The Little Match-Girl (Hans Christian Andersen)
"The story of a match-seller who lights her own matches to keep warm in the icy cold -- and in her matches sees images of warmth and plenty that she can never attain, that make the cold of winter all the more bitter." Link
Those Who Wish Me Dead (Michael Koryta)
"When fourteen-year-old Jace Wilson witnesses a brutal murder, he's plunged into a new life, issued a false identity and hidden in a wilderness skills program for troubled teens. The plan is to get Jace off the grid while police find the two killers. The result is the start of a nightmare. The killers, known as the Blackwell Brothers, are slaughtering anyone who gets in their way in a methodical quest to reach him. Now all that remains between them and the boy are Ethan and Allison Serbin, who run the wilderness survival program; Hannah Faber, who occupies a lonely fire lookout tower; and endless miles of desolate Montana mountains. The clock is ticking, the mountains are burning, and those who wish Jace Wilson dead are no longer far behind."
Arlen Wagner has seen it in men before--a trace of smoke in their eyes that promises imminent death. He is never wrong. When Arlen awakens on a train one hot Florida night and sees death's telltale sign in the eyes of his fellow passengers, he tries to warn them. Only 19-year-old Paul Brickhill believes him, and the two abandon the train, hoping to escape certain death. They continue south, but soon are stranded at the Cypress House--an isolated Gulf Coast boarding house run by the beautiful Rebecca Cady--directly in the path of an approaching hurricane. The storm isn't the only approaching danger, though. A much deadlier force controls the county and everyone living in it, and Arlen wants out--fast. But Paul refuses to abandon Rebecca to face the threats alone, even though Arlen's eerie gift warns that if they stay too long they may never leave.
Read if You Like:
Thrillers
Mysteries
Horror
Paranormal Fantasy
Suspenseful Stories
Supernatural Stories
Historical Fiction
Recommended if You Enjoy:
Stephen King (The Shining, Doctor Sleep, The Dead Zone)
3.5/5
(The Shining #1)
Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the a
(The Shining #2)
On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless - mos
The Dead Zone - Stephen King
Johnny, the small boy who skated at breakneck speed into an accident that for one horrifying moment plunged him
2021 was a hard year for many, so I want to kick off 2022 on a positive note. Broke Horror Fan is teaming with Cemetery Dance Publications to give away Chasing the Boogeyman signed by bestselling author Richard Chizmar!
To enter, email [email protected] with BOOGEYMAN in the subject line. In the body, tell me your favorite book (new or old) that you read in 2021, and include your name and mailing address.
One entry permitted per address. This contest is open to US residents only. One winner will be randomly drawn next week.
You may know Chizmar for his high-profile collaborations with Stephen King, including Gwendy’s Button Box and the upcoming Gwendy’s Final Task. King calls Chasing the Boogeyman “genuinely chilling and something brand new and exciting.”
The 2021 horror novel also been praised by the likes of Caroline Kepnes (You), Josh Malerman (Bird Box), Harlan Coben (The Stranger), Michael Koryta (Those Who Wish Me Dead), Riley Sager (Home Before Dark), and Brian Keene (The Rising).
In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. The grisly evidence leads police to the terrifying assumption that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. But soon a rumor begins to spread that the evil stalking local teens is not entirely human. Law enforcement, as well as members of the FBI, are certain that the killer is a living, breathing madman—and he’s playing games with them. For a once peaceful community trapped in the depths of paranoia and suspicion, it feels like a nightmare that will never end.
Recent college graduate Richard Chizmar returns to his hometown just as a curfew is enacted and a neighborhood watch is formed. Amid preparing for his wedding and embarking on a writing career, he soon finds himself thrust into a real-life horror story. Inspired by the terrifying events, Richard writes a personal account of the serial killer’s reign of terror, unaware that these events will continue to haunt him for years to come.
A clever, terrifying, and heartrending work of metafiction, Chasing the Boogeyman is the ultimate marriage between horror fiction and true crime. Chizmar’s “dazzling work of fresh imagination and psychological insight” (Caroline Kepnes) is on full display in this truly unique novel that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
Chasing the Boogeyman is available now in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audio book via Cemetery Dance Publications.
Those Who Wish Me Dead is written and directed by Taylor Sheridan who co-wrote the script with Michael Koryta and Charles Leavitt and is based on the novel of the same name written by Koryta. The film stars Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Nicholas Hoult, Aiden Gillen, Medina Senghore, Jake Weber, Tyler Perry, and Jon Bernthal. The film follows a teenage murder witness (Little) as he is hunted by two assassins (Hoult & Gillen). He is aided by smoke jumper (Joile) who helps him navigate and escape the Montana wilderness all the while a forest fire wages on. This film feels like part disaster film and part crime thriller rolled into one film which after watching the trailer for I was on board. What I saw was an average film that had some thrills and good performances.
I’ll say that the best part of the film and the reason to watch it is because of Angelina Jolie. It’s so great seeing her lead a film again, it’s felt like a long time since we last saw her on the big screen. As anyone might expect she gives a wonderful performance and shows she can still be that action star that we saw from her many years ago. I’ll also add that Medina Senghore is a standout in the film. Her character is initially perceived as one way, but the expectations on her character are flipped that make her just as equal to the other characters in the film. Those would be my highlights to this otherwise average film.
This is probably Taylor Sheridan’s weakest story compared to those of Hell or High Water, Yellowstone, and Wind River. I’m a fan of Sheridan’s work so I had good expectations for what I was going to watch with this film. I’ll say that those expectations fell flat compared to his previous work. That’s not to say this is a bad film in any way, it’s just average and not as compelling as Sheridan’s previous work. I’m sure audiences will get a decent thrill ride watching this film and have a fun time, it certainly gives you that. For me this was not a bad film, but one that felt average and something that could have been more given who was behind the screen.
