Dark magic and deadly hatred in the leafy shires. Adam Nevill plucks yet more terrors from Britain’s folklore undercurrent. When this guy does horror, he cranks the dial to max. As chilling and savage as folk horror can get. My full review: paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/2022/08/heng...
This has potential for all folk horror fans. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxC0...
In post-WW3 Frisco, a world-weary cop pursues a band of human-like androids. The origins of Blade Runner, but a tale of loss rather than action, played out on a degenerated hellscape, the hero racked by corrosive guilt. A sci-fi masterwork. My review: paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/2017/02/i-ho...
Today, for one day only, NO QUARTER is 99p on Kindle UK. Perhaps grab this BARGAIN while it's hot.
www.amazon.co.uk/No-Quarter-D...
Very excited about this in April. Looks like it's going to be one of the first big crime fiction events of the year.
www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/2592024...
Scratch Moss by David Barnett
Thank you to everyone who’s read, reviewed, bought or borrowed SCRATCH MOSS, since its release on Thursday, and all those who came to see me last night in Holmfirth. It truly is appreciated.
"He owns original paintings by John Wayne Gacy, Henry Lee Lucas and Ronnie Kray," Brant said. "He even has a couple by Adolf Hitler. It’s a niche interest in the art world, to say the least, but such pieces are hugely resaleable."
www.amazon.co.uk/Lodge-Paul-F...
True case of an idyllic Welsh farm, which malignant spirits turn into a literal Hell. A British Amityville minus the charlatanism. An excellent and unforgettable study by @chadbourn.bsky.social, who leaves no stone unturned to hunt an elusive truth. Very thorough, very engrossing, very frightening.
Juvenile angst focussed through the prism of the ‘Jamesian’ ghost story. Another class act from @valancourtbooks.bsky.social. YA star brings adult complexity to a classic tale of rural terror. A folk horror parable from the Age of Aquarius. Full review: paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/2023/07/sun-...
In the 1860s, a new governess arrives at a big house on a Hebridean island, to find wild weather, ghosts and black magic. Made-to-measure Gothic chiller, richly atmospheric and crammed with Victorian-era menace. Great debut from
@rebeccanetley.bsky.social, with hopefully many more to come.
The worst kind of evil is the one you never see coming. A nightmarish satire of hometown terror. Replace every traditional value and you’ve truly got Hell in the country. Another horror classic of yesterday from @valancourtbooks.bsky.social.
My review: paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/2023/06/dark...
‘Thurstan was seized from behind, an enormous foul-smelling hybrid of man and animal enveloping him in its powerful arms. He flicked his body forward, flinging the abomination over his head so that it landed full in the crackling flames ...’
www.amazon.co.uk/Devils-Knigh...
Cannae, Rome's bloodiest defeat. Considered Hannibal's masterpiece, and yet Rome would go on to become a superpower, whereas Carthage fell to dust. Can't wait to see how a master craftsman of sword-wielding fiction like @benkaneauthor.bsky.social deals with it.
Two weeks to go on Audible.
Last night I dreamed I was at the Wigan Beer Festival (starts today!), and all my friends were there. It was a fantastic atmosphere. But there was no beer. Sometimes you just can't win.
A gangster heads home to avenge his murdered brother. The original slice of Brit grit, Lewis taking the kitchen sink template and piling on the villainy. A serious, grown-up thriller that ushered in a new age of hard-as-nails UK crime fiction. My review: paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/2017/11/rogu...
A young carny comes of age while investigating an old series of murders. Typical warm-hearted thriller from @stephenking.bsky.social. A lyrical slice of folksy Americana, packed with loving nostalgia and some nasty background darkness. My full review: paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/2018/05/bran...
Time again for those favourite words in the writer's schedule.
Smalltown horror masterclass. Cornfields to every horizon, jocks riding hot rods, a pumpkin-headed monster wielding edged steel, but it’s more than 'stalk and slash'. Poetic and meaningful. First published by @cemeterydance.bsky.social. My full review: paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/2022/09/dark...
“One must admire Thurstan’s perseverance,” she said. “It’s an impossible task he’s been set. It’s killed all his men already. Yet he struggles on.”
“He’s safeguarding a saint.”
“He doesn’t believe that, Pandulf. He doesn’t believe in anything sacred.”
www.amazon.co.uk/Devils-Knigh...
My latest story, "Piglet Delivers", is in @apexmag.bsky.social: www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...
With an interview (huge thanks to Marissa van Uden!) - www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...
Less is more in this chilling, triumphant ghost story. Waters takes us on a macabre journey, as a landed family, decaying along with its elegant home, finds itself at the mercy of a malicious entity. As fascinating as it is subtly terrifying. My review: paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/2018/10/how-...
Copies of SCRATCH MOSS by David Barnett with a miner’s lamp and magpie linocut.
Five days to SCRATCH MOSS. Mines, magpies and multi-generational post-industrial folk horror. More info and buying links here: www.canelo.co/books/scratc...
IMPERIUM by Robert Harris
The struggles of lawyer, Marcus Cicero, during the dying days of the Roman Republic. Political chicanery par excellence, set in a distant but not unfamiliar world, @robertharrishome.bsky.social hitting us with a complex, intriguing tale and vividly evoking an era long gone.
From Dani Atkins comes a completely heartbreaking and emotional page-turner about love, friendship and impossible choices – OUR SONG. Perfect for fans of Shari Low, Colleen Hoover and Paige Toon. Available now in the US and Canada from @bookouture.bsky.social: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/our-song-d...
My only real criticism is that the monster is underused, but I still found it a constant page-turner.
The front page screamed: 'JILL THE RIPPER!' Underneath it, colour photos depicted woodland from a high angle, with a red circle indicating an only partly visible forensics tent. The sub-header read: ‘Cops admit Lay-by Murders could be work of female killer’...
www.amazon.co.uk/Strangers-un...
Weird nuns, explicit sex, an eerie tower in overgrown woodland. A neat reissue of Bernard Taylor’s classic tale of the occult, 1970s style, courtesy of @valancourtbooks.bsky.social. Ideal snapshot of an old school horror writer in peak form. Full review: paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/2023/08/orde...
As the Great Fire devours London, a simple clerk investigates several mysterious murders. A feast for historical thriller fans from @andrewjrtaylor.bsky.social. A colossal sprawl of religious and political intrigue in a Restoration crime epic. My review: paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/2018/02/out-...
Love the TV cop voice of that era. Working class in origin, laid back but authoritative.
‘Martha, this is going too far!’ Liz snapped.
‘Yeah? Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it only yesterday afternoon when you introduced us to a real-life murderer you happen to be friendly with? How many more are there?’
www.amazon.co.uk/Lodge-Paul-F...
#CrimeFiction #horror #thriller
