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The Chill
by Scott Carson
What it's about: Seventy-five years after the village of Galesburg was flooded to build the Chilewaukee Reservoir (aka "The Chill"), descendants of the area's displaced residents find themselves contending with vengeful spirits lurking in the water's murky depths.
Book buzz: Inspired by true events, this suspenseful novel penned by the pseudonymous Scott Carson counts Stephen King among its fans.
Try this next: For another creepy novel about a small town reckoning with the sins of its past, check out Thomas Olde Heuvelt's Hex.
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Ring Shout
by P. Djèlí Clark
The premise: In 1920s Macon, Georgia, sorcerer D.W. Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation has unleashed an army of racist demonic monsters known as Ku Kluxes.
Starring: a trio of battle-hardened Black women ready to protect their town from the cosmic horrors lying in wait: sword-wielding Maryse; sharpshooter Sadie; and World War I veteran Chef.
Who it's for: This gruesome and darkly humorous alternate history will appeal to fans of Black-authored stories that interrogate the racist tropes of H.P. Lovecraft's fiction, like Victor LaValle's The Ballad of Black Tom.
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The Boatman's Daughter
by Andy Davidson
What it is: a violent and atmospheric Southern Gothic set in a fictional Arkansas bayou.
Starring: hardscrabble 21-year-old Miranda Crabtree, reluctant ferrywoman to an unstable preacher whose sinister criminal enterprises she can no longer overlook.
Read it for: a tense, world-building fable populated by monsters both human and supernatural.
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Night of the Mannequins
by Stephen Graham Jones
Starring: Texas teen and unreliable narrator Sawyer, who crafts a twisted plan to best an unusual adversary.
How it began: "Manny," the department store mannequin Sawyer and his friends posed in a movie theater as a prank, has come to life and is hell-bent on killing off the kids one by one.
Read it for: a fast-paced and darkly humorous homage to slasher films.
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Mexican Gothic
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Welcome to...High Place, a decrepit mansion in the remote 1950s Mexican countryside that's home to a racist English mining family.
What happens: After her newlywed cousin Catalina sends a letter from High Place claiming abuse, resourceful 22-year-old socialite Noemí Taboada arrives at the estate, where she's quickly swept up in its nightmarish goings-on and deadly secrets.
Want a taste? "This house is sick with rot, stinks of decay, brims with every single evil and cruel sentiment."
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Powers of Darkness: The Lost Version of Dracula
by Valdimar Ásmundsson; translated by Hans Corneel De Roos
Bram Stoker's Dracula takes on a life of its own in this first ever English translation of a 1901 Icelandic adaptation. Adding details such as new characters and plot variations, author Valdimar Ásmundsson may have been working from an early draft of Stoker's original. Whether you're fascinated by changes to the classic vampire tale or just looking for a dark and chilling adventure, you won't want to miss Power of Darkness.
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| Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt; translated by Nancy Forest-FlierWhat it's about: Haunted by the spirit of 17th-century witch Katherine, the townsfolk of Black Spring, New York are doomed to isolation by strict government-imposed security measures and the machinations of Katherine herself.
Who it's for: Pitting ancient evil against modern tech, this tense and descriptive novel will appeal to fans of The Blair Witch Project.
Want a taste? "They're the faces of Black Spring. And when they try to smile, it looks like they're screaming." |
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The Graveyard Apartment
by Mariko Koike
What it's about: After moving to a new apartment complex next to a cemetery, a young Japanese family experiences strange and terrifying occurrences that send the other residents fleeing their homes, ultimately leaving them alone with a dark, evil something, or someone, residing in the basement.
Why you might like it: The psychological horror builds moment after moment, scene after scene, culminating with a conclusion that will make you think twice before ever going into a basement again.
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Little Eyes
by Samanta Schweblin; translated by Megan McDowell
What it is: a creepy novel in vignettes longlisted for the Booker Prize.
Toy...or terror? Kentuki -- robotic, camera-equipped stuffed animals, purchased by "keepers" and controlled by "dwellers" -- are the hottest new tech craze, allowing strangers across the globe to connect with each other. But not all dwellers have their keepers' best interests at heart...
Why horror fans might like it: Reminiscent of a Black Mirror episode, this uncanny latest from Fever Dream author Samanta Schweblin exposes the disturbing underbelly of tech-facilitated isolation.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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