Gentlemen, You Should Get Caught Reading, Too!

The Contract is the second John Q mystery by J.M. Gulvin. "In New Orleans, Texas Ranger John Q is out of his jurisdiction, and possibly out of his depth. After a series of murders it seems that every time he asks questions there's trouble. But who could be trying to set him up, and why, and who can he turn to in a city where loyalties and family ties rule? Infused with the rhythms of its iconic setting, The Contract is a thriller to keep even the most seasoned mystery readers gripped and guessing all the way to its endgame." (from Goodreads.com)

 

Through Fiery Trials is the 10th Safehold Novel by David Weber. "Those on the side of progressing humanity through advanced technology have finally triumphed over their oppressors. The unholy war between the small but mighty island realm of Charis and the radical, luddite Church of God's Awaiting has come to an end. However, even though a provisional veil of peace has fallen over human colonies, the quiet will not last. For Safefold is a broken world, and as international alliances shift and Charis charges on with its precarious mission of global industrialization, the shifting plates of the new world order are bound to clash. Yet, an uncertain future isn't the only danger Safehold faces. Long-thought buried secrets and prophetic promises come to light, proving time is a merciless warden who never forgets." (from Goodreads.com)

 

"The first novel in a brand-new alternate history series by S.M. Stirling, where Teddy Roosevelt is president for a second time right before WWI breaks out, and on his side is the Black Chamber, a secret spy network watching America's back. 1916. The Great War rages overseas, and the whole of Europe, Africa, and western Asia is falling to the Central Powers. To win a war that must be won, Teddy Roosevelt, once again the American president, turns to his top secret Black Chamber organization--and its cunning and deadly spy, Luz O'Malley Aróstegui. On a transatlantic airship voyage, Luz poses as an anti-American Mexican revolutionary to get close--very close--to a German agent code-named Imperial Sword. She'll need every skill at her disposal to get him to trust her and lead her deep into enemy territory. In the mountains of Saxony, concealed from allied eyes, the German Reich's plans for keeping the U.S. from entering the conflict are revealed: the deployment of a new diabolical weapon upon the shores of America..." (from Goodreads.com)

"Isaiah Quintabe--IQ for short--has never been more successful, or felt more alone. A series of high-profile wins in his hometown of East Long Beach have made him so notorious that he can hardly go to the corner store without being recognized. Dodson, once his sidekick, is now his full-fledged partner, hell-bent on giving IQ's PI business some real legitimacy: a Facebook page, and IQ's promise to stop accepting Christmas sweaters and carpet cleanings in exchange for PI services. So when a young painter approaches IQ for help tracking down her missing mother, it's not just the case Isaiah's looking for, but the human connection. And when his new confidant turns out to be connected to a dangerous paramilitary operation, IQ falls victim to a threat even a genius can't see coming. Waiting for Isaiah around every corner is Seb, the Oxford-educated African gangster who was responsible for the death of his brother, Marcus. Only, this time, Isaiah's not alone. Joined by a new love interest and his familiar band of accomplices, IQ is back--and the adventures are better than ever." (from Goodreads.com)

Horror & Suspense In Time For Halloween

The Silent Companions: a novel by Laura Purcell tells the story of newly widowed Elsie who is sent to finish out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge. What she finds there is a far cry from the luxury she expected when she married the young man just weeks earlier. Elsie finds her servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile. Her only source of comfort is the company of her late husband's awkward cousin. Inside the house she finds a locked door wherein lies a painted wooden figure--a silent companion--that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie. Everyone at The Bridge seems terrified of the figure, but Elsie shrugs it off as superstition until the figure's eyes begin following her.

The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror by Mallory Ortberg takes traditional children's stories and fairy tales and imbues them with elements of psychological horror, emotional clarity, and a healthy dose of feminine mischief. These stories also illuminate the unsuspected and frequently alarming emotional complexities at play in the stories we tell ourselves, and each other, as we tuck ourselves in for the night. This collection's unique spin on fiction leaves you with the sense of something a bit unsettling lurking just beneath the surface of everyday life.

Cold Water is a thriller by Samuel Parker. Michael has moved back to the still vacant house of his parents having forfeited his youth to the state prison system. The town hates him--has always hated him--and they are ready to pick up where the prison system left off. Now, he's on the run from men who've tried to kill him once, but Michael is more than an ex-con. Lurking deep within him is a powerful, sinister force waiting for something--or someone--to destroy.

Unbury Carol: A Novel is written by Josh Malerman. Carol Evers has a dark secret--she has died many times, but her many deaths are not final. They are comas that render her in a waking slumber for days on end. Only two people know her secret. The first is her husband, Dwight, who married her for her money and plans on using her comas to declare her dead and take her fortune. The other is her long lost love, the infamous outlaw James Moxie. When Moxie hears of Carol's terrible fate, he rides the Trail once again to save her. All the while, Carol is awake and aware fighting to free herself from the crippling darkness that surrounds her.

Horror Fiction Titles

With Halloween coming up fast, I thought I would feature some of our newer horror fiction for those who want to get into the mood.

Entropy in Bloom by Jeremy R. Johnson "For more than a decade, Jeremy Robert Johnson has been bubbling under the surface of both literary and genre fiction. His short stories present a brilliantly dark and audaciously weird realm where cosmic nightmares collide with all-too-human characters and apocalypses of all shapes and sizes loom ominously. In "Persistence Hunting," a lonely distance runner is seduced into a brutal life of crime with an ever-narrowing path for escape. In "When Susurrus Stirs," an unlucky pacifist must stop a horrifying parasite from turning his body into a sentient hive. Running through all of Johnson's work is a hallucinatory vision and deeply-felt empathy, earning the author a reputation as one of today's most daring and thrilling writers. Featuring the best of his previously independently-published short fiction, as well as an exclusive, never-before-published novella "The Sleep of Judges"--where a father's fight against the denizens of a drug den becomes a mind-bending suburban nightmare--Entropy in Bloom is a perfect compendium for avid fans and an ideal entry point for adventurous readers seeking the humor, heartbreak, and terror of JRJ's strange new worlds."

The Devil Crept In by Ania Ahlborn "Young Jude Brighton has been missing for three days, and while the search for him is in full swing in the small town of Deer Valley, Oregon, the locals are starting to lose hope. They're well aware that the first forty-eight hours are critical and after that, the odds usually point to a worst-case scenario. And despite Stevie Clark's youth, he knows that, too; he's seen the cop shows. He knows what each ticking moment may mean for Jude, his cousin and best friend. That, and there was that boy, Max Larsen...the one from years ago, found dead after also disappearing under mysterious circumstances. And then there were the animals: pets missing out of yards. For years, the residents of Deer Valley have murmured about these unsolved crimes...and that a killer may still be lurking around their quiet town. Now, fear is reborn--and for Stevie, who is determined to find out what really happened to Jude, the awful truth may be too horrifying to imagine."

Dark Cities by Christopher Golden "An anthology of horror stories in urban settings: back alleys, crumbling brownstones, gleaming high-rise towers, or city hall. Terrifying urban myths, malicious ghosts, cursed architecture, malignant city deities, personal demons (in business or relationships) twisted into something worse; virtually anything that inspires the contributors to imagine some bit of urban darkness."

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero "The summer of 1977. The Blyton Summer Detective Club (of Blyton Hills, a small mining town in Oregon's Zoinx River Valley) solved their final mystery and unmasked the elusive Sleepy Lake monster--another low-life fortune hunter trying to get his dirty hands on the legendary riches hidden in Deboën Mansion. And he would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids. 1990. The former detectives have grown up and apart, each haunted by disturbing memories of their final night in the old haunted house. There are too many strange, half-remembered encounters and events that cannot be dismissed or explained away by a guy in a mask...The time has come to get the team back together, face their fears, and find out what actually happened all those years ago at Sleepy Lake. It's their only chance to end the nightmares and, perhaps, save the world."

The Hole: a novel by Hye-yng P’yn  A man wakes up paralyzed from a car accident that killed his wife. He's taken care of solely by his mother-in-law, who begins to show erratic behavior as she digs up her daughter's prized garden.