Something Wicked This Way Comes

In the 1970s backwater of Coden, Alabama, a teenage orphan called Annie mysteriously arrives and quickly drives a wedge in an apparently perfect family.  Full of creepy supernatural elements and family secrets reminiscent of The Turn of the Screw and The Amityville Horror, The Darkling by R. B. Chesterton (aka Carolyn Haines) is a quick and easy read, which is sometimes exactly what you want on a sunny, beautiful afternoon.  HM

They're Coming to Take You Away . . .

Truthfully, I don't get to read as often as I would like -- and when I do, it usually takes me weeks to get through a book.  I read Jennifer McMahon's Don't Breathe a Word in 2 days because I honestly could not put it down.  Fifteen years ago, Lisa was a dreamy twelve year-old who went missing in the woods behind her house after claiming that she was going to live with the fairies.  Now she's back, and it's up to her brother and his girlfriend to figure out what exactly happened to her -- even if that means delving into some deep, dark family secrets.  HM

A Chilling Read

Harbor by John Lindqvist (translated from the Swedish) is the story of a man but it is also the story of a place, of a thing. Anders and Cecilia and their daughter Maja are out exploring the frozen channel when Maja disappears, practically right in front of her parents. Unable to get over this the couple split and two years later Anders returns back to the scene. Strange happenings build into a feeling of dread that makes the book hard to put down. The character development is outstanding with a wonderful flow to the history of the harbor and it's inhabitants. Don't let the 'epic-ness' of the book be a deterrent. John Lindqvist is the author of Let the Right One In, which was made into a popular, must see horror film. SG