Gilded Needles by Michael McDowell

Gilded Needles, Michael McDowell, 1980 My favorite quote: “You are falling into inanity,” said Judge Stallworth coldly. “I have told you, the lower classes do not take revenge upon the upper.” (P.S. – like hell, they don’t) Notable characters: Black Lena Shanks; the family matriarch who heads a group of female criminals; Judge James Stallworth,

In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash

In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, Jean Shepherd, 1966 My favorite quote: “Heat, in Indiana, is something else again. It descends like a 300-pound fat lady onto a picnic bench in the middle of July. It can literally be sliced into chunks and stored away in the basement to use in winter; on

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Skipping Christmas, John Grisham, 2001 My favorite quote: “Why do we eat so much and drink so much in the celebration of the birth of Christ?” Notable characters: Luther and Nora Krank, a couple who want to break tradition; Vic Frohmeyer, the neighbor who won’t let them Most memorable scene: Luther, trying to get his

8 More Days For Your Free Book!

The Christmas edition of the Purple Probe is on its way! And if you sign up before December 31st, you’ll get a free ebook copy of our gothic thriller, The Ghosts of Ravencrest! In our free monthly newsletter, The Purple Probe, you’ll get character interviews, behind-the-scenes tell-alls, a gossip column that sheds light on the darkest

SEX: A Man’s Guide by Stefan Bechtel

Sex: A Man’s Guide, Stefan Bechtel, Laurence Roy Stains (tee, hee, hee — Stains), 1996 My favorite quote: “Some ancient philosophers thought that semen’s grayish froth was a little bit of the gray matter between our ears — and, therefore, not something to be indiscriminately spent.” Umm .. gray? I don’t know whose you’re looking

The Unloved by John Saul

The Unloved, John Saul, 1988 My favorite quote: “He pitched forward, his vision going black as he died. The last thing he saw was the scarlet gash of Marguerite’s mouth, twisted into a vicious parody of a victorious smile.” Notable characters: The Devereaux family, Kevin and Anne, and their children Jeff and Julie; Helena, Kevin’s

Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark

Silent Night, Mary Higgins Clark, 2000 My favorite quote: “God rest you merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay.” While this is obviously not the intellectual property of Ms. Higgins Clark, it’s the best collection of words in this book Notable characters: I don’t know that I’d call any of them “notable,” but the main characters

My Interview at Masters of Horror

What inspires me? What are my favorite novels? My greatest accomplishment? All this and more at Masters of Horror. I had a good time with this interview. Thank you, David Kempf, for inviting me.

Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow by James Howe

Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow, James Howe, 2006 My favorite quote: “Did you ever find yourself doing something that, even while you’re doing it, you’re asking yourself, “How did I get myself into this? Have I lost my mind?” Well this was one of those moments.” Notable characters: Harold, the canine author; Chester, the paranoid

Get Probed This Christmas!

The Christmas edition of the Purple Probe is on its way! And if you sign up before December 31st, you’ll get a free ebook copy of our gothic thriller, The Ghosts of Ravencrest! In our free monthly newsletter, The Purple Probe, you’ll get character interviews, behind-the-scenes tell-alls, a gossip column that sheds light on the

The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton

The Laughing Corpse, Laurell K. Hamilton, 1994 My favorite quote: “People say I’m a feminist, but in truth, I am an equalist. I believe that everyone, male and female, should be free to be whom and what they are. Not to fit into some tight cultural box.” Oh, and also, “Hope is a lying bitch.”

Discover Ravencrest Manor … FREE Now!

From now until December 31st, you’ll get one free ebook copy of our paranormal thriller, The Ghosts of Ravencrest, by subscribing to our free monthly newsletter, The Purple Probe. In The Purple Probe, you’ll get character interviews, behind-the-scenes tell-alls, a gossip column that sheds light on the darkest monsters in the Thorne & Cross Universe,

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, 1843 My favorite quote: The opening line: “Marley was dead, to begin with.” What a great way to start  Notable characters: Ebenezer Scrooge, a heartless miser who finds redemption Most memorable scene: My favorite scenes have always been those early moments when the spookiness is just beginning to take shape.

Dividend on Death by Brett Halliday

Dividend on Death, Brett Halliday, 1939 My favorite quote: “After carefully spreading the damp gown on the toasting tray, he closed the oven door and left it to dry, reflecting on the convenience of being able to destroy evidence while you prepared breakfast.” Notable characters: Mike Shayne, the PI; Phyllis Brighton, the damsel in distress

Guardian by John Saul

Guardian, John Saul, 1993 My favorite quote: “Suddenly MaryAnne Carpenter had an uneasy feeling that there was a dark facet to Joey Wilkenson’s personality that she knew nothing about. A darkness she was just beginning to see.” Notable characters: Joey Wilkenson, a boy with special abilities; MaryAnne Carpenter, Joey’s godmother; Alison and Logan Carpenter, his

Bacchanal by Veronica G. Henry

Bacchanal, Veronica G. Henry, 2021 My favorite quote: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”  Notable characters: Eliza (Liza) Meeks, the new recruit; Clay, the talent scout; Jamey, his assistant Most memorable scene: There are a few that stand out, but my heart will always belong

Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming

Live and Let Die, Ian Fleming, 1954 My favorite quote: “The gain to the winner is always less than the loss to the loser.” Notable characters: James Bond, agent 007; Felix Leiter, Bond’s friend in the CIA; Mr. Big, the Voodoo Baron of Death; Solitaire, Mr. Big’s fortune-telling employee Most memorable scene: The note pinned

The Servants of Twilight by Dean Koontz

The Servants of Twilight, Dean Koontz, 1984 My favorite quote: “It began in sunshine, not on a dark and stormy night.” (Best opening line ever, IMO) Notable characters: Chrsitine Scavello, the single mom; Joey, her son; Charlie Harrison, the PI; Grace Spivey, the leader of the religious cult for which the book is named; Kyle

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

A is for Alibi, Sue Grafton, 1982 My favorite quote: “Except for cases that clearly involve a homicidal maniac, the police like to believe murders are committed by those we know and love, and most of the time they’re right – a chilling thought when you sit down to dinner with a family of five.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

The Turn of the Screw, Henry James, 1898 My favorite quote: “I seemed to float not into clearness, but into a darker obscure, and within a minute there had come to me out of my very pity the appalling alarm of his perhaps being innocent. It was for the instant confounding and bottomless, for if

The High Window by Raymond Chandler

The High Window, Raymond Chandler, 1942 My favorite quote: “The moonlight was cold and clear, like the justice we dream of but don’t find.” Notable characters: Philip Marlowe, the world’s favorite wise-cracking PI; Elizabeth Bright Murdock, the wealthy widow who hires him to locate a very valuable missing coin; Leslie Murdock, her irritating negative-Nelly son