwoods is calling. And it won't be ignored. Some would call River Rydell a 'chosen one': born with the ability to see monsters and travel to a terrifying spirit world called The Otherwoods, they have all the makings of a hero. But River just calls themself unlucky. After all, it's not like anyone actually believes River can see these things-or that anyone even believes monsters exist in the first place. So the way River sees it, it's better to keep their head down and ignore anything Otherwoods related. But The Otherwoods won't be ignored any longer. When River's only friend (and crush) Avery is kidnapped and dragged into The Otherwoods by monsters, River has no choice but to confront the world they've seen only in their nightmares-but reality turns out be more horrifying than they could have ever imagined. With only their cat for protection and a wayward teen spirit as their guide, River must face the monsters of The Otherwoods and their own fears to save Avery and become the hero they were (unfortunately) destined to be. Justine Pucella Winans will have you cowering and cackling as you follow River's reluctant hero's journey, perfect for fans of Doll Bones, Ghost Squad, and Too Bright to See.

#593

The Pale House Devil

by Richard Kadrey

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#594

The Paleontologist

by Luke Dumas

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#595

The Path Home

by A.J. Pellegrino

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Bryony has just graduated college, and instead of moving to Brooklyn to start her summer fellowship, she has found herself drawn back to her rural hometown in the Adirondacks. Her return raises more questions as she discovers her town, a once beautiful mountain town is now dying. In this modern day retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, Bryony must confront this mystery that also seems to have taken a hold of her girlfriend Iris.

#596

The Patient Routine

by luna rey hall

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#597

The People Watcher

by Sam Lloyd

Amazon Bookshop

Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#598

The Plastic Priest

by Nicole Cushing

Amazon Bookshop

Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#599

The Pledge

by Cale Dietrich

Amazon Bookshop

Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#600

The Price of a Small Hot Fire

by E.F. Schraeder

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A careful study on estrangement and loss, The Price of a Small Hot Fire excavates the archetypal horrors of monstrous motherhood, from abandonment and unsteady reconciliation to the grave. Experimental and intimate, E.F. Schraeder's collection gives voice to a semi-autobiographical examination of a griefscape from a queer lens. This collection of poems is an emotional journey that will find readers clutching their hearts at both the subtle moments and those that cut like a knife. The raw feelings seep onto the pages, encompassing the vulnerability of open wounds, while at the same time cutting through a stone-like exterior to see the blood still inside. It's not only a reading of poetry but an internal vibrating contemplation of the maternal relationship and how it molds us. "E.F. Schraeder's wonderful collection The Price of a Small Hot Fire is a gleaming poetic knife: strong, sharp, and heart-carving." - Lucy A. Snyder, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Exposed Nerves

#601

The Puzzle Master

by Danielle Trussoni

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Reality and the supernatural collide when an expert puzzle maker is thrust into an ancient mystery—one with explosive consequences for the fate of humanity—in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Angelology “This novel has it all and more. In the nimble, talented hands of Trussoni the pages fly.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, PopSugar, Bookreporter, CrimeReads All the world is a puzzle, and Mike Brink—a celebrated and ingenious puzzle constructor—understands its patterns like no one else. Once a promising Midwestern football star, Brink was transformed by a traumatic brain injury that caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him with a mental superpower—he can solve puzzles in ways ordinary people can’t. But it also left him deeply isolated, unable to fully connect with other people. Everything changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years in prison for murder who hasn’t spoken a word since her arrest five years before. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle, her psychiatrist believes it will explain her crime and calls Brink to solve it. What begins as a desire to crack an alluring cipher quickly morphs into an obsession with Price herself. She soon reveals that there is something more urgent, and more dangerous, behind her silence, thrusting Brink into a hunt for the truth. The quest takes Brink through a series of interlocking enigmas, but the heart of the mystery is the God Puzzle, a cryptic ancient prayer circle created by the thirteenth-century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia. As Brink navigates a maze of clues, and his emotional entanglement with Price becomes more intense, he realizes that there are powerful forces at work that he cannot escape. Ranging from an upstate New York women’s prison to nineteenth-century Prague to the secret rooms of the Pierpont Morgan Library, The Puzzle Master is a tantalizing, addictive thriller in which humankind, technology, and the future of the universe itself are at stake.

#602

The Quiet Ways I Destroy You

by Jessica McHugh

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Women are expected to suffer in silence. Throughout history, myriad weapons of oppression have been launched at their intelligence, sexuality, compassion, & strength. Still, they endure. And in secret, the sisterhood grows. While trauma transforms, love germinates, and hope expands their power, women everywhere are united by something deeper than blood, affection, or pain. Quiet as mycorrhizal fungi, immortal ink colonizes their roots, branching from the iconic characters of Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, & Marmee March and connecting them to a diverse web of women with appetites only destruction can quell. Paying homage to the 155th anniversary of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," 2x Bram Stoker Award Nominee Jessica McHugh's "The Quiet Ways I Destroy You" examines Alcott's timeless literary brood through 155 pieces of cosmic horror blackout poetry and celebrates the unapologetic & ever-evolving symbiosis of sisterhood, feminine rage, and the joyful vengeance that spreads in women's whispers. Cover by Lynne Hansen Interior photography by B. Hill Saunders

#603

The Roots Grow Into the Earth

by Bert S. Lechner

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"In the dark we found them..." The Roots grow into the Earth. Unseen conduits of Power, growing through the darkness of the void; walkways for malevolent, eldritch things to travel, connecting their dead worlds to ours. In this collection of nine short stories and novelettes, you will find tales of unfathomable predators, cosmic gods, dark magic, and the people who cross their path: from archaeologists, long on the search for the find of the century, ensnared by a being beyond their understanding, to a man who notices a detail on a wall in his house for the first time, unwittingly inviting the attention of a malefic force from beyond the stars. The Roots Grow Into the Earth consists of nine of Bert S. Lechner's previously published works, including three stories available as standalone eBooks on Amazon Kindle: Interstate, the Wall, and Joanne's Vault.

#604

The Saucer-Heads

by George Bixley

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Don’t mess with the hothead—or he might just mess with you. Slater Ibáñez is only interested in two kinds of guys: the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. Hired to track down Finley, the missing boyfriend of tech worker Truax, Slater soon discovers that the job isn’t really what he was asked to do. The search for Finley leads him to an arcane book and the flying-saucer subculture, where a deep dive takes Slater out into the Mojave Desert, leaving him unsure of the precise boundaries of reality itself. With input from Doris and his operatives, and begrudging help from his romantic partner, Pike, to weasel him out of a jam, Slater cuts a dogged path to sort out what Truax really wants, and what Finley is really up to, all the while juggling high explosives, navigating his deepening narrative complex with Pike, and never failing to throw that punch. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side of Los Angeles, rooting out insurance fraud, not afraid to use whatever means necessary to get things done, and not about to hold back with his fists. A queer antihero for a new age, Slater walks the line between ordinary life and the frayed fringes of society, keeping his balance with the back-channel support he gets from main squeeze Pike, business partner Max, and operatives Andy and Etta.

#605

The Scarlet Boy

by Arthur Calder-Marshall

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A variation on the theme of The Turn of the Screw in the manner of Graham Greene with an olive from The Cocktail Party and a dash of Dashiell Hammett.' Cyril Connolly First published in 1961, The Scarlet Boy saw the versatile Arthur Calder-Marshall venturing into gothic terrain with a study in the paranormal. Historian George Grantley agrees to find a property for his school-friend Kit Everness, now a successful QC, in Grantley's home town of Wilchester. Grantley's eye falls on a place dear to him in childhood: Anglesey House, where his boyhood companion Charles Scarlet lived with his glamorous mother, Helen. But Charles committed suicide there, and some say the house is haunted. Grantley and Everness are undeterred; however, they will come to find their rational views tested, and the lives of their loved ones endangered.

#606

The Scarlet Papers

by Matthew Richardson

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

THE BRAND NEW BLOCKBUSTER NOVEL WITH THE HIGH-STAKES THRILLS OF SLOW HORSES AND THE ADRENALINE-SOAKED EXCITEMENT OF BOX 88 **SUNDAY TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH** 'A breathtaking thriller. A classic in the making' PETER JAMES 'A shot in the arm for thriller fans' THE TIMES 'Hugely impressive and compelling' WILLIAM BOYD 'Look out for The Scarlet Papers . . . Engrossing' STEVE CAVANAGH 'The most impressive espionage debut since Mick Herron's Slow Horses' DAILY MAIL 'Magnificent' LITERARY REVIEW 'Superbly constructed and written with flair. This might be the best spy novel of the year' SUNDAY TIMES 'The Cold War is given a new twist ... Impressive, superior spy stuff' SHOTS MAGAZINE ___________ VIENNA, 1946: A brilliant German scientist snatched from the ruins of Nazi Europe. MOSCOW, 1964: A US diplomat caught in a clandestine love affair as the Cold War rages. RIGA, 1992: A Russian archivist selling secrets that will change the twentieth century forever. LONDON, THE PRESENT DAY: A British academic on the run with the chance to solve one of history's greatest mysteries. Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world are bound by a single manuscript. A document feared and whispered about in capitals across the globe. In its pages, history will be rewritten. It is only ever known as . . . THE SCARLET PAPERS The devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation: Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one. ___________ 'Smart, slick and totally gripping . . . The Scarlet Papers is always credible, always startling and almost painfully human. A total triumph' TONY PARSONS 'A masterpiece' TIM GLISTER 'Grand in scope and packed with fascinating insights' MICK HERRON 'An extraordinary novel' HOLLY WATT 'Addictive, original and outrageously entertaining . . . Matthew Richardson proves himself a writer of huge talent and skill' CHARLOTTE PHILBY 'An epic read!' JEREMY DUNS

#607

The Scourge Between Stars

by Ness Brown

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#608

The Screaming Child

by Scott Adlerberg

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#609

The Secret

by Lee Child

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Don’t miss the hit streaming series Reacher! A string of mysterious deaths. A long-classified mission. A young MP with nothing to lose. 1992. All across the United States respectable, upstanding citizens are showing up dead. These deaths could be accidents, and they don’t appear to be connected—until a fatal fall from a high-floor window attracts some unexpected attention. That attention comes from the secretary of defense. All of a sudden he wants an interagency task force to investigate. And he wants Jack Reacher as the army’s representative. If Reacher gets a result, great. If not, he’s a convenient fall guy. But office politics isn’t Reacher’s thing. Three questions quickly emerge: Who’s with him, who’s against him, and will the justice he dispenses be the official kind . . . or his own kind?

#610

The Secret Life of Insects and Other Stories

by Bernardo Esquinca

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

In 'The Secret Life of Insects', a forensic entomologist tries to solve the murder of his wife, who impossibly seems to have been killed in a forest at the same time she was asleep in bed with him. The husband in 'The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife' becomes concerned by his wife's strange behavior, which includes sleepwalking, muttering strange phrases, and a bizarre erotic fascination with octopi. In 'Come to Me', a woman visits a witch doctor who promises to forge an unbreakable bond between her and the man of her dreams, but things go horribly awry after the man dies. And in the novella 'Demoness', four high school friends reunite at a class reunion twenty years later and must face the long-buried truth of a demonic experience from their youth. Bernardo Esquinca's haunting tale 'Señor Ligotti' represented Mexico in the acclaimed The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories and was a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award. Now Valancourt Books is proud to present this collection of fourteen of his best stories, which also features a foreword by award-winning author Mariana Enríquez and stunning full-page illustrations by Spanish artist Luis Pérez Ochando. 'Very deft, smart stories that manage to do more in ten pages what most novels struggle to accomplish in thirty times that. Esquinca is a writer to watch.' Brian Evenson, author of Song for the Unraveling of the World

#611

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen

by KJ Charles

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Gothic scandal meets Bridgerton intrigue in this swashbuckling Regency romance from celebrated author KJ Charles.Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and well-used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels--until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London clerk into Sir Gareth, with a grand house on the remote Romney Marsh and a family he doesn't know.The Marsh is another world, a strange, empty place notorious for its ruthless gangs of smugglers. And one of them is dangerously familiar...Joss Doomsday has run the Doomsday smuggling clan since he was a boy. When the new baronet--his old lover--agrees to testify against Joss's sister, Joss acts fast to stop him. Their reunion is anything but happy, yet after the dust settles, neither can stay away. Soon, all Joss and Gareth want is the chance to be together. But the bleak, bare Marsh holds deadly secrets. And when Gareth finds himself threatened from every side, the gentleman and the smuggler must trust one another not just with their hearts, but with their lives.Readers Rave about KJ Charles: "KJ Charles is one of the best romance novelists writing today. Historical romance at its finest." --Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author"Once again KJ Charles has produced an absolute masterpiece!" --Joanna Shupe, USA Today bestselling author"A romantic, swashbuckling tale from start to finish."--Manda Collins, Bestselling Author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem

#612

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall

by Katie Lumsden

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#613

The Seething

by Ben Monroe

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A family's relocation looked like a chance to relax and regroup-but as they settle into their new home, teenage Kimmie Barnes' special senses make her the target of something primordial, evil, and utterly malign. Darkness... Golden Oaks, California is a sleepy town on the shores of Oro Lake, and the residents have no idea what horrors lurk below the glittering waters. Beneath the waves... One by one, as people begin to disappear, the once quiet town is soon in the grips of a waking nightmare. An unimaginable horror consuming everything before it. Hungry... All while echoes of an ancient evil spread out like malignant spider webs, like dead hands reaching, grasping... SEETHING...

#614

The Shadow Dancers of Brixton Hill

by Nicole Willson

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#615

The Shadow Galaxy

by J. Dianne Dotson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

“These stories are as lyrical, uplifting, otherworldly and unsettling as any faerie tale, and demonstrate Dotson’s ability to write confidently across a wide range of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, and horror.” —Gareth L. Powell, author of Stars and Bones “A deeply satisfying collection of fantasies that ranges from Americana to outer space, charming and precise in equal measure.” —Paul Cornell, author of Witches of Lychford and I Walk With Monsters A mesmerizing first collection from the cross-genre author, science writer, and artist J. Dianne Dotson, The Shadow Galaxy features short stories and poetry spanning magical realism, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and Appalachian tales. With stories and poetry spanning three decades of work, the author taps into journeys both fantastical and deeply personal. Categories include Shadow Shores: Tales from the Sea; Other Futures: Tales of the Galaxy and a Place Called Earth; Into the Darkest Hollow: Tales of Horror; Love and Other Moments: Traces of the Heart; Far Appalachia: Tales from the Ancient Mountains; and Resonant Thoughts: Some Poetry. Among these pages, Dotson captures the longing, regrets, and dreams of those living by the sea, such as in “One Evening in Fogvale.” In “RODER,” a young woman risks her life to help find a robot who captured her heart. “Topaz Sundered” explores an exoplanet mining expedition gone horribly wrong. In “The Queen and the Mountain Laurel,” a young Appalachian girl teaches her father an important lesson with the help of mountain spirits. The poem “Obsidian” eviscerates with raw pain from betrayal. Dotson weaves these and many other tales and poems of mysticism, exploration, horror, pain, nostalgia, and wonder, for no shadow can exist without light.

#616

The Shadows of London – James Marwood & Cat Lovett Book 6

by Andrew Taylor

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

Over 1 Million Andrew Taylor Novels Sold! A Times Historical Crime Novel of the year

#617

The Shards

by Bret Easton Ellis

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Crime Reads – THE BEST CRIME NOVELS OF 2023

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - A novel of sensational literary and psychological suspense from the best-selling author of Less Than Zero and American Psycho that tracks a group of privileged high school friends in a vibrantly fictionalized 1980s Los Angeles as a serial killer strikes across the city "A thrilling page turner from Ellis, who revisits the world that made him a literary star with a stylish scary new story that doesn't disappoint." -Town & Country Bret Easton Ellis's masterful new novel is a story about the end of innocence, and the perilous passage from adolescence into adulthood, set in a vibrantly fictionalized Los Angeles in 1981 as a serial killer begins targeting teenagers throughout the city. Seventeen-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is bright, handsome, charismatic, and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle. Bret's obsession with Mallory is equaled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with the Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends, taunting them--and Bret in particular--with grotesque threats and horrific, sharply local acts of violence. The coincidences are uncanny, but they are also filtered through the imagination of a teenager whose gifts for constructing narrative from the filaments of his own life are about to make him one of the most explosive literary sensations of his generation. Can he trust his friends--or his own mind--to make sense of the danger they appear to be in? Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires, buffeted by unhealthy fixations, he spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between the Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision. Set against the intensely vivid and nostalgic backdrop of pre-Less Than Zero L.A., The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction, the real and the imagined, that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret's life at seventeen--sex and jealousy, obsession and murderous rage. Gripping, sly, suspenseful, deeply haunting, and often darkly funny, The Shards is Ellis at his inimitable best.

#618

The Sight

by Melanie Golding

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#619

The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret

by Nev March

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

In The Spanish Diplomat's Secret, award-winning author Nev March explores the vivid nineteenth-century world of the transatlantic voyage, one passenger's secret at a time. Captain Jim Agnihotri and his wife Lady Diana Framji are embarking to England in the summer of 1894. Jim is hopeful the cruise will help Diana open up to him. Something is troubling her, and Jim is concerned. On their first evening, Jim meets an intriguing Spaniard, a fellow soldier with whom he finds an instant kinship. But within twenty-four hours, Don Juan Nepomuceno is murdered, his body discovered shortly after he asks rather urgently to see Jim. When the captain discovers that Jim is an investigator, he pleads with Jim to find the killer before they dock in Liverpool in six days, or there could be international consequences. Aboard the beleaguered luxury liner are a thousand suspects, but no witnesses to the locked-cabin crime. Jim would prefer to keep Diana safely out of his investigation, but he's doubled over, seasick. Plus, Jim knows Diana can navigate the high society world of the ship's first-class passengers in ways he cannot. Together, using the tricks gleaned from their favorite fictional sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, Jim and Diana must learn why one man's life came to a murderous end.

#620

The Spectacular

by Fiona Davis

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

From the New York Times Bestselling Author of The Magnolia Palace: A thrilling story about love, sacrifice, and the pursuit of dreams, set amidst the glamour and glitz of Radio City Music Hall in its mid-century heyday. New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion Brooks knows she should be happy. Her high school sweetheart is about to propose and sweep her off to the life everyone has always expected they’d have together: a quiet house in the suburbs, Marion staying home to raise their future children. But instead, Marion finds herself feeling trapped. So when she comes across an opportunity to audition for the famous Radio City Rockettes—the glamorous precision-dancing troupe—she jumps at the chance to exchange her predictable future for the dazzling life of a performer. Meanwhile, the city is reeling from a string of bombings orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber,” who has been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police turn in desperation to Peter Griggs, a young doctor at a local mental hospital who espouses a radical new technique: psychological profiling. As both Marion and Peter find themselves unexpectedly pulled in to the police search for the bomber, Marion realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. In doing so, she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.

#621

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

by Andrew Joseph White

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! A blood-soaked and nauseating triumph that cuts like a scalpel and reads like your darkest nightmare. New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White returns with the transgressive gothic horror of our time! Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all. London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness--a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness--and shipped away to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanitorium. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton's innards and expose its guts to the world--so long as the school doesn't break him first. Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White's much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.

#622

The Square of Sevens

by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#623

The Stradivarius

by Rae Knowles

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#624

The Strange

by Nathan Ballingrud

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

1931, New Galveston, Mars: Fourteen-year-old Anabelle Crisp sets off through the wastelands of the Strange to find Silas Mundt's gang who have stolen her mother's voice, destroyed her father, and left her solely with a need for vengeance. Since Anabelle's mother left for Earth to care for her own ailing mother, her days in New Galveston have been spent at school and her nights at her laconic father's diner with Watson, the family Kitchen Engine and dishwasher as her only companion. When the Silence came, and communication and shipments from Earth to its colonies on Mars stopped, life seemed stuck in foreboding stasis until the night Silas Mundt and his gang attacked. At once evoking the dreams of an America explored in Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles and the harder realities of frontier life in Charles Portis True Grit, Ballingrud's novel is haunting in its evocation of Anabelle's quest for revenge amidst a spent and angry world accompanied by a domestic Engine, a drunken space pilot, and the toughest woman on Mars. Nathan Ballingrud's stories have been adapted into the film Wounds and the Hulu series Monsterland, The Strange is his first novel.

#625

The Stranger Upstairs

by Lisa M. Matlin

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#626

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp

by Leonie Swann

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The Washington Post – The 10 best mystery novels of 2023

#627

The Thing in Yellow

by D.T. Neal

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#628

The Things We Do to Our Friends

by Heather Darwent

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - She's an outsider desperate to belong, but the cost of entry might be her deepest secret in this intoxicating debut about a clique of dangerously ambitious students, "perfect for fans of dark academia stories like The Secret History and If We Were Villains" (Cosmopolitan). "One of the best suspense debuts I've read in years . . . Heather Darwent delivers one artful tease after another until you are completely lost in this labyrinth of clever women and obsessive friendship."--Julia Heaberlin, bestselling author of We Are All the Same in the Dark Edinburgh, Scotland: a moody city of labyrinthine alleyways, oppressive fog, and buried history; the ultimate destination for someone with something to hide. Perfect for Clare, then, who arrives utterly alone and yearning to reinvent herself. And what better place to conceal the secrets of her past than at the university in the heart of the fabled, cobblestoned Old Town? When Clare meets Tabitha, a charismatic, beautiful, and intimidatingly rich girl from her art history class, she knows she's destined to become friends with her and her exclusive circle: raffish Samuel, shrewd Ava, and pragmatic Imogen. Clare is immediately drawn into their libertine world of sophisticated dinner parties and summers in France. The new life she always envisioned for herself has seemingly begun. Then Tabitha reveals a little project she's been working on, one that she needs Clare's help with. Even though it goes against everything Clare has tried to repent for. Even though their intimacy begins to darken into codependence. But as Clare starts to realize just what her friends are capable of, it's already too late. Because they've taken the plunge. They're so close to attaining everything they want. And there's no going back. Reimagining the classic themes of obsession and ambition with an original and sinister edge, The Things We Do to Our Friends is a seductive thriller about the toxic battle between those who have and those who covet--between the desire to truly belong and the danger of being truly known.

#629

The Trap

by Catherine Ryan Howard

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NYPL – Best Books for Adults 2023

From award-winning, internationally bestselling crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard comes The Trap: an unsettling mystery inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances in Ireland in the nineties, wherein one young woman risks everything to catch a faceless killer.One year ago, Lucy's sister, Nicki, left to meet friends at a pub in Dublin and never came home. The third Irish woman to vanish inexplicably in as many years, the agony of not knowing what happened that night has turned Lucy's life into a waking nightmare. So, she's going to take matters into her own hands. Angela works as a civilian paper-pusher in the Missing Persons Unit, but wants nothing more than to be a fully fledged member of An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force. With the official investigation into the missing women stalled, she begins pulling on a thread that could break the case wide open--and destroy her chances of ever joining the force.A nameless man drives through the night, his latest victim in the back seat. He's going to tell her everything, from the beginning. And soon, she'll realize: what you don't know can hurt you ...

#630

The Trees Grew Because I Bled There: Collected Stories

by Eric LaRocca

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"The stories collected here are by turns confident, brutal, and breathtaking... must-read horror" The New York Times A beautifully crafted, devastating short fiction collection from the Bram Stoker Awards® finalist and author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. Includes an introduction from acclaimed bestselling author Chuck Wendig. Eight stories of literary dark fiction from a master storyteller. Exploring the shadow side of love, these are tales of grief, obsession, control. Intricate examinations of trauma and tragedy in raw, poetic prose. In these narratives, a woman imagines horrific scenarios whilst caring for her infant niece; on-line posts chronicle a cancer diagnosis; a couple in the park with their small child encounter a stranger with horrific consequences; a toxic relationship reaches a terrifying resolution… Originally published under the title The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales, this is a much-praised collection of deeply unsettling, painfully dark tales.

#631

The Trial

by Rob Rinder

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

Penguin The Trial. ABISBOOK. Penguin.

#632

The Turnglass

by Gareth Rubin

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'The Turnglass is a bold, breathtaking piece of writing that absolutely nails its two books in one conceit. I doubt I’ll ever read anything like it again, which is the highest compliment I can offer' Stuart Turton 'Not just a book, but an experience - one in which twists and turns are both on the page and in the very act of reading itself. Two haunting narratives conspire to create a dark, menacing tale that spans half a century of secrets as they echo back and forth - all while the sand slowly drains away . . . This is a story about stories and their perspectives, the passage of time and the slow march of the inevitable. Vivid, resonant, melancholy and beautiful' Janice Hallett ‘A stunning, ingenious, truly immersive mystery. The Turnglass is a thrilling delight' Chris Whitaker Stuart Turton meets The Magpie Murders in this immersive and unique story for fans of clever crime fiction. 1880s England. On the bleak island of Ray, off the Essex coast, an idealistic young doctor, Simeon Lee, is called from London to treat his cousin, Parson Oliver Hawes, who is dying. Parson Hawes, who lives in the only house on the island – Turnglass House – believes he is being poisoned. And he points the finger at his sister-in-law, Florence. Florence was declared insane after killing Oliver’s brother in a jealous rage and is now kept in a glass-walled apartment in Oliver’s library. And the secret to how she came to be there is found in Oliver’s tête-bêche journal, where one side tells a very different story from the other. 1930s California. Celebrated author Oliver Tooke, the son of the state governor, is found dead in his writing hut off the coast of the family residence, Turnglass House. His friend Ken Kourian doesn’t believe that Oliver would take his own life. His investigations lead him to the mysterious kidnapping of Oliver’s brother when they were children, and the subsequent secret incarceration of his mother, Florence, in an asylum. But to discover the truth, Ken must decipher clues hidden in Oliver’s final book, a tête-bêche novel – which is about a young doctor called Simeon Lee . . . PRAISE FOR THE TURNGLASS: 'Rubin has pulled off the difficult trick of writing an ambitious novel that is also an easy, enjoyable read' The Times, Crime Book of the Month 'An intricate and thoroughly mesmerising tale of family plots and schemes across several generations' Guardian 'Your initial amazement at his ingenuity comes to sit alongside an appreciation of the heart and depth he brings to his stories. A risky idea, beautifully executed'The Telegraph ‘If immersive fiction is for you, you’ll adore this tête-bêche novel . . . Expect two very different stories that magically come together' Belfast Telegraph ‘Wildly clever and evocative, I adored it’ Angela Clarke

#633

The Ugly Truth

by L.C. North

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

In The Ugly Truth, book 5 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney, Greg Heffley suddenly finds himself dealing with the pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and even the awkward changes that come with getting older--all without his best friend, Rowley, at his side. Greg has always been in a hurry to grow up. But is getting older really all it's cracked up to be? Can he make it through on his own? Or will Greg have to face the "ugly truth"?

#634

The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou

by Eleni Kyriacou

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

**Selected for BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club 2023** 'Tense. Moving. Morally complex. Zina Pavlou is wholly unforgettable.' RACHEL RHYS 'Impressive... worthy of Sarah Waters' THE TIMES THEY HAVE TOLD SO MANY LIES ABOUT ME. London, 1954. Zina Pavlou, a Cypriot grandmother, waits quietly in the custody of the Metropolitan police. She can't speak their language, but she understands what their wary looks mean: she has been accused of the brutal murder of her daughter-in-law. Eva Georgiou, Greek interpreter for the Met, knows how it feels to be voiceless as an immigrant woman. While she works as Zina's translator, her obsession with the case deepens, and so too does her bond with the accused murderer. Zina can't speak for herself. She can't clear her own name. All she can do is wait for the world to decide... IS SHE A VICTIM? OR IS SHE A KILLER? A compelling historical crime novel set in the Greek diaspora of 1950s London – that's inspired by a true story – The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is perfect for fans of Erin Kelly, Sara Collins, and Jessie Burton. 'Eleni Kyriacou has drawn such a rich cast in this enthralling and wholly original novel. Utterly compelling.' CLARE MACKINTOSH 'Hugely powerful... Easily one of the best books you'll read this year' EMMA CHRISTIE 'A brilliantly crafted story of two women... and an absolute page-turner' LOUISE HARE 'Immersive, gripping, authentic' ERIN KELLY 'Chilling, gripping' NIKKI SMITH 'A tragic and compelling tale' GUARDIAN 'Zina and Eva will stay with me a long, long time' LOUISE FEIN 'Prepare to become obsessed with Zina Pavlou!' LOUISE MUMFORD

#635

The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal

by Grayson Daly

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Set in the fictional island city of Lenorum, the novel focuses on Maeve, who is a member of the Sisterhood of Good Death-a religious order whose mission is to help the dead transition toward their next life. A random cemetery encounter with the mysteriously murdered poet, Imogen Madrigal, who has somehow returned from the dead, thrusts Maeve into solving Imogen's year-old murder, and, in the process, come to terms with what it means to live a good and fulfilling life.

#636

The Vein

by Steph Nelson

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#637

The Vile Thing We Created

by Robert P. Ottone

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#638

The Watchmaker’s Hand

by Jeffery Deaver

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

The "most clever plotter on the planet" (Publishers Weekly), Jeffery Deaver returns with this twisty thriller, as forensic criminalist Lincoln Rhyme and detective Amelia Sachs track a criminal with a bizarre and catastrophic MO—toppling the construction cranes in New York City. When a New York City construction crane mysteriously collapses, causing mass destruction and injury, Rhyme and Sachs are on the case. A political group claims responsibility for the sabotage and threatens another attack in twenty-four hours, unless its demands are met. The clock is ticking. Then a clue reveals to Rhyme that his nemesis, known as the Watchmaker, has come to town to fulfill his promise of murdering the criminalist. Now Rhyme and Sachs have to dodge his brilliant scheme to destroy them both, while racing against time to stop the construction site terrorists. With New York in a panic, Rhyme and his team must unravel a handful of plots as tightly wound as a timepiece—before more cranes fall, raining down death and destruction from above.

#639

The Way of the Bear

by Anne Hillerman

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

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#640

The Whispering Muse

by Laura Purcell

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#641

The Wicked Unseen

by Gigi Griffis

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The new girl in town is having trouble fitting into a community that believes there's a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the woods. When her crush goes missing, she starts to wonder if the town's obsession with evil isn't covering up something far worse. Perfect for fans of Fear Street! From the moment Audre arrives in rural Pennsylvania, it's clear she won't fit in. After all, her nose ring, her horror movie obsession, and her family's Ouija board collection aren't likely to endear her to a town convinced there's a secret Satanic cult conducting rituals in the nearby woods. When the preacher's daughter and Audre's crush, Elle, goes missing on Halloween weekend, the town is quick to point fingers in Audre's direction. With the cops busy harassing her family for being nonbelievers and everyone else convinced demons are to blame, Audre realizes she might be the only person who can find her friend. But the deeper Audre digs, the weirder it gets. Has Elle fallen victim to a Satanic ritual, or is the town's obsession with the occult covering up something even more sinister?

#642

The Wind Began to Howl

by Laird Barron

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#643

The Winter Knight

by Jes Battis

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Arthurian legends are reborn in this upbeat queer urban fantasy with a mystery at its heart The knights of the round table are alive in Vancouver, but when one winds up dead, it's clear the familiar stories have taken a left turn. Hildie, a Valkyrie and the investigator assigned to the case, wants to find the killer -- and maybe figure her life out while she's at it. On her short list of suspects is Wayne, an autistic college student and the reincarnation of Sir Gawain, who these days is just trying to survive in a world that wasn't made for him. After finding himself at the scene of the crime, Wayne is pulled deeper into his medieval family history while trying to navigate a new relationship with the dean's charming assistant, Bert -- who also happens to be a prime murder suspect. To figure out the truth, Wayne and Hildie have to connect with dangerous forces: fallen knights, tricky runesmiths, the Wyrd Sisters of Gastown. And a hungry beast that stalks Wayne's dreams. The Winter Knight is a propulsive urban fairy tale and detective story with queer and trans heroes that asks what it means to be a myth, who gets to star in these tales, and ultimately, how we make our stories our own.

#644

The Wishing Game

by Meg Shaffer

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children's author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner's life in this absorbing and whimsical novel. "Clever, dark, and hopeful . . . a love letter to reading and the power that childhood stories have over us long after we've grown up."--V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Make a wish. . . . Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it's like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher's aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability. But be careful what you wish for. . . . Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he's finally written a new book. Even better, he's holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy. For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack "the Mastermind" Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever. . . . You might just get it.

#645

The Wishing Pool and Other Stories

by Tananarive Due

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

In her first new book in seven years, Tananarive Due further cements her status as a leading innovator in Black horror and Afrofuturism"Tananarive Due is the master of Black horror, even teaching a class where Jordan Peele guest-lectured. So her new collection, The Wishing Pool, out in mid-April, is a major treat, full of major scares. Due excels at twist endings but also brilliantly creates an atmosphere of creeping dread in which you know something terrible is coming. The Wishing Pool is helpfully divided into four sections, and each feels like a movement in a symphony. There are classic tales of horror, then a series of stories set in a Florida town where the swamp tends to swallow people up; the final two sections shift to science fiction about post-apocalyptic futures. (These last sections include pandemic stories, written before 2020, which hit harder now.) Due shows just how much territory she can cover in one short book and just how versatile terrifying tales can be." --Washington PostAmerican Book Award-winning author Tananarive Due's second collection of stories includes offerings of horror, science fiction, and suspense--all genres she wields masterfully. From the mysterious, magical town of Gracetown to the aftermath of a pandemic to the reaches of the far future, Due's stories all share a sense of dread and fear balanced with heart and hope. In some of these stories, the monster is racism itself; others address the monster within, each set against the supernatural or surreal. All are written with Due's trademark attention to detail and deeply drawn characters. In addition to previously published work, this collection contains brand-new stories, including "Rumpus Room," a supernatural horror novelette set in Florida about a woman's struggle against both outer and inner demons.

#646

The Wolf and the Favour

by Catherine McCarthy

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#647

The Wonder State

by Sara Flannery Murphy

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#648

The Woodcutter

by Stephanie Ellis

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#649

The Woodcutters

by Josh Hanson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#650

The Woodkin

by Alexander James

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

2024 Audie Award® Nominee 2024 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award Gold Medal Winner 2024 IPPY Award Gold Medal Winner 2023 Foreword INDIES Award Bronze Medal Winner “Alexander James’ towering debut [leads] to one destination: absolute terror.” —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Ghost Eaters This is adventure horror done right!” —Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of Children of Chicago On the trail, anything can happen. After secrets and betrayal shatter his marriage, Josh Mallory seeks solace on the Pacific Crest Trail, in the mountains of Washington. On the trail, he’s just another hiker. On the trail, he can outrun the memories. But this backpacking trip swiftly turns grisly when he comes across the body of another hiker who seems to have fallen to his death. Josh is forced to detour through a small mountain town, where missing hiker posters flutter in the windows, and residents show no interest in hearing about the dead hiker. Unease that something is not quite right chases him back to the trail. But night falls too quickly and in his haste to get away, he becomes trapped on a mountain ridge beneath the light of a full moon. Feeling more and more uneasy, Josh soon realizes that he may not be alone on the mountain, and begins to fear that, like the missing hikers, he won’t make it out alive. For readers who enjoy Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World and Scott Carson’s The Chill.

#651

The World Wasn’t Ready for You

by Justin C. Key

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Black Mirror meets Get Out in this gripping story collection reminiscent of the work of Octavia E. Butler, which deftly blends science fiction, horror, and fantasy to examine issues of race, class, and prejudice--an electrifying, oftentimes heartbreaking debut from an extraordinary new voice.Justin C. Key has long been obsessed with monsters. Reading R. L. Stine's Goosebumps as a kid, he imagined himself battling monsters and mayhem to a triumphant end. But when watching Scream 2, in which the movie's only Black couple is promptly killed off, he realized that the Black and Brown characters in his favorite genre were almost always the victim or villain--if they were portrayed at all.In The World Wasn't Ready for You, Key expands and subverts the horror genre to expertly explore issues of race, class, prejudice, love, exclusion, loneliness, and what it means to be a person in the world, while revealing the horrifying nature inherent in all of us. In the opening story, "The Perfection of Theresa Watkins," a sci-fi love story turned nightmare, a husband uses new technology to download the consciousness of his recently deceased Black wife into the body of a white woman. In "Spider King," an inmate agrees to participate in an experimental medical study offered to Black prisoners in exchange for early release, only to find his body reacting with disturbing symptoms. And in the title story, a father tries to protect his son, teaching him how to navigate a prejudiced world that does not understand him and sees him as a threat.The World Wasn't Ready for You is a gripping, provocative, and distinctly original collection that demonstrates Key's remarkable literary gifts--a skill at crafting science fiction stories equaled by an ability to sculpt characters and narrative--as well as his utterly fresh take on how genre can be used to delight, awe, frighten, and ultimately challenge our perceptions. Wildly imaginative and powerfully resonant, it introduces an unforgettable new voice in fiction.

#652

The Writing Retreat

by Julia Bartz

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

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#653

The Year of the Storm

by John Mantooth

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In this haunting, suspenseful debut novel, John Mantooth takes readers to a town in rural Alabama where secrets are buried deep, reality is relative, and salvation requires a desperate act of faith. When Danny was fourteen, his mother and sister disappeared during a violent storm. The police were baffled. There were no clues, and most people figured they were dead. Only Danny still holds out hope that they’ll return. Months later, a disheveled Vietnam vet named Walter Pike shows up at Danny’s front door, claiming to know their whereabouts. The story he tells is so incredible that Danny knows he shouldn’t believe him. Others warn him about Walter Pike’s dark past, his shameful flight from town years ago, and the suspicious timing of his return. But he’s Danny’s last hope, and Danny needs to believe…

#654

Their Vicious Games

by Joelle Wellington

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

"A brutally honest and haunting cautionary tale...exposing the lie that is meritocracy and the unrelenting toll that being a final girl takes. A bloody tale spun masterfully...a dark delight." --Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, New York Times bestselling author of Ace of Spades A Black teen desperate to regain her Ivy League acceptance enters an elite competition only to discover the stakes aren't just high, they're deadly, in this "spine-chilling thriller" (Publishers Weekly). You must work twice as hard to get half as much. Adina Walker has known this the entire time she's been on scholarship at the prestigious Edgewater Academy--a school for the rich (and mostly white) upper class of New England. It's why she works so hard to be perfect and above reproach, no matter what she must force beneath the surface. Even one slip can cost you everything. And it does. One fight, one moment of lost control, leaves Adina blacklisted from her top choice Ivy League college and any other. Her only chance to regain the future she's sacrificed everything for is the Finish, a high-stakes contest sponsored by Edgewater's founding family in which twelve young, ambitious women with exceptional promise are selected to compete in three mysterious events: the Ride, the Raid, and the Royale. The winner will be granted entry into the fold of the Remington family, whose wealth and power can open any door. But when she arrives at the Finish, Adina quickly gets the feeling that something isn't quite right with both the Remingtons and her fellow competitors, and soon it becomes clear that this larger-than-life prize can only come at an even greater cost. Because the Finish's stakes aren't just make or break...they're life and death. Adina knows the deck is stacked against her--it always has been--so maybe the only way to survive their vicious games is for her to change the rules.

#655

They Hide: Short Stories to Tell in the Dark

by Francesca Maria

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#656

They Lurk

by Ronald Malfi

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#657

They Stalk the Night

by Brian Moreland

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An action-packed creature feature from the author of Tomb of Gods. During a winter storm, a ravenous beast preys upon the people of a remote town and a pipeline construction company. Among them, a predatorial psychopath welcomes a master as cold and dark as his heart. Following a trail of carnage, retired police chief Sam Larsen, along with a hellbent group of men and a corrupt sheriff, desperately try to stop the beast before its contagious hunger spreads to others. A young mother, trapped inside her isolated home with her children, must do everything in her power to survive the night. FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress

#658

They Will Dream in the Garden

by Gabriela Damián Miravete

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InThey WillDream in the Garden,Otherwise Award-winning author, Gabriela DamiánMiravete elaborates the disconcerting experience of living as a womanin Mexico--aterritory characterized by its great contrasts, from violence andactivism to affectionate and communal resistance: flowers that arisefrom the earth to expand the cosmic consciousness of those who takeit, nuns who create artifacts so that their native languages do notperish, a memorial for the victims of femicide that the Statecontrols, but whose old guardian wants to turn into a laboratory toreturn their lost future... TheyWill Dream in the Gardenshows the journey that its author has undertaken towards a moreconscious writing that, through wonder and beauty, trusts in thepossibilities that literature offers to unite, question, andtransform our being in the world.

#659

This Delicious Death

by Kayla Cottingham

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#660

Those Empty Eyes: A Chilling Novel of Suspense with a Shocking Twist

by Charlie Donlea

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Amazon – Best Mysteries, Thrillers and Suspense Books of 2023

#661

Those We Drown

by Amy Goldsmith

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An ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut! Liv's best friend disappears on their first night aboard their dream semester-at-sea program—but is he really sick, like everyone says, or is something darker lurking beneath the water? It should have been the trip of a lifetime. When Liv lands an all-expenses-paid opportunity to study aboard the luxury cruise ship The Eos for a semester, she can’t believe her luck. Especially since it will oﬀer her the chance to spend time with Will, her ex–best friend, who’s barely spoken to her since the night their relationship changed forever. But as soon as she steps on board, Liv realizes just how out of her depth she is. With Will, with the rest of the Seamester students—including the brittle and beautiful Constantine, who may be hiding his own ties to the Eos—and most of all, with the Sirens, three glamorous and mysterious inﬂuencers who seem to have the run of the ship. Liv quickly discovers that the only reason she was invited to join the trip is because another girl disappeared shortly after enrolling—and no one seems to know what happened to her. When further disappearances rock the ship and strange creatures begin haunting Liv’s dreams, she wonders: Is the Eos hiding a dark secret within its shadowy decks? The truth will come at a price . . . only, how much is Liv willing to pay?

#662

Three Sixes and a Forked Tongue or Cold Medicine and a Liar

by James Tyler Toothman

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#663

Through Legend They Fall

by Rachel Pendley

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#664

Time’s Undoing

by Cheryl A. Head

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

#665

Titanium Noir

by Nick Harkaway

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

A virtuosic mashup of Philip K. Dick and Raymond Chandler by way of Marvel--the story of a detective investigating the murder of a Titan, one of society's most powerful, medically-enhanced elites. - "Cross-genre brilliance from the superbly talented Nick Harkaway." --William Gibson, New York Times best-selling author of Agency "An exemplar of its genre, Titanium Noir twists and turns between excellent fun and deep melancholy." --The New York Times Book Review Cal Sounder is a detective working for the police on certain very sensitive cases. So when he's called in to investigate a homicide at a local apartment, he's surprised by the routineness of it all. But when he arrives on scene, Cal soon learns that the victim--Roddy Tebbit, an otherwise milquetoast techie--is well over seven feet tall. And although he doesn't look a day over thirty, he is ninety-one years old. Tebbit is a Titan--one of this dystopian, near-future society's genetically altered elites. And this case is definitely Cal's thing. There are only a few thousand Titans worldwide, thanks to Stefan Tonfamecasca's discovery of the controversial T7 genetic therapy, which elevated his family to godlike status. T7 turns average humans into near-immortal distortions of themselves--with immense physical proportions to match their ostentatious, unreachable lifestyles. A dead Titan is big news . . . a murdered Titan is unimaginable. But these modified magnates are Cal's specialty. In fact, his own ex-girlfriend, Athena, is a Titan. And not just any--she is Stefan's daughter, heir to the massive Tonfamecasca empire. As the murder investigation intensifies, Cal begins to unravel the complicated threads of what should have been a straightforward case, and it becomes clear he's on the trail of a crime whose roots run deep into the dark heart of the world.

#666

Tomás Nevinson

by Javier Marías

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

The final novel from Spain's most acclaimed writer, a novel about a charismatic half-Spanish, half-English man who is recruited by British intelligence • “Marías’s best work.” —El País “Compelling, hypnotic, and exciting at the same time.” —Los Angeles Review of Books Retired spy Tomás Nevinson—once an agent for the British Secret Service, now living a quiet life in his hometown, Madrid—is approached by his former handler, Bertram Tupra, with an offer to bring him back in from the cold for one last assignment. The mission: to go undercover again, in a small Spanish town, to find out which of three women who moved there a decade ago is in fact a terrorist trained by the IRA, on the run after masterminding several deadly attacks. Everything about the assignment is shadowy, from exactly who is in charge, to the question of what “justice” Nevinson will need to mete out once he unmasks the terrorist. But, lured by the appeal of being back on the inside, he accepts the job. Nevinson soon becomes intimately involved with each of the three women. How—or whom—to choose among them? Under increasing pressure, he must choose, and then act . . . Charting a world in which right and wrong, good and evil, are irreparably blurred, Javier Marías takes us on a journey of rare and unforgettable suspense in this, the final novel written before his untimely passing.

#667

Tomorrow and Tomorrow

by Lilah Lawson and Lauren Emily Whalen

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#668

Too Scared to Sleep

by Andrew Duplessie

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From debut author Andrew Duplessie, a terrifying collection of teen short horror stories—and accompanying videos—that will keep you up long into the night! Perfect for fans of Five Nights at Freddy's. A garbage disposal that feeds on flesh . . . A beloved stuffed rabbit that cooks up your parents . . . Roses that require human blood to bloom . . . From blood-chilling horror to supernatural scares, this collection of short stories from debut author Andrew Duplessie offers something to stoke anyone’s fear factor. But that’s only the beginning. In a first-ever twist, each story also comes with a pulse-pounding video that deepens the horror. Point your phone at the QR code and be prepared to scream! Maybe even share it with your friends, if you dare. Ready or not, Too Scared to Sleep will answer the question: How brave are you, really? Perfect for Halloween reading Ideal for fans of the supernatural For teens who love dark and scary stories

#669

Traitors Gate – William Warwick Novels

by Jeffrey Archer

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

The gripping new instalment in the William Warwick series, An Eye for an Eye, is available to pre-order now! 24 hours to stop the crime of the century The race against time is about to begin...

#670

Transcendental Mutilation

by Ryan Harding

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#671

Twice Lost

by Phyllis Paul

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#672

Underland Arcana Deck Three

by Mark Teppo

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#673

Unnatural Death – Kay Scarpetta

by Patricia Cornwell

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

#674

Unquiet

by E. Saxey

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An intrepid young woman journeys across Victorian London and beyond in search of the truth behind the presumed death, and reappearance one icy evening, of her brother-in-law, in this gripping and mysterious gothic horror. Perfect for fans of The Haunting of Hill House and readers of Sarah Waters. London 1893. Judith lives a solitary life, save for the maid who haunts the family home in which she resides. Mourning the death of her brother-in-law, Sam, who drowned in an accident a year earlier, she distracts herself with art classes, books and strange rituals, whilst the rest of her family travel the world. One icy evening, conducting a ritual in her garden she discovers Sam, alive. He has no memory of the past year, and remembers little of the accident that appeared to take his life. Desperate to keep his reappearance a secret until she can discover the truth about what happened to him, Judith journeys outside of the West London Jewish community she calls home, to the scene of Sam’s accident. But there are secrets waiting there for Judith, things that have been dormant for so long, and if she is to uncover all of them, she may have to admit to truths that she has been keeping from herself.

#675

Unspeakable Horror 3: Dark Rainbow Rising

by Vince A. Liaguno

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#676

Vampire Weekend

by Mike Chen

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Brotherhood "A love letter to the power of music, this thoughtful, humorous exploration of what constitutes living versus mere survival sees Chen (Light Years from Home) at the top of his game." --Publishers Weekly starred review "A strong emotional core carries Chen's (Light Years from Home, 2022) latest, which is ultimately about healing from old wounds and learning how to embrace life again after loss--even if you're dead." --Booklist Being a vampire is far from glamorous...but it can be pretty punk rock. Everything you've heard about vampires is a lie. They can't fly. No murders allowed (the community hates that). And turning into a bat? Completely ridiculous. In fact, vampire life is really just a lot of blood bags and night jobs. For Louise Chao, it's also lonely, since she swore off family ages ago. At least she's gone to decades of punk rock shows. And if she can join a band of her own (while keeping her...situation under wraps), maybe she'll finally feel like she belongs, too. Then a long-lost teenage relative shows up at her door. Whether it's Ian's love of music or his bad attitude, for the first time in ages, Louise feels a connection. But as Ian uncovers Louise's true identity, things get dangerous--especially when he asks her for the ultimate favor. One that goes beyond just family...one that might just change everything vampires know about life and death forever.

#677

VenCo

by Cherie Dimaline

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

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#678

Verushka

by Jan Stinchcomb

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“Through evocative prose, Stinchcomb establishes a mounting sense of claustrophobia as the tension ratchets up.” —Publishers Weekly Someone is stalking Devon Woodward. They’ve been there all along, since before she was born, going back to her grandmother’s time. Waiting for her. Watching. And the people who should be able to help, her own parents, are making everything worse. Devon is right to be afraid. Verushka, both victim and villain, is a half-human witch from the other side of the world. She will do anything to get what she needs from the Woodward family, but she may have finally met her match in young Devon. Will family conflict sabotage Devon’s efforts to escape and put her in even greater danger? In this multi-perspective novel that is part fairy tale and part horror story, a young girl fights to uncover the truth and save her own life.

#679

Vicarious

by Chloe Spencer

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#680

We All Go into the Dark

by Francisco Garcia

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

A captivating, eloquent and deeply original book, We All Go into the Dark is an absolute must-read for true-crime fans across the board.

#681

We Are Not Alone: The Extraordinary History of UFOs and Aliens Invading Our Hopes, Fears, and Fantasies

by Marc Hartzman

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#682

We Are the Crisis

by Cadwell Turnbull

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The long-awaited sequel to No Gods, No Monsters from award-winning author Cadwell Turnbull, We Are the Crisis sees humans and monsters clash as civil rights collide with preternatural forces.Three years after the Monster Massacre, members of Rebecca's old wolf pack have begun to go missing without a trace.The world has undergone many changes in the years since monsters came out of the shadows. An anti-monster group known as the Black Hand has started to organize across the United States. In response, pro-monster organizations have been growing in numbers and militancy. Targeted killings of suspected monsters and their allies, monsters spirited away in the dead of night, and the beginnings of pro-monster legislation are all signs of a cosmic shift on the horizon. Is there any hope for lasting peace? Or are these events just precursors to a devastating monster-human war?Meanwhile, beneath it all, two ancient orders escalate their mysterious conflict, revealing dangerous secrets about the gods and the very origins of magic in the universe ...

#683

We Watch

by Steve Stred

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#684

West Heart Kill

by Dann McDorman

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Waterstones – The Best Books of 2023: Crime & Thrillers

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA NEW BLOOD DAGGER AWARD • A remote lodge. A stormy night. A shot in the dark. You may think you’ve read this story before. Think again. • Fans of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and Magpie Murders, look no further. “Potent. . . . McDorman's knowledge is abundant, as is his cleverness.”—Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review When private detective Adam McAnnis joins an old college friend for the Bicentennial weekend at the exclusive West Heart club in upstate New York, he finds himself among a set of not-entirely-friendly strangers. Then the body of one of the members is found at the lake’s edge; hours later, a major storm hits. By the time power is restored on Sunday, two more people will be dead . . .

#685

What Doesn’t Kill You

by Ken Brosky

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#686

What Draws Us Near

by Keith Cadieux & Adam Petrash

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#687

What Happened At Hawthorne House

by Hadassah Shiradski

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Set in 1926, nine-year-old Rosalyn invents a new game to play with the girls she shares a dormitory with in the Hawthorne House Orphanage. Revolving around a Royal Court, their make-believe game quickly becomes a way to gain some measure of control in their unhappy lives. But when the rules start changing and the stakes start rising, nothing is safe, and Rosalyn finds that she's willing to get her hands dirty in order to be the Queen.Rosalyn will do whatever it takes to wear the crown.All that's left is to take it.

#688

What Happened Was Impossible

by E. F. Schraeder

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Everyone knows the woman who escapes a massacre is a final girl, but who is the final boy? What Happened Was Impossible follows the life of Ida Wright, a man who knows how to capitalize on his childhood tragedies...even when he caused them.

#689

What Stalks Among Us

by Sarah Hollowell

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From Sarah Hollowell, author of A Dark and Starless Forest, comes a spine-tingling, deliriously creepy YA speculative thriller about two best friends trapped in a corn maze with corpses that look just like them.Best friends and high school seniors Sadie and Logan make their first mistake when they ditch their end-of-year field trip to the amusement park in favor of exploring some old, forgotten backroads. The last thing they expect to come across is a giant, abandoned corn maze.But with a whole day of playing hooking unspooling before them, they make their second mistake. Or perhaps their third? Maybe even their fourth. Because Sadie and Logan have definitely entered this maze before. And again before that.When they stumble on the corpses in the maze, identical to them in every way (if you can ignore the stab and gunshot wounds)--from their clothes to their hidden scars to their dyed hair, to that one missing tooth--they quickly realize they've not only entered this maze before, they've died in it too. A lot. And no matter what they try, they can't figure out what--or who--is hunting them.Deeply unnerving, clever, and atmospheric, this time-bending, mind-bending speculative horror is a poignant meditation on the lasting effects of trauma and the healing powers of connection and forgiveness--all while delivering more surprise twists and turns than a haunted corn maze.

#690

When Ghosts Call Us Home

by Katya de Becerra

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#691

When The Rain Begins To Burn

by A.L. Davidson

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#692

Where Darkness Blooms

by Andrea Hannah

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Andrea Hannah's Where Darkness Blooms is a supernatural thriller about an eerie town where the sunflowers whisper secrets and the land hungers for blood. The town of Bishop is known for exactly two things: recurring windstorms and an endless field of sunflowers that stretches farther than the eye can see. And women—missing women. So when three more women disappear one stormy night, no one in Bishop is surprised. The case is closed and their daughters are left in their dusty shared house with the shattered pieces of their lives. Until the wind kicks up a terrible secret at their mothers’ much-delayed memorial. With secrets come the lies each of the girls is forced to confront. After caring for the other girls, Delilah would like to move on with her boyfriend, Bennett, but she can’t bear his touch. Whitney has already lost both her mother and her girlfriend, Eleanor, and now her only solace is an old weathervane that seems to whisper to her. Jude, Whitney's twin sister, would rather ignore it all, but the wind kicks up her secret too: the summer fling she had with Delilah's boyfriend. And more than anything, Bo wants answers and she wants them now. Something happened to their mothers and the townsfolk know what it was. She’s sure of it. Bishop has always been a strange town. But what the girls don’t know is that Bishop was founded on blood—and now it craves theirs.

#693

Where Echoes Die

by Courtney Gould

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#694

Where the Dead Wait

by Ally Wilkes

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

An eerie, atmospheric Polar Gothic following a Victorian explorer in search of his lost shipmate and his own redemption--from the author of the "vivid, immersive" (The Guardian) horror novel All the White Spaces. William Day should be an acclaimed Arctic explorer. But after a failed expedition, in which his remaining men only survived by eating their dead comrades, he returned in disgrace. Thirteen years later, his second-in-command, Jesse Stevens, has gone missing in the same frozen waters. Perhaps this is Day's chance to restore his tarnished reputation by bringing Stevens----the man who's haunted his whole life--back home. But when the rescue mission becomes an uncanny journey into his past, Day must face up to the things he's done. Abandonment. Betrayal. Cannibalism. Aboard ship, Day must also contend with unwanted passengers: a reporter obsessively digging up the truth about the first expedition, as well as Stevens's wife, a spirit-medium whose séances both fascinate and frighten. Following a trail of cryptic messages, gaunt bodies, and old bones, their search becomes more and more unnerving, as it becomes clear that the restless dead are never far behind. Something is coming through.

#695

Whisperwood

by Alex Woodroe

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

A journey into the wild woods with a character who just needs a break—and the terrible things that stare back at her. When curious nomad Anna hears about Whisperwood, a town that’s not on any maps, that nobody goes to, and nobody comes from, she sees an opportunity to hide from her violent witch-hunting ex. But not everything is peaceful in the isolated community. A vanishing town, a gruesome funeral rite, an emergency field surgery—these surprises and more test Anna's resolve. Prevented from leaving the frontier settlement by folk magic she doesn’t understand, Anna lends helping hands everywhere she can, but quickly finds that investigating the forest too closely could end up being the last thing she does. FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress

#696

White Cat, Black Dog

by Kelly Link

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE - "The Brothers Grimm meet Black Mirror meets Alice in Wonderland. . . . In seven remixed fairy tales, Link delivers wit and dreamlike intrigue."--Time Finalist for the Kirkus Prize - "Thought-provoking and wonderfully told . . . so seamlessly entwines the real with the surreal that the stories threaten to slip into reality, resonating long after reading."--BuzzFeed A new collection from one of today's finest short story writers, MacArthur "Genius Grant" fellow Kelly Link, bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Get in Trouble--featuring illustrations by award-winning artist Shaun Tan A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Kirkus Reviews Finding seeds of inspiration in the stories of the Brothers Grimm, seventeenth-century French lore, and Scottish ballads, Kelly Link spins classic fairy tales into utterly original stories of seekers--characters on the hunt for love, connection, revenge, or their own sense of purpose. In "The White Cat's Divorce," an aging billionaire sends his three sons on a series of absurd goose chases to decide which child will become his heir. In "The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear," a professor with a delicate health condition becomes stranded for days in an airport hotel after a conference, desperate to get home to her wife and young daughter, and in acute danger of being late for an appointment that cannot be missed. In "Skinder's Veil," a young man agrees to take over a remote house-sitting gig for a friend. But what should be a chance to focus on his long-avoided dissertation instead becomes a wildly unexpected journey, as the house seems to be a portal for otherworldly travelers--or perhaps a door into his own mysterious psyche. Twisting and turning in astonishing ways, expertly blending realism and the speculative, witty, empathetic, and never predictable--these stories remind us once again of why Kelly Link is incomparable in the realm of short fiction.

#697

White Fox

by Owen Matthews

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Financial Times – Best books of 2023 — Thrillers

#698

White Trash and Recycled Nightmares

by Rebecca Rowland

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#699

Who Haunts You

by Mark Wheaton

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#700

Who I Lost, I Found

by Eden Royce

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#701

Winter Harvest

by Ioanna Papadopoulou

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

When her beloved daughter Kore vanishes, Demeter is distraught. Suspecting betrayal and mistrusting of her family, she searches across the world, unable to come to terms with such a loss. But Demeter is one of the original goddesses of Mount Olympus, and a force not to be underestimated. She is determined that she will find her daughter, even if it means destroying humanity in the process. Winter Harvest is a brand-new, dark reimagining of the tale of Demeter and Persephone by Greek author Ioanna Papadopoulou. Steeped in lore and with a deep understanding of the many different facets of Demeter's personality, this retelling will change your perspective on one of the most well-known stories of Greek mythology.

#702

Witch Hunt & Black Cloud: New & Collected Works

by Juliet Escoria

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#703

Wrapped in Plastic and Other Sweet Nothings

by Robert P. Ottone

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#704

Wrath Becomes Her

by Aden Polydoros

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

2024 Sydney Taylor Book Award Young Adult Honor "Haunting, exhilarating, and a howl of vengeance." —Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Hell Followed With Us Frankenstein meets Inglourious Basterds in this stunning Jewish historical horror novel from the award-winning author of The City Beautiful Vera was made for vengeance. Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death. When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves—to have a life beyond what she was made for. Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave her: Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live.

#705

XCRMNTMNTN

by Andrew Hilbert

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

THIS IS NOT A PORNOGRAPHY When a pile of shit from space lands near a renowned filmmaker's set, inspiration strikes. Take a journey up a cosmic mountain of excrement with the director and his film crew as they ascend into madness led only by their own vanity and obsession. This is a nightmare about creation. This is a dream about poop. This is a call to arms against vowels. This is XCRMNTMNTN.

#706

You Are My Sunshine and Other Stories

by Octavia Cade

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

#707

You Shouldn’t Have Come Here

by Jeneva Rose

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Barnes & Noble – Barnes & Noble's Best Mystery Books of 2023

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Everything I want in a thriller. Sexy, shocking, and tense with an ending I never saw coming. Jeneva Rose is the queen of twists.”—Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling author The highly anticipated new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and One of Us Is Dead You’ve opened up your house and your heart to a total stranger ... What could possibly go wrong? Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives at the idyllic getaway, she’s pleased to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells—and he’s eager to introduce her to his easygoing way of life. But there are things Grace discovers that she’s not too pleased about: A lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn’t right with the ranch. Despite her uneasiness, the two bond and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things change for the worse. What began as a playful romance soon turns into a complicated web of lies. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to have morphed to obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him—including her reason for staying at his ranch to begin with. Vacation flings typically end in heartbreak, but for Grace and Calvin, it’ll be far more destructive.

#708

You’d Look Better as a Ghost

by Joanna Wallace

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Shepherd – The 100 best mystery books of 2023

"Refreshingly original and laugh-out-loud funny." --Clare Mackintosh, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Party A comic thriller following the trials and tribulations of Claire, a part-time serial killer, who is keen to keep her favorite hobby a secret--despite the efforts of a determined blackmailer The night after her father's funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn't know it, but it's not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer. But before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink--even before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces--something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby. The thing is, it's not sensible to tangle with a part-time serial killer, even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Will Claire finish off her blackmailer before her pursuer reveals all? Let the games begin . . .

#709

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight

by Kalynn Bayron

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Jump Scares – 2023’s New Horror Books

Instant New York Times bestseller! At Camp Mirror Lake, terror is the name of the game . . . but can you survive the night? This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Fear Street. Charity has the summer job of her dreams, playing the "final girl" at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, The Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business. But the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity's role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they'll need figure out what this killer is after. As they unravel the bloody history of the real Mirror Lake, Charity discovers that there may be more to the story than she ever suspected . . .