Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Dante's Town of Terror by Patrick R. Delaney is the first part of the Infinity Killer trilogy. A camping trip. It should have been the perfect weekend for Brian, Bill, and Cathy but it turned into the weekend from hell. Taking a wrong turn on the journey, the trio finds themselves lost in a deep forest. This is no ordinary forest though; it isn’t just full of wild animals but monsters too. Monsters that are hungry for blood. On the run, they manage to find their way to a deserted town, a place they should have been safe in. But their hell was only just beginning. Constant rain, dead bodies everywhere, blood all over the place, a mysterious person from the past, everything conspiring to stop them from escaping. Just what is this town and can they get away with their lives? What should have been the perfect weekend is now a fight to survive.

Dante’s Town of Terror by Patrick R. Delaney is a gripping story, alive with vivid imagery. The story is a little slow getting off the ground but when it does, you’d better hang on for dear life. Patrick Delaney has a real talent, a meticulous sense of detail that will leave nothing and everything to your imagination. The descriptions are excellent, bringing the story alive in your mind, seeing it, living it, and every chapter will leave you shivering in anticipation for the next one. Be prepared to enter a world like no other, a world of suspense, terror, a new dimension. Don’t bother trying to work out the ending; every time you think you have it, you’ll come up against something that changes everything. The characters' stories are brought out gradually and they are developed slowly but surely. Really looking forward to book 2; I hope it’s as good as this one.

Reviewed by K.J. Simmill for Readers' Favorite

Phase one, infect a local population and turn them into engineered zombies. Phase two, relocate the patients who had the mutated strain for further experimentation. That appeared to have been the plan for Baseborn Identity Research, or at least the immediate one, but they hadn't taken into account Dave Pulaski and his insatiable desire to avenge his wife's death. They were playing the long game, but Dave's plan was simple - find Walt Freeman, the man responsible for his wife's death and the carnage in his home town, and kill him. The zombies, however, have upped their game; they've evolved once from draggers to cutters, and now they flay their victims alive. Whilst Dave will stop at nothing to deliver his judgement, fate puts someone in his path who gives him a whole new purpose. This person is Sasha, and she is the key to everything. But those in charge won't simply stand aside while he claims what could be their greatest triumph. Now he has a purpose, something other than revenge to die for, and nothing will stand in his way.

If you're looking for a suspense-filled, creative, well-executed, zombie apocalypse style read, then you really want to give the Tell Me When I'm Dead series a try. I came in at book three, Even the Dead will Bleed, but Steven Ramirez does an impeccable job at filling in the need to know details in order to make stand alone reading possible. I really appreciated the insertion of Spanish phrases as appropriate, and as a fairly competent speaker I was able to translate. However, the sentences are structured in such a way that the meaning is clear even with no knowledge of the language. This action-packed zombie gore-fest is not for the faint of heart as carnage and rising body counts are described in stomach churning, gruesome detail, but at no point is character development sacrificed. There is a perfect balance of character growth and development, action, intrigue and suspense that will keep the reader hooked from the first page to the ultimate conclusion. I've read my fair share of zombie style books, and this one certainly stands up there with the best. It's not your run of the mill, mass produced, zombie book; rather it is intricately designed, well-executed, imaginative and plausible. There's a lot to the plot, and I enjoyed every revelation.

Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Madness by M.L. Banner is the story of Ted and TJ, a married couple with twenty years under their belts, embarking on a transatlantic cruise out of Malaga to enjoy some of the limited time they'd finally found together. From its onset, the trip seems doomed with flight delays and a near fatal dog attack as they are "luckily" able to secure a car to get them to their hotel. But this isn't just a normal pleasure cruise. As things begin to further unravel and animals begin to attack en masse, the pair finds themselves confined to the boundaries of a ship in what can only be described as the beginning of the end.

Madness by M.L. Banner packs a massive wallop from the first page of its prologue, a contaminant in 1712 Tenerife. Red eyes, crazed animals, and the gory demise of a man and his son set the tone for Ted and TJ's own cataclysmic voyage centuries later. The story is well executed and invites both thrills and horror from its onset, not a simple task in an age where apocalyptic novels abound. Banner has the skilled hand of a seasoned author where suspense building applies, and the descriptions in Madness read like a movie script...they are wonderfully detailed and fleshed out (bad pun regretfully intended). I'd recommend Madness to anyone looking for a fresh, unique, and exhilarating twist to the horror genre, but must warn readers that once they've picked the book up, they'll be hard pressed to set it back down. I loved it. Really, really well done!

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

The Muse: A Novel of Unrelenting Terror by Arjay Lewis is the story a very famous and enigmatic writer named Jack Court. He is wealthy, young and handsome on top of being successful. But all of this comes at a price. Jack has a sinister secret. Sure, he is very talented; however, that does not mean he did not get any help. He has a small yet menacing creature living inside him that demands Jack shed blood for his talent and his fame. This is a price that Jack gladly pays by becoming a serial killer, but things are about to change in his life.

When he is in an accident because of a reckless driver, the creature leaves Jack and finds refuge in an unsuspecting writer named Harold Godwine. Harold has no idea why all of a sudden he is writing better and neither does he know why he is having intense dreams of blood and bloodshed. He is perplexed, yet he has no idea how to stop them. Now Jack is on Harold’s trail to get his creature back, but it is not that easy anymore. He is losing his humanity and an FBI agent is after him. What can Jack do now? Will he ever get his creature back?

Oh boy, this is one intense and wildly entertaining novel. Just saying that I enjoyed this novel would not be enough. I loved, loved, loved the way Arjay Lewis took hold of the story and took it to great heights. The novel is fast paced, engaging and simply too amazing to put into words. I loved and hated Jack, his development was on point. The suspense was killing me, but it was exciting and I didn’t want the story to end. The Muse is truly an amazing novel. I wish I could forget it and read it again for the very first time! Intense, demanding and really good!

Reviewed by Lex Allen for Readers' Favorite

In Stage 3 by Ken Stark, a zombie virus has hit the world with a bang and main character, Mason, a misanthrope who survives the initial pandemic by locking himself in his apartment following a horrific airplane incident, finds himself surrounded. Emerging from his hideaway, unaware of the disease that has turned ninety percent of the population into zombies, Mason immediately encounters a few of the infected. He quickly adapts, destroys them, and begins his search for other survivors. He encounters Mack, a young, blind girl mature for her age, who proves the theory that people who suffer a malady of a single sense have heightened abilities in another of the five senses—or six, in this case. Mack is searching for her Aunt Sarah and Mason agrees to help her. But, the odds are long as the aunt, if she survived, is in a far corner of the city and in between are oceans of the walking dead.

There are numerous comparisons between Stage 3 and other zombie apocalypse tales, but it’s the dissimilarities of other zombie tales that put Ken Stark at the top of the zombie author charts. Stark’s monsters are different, a fact evident through explanation of the title approximately one-third into the story. Mason and Mack construct a believable pair of survivors whose interactions and depth of character display the human psyche at its best. Mason’s development, thanks to Mack’s maturity and insight, is a beautifully sculpted and integral part of the story that alone would be worth the read. There’s lots of gore, fighting, and a variety of bad guys (other than the zombies) that keep the action going, the plot thickening, and the pages turning. For me, the constant battles that comprised seventy to eighty percent of each chapter were a bit much, but for zombie fans that’s probably just the right amount. Stark is a master wordsmith. His insight into character development, realistic dialogue, and the right amount and timing of twists that keep the reader reading are second to none. I highly recommend Stage 3 to zombie and horror fans, but also those who enjoy a human story embedded in an action-packed apocalyptic tale.

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Wicked Prayers by S.D. Moore is a horror story with a little extra added. Elizabeth Holly has been abducted by Old Man Wilson. She is pregnant and it is down to her family to save her and her child. Julia, her daughter, thinks there is more to the abduction than first thought when she lays eyes on her new brother’s “evil” face. Evil grows and builds up an army of creatures to command and it is down to the folk of Autumnstown to band together and fight against Evil, fight against all manner of weird and terrifying creatures. Can they succeed or will Autumnstown fall and become part of the legend of Evil?

Wicked Prayers by S.D. Moore is an outstanding story. It is packed full of suspense and horror, with some truly frightening moments in it. It really is very vivid in its descriptions, allowing any reader to see the story as they read it – try not to read it last thing at night! I read the entire book from cover to cover in one sitting; it wasn’t possible to put it down without wondering what was going to happen next and picking it up again, “just to read a couple more pages!” The story starts quickly, and is action all the way. The character development is in depth and the story itself is a real mixture of horror, suspense, and even comedy, making it a great read, and a great introduction to those readers new to the horror genre. Non-stop action, a great story.

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Abra-Cadaver by Matt Drabble is about Tommy Ross who has a penchant for adventure and magic. Something goes wrong with one of the tricks on The Captivating Cosmo X which his parents had hired for his 12th birthday. What follows is a series of scary adventures, thrills, murders, etc. which sets the tone for the onset of something eerie.

Writing too much about the book would be giving away the plot and losing the suspense. The story is dark with many twists and turns which keep you glued to the mystery. The author has managed to create an enigmatic ambiance which runs silently throughout. The language used and the murders that happen reiterate the gory feeling.

It's not always easy to write horror books without the cliches creeping in. And most of the time in a horror story, the ending and the happenings are always predictable after a couple of chapters. But here the author manages to keep the suspense until the very end. The character of the local magician Albert Trotter is another eerie one which adds to the suspense and changes the tone of the story.

Abra-Cadaver throws a new light on magicians. It is frightening to think that magicians can actually misuse their magical skills and terrify people. You start looking at them with a different eye, doubting their magical powers.

Reviewed by Chris Fischer for Readers' Favorite

Wow! What a read. I just finished the new book by author Miranda Nading. Caliban is a story that will grab readers by the throat from the very start and will keep them obsessively turning the pages all the way through until the very end! Follow the story of Dr. Bobby Reed, a geneticist who has given up his career in order to settle down and raise his family. He believes that he has gotten rid of all traces of his former research, but when he is contacted by a former rival in work, he realizes that he might not have done as good a job as he thought. He needs to work feverishly to try to stop the threat of a virus that only he might prevent. And when an entire town is put under a quarantine, and their sheriff, Mark BaldEagle, starts to uncover the truth of the "flu" that they are encountering, it seems very possible that none of their lives will ever be the same.

I so enjoyed Caliban. Author Miranda Nading has done a fantastic job in creating a gripping story line with characters that readers will connect with, relate to and truly come to care about, thinking of them long after the last pages are read. If that isn't a hallmark of a great author, I'm not sure what is. Any reader who enjoys science fiction, or who is looking for a great work of fiction in general, should absolutely read this book. I highly recommend Caliban and I look forward to reading more from the very promising author, Miranda Nading, as soon as I can!

Reviewed by Joel R. Dennstedt for Readers' Favorite

Raven’s Peak by Lincoln Cole starts off with a bang and rarely lightens up its drama. The explosive prologue delivers a decidedly necessary orientating mix of intrigue, violence, and “demoness” to introduce the reader properly to the definitively alternate world that he is entering, as well as to encounter two most pivotal characters, one of whom – the self-flagellating Reverend - yet remains only as a motivating background to the remainder of the story. The young woman, Abigail, whom he delivers from possession, remains central. This meaty introduction is followed by another in Chapter One; still intriguing, but much less gritty … for now. Haatim, a bright but emotionally battered young man, is hired by a stranger to investigate a stalker. Sounds conventional enough, except the demons and Abigail are much closer than you think.

Lincoln Cole does a masterful job in Raven’s Peak of developing his demonic version of the world. His more dire explanations for the evil embedded there are consistent and convincing, and one feels comfortable – if that can even be an appropriate feeling here – with suspending disbelief in order to engage more fully. But the author does more than just create a personal demonic version of events; he creates characters whom we care about and root for – one, a bit more heroic than the other. Mr. Cole also has a talent for realistic dialogue and the mundane moments of normal human interactions, some much needed sardonic humor, and many well-thought-out plot developments to keep the reader active in his reading. This book is obviously the first in a proposed series, and Cole has done a proper job of preparing a most intriguing framework for future visits to this literally insane world.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Graven Images is a horror novel written by Sherrill Wark. Shaw Falls Police Chief Steve Simpson has a mystery on his hands -- three bodies' worth of mystery. They were all discovered in a fairy tale-like stone cottage hidden on the old Graham property. No one went there anymore, even old Bessie Graham who has the reputation in town for being a black witch. Two of those bodies were long dead: the elderly man's body had been there for decades, while the young girl only a number of years. They might never have been found at all as the cottage was so well hidden except for the adventure and dare of the three young boys who decided to go on a camping trip in the woods. The Collins brothers had slept outside the cottage, while Joey Melzik had brought his sleeping bag inside and camped in the summer kitchen. In the morning, Eddy and Ricky were horrified when they were unable to wake up their friend. Ricky would later tell investigators that Joey had tried to leave the house at one point in the night and complaining that he felt dizzy, but the other boys persuaded him to stay the night. Simpson and his sergeant, Gary Murphy, had never seen anything like that little cottage. The walls inside were filled with elaborate, lifelike, and oddly troubling carvings hewn out of black walnut. The three bodies were perfectly preserved albeit thickly covered with dust. Searching the building, they discovered countless bodies of small animals and insects that were likewise untouched by rot or putrefaction. And only those carvings remained free of the dust that filtered through the air and layered itself inside the cottage. Murphy and Simpson could feel the sheer dread and wrongness emanating from inside that cottage, and a strange sense of lassitude. Relief surged through them as they breathed the outside air again. What had happened to those people and Joey, and would it happen again?

Sherrill Wark's horror novel, Graven Images, blends a paranormal police procedural with one of the most shudder-inducing elder gods stories I've run across. Anyone who has ever thrilled to H.P. Lovecraft's tales of the unearthly elder gods, and the legacy of Cthulhu mythos stories spawned by his creations, will instantly feel that rush of excitement as they begin reading this book. There’s even the epic forbidden tome, the Necronomicon, which resides in the library of parapsychologist Rachel Graye, who together with John, her protege, Miranda Jamieson, the niece of Bessie Graham, and fundamentalist minister, Andrew Coleman, are assisting the police in discovering what is killing people in Shaw Falls and how they can avert an impending catastrophe of earth-shattering significance.

Wark's team of characters is superbly put together. Watching them work as a team and complement each other's strengths and weaknesses is a joy. While I'm sometimes wary of starting a new horror book and discovering the same old zombies hiding within its pages, I was awed by the original, exciting and very spooky story lurking behind the title Graven Images. Fans of psychological thrillers, dark fantasy, police procedurals and the literary tradition of Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos will no doubt find something in this work that makes them smile and keep on reading. I stayed up all night, unwilling to put the book down until I reached the conclusion -- and it was well worth the lost hours of sleep. I'd love to see the characters I've come to know and admire in future books -- they're just too well developed not to merit at least another outing, another weird and eldritch mystery to unravel. Graven Images is a classy and original horror novel that delivers high intensity shudders, unearthly horrors and non-stop action. It's most highly recommended.