Not Forgotten

FORGOTTEN SISTERS is another solid read from Cynthia Pelayo. Eerie and atmospheric, it is part haunted house/ghost story, and part noir detective/history lesson. At times, early on, I felt caught in a loop with the storyline, which, to me, felt repetitive. That may have been on me as I only spent short clips with the story. The author created a great sense of place and space in the telling of FORGOTTEN SISTERS. The sisters, Anna and Jennie, have their mysteries and their quirks. Their dynamic is a sad one of family responsibility and multi-layered heartache. The two detectives were a special treat—infrequent as their POV was, but the story was not really theirs. That said, I wanted more of them. I’m probably a weirdo, but I think my favorite part was the history of Chicago and its river. There are loads of breadcrumbs hidden in this book that could be easily overlooked, and yet, that ending!  

Forgotten Sisters

by Cynthia “Cina” Pelayo

Published by Thomas & Mercer

March 19, 2024 | 303 Pages | ISBN 978-1662513916

New from Fracassi

Philip Fracassi’s Gothic is a desperate tale of madness and suffering for aging horror author, Tyson Parks. He has lost his place at the top and is desperate to write anything. This leads him to succumb to the lure of possession and not-so-empty promises. It is the story of a writer who is both cursed and possessed, but it goes beyond whatever makes the arcane desk tick. There is more, some of which is only hinted at. One can’t help but think about Stephen King’s own tormented writer, Jack Torrance. And like that doomed writer, Tyson’s loved ones are also caught up in the madness. Fracassi puts his own twist on an evil object story. 

If you like weird horror with hints of an unseen cosmic ‘other’ that is too twisted to comprehend, this is a good read for you. I wanted more. I’m hoping that this tale from Fracassi gets to make the leap to film. I’d love to see and feel the tension.

The release date for this one is February 3, 2023. I recommend that you pre-order this one from Cemetery Dance. I have a feeling that this one could quickly go into a second printing.  

Gothic

by Philip Fracassi

Published by Cemetery Dance Publications

February 3, 2023 | 408 Pages | ISBN 9781587678400

I would like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel.

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On a side note, if you like horror or are interested in what makes a horror writer tick, do check out Fracassi's podcast, The Dark Word. Season One guests include Laird Barron, Joe Lansdale, Paul Tremblay, Alma Katsu, S.A. Cosby, Stephen Graham Jones, Victor LaValle, and many more. Season Two is out now!

Sing For Me

Illustration: Michael O'Connell

When you dare read this book, you’ll have to decide if Malerman is preaching to you or if he is just telling you a wicked story that takes you from A to B. Is it a slasher? A fairy tale? A morality tale? He’ll leave you rooting around for a nice safe place to make up your own mind.. 

The story is as I imagine Pearl’s skin to be—either too hot and feverish or too cold and clammy. Either way, its coarse bristles prevent even a pleasant feeling from taking hold, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. It might just be my favorite horror of 2021. This grisly tale got inside my brain and has stayed with me. It’s a creepy and strange one about a pig on a Michigan farm who has a kind of telepathy. Pearl can get inside your brain and root around in your thoughts. He learns things while he is in there and then uses them in ways that will savage you. He makes you want to do things and convinces you it was your idea. As I said, Malerman packs a lot into this short book and he left me wanting more. 

If you let him, Malerman will take your imagination and carry it (you) into the barn and hang it from a hook. He will leave it (you) there dangling, waiting for a savior to release you before the damage is done. But he won’t allow that. Like Pearl, he casts a dark shadow where your fears live. Some of those fears might have been planted by Orwell years ago with Animal Farm. I suspect it was no coincidence that one of the farmers was also named Jones. But Pearl is not Napoleon, and he certainly is not Snowflake. Pearl is a new kind of horror and it will have you singing for him before the end of the story. And speaking of the end of the story, I am at a loss. Was that the end? Or was it what Pearl wanted us to think was the end? 

I don’t quite understand people getting triggered by bloodshed and violence toward animals—but not people. However, for those of you who are the former, this twisty little tale has buckets of blood and gore heaped upon the animals—and people, but that’s partly why you’ll be reading this novel, right?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, Occasional Reader.

Sing for me.

In Darkness, Shadows Breathe

Sorry this review is late. Released in January of this year, In Darkness, Shadows Breathe by Catherine Cavendish from Flame Tree Press follows the separate hospitalizations of two women, Carol and Nessa. It is a visual tale in that this creepy, gothic story infects both your waking hours and painting your dreams with the macabre. Tortuous experiments and revenant spectres will have you feeling like you are shambling the halls of a hospital that felt more like a mental ward. The book was largely broken mainly into two parts before reconnecting them, and perhaps, that is fitting as the story alternates between two times and, in a sense, two realities.

My chief complaint about this read—and it is valid for so many horror stories—is why do the antagonists remain in situations that they find themselves in? I understand Carol, but Nessa's partner? Gah! Am I being petty here? 

Haunted grounds is a familiar trope in horror stories, but Cavendish weaves unsettling, non-linear timelines into a unique tale. I'm thrilled to have finally read her work. She has haunted my TBR pile for too long. I recommend this book and not just to horror aficionados. Go out and buy it, check it out from your library, or beg it off a friend. Just do it before you hear someone whisper the words, “you’re next.”

 Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher, Flame Tree Press, for allowing me to share my thoughts on #InDarknessShadowsBreathe.