{I've Been Reading} House of Monstrous Women

 House of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama 

Josephine has been invited by her dearest childhood friend to the Ranoco house where they will play a game. The prize, if she manages to win, is her heart's desire. The house itself is mazelike, with color coded hallways and ominously decorated walls. Veiled servants lurk silently in corners and corridors. The game is one they played in the forest as children, with much higher, darker stakes. Because the book is set in the Phillipines in 1986, I didn't have a clear picture of the setting and had only the vaguest understanding of the politics that play a major part in Josephine's life. (I knew a bit about the folklore because one of my kids explained it to me a few months back.) It's a dark, fascinating horror story that I thoroughly enjoyed.  

Red Runs the Witch's Thread by Victoria Williamson

Set in seventeenth century Scotland, this short horror novel is drenched in vivid imagery. Christian Shaw strives to produce the whitest threads possible and is unable to escape the fragmented memories of what she did as a child. The story is fascinating and probably not for the squeamish since it absolutely wallows in the blood and fear and misery associated with menstruation and childbirth. I didn't realize until the author's note at the end that Christian and her company -- and the witches who were burned after her accusations -- were real.  

The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan

Three little girls were abducted, creepy apple head dolls left in their places. Ten years later, the crimes haven't been solved and PI Annie Gore is hired by a member of one girl's family to investigate. I liked Annie and the way she viewed her world. I also liked the complex web of relationships the author developed between the townspeople. What threw me were the dolls. It's repeated over and over that they're strictly an Appalachian thing...but my great-grandma was making them here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm probably overthinking that.  

Last One Out by Steph Nelson

This thriller got off to such a strong start that I was immediately hooked. Three teenagers hike to an isolated hotspring late at night, never dreaming that a killer lurks behind the rocks. Two bodies are discovered the following morning. As for Chloe....well, there's no trace of her until she walks into her own memorial twenty-five years later. After those first few chapters, things started to bog down. The plot moves between Chloe in the past and her cousin in the present day.  The trigger warnings before the book give away significant plot elements, making me think that there has to be a better way to provide the information to readers who want to be forewarned without spoilers for those of us who are fine taking our chances. 

The Mango Murders by Lucy Burdette 

Hayley Snow is literally plunged into this mystery when the boat she's attending a cocktail party on explodes, sending everyone into the ocean. Once the authorities determine how the boat waas destroyed, the next question is why? And who did it? Before finally arriving at the right answers, Hayley explores a ton of different possibilities. This is only the second book in the series I've read, so I know I'm missing more than a dozen book's worth of back story. I enjoyed the setting, and the relationship between Hayley and her friends and family, but I found the random quotes at the beginning of each chapter distracting. 

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with advance review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} The Dead Husband Cookbook

 

The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine

I was expecting something similar to another book that came out a few years ago, one that I don't think I managed to finish... There's just no comparison. This book was FANTASTIC.  Celebrity chef Maria Capello is finally writing her memoir, promising to explain what really happened to her husband. Rumors have swirled for years about why his body was never found. Everyone's heard the tasteless jokes about cannibalism, or seen the jokes on late night television. The story shifts between Thea,  the young editor who was hand picked by Maria herself and sections of the memoir. Thea learned to cook by watching episodes of Maria's TV show and absolutely idolizes the older woman. Editing this book is a dream come true for her, worth being secluded at the chef's luxious home. Lengthy recipes had me feeling like I'd watched episodes of the show myself. The contrast between Maria's writing and what Thea sees as she interacts with the woman and her family kept me wondering what was really going on. There are so many layers of deception in this story that I didn't come close to guessing them all. 

For Duck's Sake by Donna Andrews 

I've only read a handful of the Meg Langslow mystery series (this is number thirty-seven!)  and I've enjoyed some more than others. This one captures all of the glorious chaos that is Meg's life with her family and friends. While they're preparing for the Mutt March, an event that features nearly four hundred costumed dogs who are all currently housed in Meg's yard, a skeleton is unearthed in the neighbor's yard. The thirty or forty year old murder investigation, combined with concerns about dog-nappers and lots of references to previous events in the town's history, kept me happily entertained. I know I'm missing an absolute ton of backstory, and I'd love to go back and read it all one of these days, but I don't mind at all that I don't always know who's who or how they all got together. 

{I've Been Reading} A Twist of Fate

 A Twist of Fate by Se-Ah Jang

Fleeing the basement apartment she shared with her abusive boyfriend, Jae-Young finds herself  alone on a train, holding a stranger's abandoned baby along with a note asking her to deliver him to his grandfather's house. All she knows for sure is that the other young woman had never met her in-laws and that they knew nothing about her. It's all to easy to pose as the mother and make herself at home in the elegant manor, just until she figures out her next steps. I thoroughly enjoyed this Korean thriller. It's full of dramatic twists and turns and although I found myself straining to suspend my disbelief a few times, it was extremely entertaining. 

Veil by Jeff Clulow

The first couple of chapters had me confused because they didn't seem to match up with the book's description, but once the story got going, I found myself feeling so awful for the protagonist that I just wanted to give her a hug. Her mother, who Suze spent her whole life trying to find, is dead, leaving her a tattered wedding dress and a huge old house that's going to be immediately torn away from her to pay inheritance taxes and her mother's debts. She's lost and alone in the world, trying to find a way to hold onto the only things left from the family she just learned about...and she's seeing visions through the veil. More disturbing than scary, this book packs an intense emotional punch.  

The Flowers at Flood House by J. J. Walker

It starts with unexplained bunches of flowers hanging in the basement of his house. This horror novella is a sad and creepy exploration of haunted houses and memories, ending in a way I definitely wouldn't have expected it to.  

Disclosure -- The publishers provided me with review copies. 

{I've Been Reading} Love You to Death

 It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest

The mansion of silent film star Venita Rost has sat empty since the last man who attempted to fix it up died in an upstairs bedroom and literally rotted through the hardwood floors. Ronnie Mitchell isn't going to let the house's condition, or the fact that she knows darn well it has ghosts, intimidate her. Despite the weird smells and sketchy wiring, she's moved in with an inflatable mattress and plans to restore it to its former glory.  I don't think I'd describe it as scary, but I absolutely loved this book. It's got a different tone from most of the haunted house novels I've read and goes in some unique directions. 

A Deadly Deception by Amelia West

I absolutely adore this series! Set in 1930s, it evokes Nancy Drew Mysteries if they were written for grown ups. The book touches on some serious themes, but it also has plenty of those nostalgic black and white movies vibes that I loved so much in the first one. Clara and her friends have gathered to celebrate New Year's Eve at an elegant hotel. There's a murder, and a ghost walking the halls, and the developing relationship between Clara and Tuck, which is complicated by a few pesky details from her past. I can't wait to see what's next for these characters!

Love You to Death by Christina Dotson

Kayla and Zorie are best friends, linked tightly together by their past mistakes. They owe each other and nothing is going to pull them apart. Crashing an antebellum-themed wedding to steal gifts, even knowing that they'll stick out and draw unwanted attention, isn't the worst decision they've made. Not until things go terribly wrong and what started out as a bad idea fueled by desperation quickly descends into a nightmare. This is a wild, fast-paced read that barely slows down for a moment. Imagine a bleaker version of Thelma and Louise with a lot more blood and violence (but they're nowhere near the rim of the Grand Canyon, so at least there's that!)  The girls aren't particularly likeable and keep doing the stupidest things,  but I kept turning pages just to see what was going to happen next.