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WORDS Jane Martin, City Librarian Winter Haven Public Library 325 Avenue A NW, Winter Haven
THE PECULIARITIES By David Liss An unusual and whimsical fantasy set in an alternative 1899 London. Magical chaos is happening all around - women giving birth to rabbits, elegant killers without facial features, people turning into werewolves, and a mysterious mist that lingers and occasionally tries to murder people. Thomas, a son of a wealthy banking family, sets out to uncover the truth. Sprinkled into the fantasy are references to mythology, secret societies, the occult, and actual historical figures, all of which fuse together in this unique and wholly bizarre tale.
THE SUN DOWN MOTEL By Simone St. James “The Sun Down Motel” is a classic murder mystery set in a haunted motel and told through two interwoven timelines, present-day and the early 80s. It is full of creepy, spine-tingling chills and thrills, the kind that keep you reading deep into the night...which, I warn you, you may want to do with all the lights turned on.
REPRIEVE By James Han Mattson Set in a “full contact” escape room (in which the costumed characters can fully interact with participants), “Reprieve” is a murder mystery told through court transcripts and narrative flashbacks. Although the book can be classified as a psychological thriller, the novel explores modern American life by way of social commentary on greed, identity politics, prejudice, and fear itself.
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THE WHISPERING HOUSE By Elizabeth Brooks On the surface, this novel is a creepy thriller set in a gothic manor, but layered under that is a world full of love, loss, and tragedy. What elevates this book from other classic gothic thrillers is the beautifully written prose. Brooks writes poetically, creating an atmosphere perfect for the underlying mystery.
A COSMOLOGY OF MONSTERS By Shaun Hamill “A Cosmology of Monsters” is a debut novel that manages to successfully blend family drama with literary horror. A story about a family that can see monsters each left to deal with that fact in very different ways. And, although the story is not out to terrify you outright, it does have an everpresent sense of dread that builds throughout the story till the very end. This is an excellent read for fans of classic horror along the lines of Lovecraft or Shirley Jackson.
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THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE By Caitlin Starling The book is set in a fictional world reminiscent of Victorian England, where the main character, Jane, decides to marry the mysterious town doctor, Augustine. From that basic premise, the story wanders down a dark path full of twists and turns complete with dark atmosphere and haunted spaces the perfect gothic tale for a spooky October night.
MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW By Stephen Graham Jones Jade Daniels is a teenager obsessed with horror films. When killings happen in a wealthy enclave of her small-town community, Jade sees all the tropes of her favorite horror films playing out in real life, but the truth becomes much more complicated. This novel is a love letter to slasher films (and those who love them) - complete with chapter titles like Slaughter High and Don’t Go Into the Woods - but it is also a coming of age story that plays with the concepts of revenge and redemption.
