Blurb
Eight stories to keep you reading way beyond
A murder mystery dinner where an uninvited guest is a killer…
Can a recurring dream save the dreamer from death when the clock reaches thirteen past midnight?…
A retiring cop tries to write a terrible wrong on his last day…
Inheriting a lakehouse comes with a murderous spirit intent on fulfilling a curse…
A boy living in a bubble has developed fearsome telekinetic powers…
A note on the ground leads to a terrible confrontation…
A bereaved lecturer tries to locate the most powerful book of magic to bring his wife and daughters back from the dead…
A man becomes a prisoner of his own making in a village of lost souls.
Review
Stephen B. King has crafted an intriguing mix of horror, mystery, and crime thriller novelettes. Even though each segment is fairly short, you’re able to get inside the heads of each of the main characters. You can feel their emotion and sympathize with them. All the stories are complete with satisfying endings. I finished this book in two days.
Glimpse, The Dinner Guest
This is a great short story about a criminal psychologist who has to hunt for an escaped mental patient while at a murder mystery party. Patricia is strong and confident, and I would love to read the other books in the Deadly Glimpses series. Dinner has never been so deadly.
Thirteen Past Midnight
This is one of my favorites in the anthology. Jonathon is having disturbing dreams about an evil cat who keeps attacking him. Since I’m a big cat lover, I found it awesome that cats were the bad guys, as they often are in books and movies. And since my name and that of Jonathon’s fiancée, Amber, is the same and she LOVES cats as much as I do, I couldn’t help but really enjoy her reactions to the evil felines when she dreamscaped with him in the nightmare. I’d want to pet those kitties, too!!
Laney’s Last Day
A fed-up cop gets revenge on the dirtbags who deserve it. This story didn’t hit the mark for me. The ending was abrupt, and I don’t think there was any dialogue. It’s not a bad story, but it just wasn’t for me.
The Curse of the Manitou
Bob inherits a beautiful lakehouse from his grandfather, but Bob’s wife is adamant that they don’t accept it. Turns out, his family is living under a curse, but will Bob realize that before it’s too late. I really liked this story. Bob and his kids were normal and great, but his wife, Miriam, was hard to handle. For readers who love stories about Native American history, you’ll love this one.
The Boy in the Bubble
Timothy has been suffering from allergies all his life. When a hernia operation goes wrong, this teenager will suffer more than anyone ever should. This was an interesting story about psychic abilities and the true love of family. I enjoyed it.
The Note
Outside his neighbor’s house, a man finds a piece of paper in a puddle with the word “HELP” written on it. So he goes to the house to find out what’s wrong and makes a horrifying discovery. I liked this story. Sometimes being a decent person isn’t the smartest choice you could make, but it might be the human choice.
The Grimoire of Caligari
Lucien is an ancient history professor who’s grieving the loss of his wife and twin daughters. When he meets a mysterious man known only as Jolly, he travels down a dark road into the Occult to attempt to bring his family back from the dead. I loved this story! Lucien was a tragic character, bearing so much pain and heartache. His depression and psychosis was fascinating and heartbreaking to read about.
The Village of Last Hope
After Michael catches his wife supposedly having an affair with his own brother, he storms out of the house and takes refuge in a mysterious village. There he learns the truth about himself, his loved ones, and what really happened on that ill-fated night. Stories about mental illness can be fascinating, and this one certainly was. I sympathized with Michael but suspected the truth all along. It was a great story.
Book Overall – 5 Stars
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