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The warning
by James Patterson
Starring: Mount Hope natives Maggie and Jordan, who return to their hometown after a freak power-plant accident.
The Story: As the first anniversary of the mishap approaches, it becomes clear that something is very wrong. As friends and family morph into terrifying strangers, Maggie and Jordan's search for the truth puts them in the path of a sinister presence.
Additional reading: Check out Under the Dome by Stephen King and The Taking by Dean Koontz for additional small town horror novels.
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| The Brink by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth What happens: After subterranean creatures escape from the New York City subway, former mayor Tom Cafferty and his team must save the world from apocalypse -- and the secret organization that may be responsible for the carnage.
Series alert: The Brink is the 2nd in the bestselling Awakened series.
Book buzz: Crucible author James Rollins calls The Brink "a white-knuckled rollercoaster." |
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| The Poison Thread by Laura PurcellStarring: imprisoned seamstress Ruth Butterham, who is convinced her stitches have the power to kill; and phrenology-obsessed heiress Dorothea Truelove, who hopes Ruth will be a useful object of study.
Why you might like it: Featuring a pair of unreliable narrators and an evocative Victorian-era setting, this creepy Gothic novel will keep readers guessing about its characters' motivations and the secrets they keep.
Want a taste? "The more she picked at the rope, the more it seemed to resemble a pile of human hair in her lap." |
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Hollywood North : Life, Love & Death in Six Reels
by Michael Libling
The story: As grownups succumb to collective amnesia, teens Gus, Jack and Annie set aside their differences to combat insidious forces spawned by their hometown’s silent-moviemaking past.
For fans of: leisurely paced yet menacing coming-of-age tales. Hollywood North is set in 1960s Ontario, evoking feelings of nostalgia.
Similar titles: For additional menacing and leisurely paced horror novels, check out Perfume: the Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind, set in 18th century France.
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Adaptations and Retellings
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| Winter Tide by Ruthanna EmrysWhat it is: an inventive dark fantasy mash-up of Cthulhu Mythos and Cold War espionage and paranoia.
Starring: siblings Aphra and Caleb Marsh, the last of Innsmouth's amphibious Deep Ones, who are recruited as spies by the very government that sent their people to internment camps.
Series alert: Winter Tide is the first book in the Innsmouth Legacy series, followed by Deep Roots. |
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| The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValleWhat it's about: In 1920s Harlem, a young African American con artist named Charles Thomas Tester struggles to make ends meet for himself and his dying father while treading on the borders of an occult realm.
What sets it apart: This atmospheric retelling of H.P. Lovecraft's short story "The Horror at Red Hook" cleverly deconstructs the racism of its source material by putting a black man front and center.
Book buzz: A Bram Stoker Award finalist, The Ballad of Black Tom won the 2016 Shirley Jackson Award and the 2017 British Fantasy Award. |
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| Hyde by Daniel LevineWhat it is: a violent reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 classic Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this time told from the perspective of the monstrous Edward Hyde.
Read it for: a vividly drawn character study and an intense mad scientist drama that will satisfy fans of both horror and psychological suspense.
Is it for you? This ambitious novel will best be appreciated by those familiar with Stevenson's original novella -- luckily, it's included here as an appendix. |
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| The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzieWhat it's about: In this creepy young adult novel based on the YouTube series of the same name, 16-year-old Sunshine Griffith discovers that her new home in Washington state is haunted -- and that she alone may possess the power to help the restless spirits move on.
Series alert: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl is followed by The Awakening of Sunshine Girl and The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl.
Reviewers say: "Suspenseful, exciting and endlessly entertaining" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Anne Arundel County Public Library 5 Harry S. Truman Pkwy. Annapolis, Maryland 21401 410-222-7371https://www.aacpl.net |
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