6 Books To Get You In The Halloween Spirit
Wolfpack Publishing author, Michael Newton has been fascinated by horror mixing with Westerns since he saw Curse of the Undead, about a vampire gunfighter, on his birthday in 1959.
“Other movies followed, and a whole “Weird West” genre grew up in print. I've had Thorn on my mind for 20-odd years, but it took the collapse of my two top publishers in 2014 to clear the decks and force my hand. I have other stories roughed out but who knows when—or if—they will ever appear?”
When asked what genre he found easiest to write, Wolfpack Publishing author, Stephen Mertz said thrillers.
“I’m a thriller writer. Of course, that takes in many sub-categories like the private eye novel, the spy story, the chase plot and so on, but I’d have to say that, as a reader, my favorite thrillers are by writers like Dan Brown and movie directors like Alfred Hitchcock who take everyday people and throw them into a life-and-death race against the clock with an interesting setting. Those are the ingredients I put into my own writing.“
Spooky reads may not be your thing, but good fiction is good fiction, no matter the genre. Here are a list of six books to put you in the Halloween spirit, no matter your tastes.
Below by Michael Newton
Essential Ingredient: Ghosts
Six university students, all members of Reno Paranormal, embark on an investigation of a “haunted” silver mine in eastern Nevada, seeking explanations for a grisly series of deaths and disappearances in the vicinity, spanning eight decades. Some of the team are skeptics, others have experience with paranormal forces–but none are prepared for the horrible secret they find underground, in the depths of the Silver Princess. Fighting for their lives to reach daylight and freedom, who will live, and who will join the mine's legion of ghosts?
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
Small Town Murders by James Dyet
Essential Ingredient: Murder & Mystery
Marston, Pennsylvania, was often shrouded in fog, but suddenly it found itself shrouded in mystery. It started one Saturday night when Pastor Jake Thompson discovered two dead bodies in his baptismal tank. Soon, young women were being strangled and thrown into Marston’s creek. Enormous shock seized that small town, but the shock was equally enormous when they learned the murderer’s identity.
Genre: Mystery
Night Wind by Stephen Mertz
Essential Ingredient: Serial Killer
Robin Curtis and her son Paul have come to Devil Creek to start over after her bitter divorce. Also new to the area is Mike Landware, a writer haunted by the death of his wife. Neither of them is looking for love or trouble, but in Devil Creek, it's possible they'll find both.
At first Devil Creek seems like an idyllic small town, but it's not long until things begin to go horribly wrong. A young hoodlum takes an automatic weapon into town for a killing spree that shocks everyone. The same night, a serial killer begins stalking the women of the community. When Paul goes missing in the mountains, it's up to Robin and Mike to find him and to find out what's going on in their new home . . . before it's too late and another victim is added to the growing death toll.
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Memory of Blood by C.K. Crigger
Essential Ingredient: Outlaws
Perry Outworthy has a gruesome childhood memory of blood swirling through water and his mother falling dead on top of him. He knows who killed her, although the sheriff didn’t believe him when the child spoke up. Or was the sheriff afraid of Harlan Greene too? Perry grows up vowing to someday discover why Harlan Greene murdered his mother. But when after fifteen years the outlaw returns to town on the night of the big dance, Perry’s urge for vengeance gets in the way of knowledge.
Genre: Western Mystery
The Vision by Jason Lawson
Essential Ingredients: Time Travel
There’s a grey area between life and death…
… and it’s a place few people get to visit and return from. When down on his luck, Native American Henry Peters gets tricked into testing an unapproved drug by a corrupt scientist. He’s taken on a journey back in time to an ancient Indian village where he finds his deceased wife alive and well. But once the drug wears off, Henry is unable to cope with reality, and he goes on the run from the scientist who will stop at nothing – even murder – to keep himself from going to prison.
Genre: Metaphysical Horror
Cold Killer by John Legg
Essential Ingredients: Death
Death is stalking the White Mountains of Arizona. A White Mountain College student dies in a car crash. Another is dead of an overdose. A third is raped and beaten to death by two hard-core bikers, who then kill each other in a remote cabin. None of it makes sense to Jake Hawthorne, chief deputy sheriff of Mangas County. His suspicions grow when the FBI and CIA urge him to ignore it all. But Hawthorne can’t do that. In pressing the matter, he finds himself in a swirl of intrigue, threats — and a heart-pounding chase through the snow-covered mountains.
Genre: Crime Thriller