From atmospheric thrillers to heart-wrenching, grief-laden ghost stories and pulpy novellas, the summer book season is coming in hot with these steaming new reads.
The Night Birds by Christopher Golden
When Charlie and Ruby’s love ended years ago, they never expected to see each other again. Now, Charlie lives aboard a 19th-century freighter half-sunken off the shore of Galveston and Ruby needs his help — but the night birds are already circling in Golden’s gripping, atmospheric novel.
Feeders by Matt Serafini
When a video depicting the brutal murder of a former classmate leaks online, Kylie Bennington’s curiosity gets the better of her. This darkly satirical supernatural thriller follows a would-be influencer whose dreams of online fame spiral into nightmare territory when she encounters a mysterious and dangerous social media platform.
Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle
When Konstantin Duhovny discovers he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones through their favorite foods, he thinks his life’s purpose might be to offer closure to grieving strangers. But as his culinary skills catch up with his ambitions, Konstantin is too blind to see the catastrophe looming in the Afterlife in this ghost story about all the ways we hunger.
Pam Kowolski is a Monster! by Sarah Langan
Twenty-plus years after high school, Janet’s mortal enemy has become America’s manic pixie sweetheart, an online psychic predicting the end of the world. Langan delivers an unabashedly, brutally fun thrill ride in this totally unhinged, absurdly delightful ripper of a novella.
Never Flinch by Stephen King
A killer on a diabolical revenge mission. A vigilante targeting a feminist celebrity speaker. Twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion — a feat of storytelling only King could pull off in this wildly fun and outrageously engrossing new novel from horror’s master storyteller.
Be Mine by Lizzy Barber
When Beth joins wellness group Elixir, she thinks it is the answer to everything. But when she’s warned of the darkness lurking beneath the brand’s gleaming exterior, Beth finds she cannot let go in this story about finding our place in the world today, and where we turn to belong.
Tell Them You Lied by Laura Leffler
Two New York artists’ tumultuous friendship gets turned on its head when one of them goes missing and the other may be to blame. Leffler’s debut is a taut slow-boiler that will appeal to readers who enjoy alternating timelines and unreliable narrators.
The Chill Quill is a twice-monthly Horror, Suspense and Speculative Fiction column by Lindy Ryan. Read previous editions here.