BOO! Pick up a scary read for Halloween!

 - A close up of a newspaper - Graphic design

BOO! Pick up a scary read for Halloween! 

Spooky! A good scary story is what this holiday is all about and here are some spooky reads to satisfy your Halloween sweet tooth. Warning: you may find yourself sleeping with one eye open.

 - A close up of a sign - The Family Upstairs: A Novel

The Family Upstairs
By Lisa Jewel

Libby Jones has turned 25 years old and she awaits the letter that will reveal her true identity. As it turns out, it offers little more than inheritance instructions and is shockingly more elaborate than she ever imagined, a mansion in the very posh neighborhood of Chelsea. When Libby was an infant the police discovered her alone in this house. A crying baby abandoned alongside three dead bodies. A note regarding her care and the corpses lying side by side suggesting a suicide pact. The sparse food, minimal furnishings and handmade clothing offering the impression of cult behavior. The police accept the scenario, close the case and the baby is adopted. The burning question is what happened to the other four children who lived in this house? Libby is convinced the answers are hidden within these walls. Lock the doors and leave on the light while you immerse yourself in this unputdownable chilling thriller.

 

 - A close up of a book - The Rules of Magic

The Rules of Magic
By Alice Hoffman

The Owens family has been cursed and feared since the early 1600’s when Maria Owens was tried and convicted for witchery. The family has to live by certain rules; no crows, no cats, no intent to harm and most importantly — to never fall truly in love. Susanna runs away from their small Massachusetts town to get lost in the crowds of NYC. She marries, not for love but for companionship. They have three beautiful children and although they try, the Owens cannot ignore the powers they were given and blood that runs through their veins. Franny, the eldest beauty leads and protects her siblings Jet and Vincent, never straying from her responsibilities. The Rules of Magic is the prequel to the bestselling book and blockbuster film “Practical Magic.” This is the story of Franny and Jet’s childhood and how they came to be the loved and fearsome spinster aunts to Gillian and Sally. Filled with spells, potions and promises, author Alice Hoffman could not have done a better job bringing us back into this magical world. 

 

 - A close up of a book - Don't Even Breathe

Don’t Even Breathe
By Keith Houghton

Maggie Novak is spending Halloween with her sister and niece in their quiet Florida suburb, trick-or-treating and parading their costumes with all their neighbors. As lead homicide detective she is called away to investigate a murder scene near a swampy lake out by the high school. Reported by two suspicious teenagers, a body burnt to a crisp is discovered. At the crime scene Maggie is flooded by memories of a night that has haunted her for the last 20 years. Although the body is unidentifiable, a purse reveals the license of a woman Maggie does not know. She is completely flummoxed when other clues suggest it is Rita, her childhood friend, who along with her entire family perished in a house fire two decades ago. These impossible coincidences lead Maggie down a treacherous path where she reveals double identities, revenge and murder. As evidence begins to converge Maggie must choose whether to distance herself from her past emotional trauma or follow these clues that betray long buried secrets. Nothing better than a Halloween Night murder to get you in the spooky spirit!

 

 - A close up of a logo - Everyone's A Critic

Everyone’s a critic
by Jennifer Weiner

And finally, a bonus. This eShort story is quick and creepy and only $1 on amazon.com.  

Laura Spellman is a talented, successful and bitter literary critic, making and breaking careers of every author she reviews. Never married and friendless, Laura feeds on the prestige of her position and prizes accumulated. As publishing world pressures mount, Laura can no longer avoid the request to take a group of book lovers on a literary tour through Paris. One traveler named Tess is a bouncy blonde who writes the commercial chick-lit Laura loathes. Tess’s bag of books begin to stalk her. Laura’s world is slowly collapsing as she begins to doubt her own reality. 

Karen Newfield
Karen Newfield is first and foremost a reader, she has reviewed hundreds of books on her blog www.readingandeating.com. And, more recently, this new Keys resident has also begun writing.