Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
New from C. S. Alleyne and Crystal Lake Publishing, Belle Vue, out now
History student Alex Palmer is thrilled when his girlfriend, Claire Ryan, buys an apartment in Belle Vue Manor, formerly a Victorian lunatic asylum. But as Alex begins to discover the dark truth about the asylum’s past, he, Claire, and their friend Marianne find themselves on a nightmarish journey. Each will face the deadly consequences of the evil that began with the construction of the first Belle Vue Manor by an aristocratic French émigré in 1789, as well as the cruelty and satanic practices that continued when it became an asylum for the insane. As the two strands—past and present—unfold, Alex uncovers a supernatural mystery where revenge is paramount and innocence irrelevant—without being aware of the price he, and those around him, will pay. Available in paperback and eBook, you can pick up your copy right now, here.
Released 26 August from Red Cape Publishing, Madman Across the Water: The Curse Awakens, by Caroline Angel, out now
Five years after the Wallis family put an end to the curse, destroying the creature which had plagued Campbelltown for generations, the townsfolk have adapted to a quieter way of life. Despite the perceived safety, most residents are still wary of venturing into the woods which had been the scene of so much bloodshed in the past. When a developer sets their sights on this area of unused land, it triggers a blood-soaked chain of events and the Wallis family soon realise that the creature had merely been dormant. Who will survive as The Curse Awakens in this terrifying sequel to Madman Across The Water? The sequel to the hit Madman Across the Water (which is currently available for a promotional eBook price of 1.99), you can pick up The Curse Awakens in eBook and paperback formats now, here.
Ze’ev Kaplan is not your average prayer leader. Hell, he’s not even a prayer leader, despite what his friends, family, and girlfriend might think. Ze’ev leads a strange double life, as an exorcist and monster hunter for the Jewish Community of Texas. What starts as a seemingly standard exorcism reveals him to the schemes of a sordid necromancer who will stop at nothing to kill anyone who stands in his way. Can Ze’ev beat the odds and put an end to the necromantic cult festering in the heart of Texas, or will he end up being the victim of Treif Magic? Including more than 65 footnotes explaining Hebrew and Jewish concepts, Treif Magic is available for pre-order now, here.
In Yellow Jessamine, shipping magnate Evelyn Perdanu controls the dying city of Delphinium with trade deals and secrets. But when mysterious sickness sparks death and obsession, all leading back to her, Evelyn’s brittle existence is strained to breaking. She retreats to her estate, amidst paranoia and poisonous secrets, intent on rooting out this plague before it destroys everything she has built. From the writer of The Luminous Dead, comes this dark fantasy which Publisher’s Weekly says is “as lovely as it is haunting“. Available in paperback, eBook and audiobook formats, you can pre-order your copy now, here.
Nightside: Tales of Outré Noir, edited by Mark Slade, coming 30 October
Nightside: Tales of Outre Noir is a collection of stories that hash together the Bizzare and the Noir. With authors who are on top of their game, this book is filled with tense prose and horrifying scenes that lovers of dark fiction will appreciate. There are screenplays mixing Lovecraftian horror and Biblical tales, and stories of detectives solving gruesome murders. It’s a sub-genre cocktail, shaken and shared with murderous crazies that could very well be your friends or family members. Coming 30 October, Nightside: Tales of Outré Noir is available for pre-order now, here.
KEV HARRISON