By KEVIN HOOVER
With the sweaty, humid days of summer soon roiling the calm cool of spring and inevitably leading to beach-bound vacays, book lovers have a plethora of new terrors to throw into their getaway bags, including one by a J-horror enigma. Grab one or grab ‘em all, and remember: there’s no better way to keep the sun from frying your retinas than with a good book!
BEAST: A Novel
Richard Van Camp
Douglas & McIntyre
June 3rd – Pre-order Now
This latest feat of storytelling magic by celebrated author Richard Van Camp blends sharply observed realism and hair-raising horror as it plays out against a 1980s-era backdrop replete with Platinum Blonde songs and episodes of Degrassi Junior High. Set in the fictional town of Fort Simmer, Northwest Territories as previous Van Camp stories, Beast delivers a gripping, spirited tale that pits the powers of tradition against the pull of a vengeful past.
Strange Houses
Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion
HarperVia
June 3rd – Pre-order Now
When a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance, he finds himself investigating an eerie house for sale in Tokyo. At first, with its bright and spacious interior, it seems the perfect first home. But upon closer inspection, the building’s floor plans reveal a mysterious “dead space” hidden between its walls. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plans with his friend Kurihara, an architect, only to discover more unnerving details throughout.
From the bestselling author of the wildly inventive Strange Pictures and a phenomenon in Japan – unnatural layouts, trap doors, windowless rooms – a sinister conspiracy is concealed within a house’s warped and unsettling floor plans.
A Girl Walks into the Forest
Madeleine Roux
Quill Tree Books
June 10th – Pre-order Now
For as long as she can remember, Valla’s been told her beauty would give her a life most people only dreamed of. When the mysterious Count Leonid calls on her to be his betrothed, Valla jumps at the chance to leave her small, bleak village. The only thing standing in her way? The journey through the dangerous Gottyar Wood that many don’t survive.
Filled with deadly and cunning creatures, the Gottyar immediately delivers on its reputation with an attack that leaves Valla injured; her face torn to shreds. Barely making it to the castle in one piece, Valla is relieved to finally be safe. But things have changed. Valla’s face is no longer beautiful. And the Count is not happy …
Midsommar meets The Shadows Between Us in this alluring mash-up of horror and fairy tale.
CodeSkull
Chloe Spencer
Mad Axe Media
June 17th – Pre-order Now
Drawing inspiration from classic video games, CodeSkull centers on an ambitious arcade gamer, Mick, who is one day gifted a floppy disc of an RPG game by her rival, Tommy. But when she plays it, she inadvertently unleashes a terrifying technological creature that can infest and overload any electrically powered object. After their classmate meets a grisly end, the two must team up in order to save their small town-and possibly the world-from annihilation …
In her entry into the Totally Freaked! series, Chloe Spencer takes pre-2000s tech panic and gamer culture for a nostalgic ’90s horror ride!
Smile for the Cameras
Miranda Smith
Bantam
June 24th – Pre-order Now
Twenty years ago, Ella Winters was the it girl. She made a name for herself in Hollywood and throughout America as the sole survivor in the cult-classic slasher Grad Night. But the real horror is what happened when the cameras weren’t rolling – something terrible that Ella and her co-stars agreed never to speak of again. Shortly after the movie’s premiere, Ella disappeared from the acting scene under the pretense of caring for her ailing mother, hoping for a quiet life out of the spotlight to ease her guilty mind.
Since her mother’s passing, Ella has decided to return to the silver screen. And with the cast and crew of Grad Night in the process of filming a reunion documentary, Ella has an express ticket back into Hollywood’s good graces. Weighed down by the secret she’s been keeping all these years, Ella apprehensively makes the trip to the original set – a cabin in rural Tennessee – to reunite with her castmates for the first time in more than a decade. But when the actors begin to meet the same gruesome fates as the characters they originally played, falling victim to someone dressed as the Grad Night villain, it’s clear their secret is out.
*Purchases made through any included links will directly benefit independent bookstores and could result in compensation for RUE MORGUE. Release dates are subject to change.
