Bookwild - Terrifying Books to Read This Fall

Episode Date: October 20, 2023

This week, we share some of our favorite scary books perfect for Halloween season!Follow us on Instagram:Gare @gareindeedreadsKate @thegirlwiththecookonthecouchBooks We Talked AboutThe Chestnut ManChasing the BoogeymanStalkerThe Sundown MotelHer Every FearMidnight on Beacon StreetThe Alone TimeMurder RoadThe Clinic Get Bookwild MerchCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackCheck Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck out the Imposter Hour Podcast with Liz and GregFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrian 

And we are going to be discussing all things, chills, thrills, and kills. Kate and I are going to be talking about our favorite books, TV shows and movies that are in the thriller or crime fiction genre, as well as some reading habits and other items related to how we met on Bookstagram that will fit in with this podcast. So thank you so much for joining us. And we hope that you have fun and get totally terrified. I have an icebreaker. Oh, yeah. I'm excited. So I want to know, because like this week I read a book that like a lot of people seem to like. It's like a newer book, but like all the like reviews that I saw in Goodreads prior to it coming out were like really positive. And I just like could not get into it. And I don't know if I was like not in the mood for a thriller or what the case was.

But like I just could not get into the book. And I ended up DNFing it because we were 50 pages in and I didn't know why we were here and like no crime had happened. And I was just like not feeling it. So I want to know what your like rules are or like what you tell yourself to DNF a book. That's a really good question. So some of it I go by like percentage. So it's like if I've made it to 20 to 30 percent and. And. I'm just not like especially if it's like normally if I have a little pocket of time to read I get really excited like it's like oh I have to wait for this upload and it's going to take 20 minutes I guess I can read so if I'm like not excited to read a book that's like my first indicator if I'm like oh but I'm not quite into it yet and so then if I get to like 20 to 30 percent and it still feels that way then I typically will like trust my gut in that situation unless I know. know that it's a slow burn that like I've read reviews about and it's like worth the payoff. So it's like if I knew it's a slow burn going into it, I'll probably give it a little bit more leeway. But otherwise it's like if I'm not really into it, I'm probably just going to stop because there's so many books to read. So I'd rather be reading something I enjoy. Yeah.

That's kind of like I guess like I kind of give it like a percentage. Like I just felt like 50 pages when a book's like under 300. it is like enough. Yeah. Or if there's like, like, if I find myself confused really early on, like, with this one, there was like a character that was murdered. But like, we never met the character who was murdered. And it was like there were so many characters coming at me all at once that like when

they mentioned the victim being dead, I was like getting that person confused with other characters. Wow. So I was like, oh, I don't think that I'm going to do. And you don't want to read into that for me. Yeah. No, no. So.

If we can't remember the victim's name, something has gone wrong. Right. Or like, well, it was like one of those things where it was like talking about like one of the friends of the main character. And then like I was like, oh, like this person. And then like they were like when they found the like so and so's body and I was like I thought that was a friend. And then like I try to like convince myself. I was just like I don't know if it was like me or what it was. But.

I hate when that happens. Yeah, yeah, it's the worst. So. Even worse that happens like multiple in a row. Yeah. And then you're like, am I ever going to like a book again? That's usually when I like reread something at that point. So I'm just like maybe it's.

Yeah. But yeah. But yeah. So that was you cut out for a second. You're back. I'm not cutting out. I'm muting my mic when I'm like screaming at him to like stop. Okay.

It was like your mouth was moving. You're going. I'm so much fun editing this. I know. I'm going to hear anything, but you're going to like see like. Oh, that's funny. So, but we do have some things that we've enjoyed and that we're looking forward to because yes, anybody who's been listening to us for a while has noticed that we have been waiting

for fall to arrive. And October is my favorite month of the year because it is Halloween season. And it's time to like binge watch all the scary movies and read all the scary things and just be a little creep for a month's tree. Definitely. So I thought it would be fun and not hot. Yeah. Well, it's like 65 degrees here today. And it's like it like snuck up on me because it was like cool this morning.

And then it was like as the day went on. And I'm like wearing a sweatshirt because it's like the end of October. And then I'm like, do I need? this because I'm feeling kind of feeling kind of warm. Yeah, when it gets close to 70. Yeah. It's like it rained all day today and it was like

in the 50s so it's nice and cool. So I'm jealous of that. Yeah. But hopefully it'll just get chilly AF here. Yeah. But I thought it would be fun

to discuss with you know, creepy see what books we really got creeped out by. Yeah. Which I feel like at the time is like really easy to be like, this is so creepy. This is so creepy. This is so eerie. This gave me goosebumps. But then like looking back, I was like, I've been creeped out more by other things. But I thought it would be fun to like do books that have like really scared us or creeped us out for like whatever reason.

Yeah. You know, because there's like a lot of things that can scare you in a book. And there's a lot of different elements. And then maybe like a couple that we are looking forward to that haven't come out yet that like we want to read this, you know, creepy, creepy month. Yeah. Even if they're like backlist or haven't been out yet and just kind of, you know, talk about being scared shitless. Yeah. Why not?

Like, tis the season. Tis the season to be terrified. To be terrified for sure. So would you like to kick it off? I was going to say. You want me to go first? Well, the first one that came to my mind immediately when I thought about being creeped out and scared was the chestnut man by Sorin's Feistrip. And I'm sure I said that wrong.

But it was such a creepy read. And it's like 500 or 600, 500 pages. So, like, there's a lot of being creeped out through the whole thing. And basically there's to keep a summary. here, or a synopsis really short. There is a psychopath who's been terrorizing Copenhagen, and his calling card is a doll that's made out of matchsticks and two chestnuts. And he leaves them all of his crime scenes. And so, what does this say? I'm not doing a good job of keeping this short. But basically a case gets brought in.

And there's a fingerprint that belongs to a young girl on one of the chestnutmen that was left on the scene. And so we kind of follow multiple different people as they try to unravel who the chestnut man is. But it is such a terrifying, creepy serial killer novel and gory. That's the other thing when I was like getting this list ready for tonight is like I don't read tons of gory stuff. So typically if there's some like bloody. happening, like, I'm probably creeped out while I'm reading it. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's definitely creepy, too. I think, too. Like, okay, so that was one of mine. Oh, shit. I love it. That's good, though. Then we have, like, a little extra time to both talk about it.

Yes. But there's so many elements, like, a serial killer is always going to scare me. Yes. There's, like, something about a missing person case that always scares me, too, because you just kind of think, like, you know, with a missing person case, like what really happened? Maybe they pulled like an Amy done and they're just like off doing whatever. Right. So I think it's like kind of like very confusing in the beginning and like your mind is just like spinning with like, okay, there's an act of serial killer. But like now we kind of know or have an idea or really like that family is leaning into the fact that something awful did happen to this missing woman.

because if your fingerprint is found on something that was left by like a serial killer, like, chances are, you are no longer possibly pulling a gone girl. Right, right. Yeah, and it's probably not good news in general. Yeah, it's probably not good news. So I just, yeah, I love that one. I think it's so scary. And you, of course, were the one who recommended.

it's me and I did finally read it. And actually I saw J.M. Cannon was reading it last week. She was posting about it on Instagram. So I think that's part of why it was like top of mind for me too. I was like, oh yeah, that scared the shit out of me. Yeah. Yeah. It's so good. It's so good. I think that was like my first one that I picked too. I was like, how can you not? Because the thing that I picked. It's so, well, you know, the thing is is that there's a lot of like very cinematic, scary scenes in that book. and I just feel like nothing against any author, you know, if you write something scary, if you write something creepy, like props to you. But there's something about Nordic noir for me that has a very cinematic way of like building

that picture in your head. So when it's something that's happening that's like causing a lot of tension and like suspense, like it just fully had me like full body shells. Yes, over and over again. over and over again. And I was scared of chestnuts for a little while. I don't blame you. I do not blame you at all.

I actually like wondered like reading that book. And this is not a spoiler because this is where my mind was leaning when I was like even reading the synopsis and hadn't started it. But I was like thinking about it too. And I was like how crazy would it be if like you were the person not obviously missing but like how crazy and scary would it be if the cops called you minding your own business? like knowing that you did nothing wrong. And they're like, hey, like, we're processing a homicide. And an item was found with your fingerprints on it. Right.

Like, I just can't imagine. That's what I was like nervous about. Like, I guess this is all speculation. But when they arrested like Brian Colberger for the Idaho murders, they said that like it was rumored that he was like wearing gloves in public and like in his home to like protect his fingerprints. And I was like, that is like, obviously he had something to hide. I don't.

But like I could just imagine like going to the grocery store and like picking up an orange and being like, nope, this one looks like nicer. And then like them being like this orange was found at the murder scene with your fingerprints on it. Oh my God. New fear unlocked. And that could be like a really good book too. It would be a serial killer who like stalks people in public. And like maybe the whole time too, you like wonder if the person is guilty or not. Yeah.

Or they, like, stalk people in public to, like, frame them for murders. Yes. By, like, picking up items that they touched. Yeah. That would be so bad. Oh, my God. I know. I'm the Taylor Swift of terrifying.

You are. That's a good title to have. Well, if you want to be terrified and creeped out. Yeah. And I think this, my first pick is also really good for people who liked the chestnut man. chasing the boogeyman by Richard Chisholmire is one of my favorite books because he like wrote it like it was true crime

even though like the places some of the people are real but they didn't actually do this like this was not actually anything that happened so like an example would be like if I were doing this that he did I might be like oh my neighbor Kate you know she was the one that found the body And you could be like, I did not leave my house that day. I did not find a body. Like, I've never found a good body in my life.

But, like, he's kind of, like, writing fiction. But putting people that he really knows, like, in this scenario as if it really happened. So good. First in a series. The second one just came out. And there's going to be more. Which is not a spoiler because it's just wild how he, like, follows up with this. And is it the same character or is it, like, an anthology?

It's the same. So this one takes place in the 80s. And then the second one takes place in another time frame, but it's like somewhat related. Okay, okay. So, but it's compared to Stephen King meets Michelle McNamara, which I love because Michelle McNamara wrote, I'll be gone in the dark about the Golden State Killer. And Stephen King just captures small town scary, like with it. So it's basically like the summer of 88, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town, leading police to believe that a serial killer is on the loose in this quiet suburb. And then a rumor begins that something is stalking local teens that could possibly not be human. So like FBI comes in and then there's Richard Chisholmire, who is a recent college graduate. returns to his hometown just as like all of this is kind of unfolding and um he is like a wannabe

journalist i believe don't quote me on that but like he decides to kind of like look into things and kind of it's written almost like i was growing up in the 80s here's what i experienced when i returned home from college for like what i thought would be a normal summer and there was a serial killer in my town. Damn. But it's so good. It's so creepy and scary. It's immersive. I just like, I could not put it down. I couldn't put the sequel down. The only time I put the sequel down was when something really weird happened in my personal life, which you know about. And I was like, okay, like, I can't read right now because I got to text me. I got a text Kate really like quickly. Yes. I ended up like reading, I think like 300 or 350 pages like the first.

day that I read it and then I finish it up when things came back to normal. So, that is so good. Highly, highly recommend. Oh, it's so good. It's so good. And I just like, I love how the second one continues the story in a way. Yeah. Without any spoilers. But I would definitely recommend like reading, chasing the boogeyman before even looking up the synopsis of becoming the boogeyman. Just because you don't want to like spoil anything or you know yeah you know because like you know how sometimes you like you pick up a book and you realize that they're more and then like when it ends you're like hmm so yeah when it ends like it could definitely be like a standalone but it's very

interesting to see what he does with the second one that's you've sold me I need to bump it up my list that's my full year review yeah your full whatever why can't I think of we can't think of your words today endorsement Yes, endorsement. There we go. Yes. Yeah. Your endorse. You're a bogeyman endorsement. Yeah. Well, I, I guess, well, kind of true.

We'll just cut that out. I'm just glitching. That's okay. My second one. Screaming. Hey, hi. My second one is also Nordic noir. So I debated bringing in a next. or not, but I'm just going to bring it up with this one. But stalker by Lars Kepler was the other one that scared the absolute shit. Did I steal your other one? No, no, no, no. Okay. It was very, it was very,

very close. I had another, I had another situation where I'm going to talk about an author twice. So like, where you were like, I don't know if I should do it to Norric Naur. I was like, I don't know if I should do this author twice, but I'm going to. So. Oh, nice. Yeah. No, it's not. It's not. But I was very, very close because that was one of the first books I read that, not. was Nordic noir but gave me that really visceral reaction. It's so creepy. You will think for like days after the fact you'll be like who all can see me right now like no matter where you are

and like who's watching me. Um, but this one is it's a part of the detective Yona Linna series. And um, it basically the national crime unit that he works for receives a of a young woman in her home and she's not aware that she's being watched and right after they receive the video they send people there and she is just like horribly horribly murdered um

just a really really bad murder um yeah so then they get another video of another person and now they're working against the clock to try to hopefully save that person um so he um basically starts working with all kinds of people to try to figure out like how he can even profile who's doing this but it is like you get I don't think it's a spoiler to say like you kind of get these little vignettes with the characters like as they're being stalked even when they don't know they are and it is so creepy like even though you only spend like a chapter with them or or so like something like that like you feel so immersed in like what's happening in their life literally leading up to their death.

And it is just, it's insane. It's so creepy. And I liked the ending a lot. I liked how everything came together too. Yeah. Yeah. I love that one. I can't get enough of it.

I think it's so scary. And there's something about like, I don't know. There's something about like, have you really done anything like embarrassing by yourself? And you're like, oh, God. Like that would be like if somebody saw that, you know, like whether, like, whatever it is.

And whatever your definition of embarrassing is. But, like, you're like, oh, my God. Like, I hope I don't have a stalker because, like, if they saw that, like, that would be really embarrassing. Yeah. Like, I'll do it sometimes if I have, like, my earbuds in and I'm, like, doing housework. And I'll, like, do, like, a dumb dance move or be, like, totally, like, lip syncing for my life.

Yep. But, like, there's something about, like, reading a book, which features somebody, like, normal everyday life. You know what I mean? And like for this instance, it would be like, oh, like, we were recording our podcast, like, everything seems normal. The only thing I'm concerned about right now is, like, not killing my dog during this. And, like, you know, like, getting through the episode.

But, like, meanwhile, there could be somebody outside, like, watching me. So, like, the contrast between them being, like, this is my mundane everyday activity. Yeah. And, like, knowing that there's someone watching them and, like, they have really bad intentions is just, you know, I mean, not that there's, like, cute lovey-dovey stalkers, but you know, there's Joe Goldberg. But it's just like so scary. And then like, I can't imagine the stress of the police as well.

Like, especially after the first video when they're like, we're going to save her. We found her. Like the excitement of being like, okay, like we're doing our job. She is dead. And then like when they get another video, they're like, oh, fuck. Like, are we already too late? How do we catch this guy?

So like, there's just so many different. like levels of like terrifying on that that like I just can't even yeah like think I get like anxiety when I just like think about that book yes same it was so unnerving yeah it's just so scary it's so good it's so good we're gonna literally scare everyone this month with our picks yeah we're gonna terrify everyone. My next one is really terrifying. There's a lot of things that I can't say as to why it's scary because it's a spoiler, but there's just a lot going on in the plot.

But mine is the sundown motel by Simone St. James. I can squeeze this into any recommendation, but it's like especially important this month because it's so atmospheric. and like when you read the synopsis or you hear about it, like everything she writes is like exactly what your like worst fear is. Yeah. But basically like in upstate New York, in 1982, there is a place called the Sundown Motel,

which is like your average like motel that people stay at, like as they're passing through town, which kind of makes things even scarier too because like, what is somebody going to do when they're in town anyway? Right. So there's a woman who works as the night clerk and she begins to experience like strange and weird things and like wonders if it could be like something a lot more sinister than what it is or if like her true biggest fears are coming to life. There's a paranormal element to it. But it's written in the sense of like you feel like you're watching a movie.

So like I don't love paranormal. in my books. But like I loved it in this because it's very like, it's very like small in the sense of like this could be paranormal or it could be somebody fucking with her. So she ends up like experiencing these things completely disappears. And then I think like 35 years later, her niece is like always wondering what happened to her aunt when she was like working there. So she like goes. of the town to try to like do her own investigation, see if she can get answers out of people, you know, armchair detective out in the wild. And what she experiences is when she's trying to figure out what's going on, she actually ends up working as the night clerk and begins to have similar experiences that her aunt had before she disappeared.

So it's really freaking good. Yeah. It's so scary and so creepy. I still need to read that one too. it's kind of like you know when you like watch a movie and they show like the creepy motel with like the forest behind it and it's like pitch black out and pouring down rain and like yeah that's exactly what you picture when you're reading this book so my next one will always stick with me and I will always remember it because of how much it scared the shit out of me and it's called her every fear by peter swanson having a hiccup attack this one is about a girl woman, girl woman named Kate, who is a little bit neurotic and has basically a lot of anxiety and panic attacks because one of her ex-boyfriends kidnapped her and almost killed her. So that has, like, colored how she lives her life for a really long time. and one of her cousins from Boston suggests they swap apartments for a couple weeks or a couple months.

And she's living in London and is feeling just kind of like less and less safe and more and more nervous that that guy is still trying to get to her. So she takes the opportunity and moves into his apartment and some weird stuff starts happening with the people that she meets. So there's like lots of tension in like you feel how anxious she is the whole time that this guy might show up again. And then the ending makes you even more scared. But I can't say anything about it. So the ending will make you scared for days after it. Yeah. Yeah.

That was such a good book. That's like one of my favorites by him. I actually reading back and forth between that and the kind worth killing us to like which one I like more. Yeah. I just remember something with the ending of that one, I won't say, but I was like, I was like, oh my God. Like, he just went there. Yeah. Yeah.

I think that one in the kind of killing are my top, my favorite of his for sure. Oh, for sure. Yeah. There's something with him, too, that, like, he just, like, took something, like, I don't want to say he stole the idea, but, like, it's very similar to the holiday, the movie. where they swap houses and stuff. And, but like, I just think it's so interesting how he did it and he turned it into something completely terrifying. Because, like, you know, in like, in a movie, like, have you ever seen where people like rework a movie trailer?

But they change the music so that it seems scary. And it just like reminds me of that because like in the holiday, I'm like, this is one of my comfort movies. I love watching this every Christmas. Like, it's so cute. I love it. He, he, he. And then, like, The next thing I know, like, I'm watching it.

And then, like, somebody named Peter Swanson had the idea of like, oh, like, instead of having it be like something cute and fun, like, why don't we just build something horrifying? Mm-hmm. Yes. You know, it's, um. That's a really good comparison. I like that. It's just, it's so scary. And it's so, and I also like, I like how he did, like, a locked room mystery as, like, a.

suspense. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. Because it is mostly taking place in her apartment. Yeah. There's the part of it. That part of it kind of feels like Watcher as well. Yeah. Yeah. I was going to say Watcher. And my God, there's this old 90s movie with Sharon Stone in it, one of the Baldwin boys. And it's like Sharon Stone moves into this beautiful, like, high rise apartment building. And like they're like, oh, are you new here? And she's like, oh, yeah, he, and they're like, you look very familiar. And, like, everyone's being, like, sketchy. And it's because the woman who lived in the apartment before her was murdered. And she looks, like, identical to her. Oh, my God.

But, like, the thing that I really liked with the Peter Swanson one is that, like, it's not only a new apartment. It's an entire new place that she's unfamiliar. Yes. You know, so, like, it's not like she's in London and just got a new apartment. can like go with her friends or family or like find something else go back to her old place. So there's like just like something very isolating.

Yes. We knew where we were. We're so fun. We're so fun. But yeah, I love that one. We're fun and scary tonight. Yeah. Creepy little bitches.

Yes. Um, well. one thing I've been doing in October is obviously rewatching the entire Halloween franchise. Yes, for sure. Even the bad ones, which there were three in a row. I was like, oh, fuck me. That's some dedication. But, yeah, there's something.

I wanted to, I've said this before. Like, I wanted to rewatch all of the Friday the 13th Nightmare and Elm Street and Halloween movies. Mm-hmm. Because I'd never seen every single one in each franchise. franchise. Right. So right now I'm on Halloween, but there's something about like a town bogeyman, a babysitter being like by herself, you know. So everyone's like kind of like, oh, like babysitting was like boring. You know, like, oh, babysitting, like whatever. But there's something like creepy about it. So there's actually a book coming out. Murphy, get over here. Murphy.

It sounds so loud to me when he's barking. Yeah. As some reason, your mic doesn't pick it up. Oh, thank God. Yeah. But there's a book coming out in January called Midnight on Beacon Street by Emily Ruth Verona. And it says it's a debut thriller, which is a love letter to vintage horror movies. So it takes place in October 1993.

It says one night, one house. one dead body. Single mother, Eleanor, goes out for a much needed date night. Amy is her two young children in the capable hands of their sitter Amy. Amy is a quiet 17-year-old who is good at looking after the children, even though she has an anxiety disorder. But she loves horror movies. And it calms her, which I can relate to because I also have anxiety, but I love horror movies. So, you know, evening starts out normal enough with like pizza, like fun shit like that.

But it's in the quiet suburban New Jersey suburb, quiet New Jersey suburb. But things take a terrifying turn, including unexpected visitors of the door and the serious phone calls. And by midnight, the little boy that she's watching is standing in a pool of blood with a dead body at his feet. Damn. So, I mean, I'm led to. And the cover is so cool. The cover is gorgeous. I'm obsessed. I love the cover so much. But, you know, it's one of those things where

this little monster. He's like, hey, guys, I've just been being a little shit. He's a guest tonight. He's like, my babysitter is going to be standing in a pool of blood when somebody messes with me. Yes. Nobody messes with my little pup. But, yeah, it just kind of sounds like Halloween to me. Yeah. And maybe like the movie when a stranger calls. But I'm very excited for it. And I can honestly say, even though it doesn't come out until January, as soon as my

advanced copy arrives, which I'm hoping is soon. Nudge, nudge to the publisher. As soon as it gets there, like, I am picking it up. I hope it's this week that I get it because I'm on vacation next week and I would love to read it. Yeah, it would be perfect Perfect Murphy He's like I want to be

I want to be scared too I love being scared booky boogie boogie Hey little bud with your tongue out He's so cute He wants to chew on my hands She's not letting him He just loves it So yeah that sounds really good

And I'm very excited to read it So it comes out in January I love that I have one that comes out January as well. Oh. And it's so the synopsis doesn't necessarily sound as creepy as what we're going for. But I've seen people talk about how it's creepy and horror is listed as one of those genres.

So who knows what all happens. But the synopsis says Meg works for a casino in L.A. Catching cheaters and popping a few too many pain pills to cope following a far different path than her sister Haley, who's a famous actress, but suddenly reports surface of Haley dying at a remote rehab facility where she had been forced to go to get her addictions under control. There are whispers of suicide, but Meg doesn't believe it. She decides that the best way to find out what happened to her sister is to check in herself to investigate what really happened from the inside. Battling her own addictions and figuring out the truth will be much more difficult that she imagined,

far away from friends, family, and anyone who can help her. And if you look at the cover, the cover looks creepy as fuck too. And it's like a kind of like an old Victorian house on a cliff with a bunch of fog around it. So I'm very excited to see where the story goes. It sounds very good. And I would love to read it. But you didn't tell us the name or the author yet. I didn't say the name at all.

Oh, my God. You were like, you're like this one has like a little bit. little horror so like who knows what I'm going to get myself into but it's about Amy. Oh my gosh. And I was like, because I was like wondering. I mean, that checks out. That checks out. So the book that I just talked about is called The Clinic by Kate Quinn.

Okay. I do have that. Yeah. Yeah. The cover is really creepy looking. Someone else talked about it being creepy. I wouldn't expect creepy necessarily from the synopsis. But I'm assuming like if you're in an old, there we go, an old, a big.

abandoned Victorian rehab facility trying to see if they're like killing people probably gets creepy. Well, I think the thing is too is that like location obviously like terrifies you, but like there's something about like a rehab facility in general that like you just like showing up somewhere where like terrible things have like happened and you know that they've happened. You know what I mean? Like not even like supernatural or like sinister, but like there are people there who probably like, you know, relapsed and overdosed or like didn't, you know, their treatment didn't work out. So I'm just very excited to read that one as well. Yeah. I'm excited. But yeah, the cover's gorgeous. Covers gorgeous. Once you knew what the book was. Well, my next one, I'm, I don't want to say I'm cheating because like we can make our own rules, right? Yeah. But I feel a little bad talking

about it now because it comes out in March. But like it's the new. St. James one. Is that yours? No, but my next one comes out in March. Oh. That's so crazy. I love it. Yeah. But I was like, you know, Simone St. James, like, it's always like an appropriate time to request it on that galley or, you know, if added to your TBR, but like she just, you know, I read the first book that I ever read by her, I read in March. And it like hits just as hard in the spring as it does in the fall. So. It's actually called Murder Road. Okay. And it's in the summer of 1995 where April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn while they are driving somewhere. Let me see. They took a wrong turn.

So did I. So they're looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. So my kind of people, like I do not want to go to like a destination vehicle. vacation for my honeymoon if I ever get married. But no. That'll be a whole other episode. Yeah. Don't marry these people.

Yeah. With a spot what appears to be a lone hitchhiker along a deserted road, they stopped to help. But after the hitchhiker gets into their car, they see blood seeping from her jacket. And a truck is like flying down the road toward them. The hitchhiker does end up dying at the local hospital. And they find themselves like dealing with the police. appears that unexplained murders have been happening along that road for years, and the cops finally have two people who are their only suspects.

So not only are they the only witnesses, but they're the only suspects. And they kind of, you know, in order to clear their names, dig into the history of the town and that road specifically, and learn that there's something supernatural at work. So. Wow. That one sounds really fun. Oh, it sounds so good. So good. It's so scary.

And I'll say it. Like, Simone St. James has this way of, like, putting supernatural elements in her story that, like, I will always read a Simone St. James book. But, like, I'm very hesitant to read supernatural elements in other books because, like, I'm like, I don't know. You know, like, even when I watch. Sometimes she's used as, like, a cop out. Like it's just like an easy explanation. Not naming anyone specific, but yes. No.

No. Not all. Sometimes the supernatural elements, I'm just like, yeah, when they spring it on you. I think the thing that I like about her is that like people are used to the fact that there are supernatural elements in her books. So it's not like she just like does it like one and done. Yeah. But yeah, they just remind me of like the movies that have a supernatural element to it, but they're so well done that like you believe in it you know like i believe in some supernatural things but like

even though i love the show stranger things like i could never read a book that's like that's like that because i'd be so lost yeah you know yeah just because there's so many different supernatural elements i only saw like a couple of episodes of stranger things so that's why i was blanking just like any of them uh-huh murphy stop it i almost God, God, you're being horrible. Bad report card. Nasty, naughty boy. I have like a thing that I say to him now and I swear to God he thinks it's funny.

But like, if he hasn't been out in a little bit, I'm like, okay, let's go potty so we don't end up being naughty. Like, you know, peeing on the floor. But he's just like, okay, like shut up. But you're not funny, dad. I think he's getting maybe like a teenager and just thinks that like all of my shenanigans are not entertaining. He's definitely in his teenage phase. He's definitely a little asshole. Yeah.

But yeah, I love Simone St. James. So I'm really looking for the Murder Road. And I hope that it works for me. Yeah, totally. Well, I'll say the title of my next one before I forget to say the title. But my next one comes out in March. Or my next one comes out in March as well. And it's called The Alone Time by El Mar.

And actually, Steph, books in Badgerland, actually kind of, have sent this to me before I had like seen anything about it. Well. And she was like, I'm hearing this has, um, yellow jackets vibes. And I was like, okay, I'm going to go request this immediately. So it is about Fiona and Violet sang and they were just children when their families, Cessna crash landed in the Washington wilderness claiming the lives of their parents. For 12 harrowing weeks, the girls offended for themselves before being rescued.

25 years later, they're still moving on from the trauma. Fiona repurposes it into controversial works of art, but Violet has battled addiction and failed relationships to finally progress toward normalcy as a writer. The estranged sisters never speak about what they call their alone time in the wild. They wouldn't dare until they become the subject of a documentary that renews public fascination with the girl survivors and questions their version of events.

When disturbing details about the saying, family are exposed, a strange woman claims to know the crash was deliberate. Fiona and Violet must come together to face the horrifying truth of what happened there and what they learned about their parents and themselves before any other secrets emerge from the woods. Damn. creepy and mysterious and secretive and who knows what all directions it'll go in. Yeah, there's a lot going on there. There's a lot going on there. And it seems like I I love reading books about relationships between sisters. Yeah.

Especially in a thriller setting. Mm-hmm. So you've actually added to Nice. TVR tonight because that sounds really good. Yeah, they are about sister stories. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

But very different. I'm excited to revoke them. I think the thing is, too, is that women are just naturally smarter than men. So, like, if there's... I mean, they are. Like, let's be honest. Yes.

I'm a fucking idiot. I am, God, don't even get me started. The fact that God made me a man and gay, who, I can fully assume that most women out there are a lot smarter than I am. Yeah, maybe. So I think that's the thing that I enjoy about, like, sister stories

is that if there is something where one of them is being, like, a little, like, naughty girl who's, like, plotting something devious, that, like, you know it's going to be a good book because women are naturally smarter than men. I'm not going to argue with it. Like if it was two guys, it would be a three-page book because you'd be like, book, you're right, punch him in the face. But if it's like a woman, she's like, you know, like, I'm going to start planning this revenge

two years before you even piss me off because women are actually smart for men. Like, or be like, I'm going to like really get you where it hurts because. Yeah. I'm not messing around with me. So yeah I'm excited to read that one I think that I might read that one here soon like it just feels like a fall read for me

Oh I'm definitely reading murder road next week So I see yeah Yeah yeah I'm doing it I decided Yeah Fuck yeah So yeah those are our

Those are our scary I was trying to think of an S word that would match But it doesn't Are scary recommendations Yeah feel free to join in and read whatever you want that's terrifying and be a little fucking creep with us