#crooked lane books

[brokehorrorfan]

The Darkest Night will be published in paperback and e-book on September 24 via Crooked Lane Books. The 320-page anthology of winter horror stories is edited by Lindy Ryan and includes an introduction by George C. Romero.

It features 22 stories by Josh Malerman, Eric LaRocca, Clay McLeod Chapman, Rachel Harrison, Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon, Jamie Flanagan, Kristi DeMeester, Nat Cassidy, Darcy Coates, Tim Waggoner, Hailey Piper, Thommy Hutson, Gwendolyn Kiste, Sara Tantlinger, Christopher Brooks, M. Rickert, Cynthia Pelayo, Lee Murray, Mercedes Yardley, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Jeff Strand, and Kelsea Yu.

From some of the biggest names in horror comes an Advent calendar of short holiday horror stories perfect for the darkest nights of the year. Edited by award-winning author and anthologist Lindy Ryan and with contributions from masters of horror like Josh Malerman, Eric LaRocca, and Clay McLeod Chapman, this horrific anthology will chill you to the bone.

Pre-order The Darkest Night.

[prose-mortem]

Baby X Book Review

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Wow, what a fun ride!! Baby X is a unique and fast-paced science-fiction/medical/bioethics thriller about the dangers (and rewards) of engineering children. Baby X takes place on a future earth where, instead of having sex to create children, parents provide DNA samples to a lab. The lab then creates pluripotent stem cells from the sample, creates eggs and sperm, and engineers several embryos for the parents to choose from. The parents then choose (based on the stats and risk assessments) which embryo will be implanted for pregnancy.

This book contains everything we want in a sci-fi thriller: Morally grey heroines, total psychopaths, engineered babies, stolen DNA, kidnappings, celebrity stalking, family secrets, and a good dose of bioethical moral dilemmas. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Baby X is described as Black Mirror meets Gattaca, and this was so true. I am always looking for sci-fi books that parallel the existential themes in Black Mirror, but it is so hard to find good ones that are grounded and focused. Kira Peikoff nailed it!

Kira Peikoff was compared to Blake Crouch and John Marrs in the book's description, and I could not agree more. Since science-fiction can be extremely intimidating to newcomers, especially if it is "hard" sci-fi, the niche sci-fi/thriller genre is an incredibly attractive entry point for people who want to dive in for the first time. As a science-fiction veteran reader, I can honestly say that some sci-fis are just flat out dry. I am so grateful to authors like Kira Peikoff for demonstrating that science-fiction can be speculative in a grounded way, while meeting the needs of readers who want more than jargon and engineering blueprints from their reading experience. Science-fiction does not always have to occur in the "out there" regions of space. Sometimes the most poignant stories are the ones that feel much closer to home… This is one of the ways Baby X sources its power.

Baby X made me feel hopeful, even though it also caters to that delicious "angst" we love from Black Mirror. Perhaps we are not so very far away from a similar earth experience where we can bring children into the world with the confidence that they will have the best chances of succeeding in life without dealing with horrific diseases or unnecessary suffering. Baby X is a symbol of how we are asking the big questions and preparing ourselves for such a time in the near future!

Thank you so much to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC, so I could read this early. I feel incredibly lucky, and cannot wait to buy the hard copy version! Can someone please convince the author to write more Black Mirror-esque books? I am obsessed!

[bookishpixiereads]

“The Last Word” by Gerri Lewis

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

“The Last Word” is the first in the “Deadly Deadlines Mysteries” series. Winter Snow is an obituary writer for hire in the comfortable, charming, real-life town of Ridgefield, Connecticut about an hour and half outside of New York City. She gets a peculiar request from Lottie Arlington, the wealthy philanthropist in town. She asks for Winter to write an obituary for her that HAS to be finished in three days. Of course Winter finds this a bit odd as Lottie is still very much alive and appears to be in good health.

A day after a hurricane passes, Winter goes to Lottie’s house to check on her and finds her unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. And that’s where the mystery begins. Winter thinks Lottie was pushed, wondering if she was feeling threatened and that’s why she wanted the obituary. The police originally think it’s an accident until they don’t and Winter becomes the prime suspect.

And then of course Winter sets out to find the guilty party.

In general, I thought this was okay. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I don’t think it was very memorable. I think the overall mystery was good in the sense of the who and the why. I also like that the initiating incident wasn’t a murder as it so often is. The slow burn romance with one of the cops is cute, but also seems ill-advised. Like he doesn’t know that she didn’t do it.

But also in the same vein, it felt very convoluted. There are a lot of characters to keep track of. There is a whole character that is waste of space and I really hope comes more into play in the future. It also drifts toward the over-descriptive. I don’t need to know every right and left turn that Winter takes to get wherever she is going almost every time she goes anywhere. I don’t need to know that the marinara sauce is vegetarian. Like why are you telling me this (more than once) when marinara is in and of itself vegetarian? It feels like the author is trying to hit a word count.

[bookstagramofmine]

Book Review: A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari

Book Review: A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari @NetGalley @crookedlanebks #BookTwt #Books #WritingCommunity #Mystery

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for the chance to read and review A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality by Kate Khavari!  A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality is the Kate Khavari’s second book in the A Saffron Everleigh Mystery series. It came out on the 6th of June and is 336 pages long. Like other Crooked Lane books, Penguin Random House Publisher Services handles the…

[lgbtqreads]

Exclusive Cover+Excerpt Reveal: The Manor House Governess by C.A. Castle

Today on the site we’re revealing the cover of The Manor House Governess by C.A. Castle, a classics-inspired literary novel with a genderfluid protagonist set amid Cambridge high society, releasing November 7, 2023 from Alcove Press! (The book even includes five period-inspired illustrations, which are certain to be gorgeous.) Here’s the story: Orphaned young and raised with chilly indifference…

[coffeeatmidnight]

ARC Review: "A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons," by Kate Khavari

ARC Review: “A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons,” by Kate Khavari

Hello friends, and welcome to my newest installation of “late ARCs!” This week we have A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari, out now as of June, a delightful debut of murder and academia set in 1920s England. Here was a refreshing murder, with heroine botanist Saffron finding herself investigating a murder to clear her mentor’s name, which she was present for. I am so happy…

[publishedtoday]

Teen Killers in Love - Lily Sparks

The Teen Killers Club is on the brink of destruction, with one faction pitted against another in a deadly game of survival. Erik and Signal are part of the group who’ve had their “kill switches” disabled, and the others are under orders to hunt them down—or meet their own demise. Now, Erik and Signal have to find a way to neutralize the others’ switches and clear Signal's name. In the middle of a manhunt that is going viral and turning them into an internet-age Bonnie and Clyde. Erik and Signal are both Class As—the most dangerous and manipulative criminal profile—but Erik is the ultimate Class A, with ten kills to his name and a secret in his past that will change everything. As if being hunted down wasn’t enough, Erik is determined to get Signal admit that she loves him. But Signal is hellbent on crushing her own growing attraction. It’s a race against time to save the Teen Killers Club from its worst nightmare—having to kill the friends they need more than ever.

[doodlesink]

Magic, Lies and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp--Book Review

Happy Wednesday! Magic, Lies and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp is a dark, magical tale.  Stop by to learn more about Daisy’s deadly pies.  Happy Reading!

https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2022/05/magic-lies-and-deadly-pies-by-misha-popp.html

[lilibetbombshell]

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

A Lonesome Place for Dying by Nolan Chase

Perfect introduction to a new series…if indeed this IS a new series… This story is filled with small town people doing their best, and their worst, every single day of their lives. Ethan Brand, new on the job as police chief, is faced with a murder to solve. Will those he worked with and now is in charge of treat him with respect? Will he be able to live up to the job? How many will be against him and who will stand with him?

What I liked: * Ethan Brand: ex-Marine, wounded in battle, fifteen years a policeman, just became police chief, separated from his wife and two sons who live on the East Coast, cool, calm, lethal, romantic, thoughtful, a good man with a few flaws – intriguing – would like to learn more about him

* The small-town community with all the typical issues to be faced by the police in such a town

* The police procedural aspects of the murder mystery and the way clues were unearthed

* That the characters felt believable and there were some I began to care about and would like to know more about

* Ethan’s ability to understand, do what is right, and help those he can – he has a big heart

* The hired assassin’s part in the story and wondering if he might show up in the future

* Wondering how Ethan will settle into being Police Chief and if he will find people to spend time with socially if this is a series

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* That the case was wrapped up – no cliffhanger

* Finding out that this author also writes under the name Sam Wiebe

What I didn’t like: * Who and what I was meant not to like

* Thinking about how evil some of the characters were and how willing they were to commit the crimes they did

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

BLURB

Blaine, Washington is a seaside town where on an average day, the most serious police work involves dealing with stray coyotes or ticketing speeders along the I-5. Ethan Brand is reporting for his first day on the job as Blaine, Washington’s newest Chief of Police. Before Ethan can start his first shift, he finds a threat on his porch, along with a gruesome souvenir, a bloody heart. There are plenty of people who are upset about Ethan stepping into the shoes of the last Chief, but when a body shows up on the railroad tracks, he’s got to focus on the task at hand. With a population of only five thousand, Blaine sees eight million vehicles pass through its Peace Arch crossing every year. It’s the perfect site for drug smuggling, human trafficking, larceny, and murder. Ethan begins to realize that the sleepy town has a lot more secrets than he originally thought. With no one to trust, his job already on the line, and the threats getting bolder and more reckless, Ethan Brand must find the killers and bring them to justice.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Mister Lullaby by J.H. Markert

Author: J.H. MarketPublisher: Crooked Lane BooksReleased: November 21, 2023Received: NetGalley Find it on Goodreads | More Horror Reviews Book Summary: Every town has secrets. Likewise, nearly every town has a location that everyone prefers to avoid. For Harrod’s Reach that place is an old train tunnel. It was always creepy, but it became downright alarming after a little boy was left for dead…

[howdidthatbookend]

Liv Andersson | Leave the Lights On

The Book:  Leave the Lights On by Liv AnderssonPublished October 17, 2023 by Crooked Lane BooksDate read: October 6, 2023 The Characters:  Beatrice ⭐⭐ Rating: 2 out of 5. Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon This page contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this site. The Plot (from Goodreads): Cape Morgan, Maine, is the utopian…

[prose-mortem]

Like a Mother Book Review

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Like a Mother is sure to become one of the big thriller reads everyone is talking about this winter! When Sarah's husband dies of terminal disease and she finds herself pregnant with their second child, she is shocked to discover that Adam's mother is actually alive and interested in assisting Sarah financially. Adam had told Sarah that his mother died many years before, so she is shocked to discover secret after secret coming to light shortly after Adam's funeral. Why would Adam hide the fact that his mother is alive and well? Sarah, who is hurting for money, agrees to live with Adam's mother, Candace, in her small town while Sarah prepares for her baby and gets back on her feet. Adam kept his entire past hidden from Sarah, and now that Sarah has another child on the way, there are many people interested in the child and what its birth means to them...

I truly did enjoy this book! Like a Mother kept my pulse racing while I flipped through the pages late into the night. I absolutely loved the heavy nods to Jewish culture and the twists and turns that kept coming all throughout the story. This most definitely was not a slow burn! If you like domestic thrillers where a woman is trapped in a bad situation and is low-key gaslit by the people around her, then this is for you. The only reason why this is not a full five-star read is because there were a couple of questions left unanswered that really needed to be addressed. Nevertheless, it was definitely worth my time, and I cannot wait to buy the hard copy so that I can have it displayed on my shelf! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers at Crooked Lane Books for letting me read the e-ARC in advance. I genuinely loved it! For the questions that were left unanswered, please read underneath the spoiler heading below.

***** SPOILERS ****

I am still very confused as to why Ava was so adamant about being able to adopt Sarah's child. It was strange that Graham and Ava were basically threatening her about her child's future early on in her pregnancy, and then suddenly, they just seem to let her be. The book states that maybe Graham felt guilty about everything that happened, which is why he honors Adam's financial wishes for Sarah, but it still left a thread loose. I would have liked to understand why Ava felt so entitled to Sarah's child.

The other thing that was never explained was why Ellison kept seeing Adam in her room. Sarah wonders if her daughter is seeing a ghost, but other than that, it isn't addressed any further. Even if Ellie was seeing things, it would have been nice for it to have been resolved or mentioned at the end of the book. I was wondering if it was one of those plots where Adam faked his death somehow... The way the scenes where Ellie interacts with him are written so that they seem very real. Also, how did Adam's missing sweater get back under Sarah's pillow? Sure, Sarah could have been experiencing derealization and depersonalization, but it was never clear what happened there.

[dollycas]

Cozy Wednesday featuring A Clue in the Crumbs (A Key West Food Critic Mystery) by Lucy Burdette #Review / #Giveaway @LucyBurdette @crookedlanebks

Welcome To Cozy Wednesday! It is my pleasure to share my thoughts about A Clue in the Crumbs by Lucy Burdette today! A Clue in the Crumbs (A Key West Food Critic Mystery) Cozy Mystery 13th in Series Setting – Florida Crooked Lane Books (August 8, 2023) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639104305 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639104307 Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BLTTFCTZ Food critic Hayley Snow and her pal…

[bargainsleuthbooks]

#ARCReview #HaveYourselfADeadlyLittleChristmas #YearRoundChristmasMystery #VickiDelany #CrookedLaneBooks #BookReview #NetGalley #September2023Books

It's never too early to read a #cozymystery set during #Christmas. #Haveyourselfadeadlylittlechristmas #yearroundchristmasmystery #vickidelany #netgalley #bookreview #ARCReview #crookedlanebooks #september2023books #bookstagram #bargainsleuth

It’s beginning to look a lot like murder in the sixth installment of this charming cozy mystery series, perfect for fans of Donna Andrews and Jacqueline Frost. It’s the beginning of December in Rudolph, New York, America’s Christmas Town, and business is brisk at Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a gift and décor shop owned by Merry Wilkinson. The local amateur dramatic society is intensely preparing a…

[annarellix]

Devil's Chew Toy by Rob Osler (Hayden & Friends #1)

Seattle teacher and part-time blogger Hayden McCall wakes sporting one hell of a shiner, with the police knocking at his door. It seems that his new crush, dancer Camilo Rodriguez, has gone missing and they suspect foul play. What happened the night before? And where is Camilo? Determined to find answers, pint-sized, good-hearted Hayden seeks out two of Camilo’s friends—Hollister and Burley—both lesbians and both fiercely devoted to their friend. From them, Hayden learns that Camilo is a “Dreamer” whose parents had been deported years earlier, and whose sister, Daniela, is presumed to have returned to Venezuela with them. Convinced that the cops won’t take a brown boy’s disappearance seriously, the girls join Hayden’s hunt for Camilo. The first clues turn up at Barkingham Palace, a pet store where Camilo had taken a part-time job. The store’s owner, Della Rupert, claims ignorance, but Hayden knows something is up. And then there’s Camilo’s ex-boyfriend, Ryan, who’s suddenly grown inexplicably wealthy. When Hayden and Hollister follow Ryan to a secure airport warehouse, they make a shocking connection between him and Della—and uncover the twisted scheme that’s made both of them rich. The trail of clues leads them to the grounds of a magnificent estate on an island in Puget Sound, where they’ll finally learn the truth about Camilo’s disappearance—and the fate of his family.

Book page: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57997935-devil-s-chew-toy Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pb3YYz

My Review: This is the first time I'm a blogtour for a book I bought well before I heard about the blog tour. The excellent reviews by writers I love made me buy it. The Amistead Mauping reference was a bonus added as I'm a huge fan of Tales from the City. I fell in love when it talked about the evengelical aunts and the car with the stickers about the Rapture. It's a romp, a highly entertaining romp. The occasional one night stand that turn in the search for the disappeared Camilo. The very diverse cast that I found interesting and made me laugh. And Commander who is a great characters. It's not a fast-pace/actio packed/etc etc but it's a highly entertaining and gripping story that I strongly recommende.d Hope to read the next story soon. Many thanks to Rob Osler and Melissa Amster for this digital copy, all opinions are mine

The Author Prior to Devil’s Chew Toy, Rob Osler’s short story, Analogue, which was published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, won the Mystery Writers of America Robert L Fish Award as part of the 2022 Annual Edgar Awards. Rob lives in California with his long-time partner and a tall gray cat.

Website: http://robosler.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/roboslerwriter Twitter: http://twitter.com/robosler Instagram: http://instagram.com/roboslerwriter