C. J. Daley

This is Christine Bennett mystery # 5, which naturally I’ve never heard of, so why not pick up a random one for Christmas.

In all seriousness though, this actually does a great job of filling you in on needed information while not being an info dump. Nor does it feel like you’re lacking for not reading the others. I was pleasantly surprised.

This series started in the nineties, and in today’s world would probably be marketed under ‘cozy’, which just seems to mean it lacks the “on screen” violence of most modern mystery/thrillers. The deaths are for the most part less gruesome or in this case, completely unknown until the very end, as the person is missing.

It’s written well, and has a simple style that added to my enjoyability. It being included for free on audible also certainly helped, as I may not have picked it up otherwise being in the middle of a series and all, although I do like the cover a lot.

Christine “Chris” Bennett almost became a nun, now she’s an amateur sleuth instead. Her husband is an NYPD officer, and tries to help, but she does the connecting of dots all on her own. So when one of her favorite priests goes missing on Christmas, she’s pulled back into a blend of her old and new worlds.

Personally a 4/5*. Liked it, but was kind of light on the Christmas.

I actually preordered a paperback of this, but I’ve been too busy to get to it. The author very kindly sent me over an audible code, so I was able to fit it in sooner. Sadly there is a short story where you are not supposed to say the rhyme out loud so now I am unfortunately cursed. Alex Schiffer does a pretty solid job with narration though.

This collection features 15 short stories, some of which have been published elsewhere before, but were entirely new to me. One of the cool things about them being from other anthologies is that you are getting a slew of locales and types of horror in this single collection, nothing reads as one note.

My personally favorite was Percepto! not only in its shock value, but also for the classic Vincent Price. A close runner up was Sally Under the Bed, which to me felt almost like Hendrix’s Ankle Snatcher but from a younger perspective and somehow even creepier.

Naturally, I’m really here to talk about It Haunts the Mind. The collection’s namesake, but also a short story from the world of The Exorcist’s House (which I absolutely loved). I believe this fits somewhere within the opening of the novel and the family moving into the vacated house. Three teens plan to get drunk and look around. They’ve heard rumors, but they aren’t scared. Fans will see a familiar face, and be haunted by a familiar, foul-mouthed presence. With it being short it doesn’t quite hit the same level of creepy, but I enjoyed the extra layer in background.

Personally a 4.5/5*.

I am, as ever, a little late. I received this from NetGalley, but wanted to wait for the correct seasonal feel.

This has a bit of an issue with formatting, but I was able to get through it, and the writing is easy to read and without typos. The book does feature artwork throughout, but the style isn’t always the same, and some of them are actually almost creepy when they aren’t meant to be.

This is a reimagining of the story of Santa Claus. It starts with an immigrant toy maker and his toy shop. He eventually adopts two orphans that have good carving skills, and makes them his apprentices. One of the children ends up being Santa. The strange thing to me with the story though, is that it almost seems to not be about Santa at all. His real name is John Nicholas, and things happen around him, and he just kind of becomes Santa. He’s not really the whimsical, saintly guy we’ve come to think of. He does deliver toys to the children of the world, however it wasn’t even his idea or plan.

I did find enjoyment in this story, but the writing style felt more like note taking/plot points rather then the telling of an actual story. Also with some of the content and the way it’s written, I’m not even sure what the age group it’s aiming for is. Personally a 3/5*.

I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team. The author also had it up for free on kindle, so I grabbed it for a verified review.

This prequel novella caught me off guard. It’s not only a post apocalyptic story, but also a scifi/futuristic story. The blend of which worked really well for me. It also read as withholding information on purpose, rather than just waiting for the full length novel like some other prequels do, which I appreciated, and it definitely kept me wanting.

Our gritty main character, Thibault, will do anything to free his wife. Sometimes that grittiness made it a little hard to believe the loving/longing relationship he still holds for his wife, but I had to keep reminding myself that it’s also post apocalypse, so people change and do whatever they have to to survive. When faced with an ultimatum, a final job, one that forces him to do something practically suicidal or never see his wife again, of course he must agree.

I thought the stakes were high and mostly were delivered on. I do wish some of that withheld information was explained a bit more by the end, but it was certainly intriguing and would read more.

I would be remiss to not mention the main factor that detracted from my enjoyment of the book though, which took it from a solid 5* down a notch. At the end of the book, there is a call to action to sign up for the author’s newsletter to receive a bonus epilogue. Personally and unfortunately, to me, the epilogue comes post story, but is typically integral to the lead up to the following book. To me that makes it necessary reading, not a “bonus” and that lack of accessibility hurt it overall. Like receiving 90% of the book you thought you bought. So personally a 4/5* for me.