Good Reads & Views

The Devil’s Only Friend by Dan Wells
Fiction

17 year old sociopath John Wayne Cleaver, teenage hunter of serial killers, is back in this fourth outing of the series (after I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and  I Don’t Want to Kill You). The FBI has decided to make use of his talents and adds him to a secret team that has one task, to find and kill the “withered” – demons who come in the disguise of ordinary human beings. But the withered have taken notice and soon the tables are turned. Publishers Weekly says that “top-notch writing and well-structured suspense elements keep the story moving briskly as John tries to manage his baser instincts.”

Something Red by Douglas Nicholas
Fiction

Orphaned teenager Hob is frightened. Evil has followed the small troupe of musicians which adopted him as it makes its way slowly across thirteenth century England. Repeated attacks have battered them, and killed other innocents in their path. And their attackers don’t all seem to be human. The troupe thought it had found a refuge in the massive hold of Blanchfontaine. But now the evil is inside with them. For fans of historical dark fantasy and mystery.

In The Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
YA Fiction

A colleague gushed about this book, saying she didn't usually read historical fiction but couldn't put this down. I really liked the historical details about WWI and the flu epidemic of 1918. For example, people used a lot of folk remedies, like eating lots of onions, to try to keep the flu away. I also liked the gutsy character of Mary Shelley Black, who loves mechanical things and science experiments.

Mary Shelley Black gets out of Portland right after her father is arrested for helping men escape the WWI draft. She goes to San Diego to stay with her aunt, a big believer in Spiritualism, who wants Mary Shelley to pose for another picture for Julian, a spirit photographer and brother to the young man Mary Shelley loves who is going off to war. Julian has been using Mary’s earlier picture as an advertisement for his business, but she suspects his ghosts are frauds ... until she sees a ghost herself.

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
Fiction

Vic “the Brat” McQueen has a special skill—she can find lost things simply by riding her bike across the Shorter Way bridge straight to wherever the lost thing is hidden. Finding things has its price, both psychological and physical, as Vic discovers the time she goes looking for trouble and finds Charlie Manx. Every year, Charlie Manx seeks out a special child to drive in his vintage Rolls Royce Wraith to Christmasland, where it is Christmas every day and children never grow up. The trouble is Christmasland exists for Charlie’s amusement, not the children’s. When he tries to take Vic to his special place, she escapes, the only child ever to do so. Years later, when Charlie takes Vic’s son Wayne for a ride, Vic and Wayne’s father Lou set out to get him back. Vic is fearless and heartbreaking, Lou is kind and loving and Manx is terrifying.  Block out some time on your calendar, because once you begin reading Joe Hill’s (Heart-shaped Box, Horns) latest, you won’t want to stop until you’ve read this hefty tome from cover to cover.

The Story of Noichi the Blind by Chet Williamson
Fiction

This gruesome yet evocative tale is a tribute to the Japanese legends and ghost stories collected by Lafcadio Hearn at the turn of the 20th century. In fact, the tale itself is surrounded by the story of the author’s son finding the long lost manuscript of the story, and an academic interpretation of its stylistic origins and possible authorship. The woodcutter Noichi has developed a magical affinity to the forest and the creatures that dwell within. He takes in a young servant woman, Noriko, who is a fugitive after she accidentally slays a samurai. The couple falls in love, but Noriko becomes deathly ill. Noichi desperately wants to believe she will get well and becomes blind to the fact that she’s wasting away before his eyes. Noriko is also pregnant with a baby that is barely human.

Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Book One - Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson
PBK Koontz

Deucalion is an immortal being who has come to the city from Tibet. He stalks and kills those who possess human qualities that he does not, hoping to become more human. Two detectives are on Deucalion’s trail, but the conclusions that Carson is making about the killer are difficult for her partner Michael to believe. This book was to be a television series on USA Network, but when the producers wanted to make major changes to the story, Dean Koontz pulled out of the project. Here is the tale in its original form.

Lightning by Dean Koontz
FIC Koontz

Can a person’s fate be changed? Stephan is Laura’s guardian angel. He appears out of nowhere from a flash of lightning when Laura is in danger. Through his actions, he alters the course of Laura’s life. But is his interference just delaying the inevitable for Laura? Destiny and time-travel are a major part of this suspense-filled story.

American Morons: Stories by Glen Hirshberg
FIC Hirshberg, Glen

Ghosts - not the Hollywood special effects sort, but the type that humans create in their own minds - are at the core of this award winning collection of short stories. The believable characters’ lives extend beyond the pages, and they are put into situations where the familiar becomes horrific. Hirshberg creates a shadowy mood, not without a dark sense of humor, and masterfully fashions the endings of his tales.