The universe works in funny ways. The morning before I started reading The Place Where They Buried Your Heart, I was typing up my notes for a Dark Side of the Word episode. And I wrote down, with much regret, that “nothing really scares me anymore” because I’ve read so many horror novels.
That night, I was awake until 2am reading this new supernatural suspense novel from Christina Henry. And I was totally afraid to get out of bed and...
First of all, many thanks to author Gail Priest for reaching out to me about her novel Soul Dancing. Gail’s a loyal Tartlet, and she offered to send me a review copy of her book since she knows I love women’s fiction and supernatural stories.
Well, Gail, let’s remove all the suspense – I loved Soul Dancing. I’m so glad you sent it my way!
What’s Soul Dancing about?
We meet elderly main character Shirlene at the very beginning of...
Tartlets, I was super excited when I saw the publication announcement for The Medici Curse by Daco S. Auffenorde. It promised Gothic suspense, missing family jewels, a potential family curse -- and, it's set in Italy. It all sounds so good.
Unfortunately, I added The Medici Curse to my DNF pile. Let's talk about why.
What’s The Medici Curse about?
In The Medici Curse, Anna de’ Medici Rossi inherits her childhood home: an opulent...
Congrats to When the Wolf Comes Home for being my first five-star read of 2025. Tartlets, this book. Blew. My. Freaking. Mind.
Nat Cassidy is a relatively new author to me. I read his previous novel, Nestlings, which I thought was fantastic. When the Wolf Comes Home is billed as a monster story, which isn’t my favorite genre of horror. I was tempted to sit this one out.
I am SO glad that I didn’t miss reading this one!
What’s When the...
My 50-page rule strikes again! It took me a little while to become invested in Mirror Me. I’m glad I persevered because I ended up really enjoying this unique and twisty psychological thriller from Lisa Willamson Rosenberg.
What’s Mirror Me about? Mirror Me is about Eddie, who dramatically demands entrance to a psych hospital one night after thinking he murdered his lover, Lucy (who also happens to be his brother’s fiancé…). The...
If you’re looking for a chilly winter read with a chilling premise, you need to pick up Echo: A Detective Harriet Foster Thriller.
What’s Echo about? Echo is the third and final book in the Detective Harriet Foster series by Tracy Clark. The primary plot of this novel focuses on Chicago police detective Harriet “Harri” Foster, who's working with her partner Vera Li to solve the murder of a billionaire’s college-age son and the...
Things Half in Shadow is written by an author that you’ve all heard of.
You’re probably looking at the book cover photo and going, “Nope. Never heard of Alan Finn.” And, I agree: most of you probably haven’t.
But I’m sure many of you have heard of Riley Sager, author of bestselling thriller novels like Lock Every Door, The House Across the Lake, and his latest, Middle of the Night.
Before Sager’s name was everywhere as a prolific...
Welcome, Tartlets, to my living, breathing, ever-updating list of Scary Books You Need to Read.
This book list is compiled by yours truly. Unlike a lot of book lists on the internet, the spooky books I've recommended below are all books I’ve actually read.
Table of Contents for The Best Scary Books to Read List Horror consists of so many subgenres these days, so I've divided my list into separate categories. You can scroll...
Tartlets, I literally jumped at the chance to receive an ARC of Wilderness Reform by authors (and brothers) Matt Query and Harrison Query. Their first novel, Old Country, is one of my favorite horror novels ever. I will read anything this duo writes.
While I didn’t love Wilderness Reform quite as much, I really enjoyed the story, especially toward the end. Let’s get into it.
Before you start reading, you should know that Wilderness...
Welcome, Tartlets, to a special Saturday edition of the blog. I’m excited to post this book review as part of the Blog Tour for When We Were Silent, the debut novel written by Fiona McPhillips and published by Flatiron Books.
What’s When We Were Silent about?
Set in the 1980s, When We Were Silent is about working-class girl Louise, who enrolls in an exclusive Dublin school called Highfield Manor. We first meet Louise in present day, when...
