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Review: The I-5 Killer by Ann Rule

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 13, 2022July 4, 2022ReviewsAnn Rule, Haley Newlin, Reviews, The I-5 Killer, True CrimeLeave a comment

The I-5 Killer by Ann Rule
Berkley Books (January 2022)
295 pages; paperback $10.99; e-book $8.99;
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

He had it all: eye-catching good looks, an impressive educational transcript, and a reputation as a star athlete. But, like most criminals, that wasn’t enough for NFL draftee Randall (Randy) Woodfield, aka “The I-5 Killer.”

On a spring night in Portland, Oregon, Woodfield stalked the dark streets, hungry for an unsuspecting woman. Woodfield could already visualize her shock. He even thought that the woman might be honored by his attack because of his athletic build and strong jawline — what he knew to be “handsome features.”

He grabbed the woman and held a knife to her throat. Woodfield felt her pulse beneath the blade. His body surged with what was, to him, the pleasure of all pleasures, a helpless woman in his grasp. Continue Reading

Review: Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 11, 2022July 11, 2022ReviewsBlackwater, Columns, Jeannette Arroyo, Joshua Gage, Ren Graham, Reviews, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

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Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham
Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks (July 19, 2022)
304 pages; $24.99 hardcover; $17.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Jeannette Arroyo was born and raised in New Mexico but recently relocated to the rainier Seattle area. She has done freelance in animation and children’s book illustrations. A huge fan of the horror genre, Jeannette likes to mix in some lighthearted spooky elements in her work.

Ren Graham is a fiction writer and illustrator currently residing in the rainy Pacific Northwest. They have B.A. in Art History and a graduate studies certificate in Science Illustration, so biology, world mythology, and natural elements tend to influence and reappear in their work. Ren is interested in spooky stories, chilly hikes in the woods, and the ways in which art and science intersect. Co-created, Blackwater is their debut graphic novel. It’s a fabulous horror story geared towards a teen audience.Continue Reading

Review: Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 7, 2022July 6, 2022ReviewsBlack Mouth, Blu Gilliand, Reviews, Ronald Malfi, Titan BooksLeave a comment

cover of Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi
Titan Books (July 19, 2022)
448 pages; $15.99 paperback; $9.99 e-book
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

When an evil once thought vanquished rears its ugly head again, a group of childhood friends reunite to confront it, hoping to put an end to it — and to some raging personal demons of their own — once and for all.

That’s the premise of Ronald Malfi’s new novel Black Mouth, and if you think it sounds familiar, you’re right. Serious Stephen King vibes permeate this book, from the obvious parallels to IT to the overtones of “The Man in the Black Suit” that color the Magician character. However, while Malfi is treading familiar ground here, he’s carving his own path, and it’s a journey well worth taking with him.Continue Reading

Review: And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

Cemetery Dance OnlineJuly 5, 2022July 4, 2022ReviewsAnd Then I Woke Up, Janelle Janson, Malcolm Devlin, Reviews, TorLeave a comment

And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

Tordotcom (April 2022)

176 pages; paperback $13.99; e-book $3.99
Reviewed by Janelle Janson

At first glance, you see the flamingo pink and mauve-ish cover. It’s quite pretty with its edgy white font and really catches your attention. Then you look a little closer and see a dark figure in shades of black and grey, in a cloud of gloomy brush strokes, sitting on a chair with a knife at his feet. This figure is difficult to make out, but what you do see is frightening. Of course, being the twisted person that I am, I think it’s just as pretty as the pink. Tordotcom always manages to publish the best novellas with the most striking covers, and as per usual, And Then I Woke Up written by Malcolm Devlin, is outstanding on both fronts.

Continue Reading

Review: Black Mass Rising by Theo Prasidis and Jodie Muir

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 30, 2022June 26, 2022Reviews, The Comic VaultBlack Mass Rising, Jodie Muir, Joshua Gage, Reviews, The Comic Vault, Theo PrasidisLeave a comment

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cover of Black Mass Rising Black Mass Rising by Theo Prasidis and Jodie Muir
TKO Studios (May 2022)
170 pages; $19.99 paperback; $7.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Theo Prasidis is the author of The Doomster’s Monolithic Pocket Alphabet (Image Comics), Black Mass Rising (TKO Studios), and Swamp Dogs: House of Crows (Black Caravan). A fantasy devotee and cult media specialist by degree, he’s a zealous propagator of the magical and the mystical, the nostalgic and the psychedelic, the pulp and the weird. He lives a rather undramatic life in his hometown Drama, Greece, with his wife and two sons, heirs to a kingdom of horror books, heavy metal vinyl, and more band t-shirts than any sane person should ever be allowed to own. Jodie Muir is a freelance illustrator, based in the UK. Having previously worked in comics (Marvel, TKO) and concepting, she is currently an illustrator on Magic: The Gathering. Their newest book is Black Mass Rising, a sequel to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Continue Reading

Review: Garden of Earthly Bodies by Sally Oliver

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 29, 2022June 26, 2022ReviewsGarden of Earthly Bodies, Haley Newlin, Reviews, Sally OliverLeave a comment

Garden of Earthly Bodies by Sally Oliver
Harry N. Abrams (June 2022)
320 pages; $26.00 hardcover; $9.99 ebook
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

Sally Oliver’s Garden of Earthly Bodies is a visceral vortex of blood and trauma.

In a uniquely elegant literary style, Oliver’s novel follows Marianne, whose life has become tense and overgrown with the weeds of trauma and enmeshment. Marianne’s younger sister, Marie, falls deathly ill and experiences heavy mood dips, frequent exhaustion, and severe depression — the three settling in as her reformed default personality. Continue Reading

Review: Jacked: A Crime Anthology edited by Vern Smith

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 28, 2022June 26, 2022ReviewsBlu Gilliand, crime, Jacked, Reviews, Run Amok, Vern SmithLeave a comment

cover of Jacked Jacked: A Crime Anthology edited by Vern Smith
Run Amok Books (July 1, 2022)
242 pages; $18.99 paperback
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

Jacked: A Crime Anthology features stories that cover a wide swath of the crime genre, giving readers the chance to indulge in their favorites while also discovering some new approaches to classic crime tropes.Continue Reading

Review: The Stranger Beside Me: The Shocking Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy by Ann Rule

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 21, 2022June 20, 2022ReviewsAnn Rule, Haley Newlin, Reviews, The Stranger Beside MeLeave a comment

cover of The Stranger Beside Me The Stranger Beside Me: The Shocking Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy by Ann Rule
W.W. Norton & Company (May 2022)
640 pages; $17.95 paperback
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

The most unnerving true crime book is unearthed and shocked back to life in W.W. Norton & Company’s newest edition of The Stranger Beside Me by Anne Rule.

Rule is the undefeated champion of true crime writing, but this particular book will always be her most memorable. Unlike Rule’s other books, such as The I-5 Killer and Lust Killer, which focus heavily on the perpetrator, The Stranger Beside Me feels part investigative journalism, part memoir. Continue Reading

Review: Venomous Words by Jeff Oliver and Gordon Reilly

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 15, 2022June 16, 2022ReviewsGordon Reilly, Jeff Oliver, Joshua Gage, Reviews, Venomous WordsLeave a comment

cover of Venemous Words Venomous Words by Jeff Oliver and Gordon Reilly
Blurb (May 2022)
126 pages; $148 deluxe hardcover edition (buy direct from Blurb)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Born in Baltimore Maryland in 1982, Jeff Oliver has been writing from his soul for many decades. Gordon Reilly is a Special Operations Veteran who found macro photography of scorpions and invertebrates as a hobby. Their newest collaboration is Venomous Words, a collection of macro photos of scorpions and other invertebrates combined with poetry. Continue Reading

Review: Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine by Jo Rioux

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 13, 2022June 12, 2022Reviews, The Comic VaultCat's Cradle, Jo Rioux, Joshua Gage, ReviewsLeave a comment

Cat’s Cradle: The Golden Twine by Jo Rioux
First Second (June 21, 2022)
128 pages; $21.99 hardcover; $14.99 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Jo Rioux is an author, an illustrator, and a life-long space cadet who flies by the seat of her rocket pants. Since graduating Sheridan College in illustration, she’s illustrated picture books and novels, but her favorite medium remains comics. Her debut graphic novel, Cat’s Cradle, was recently printed by First Second Books.Continue Reading

Review: Black Beth: Vengeance be Thy Name by Blas Gallego, Alec Worley, DaNi

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 9, 2022June 7, 2022Reviews, The Comic VaultBlack Beth, Columns, Joshua Gage, Reviews, The Comics VaultLeave a comment

Black Beth: Vengeance be Thy Name by Blas Gallego, Alec Worley, DaNi
Rebellion (June 7, 2022)
80 pages; $24 paperback
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Black Beth was a one-time character published by Scream in the 1980s. She was a combination of Red Sonja and The Punisher, an armor-clad woman warrior who sought vengeance against the tyrants that slaughtered her love and her village. Aided by her mentor, the blind wild man Quido, she sought vengeance for 23 pages before disappearing into the memories of comic aficionados until 2016, when Rebellion purchased the rights from the original publisher. Alec Worley and artist DaNi have reinvented Black Beth for modern audiences in a dark fantasy tale that is sure to thrill readers. Continue Reading

Review: From Below by Darcy Coates

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 8, 2022June 7, 2022ReviewsDarcy Coates, From Below, Haley Newlin, ReviewsLeave a comment

From Below by Darcy Coates
Poisoned Pen Press (June 7, 2022)
352 pages; $14.39 paperback, $4.99 ebook
Reviewed by Haley Newlin

No light. No air. No escape.

Darcy Coates’ From Below is hopelessly suffocating in the darkest, most devouring sense. And, god, is it brutally brilliant. Continue Reading

Review: Witch 13 by Patrick Delaney

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 2, 2022May 29, 2022ReviewsJoshua Gage, Patrick Delaney, Reviews, Witch 13Leave a comment

Witch 13 by Patrick Delaney
Oblivion Publishing (June 7, 2022)
358 pages; $28.99; $17.99 paperback; $3.99
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Award-winning author Patrick Delaney grew up in varying cities in the greater Los Angeles County, where he attended Canyon High School. Throughout his childhood he pursued various forms of art, from writing short stories to drawing and modeling. Throughout his undergraduate career he gradually polished his debut novel Dante’s Town of Terror, which would go on to win the gold medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards(IPPY) in the horror category for 2018. His most recent novel is Witch 13.Continue Reading

Review: Generation X-Ed edited by Rebecca Rowland

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 31, 2022May 23, 2022ReviewsDave Simms, Generation X-Ed, Rebecca Rowland, ReviewsLeave a comment

cover of Generation Ex-ed Generation X-Ed edited by Rebecca Rowland
Dark Ink (January 2022)
350 pages; hardcover $27.71; paperback $19.99; e-book $9.99
Reviewed by Dave Simms

What’s the coolest generation in the history of mankind? Those born from 1965 to 1980 know this by heart and feel for those peons who look up to us. The best horror movies? Same — what’s better than what we grew up with? A bit, but not much. As for the horror writers, the novel was king and those fortunate enough to be conceived during this amazing time have a dark streak in their DNA that casts a long shadow.

Review: The Fervor by Alma Katsu

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 25, 2022June 1, 2022ReviewsAlma Katsu, Dave Simms, Reviews, The FervorLeave a comment

cover of The Fervor The Fervor by Alma Katsu
G.P. Putnam’s Sons (April 2022)
319 pages; $27.00 hardcover
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Sometimes a book comes along that is so special, it moves rather than frightens the reader, and gives a history lesson that likely won’t be found in anything we experienced in school.

When that same book also is relevant to society today, especially in the past few years within this country, it makes for an event that transcends genre.

The Fervor is that book.Continue Reading

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