House Of Reckoning, by John Saul

The House Of Reckoning is a story about 14 year old Sarah Crane. She is forced to grow up quickly to help tend her family’s Vermont farm after the untimely death of her mother. Her grieving father drowns his sorrows in alcohol. Sarah’s life is turned upside down when her father is jailed for killing another man in a drunken barroom brawl and injuring Sarah in a drunken crash. 

She is left in the care of an unloving and cold foster family who only took her in for the money they received from the state. Sarah is also made fun of at school because of the limp that she has as a result of her father hitting her with his truck.

Her only friends are her classmate Nick Dunnigan, a former mental patient that hears voices and has visions. And an unusual art teacher Bettina Phillips, who is eager to nurture her talent for painting. Sarah keeps painting horrible images from Bettina’s ancestral mansion called Shutters and Nick keeps hearing the voices and having hallucinations. But the voices quiet down whenever he’s around Sarah. The ghosts in Sutters now inflict harm on anyone who means to do harm to the inhabitants of the house.

I liked how Sutters wasn’t just an ordinary house, but a house haunted by the spirits of the mental patients who lived there. I enjoyed reading about the house’s history and how one very sick man actions brought forth something evil. The house itself was so entertaining that it became its own personal character. The book had a neat plot twist involving Sarah’s family that I didn’t see coming. I also liked when Nick realized that he wasn’t crazy and that the voices he heard and the hallucinations he was having were a result of Sutters being haunted. 

My favorite character was Sarah because she refused to give up no matter how unfair her life got. The secondary characters were crucial to driving the plot of this book. All the people who did mean and terrible things were punished in inventive ways. The House of Reckoning was a good book and very creepy. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book.

Reviewed by Patricia, First Regional Library

View or Place on Hold in Library Catalog

Book Trailer: Bellman and Black, by Diane Setterfield

Killing a bird with his slingshot as a boy, William Bellman grows up a wealthy family man unaware of how his act of childhood cruelty will have terrible consequences until a wrenching tragedy compels him to enter into a macabre bargain with a stranger in black.
View or Place on Hold in Library Catalog

***

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn

A girl spends her early years living with her version of the truth about a horrible tragedy involving her family.  After she is approached by a mystery sleuth club, she reluctantly decides to find out what really happened, with the realization that the truth could kill her.

Reviewed by Shanna, First Regional Library

Excerpt from Book:
I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it. It’s the Day blood. Something’s wrong with it. I was never a good little girl, and I got worse after the murders. Little Orphan Libby grew up sullen and boneless, shuffled around a group of lesser relatives—second cousins and great-aunts and friends of friends—stuck in a series of mobile homes or rotting ranch houses all across Kansas. Me going to school in my dead sisters’ hand-me-downs: Shirts with mustardy armpits. Pants with baggy bottoms, comically loose, held on with a raggedy belt cinched to the farthest hole. In class photos my hair was always crooked—barrettes hanging loosely from strands, as if they were airborne objects caught in the tangles—and I always had bulging pockets under my eyes, drunk-landlady eyes. Maybe a grudging curve of the lips where a smile should be. Maybe.

I was not a lovable child, and I’d grown into a deeply unlovable adult. Draw a picture of my soul, and it’d be a scribble with fangs.

View or Place on Hold in Library

***

Odd Thomas, by Dean Koontz

A story about a young man working at a local diner as a short order cook. He has a supernatural gift of seeing the dead and these ghosts help him solve murders. Odd Thomas also sees black, wispy apparitions that appear around people, signaling pending death. A strange man appears in town and Thomas is alarmed and watchful. As the story unfolds, Odd Thomas is certain a mass killing is about to happen and he tries to warn those he thinks are in danger.

 As somber as this tale is, it is told with much humor and I really enjoyed reading it.

Reviewed by Marcia, First Regional Library

View or Place on Hold in Library Catalog

***

Unfinished Symphony, by V.C. Andrews

As this is the 3rd book in the Logan series, I have been introduced to Melody Logan as the main character. Her family members and so called family members have had their tale told in prior books, so the impact of their relationships is not clearly understood, but regardless, her circle of friends and family have many dark secrets regarding blood relatives and fake relationships, incest, murder, ghosts in the closet and money.

Melody has just found out that her mother, Haille, may still be alive. Melody believed that her mother and stepfather died in a car accident. Cautiously hopeful, Melody heads to the west coast and Hollywood to find her mommy and some answers. Would love win over rejection and will Melody find peace?

Melody experiences all of the trappings of a Hollywood want-to-be-Star and is crushed by both the lifestyle and the rejection. Will her love for Cary call her back to the east coast no matter the trip west?

This story is a coming of age tale for Melody.

I have to say that I found very little horror in this reading, but based on the nature of her past works, I was always expecting to be startled. I also believe that present day society is so numb to blood and guts, that V. C. Andrews books are now rather mild.

Reviewed by Debbie, First Regional Library

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog

***

The House Next Door, by Anne Rivers Siddons.

Colquitt and her husband Walter live in a upper middle class subdivision outside of Atlanta, with neighbors who are all close friends, and entertain at each other’s house.

There is an empty lot beside Colquitt and Walter's house, that has finally been sold to the Harralson family, a young married couple expecting their first child. The Harralson’s hire an architect to design a house that is stunning. However, even before they move into it, the house has already reached out to destroy them. The night of their "open house" party something horrible happens and they move out, never to be heard from again.

Then move in the Sheehans, a middle age couple trying to get a new start from their tragic past. The house doesn't wait long before destroying them also. Colquitt, unfortunately, witnesses their breaking point, something she cannot talk about publicly . The Sheehans leave the house and move away. That is when Colquitt believes the house is a living thing that survives by knowing people's weakness and destroying them with it until nothing good is left in them.

The house is getting stronger, as shown by what happens to the third family that moves in. What will happen to the previously tight-knit happy community, with an “evil” house in the neighborhood?

Reviewed by a staff member, First Regional Library

Viewor Place Hold in Library Catalog

Under the Dome, by Stephen King

I just finished Under the Dome. I usually avoid Stephen King novels like the plague, but read a review of it in the paper. The concept of a town being cut off from the rest of the world when a clear dome descends on it sounded intriguing, and it was definitely a page-turner. I kept thinking, "What next?" and never ceased to be amazed by what happened.

There were some very compelling, likable characters, but far more scummy, mean-hearted folks. I am always glad that I've never had to live in any of the towns King creates. If I were a New Englander, I'd be insulted at how he portrays New Englanders. The book certainly kept my interest and kept me on the edge of my seat which is a good thing since it was over a thousand pages!!

I've often thought that in some ways, Stephen King is an eternal eighth grader. I taught at that level for a number of years and was the assistant principal for a grade 6-8 school for an additional seven years, and much of what he writes seems to very much at that level. That being said, it really was a good story.

Submitted by a patron, Olive Branch Library

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog

Guilty Pleasures, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Graphic Novel)

Anita Blake Series

This urban fantasy/horror series has been adapted into graphic novels, beginning with the first book in the series Guilty Pleasures. Volume One features Anita Blake, vampire huntress and animator of the dead. Anita has been called on by the Master Vampire of St. Louis to find out who or what has been killing vampires in the city. Anita does not want to take this job, but the Master makes her an offer Anita cannot refuse without her best friend being killed.

The art work and storyline are easy to follow for someone who has not read the novels, and it may convert new fans for the Anita Blake series. The adaptation for issues 1-5 is Stacie Ritchie and issue 6 is Jess Ruffner-Booth, and the artwork is by Brett Booth.

Reviewed by Dena Sanford, Senatobia Public Library

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog

Secret Vampire, by L.J. Smith

Night World

I am not usually a horror or fantasy reader, but I enjoyed this book – which is a mix of the two genres. It is the first in the Night World series by L.J. Smith. Secret Vampire is a quick and thrilling read.

Poppy is an average teenage girl who at sixteen years old finds out that she is dying of leukemia. James, who happens to be her best friend, reveals to her that he is a vampire and that he can offer her a cure. He can offer her the eternal life of a vampire. She has been in love with James for years, but has not ever come forth in professing her love to him. Poppy must make a difficult decision. She must choose between the life of a vampire, and risk the dangers of the night world for both herself and James. Or… remain mortal and allow the leukemia to overtake her body.

Reviewed by a staff member, First Regional Library

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

The Dark Tower Series

The Gunslinger is an entertaining journey into a world based in an old time western setting of gunslingers and saloons, and develops in a fantasy world far different than our own. Roland of Gilead - the Gunslinger becomes friends with a young boy named Jake who travels with him on his quest to find the Man in Black. Roland’s chase winds through the parallel universe of magic, demons and oracles. In this book, Stephen King blends Clint Eastwood Western films with The Lord of the Rings. This remarkable story is the introduction into the Dark Tower Series.

1. The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger (1982)
2. The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
3. The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991)
4. The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997)
5. The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003)
6. The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004)
7. The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004)

Reviewed by Jacqueline K. McMahon, M.R. Davis Public Library

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog

The Strain, by Toro del Guillermo

Vampires

I started reading this book thinking it was a murder mystery. And, for the first few chapters it was a mystery. A plane lands at an airport, then there is absolutely no activity anywhere in the plane, no contact with anyone and this is a mystery. As I continued to read I realized this was a blood sucking vampire mystery. I haven’t read anything about vampires for years and wasn’t sure I wanted to start now. But, once I start a book and get involved I can’t stop reading. It’s a curse.

The Strain did get me interested and I read the whole book. The hook for me was the way the author at first made what was happening to people seem like a deadly, contagious virus. But, as I was reading this book, I realized how similar vampires and viruses are. They are spread from person to person by direct contact and in order to eradicate either one you must somehow destroy the host body. An interesting concept in a horror book.

Reviewed by a staff member, First Regional Library

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog

Twilight, by William Gay

Twisted and Tantalizing

Corrie and Kenneth Tyler, siblings living in rural Tennessee in the early 1950’s, suspect that the local undertaker, Fenton Breece, is doing horrific things to the dead.

Their suspicions are first roused by spying Fenton removing something from their father’s casket. Later, they find out that their father was not buried in the casket they had bought and find out Fenton is mutilating the corpses … and they have the pictures to prove it. A blackmailing scheme between the siblings goes horribly wrong and now Tyler wants to bring Fenton to justice, but first he must escape with his life.

What follows is an adventure and chase through the Harrikin, an eerie backwoods filled with the dark aspects of humanity. This book is not for the faint of heart. However, the poetic, haunted writing and the pervasive nature of evil will suck you into the story.

Reviewed by a staff member

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog

Life Expectancy, by Dean Koontz

Twists and Turns

Jimmy Tock was born on a stormy night at the exact time his own grandfather died. Just before his grandfather died from a paralyzing stroke, he rose up and spoke very clearly and demanded that Jimmy’s father write down every date he was about to tell him, because Jimmy would have five terrible days in his lifetime and he needed to be warned.

Jimmy’s father didn’t think much of it until his own father’s prediction proved true--how everyone would call his son Jimmy and that he would weigh a certain amount at birth and be a certain length as well. Also that he would have a condition called syndactyly toes--webbed toes.

Jimmy tells the story from his perspective. The first 23 chapters are about the first terrible day of Jimmy’s life. One way to describe it could be, "A Hannibal Lecter University graduate meets Abbot and Costello at the Bates Motel". It was quite humorous throughout with some seriousness as well. The back and forth use of literary references during conversations and Jimmy’s thoughts were so very humorous and entertaining causing almost constant chuckles. It had quite a few unexpected twists and turns, and what a surprise ending!

Reviewed by Fran Collier, Olive Branch Public Library

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog

Terminal Freeze, by Lincoln Child

From the Ice Age?

This sci-fi horror novel is suspenseful and frightening. The main character, Evan Marshall, a paleoecologist, and his fellow scientists discover an anomaly frozen under the ice in the Arctic Circle. Their original objective, studying global warming, is thrown aside as this bizarre discovery takes precedence. Their sponsor, an unscrupulous and exploitative journalism firm, takes charge of the specimen cutting it from the ice to defrost it in preparation for a live documentary unveiling the find.

Characters and egos clash as the find disappears and the film crew suspects theft. The death of an associate producer, originally thought to be caused by a polar bear attack, becomes suspected murder, as he was looking for the lost carcass at the time. This is only the first of a string of mysterious deaths. As tension mounts, the scientists scramble to unravel the mystery, if only to clear their names.

This is a must read for anyone who is a fan of the Preston/Child coauthored novels, or Michael Crichton books.

Reviewed by Sara Woolson, Olive Branch Public Library

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog

Web of Dreams, by V.C. Andrews

A Perfect Life? 

Leigh Van Voreen has the perfect life until her parents decided to get a divorce. Suddenly she is forced to move away from her father and all her friends to the mansion of her stepfather. She must deal with her stepfather, Tony’s advances when he asks her to model nude. Her mother is a selfish, vain, woman and refuses to believe the truth. She finally decides to run away and in doing so, meets and weds Luke Casteel. She gives birth to her daughter, Heaven.

She is happy again, but will it last?

Reviewed by Brenda Garrett, Tunica Public Library

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog

Monster, by Frank Peretti

What is IT?

Reed Shelton and his wife, Rebecca “Beck” hike into the wilderness for a week of survival living. They plan to meet their friends, Michael “Cap” and Sing. Unfortunately, when they reach Lost Creek Cabin, it has been ransacked. Since it is too late in the day to hike back to their car, they camp out that night.

With darkness approaching, the wilderness becomes strangely eerie. Fear begins to grow as they are chillingly certain that they are not alone. Fear turns to terror, but as they run IT follows them. Then while they flee, Beck falls and tumbles down a ravine. Reed struggles to follow but is too late to prevent IT from dragging Beck away and deeper into the forest. As day breaks, Reed meets up with his friends and they form a search party.

Where is Beck? And who or what took her?

This book grabbed my attention and kept it from the second chapter. I wondered what carried Beck off and what was chasing them. Is there more than one evil out there?

Reviewed by a staff member, First Regional Library

View or Place Hold in Library Catalog