Carole Barrowman, English professor at Alverno College, author, contributor to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Minneapolis Star Tribune etc. and a scary grandma gives us her nerve-tingling to terrifying recommendations for October. This is the perfect time for creepy reads! Carole talks about her favorite books she's reading this season.
Wake by Shelley Burr (Morrow)
Mina McCreery’s sister disappeared nineteen years ago from her family’s sprawling sheep farm in the middle of the Australian outback. The mysterious crime has haunted the small town and Mina, who’s become a recluse, living alone in the crumbling old house, ever since. The general public and the press, though, continue to be fascinated by the crime. I loved this spine shivering, twisty debut novel about obsession and the disturbing things a crime can leave in its… wake.
All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes (Atria)
This stellar and scary debut starts out like a creepy ghost story then becomes something way worse and way more frightening. It’s about a polar expedition to Antarctica in the early 20th century that goes wrong. After their ship sinks and the crew are stranded on the ice, they realize being shipwrecked is the least of their problems. Something dark and diabolical is stalking them. I loved every chilling word.
No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper (Agora Books)
This bloody (I mean this literally and as an exclamation of awesomeness) brilliant novel is a mash-up of dark fantasy, a serial killer thriller, Greek mythology, romance, and enough truth in its themes to be a razor-sharp allegory. I know! This book has everything (including lots of blood and guts). Set in an alternate world where the Gods have left and humanity is hurtling toward Armageddon, Captain Arcadia, and their investigative team rush to find a killer and save their world. Reading this multi-faceted novel was an experience unlike any I’ve had in a long time.