An Excerpt From The Midnight Ripper

An excerpt from THE MIDNIGHT RIPPER, book 4 of The Vampires of Crimson Cove series, coming September 29th … On ocean water made black by midnight, perhaps half a mile from the Santa Cruz Wharf, gently bobbed a solitary rowboat painted a particularly ugly shade of blue-green. In it sat two men who couldn’t have

The Thorne & Cross Inflation Reduction Act Starts Now!

The Thorne & Cross Inflation Reduction Act starts NOW! Everything costs too much. Gas, groceries, movies, dining out, it’s all going up and up and up again!  But we’re defying the laws of inflation gravity and going down! (insert cheesy 70s porn music here).  Instead of increasing our ebook prices, we’re making like Jason and

Pines by Blake Crouch

Pines, Blake Crouch, 2012 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “Nature doesn’t see things through the prism of good or bad. It rewards efficiency. That’s the beautiful simplicity of evolution. It matches design to environment.” Most interesting characters: Ethan Burke, a secret service agent Opening scene: A man wakes up in a strange town with

The Haunted by Bentley Little

The Haunted, Bentley Little, 2012 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “I was in the room where things grow old.” Most interesting characters: Honestly, the only characters here that really captured my interest were the neighbors who snuck into the basement during a party for a frantic, satanic quickie — a tryst that even involved

Gone South by Robert McCammon

Gone South, Robert McCammon, 1992 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “It was hell’s season, and the air smelled of burning children.”  Most interesting characters: Dan Lambert, a desperate man haunted by the past; Pelvis Eisley, an Elvis impersonator; Flint Murtaugh, a freak-show refugee who carries his half-formed brother, Clint, hidden on his body Opening

The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

The Pale Horse, Agatha Christie, 1961 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “The science of tomorrow is the supernatural of today.” Most interesting characters: Mark Easterbrook, a pretty typical dude who finds himself embroiled in a mystery with supernatural undercurrents. Thyrza, Sybil, and Bella, three creepy spinsters with creepy names that (unfortunately) no one takes

What’s The Buzz?

Vampires. Ghosts. Reading, writing, and horror. I talked about all this and more over at What’s the Buzz. Good spooky times were had by all.

The Many Ghosts of the Tower of London

Here it is! Our latest episode from Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre (and it’s a creepy one!) From the shadowy phantoms of two dead princes to the headless apparition of Anne Boleyn, Thorne & Cross break down the most famous (and infamous) ghosts that haunt the Tower of London, the historic castle that has inspired

Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi

Floating Staircase, Ronald Malfi, 2011 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “It’s been said that nature does not know extinction — that once you’ve existed, all parts of you, whether they’re dispersed or remain together, will always be.” Thank you, Ronald Malfi, for sending me down that mental rabbit hole …  Notable characters: Travis Glasgow,

Brimstone by Tamara Thorne

Family Secrets The Brimstone Grand Hotel, owned by reclusive former movie star, Delilah Devine, looms high on Hospital Hill, harboring long-buried family secrets that whisper of unimaginable horrors. Horrors that will echo down through generations. Twisted History When Delilah’s granddaughter, Holly Tremayne, who has seen ghosts for most of her eleven years, first comes to

The Cliffhouse Haunting on Sale for $0.99

The very first Thorne & Cross collaboration, THE CLIFFHOUSE HAUNTING, will be on sale in ebook for just $0.99 June 1st through the 8th. And if you sign up for our free monthly gossip column-style newsletter, The Purple Probe, you’ll get a “Behind the Book” glimpse with Constance Welling, one of the supporting characters in

Books on Sale — The Cliffhouse Haunting

The Cliffhouse Haunting is on Sale in June! The very first Thorne & Cross collaboration, THE CLIFFHOUSE HAUNTING, will be on sale in ebook for just $0.99 June 1st through the 8th. And if you sign up for our free monthly gossip column-style newsletter, The Purple Probe, you’ll get a “Behind the Book” glimpse with

Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin

Fevre Dream, George R. R. Martin, 1982 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “Sometimes I think … the humanity of him is all hollow, a mask … he is only an old animal, so ancient it has lost even the taste for food, but it hunts on nonetheless, because that is all it remembers, that

Dream Reaper

Dream Reaper The sale was complete. Stardene looked up at the man. He looked different somehow — suddenly not nearly as handsome as he’d been moments ago.  “Because you’ve been such a pleasure,” he said in a voice that now sounded cracked and dry with age, “I’ll gift you with a glimpse into things as

The Midnight Ripper

Coming soon … The Monsters are Real … Michael Ward, a vampire once dedicated to peace and harmony, lost his humanity when he gave into love — and other primal desires. Now he rages and murders indiscriminately … and he’s on the run. Cade Colter, along with renowned monster hunter, Father Vincent Scarlotti, is hot

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, Anne Rice, 1983 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “That is your life now, and you are to think of nothing else, and regret nothing else. I want that dignity peeled away from you as if it were so many skins of the onion. I don’t mean that you should

Sleep Savannah Sleep

SEARCH FOR LOCAL WOMAN ENTERS FOURTH DAY. Below the headline was a picture of Savannah Sturgess, chin resting in her palm, a half-smile on her face. In the backyard, beneath the morning sun, Jason stared at the photograph on his laptop then scanned the article. There were no new developments. The police were still investigating.

In the Cut by Susanna Moore

In the Cut, Susanna Moore, 1995 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: I think the following quote nicely sums up the tone of Susanna Moore’s not-so-thrilling erotic novel, In the Cut: “I think it may have something to do with something I heard when I was a kid. Something I think I heard. Actually, I

Slender Man: The Phantom of the Internet

Thorne & Cross explore the myth, history, and roots of the first internet-age boogeyman, a tall faceless specter known as Slender Man. Listen in at Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre. Legends and lore, monsters and myths, hauntings and horror … bestselling authors Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross are digging deep in their research files to bring

S is for Silence by Sue Grafton

S is for Silence, Sue Grafton, 2005 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “God save us from the people who want to do what’s best for us.” Most interesting characters: My girl, Kinsey Millhone, PI; Daisy Sullivan, the woman who hires her to find her missing mother Opening scene: S is for Silence begins with

The Midnight Ripper — Cover Reveal

The Monsters are Real … Michael Ward, a vampire once dedicated to peace and harmony, lost his humanity when he gave into love — and other primal desires.  Now he rages and murders indiscriminately … and he’s on the run. And Sometimes, They’re Inside You …  Cade Colter, along with renowned monster hunter, Father Vincent

The Legend of Walking Sam

Guest Alex Dolan discusses the South Dakota Sioux legend of Walking Sam, the mind-controlling spirit that made local news and the New York Times in 2015 when suicides peaked on the Pine Ridge reservation. Listen in at Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre. Legends and lore, monsters and myths, hauntings and horror … bestselling authors Tamara

Ghost Story by Peter Straub

Ghost Story, Peter Straub, 1979 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “It seemed that if you listened to that snow hissing long enough, you wouldn’t just hear it telling you that it was waiting for you, you’d hear some terrible secret—a secret to turn your life black.” (Thanks, Peter Straub. Now I’m afraid of snow.

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

The Witch of Willow Hall, Hester Fox, 2018 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “Yet at the same time I want to untether my heart, toss it up into the sky and let it take wing. There’s a wildness here that, if nothing else, holds promise, possibility. Who needs society? What has it ever done

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah, 2015 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “Once you’re ready to die, the plan gets easy.” (Certainly not the most uplifting line in the book, but it’s the one that stood out to me the most) Most interesting characters: Isabelle, code name: The Nightingale; Vianne, her older sister; Gaëtan, the man

Devil’s Waltz by Jonathan Kellerman

Devil’s Waltz (#7 in the Alex Delaware series), Jonathan Kellerman, 2006 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: The opening line: “It was a place of fear and myth, home of miracles and the worst kind of failure.” (I didn’t know what Jonathan Kellerman was describing right away, but soon realized it wasn’t my underwear drawer

Behold … the Probe

The Purple Probe is getting ready to probe you! If you haven’t signed up for our absurdly giddy-licious free monthly newsletter, check us out at: http://eepurl.com/ckaBrr or by visiting our websites: tamarathorne.com and alistaircross.com

4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie

4:50 from Paddington, Agatha Christie, 1957 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “The truth is people are an extraordinary mixture of heroism and cowardice.” (Except me — I’m a total hero. Everyone says so) Most interesting characters: Elspeth McGillicuddy, a train passenger who saw something she shouldn’t have; Miss Marple, the local busybody who not

Join Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre!

We have a new page for Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre! Follow us on Facebook for all the new shows and updates! Legends and lore, monsters and myths, hauntings and horror … bestselling authors Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross are digging deep in their research files to bring you face-to-face with the unknown, the unusual,

Psychic Machinery: Is it a Ghost or Something More?

Thorne & Cross explore the world of psychic machinery — the paranormal phenomena invoked by the expectations of the living. Is it a ghost, a residual haunting, wishful thinking … or something more?: https://carnivalmacabre.libsyn.com/psychic-machinery Haunt us at: tamarathorne.com and alistaircross.com

Let Your Darkness Out to Play …

“The Crimson Corset” is a good read. There is a colorful cast of characters, a clever plot, and an intricate structure … there are surprises and jumps and starts, sex and death, beauty and gore, something for everyone … if you’re looking for set-up and payoff, this novel will not disappoint.” – HELLNOTES Full Crimson

The Black Death: A Personal History by John Hatcher

The Black Death: A Personal History, John Hatcher, 2008 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “PESTILENCE!” (That’s what they called the Black Death back then, and hoo-boy, did they like saying that word. “PESTILENCE!” in all caps, just like that. That’s how you have to do it. I don’t make the rules Most interesting characters:

Spite House is Coming This Summer

Haunt me: alistaircross.com

Under the Lake by Stuart Woods

Under the Lake, Stuart Woods, 1987 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “Howell hung up the phone and pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the booth. The world was suddenly a different place. He wasn’t sure he liked it.”  Most interesting characters: John Howell, a former investigative journalist; Sutherland, a strange little town

The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy

The Black Dahlia, James Ellroy,  1987 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “The longer I listened, the more they talked about themselves, interweaving their sad tales with the story of the Black Dahlia, who they actually believed to be a glamorous siren headed for Hollywood stardom. It was as if they would have traded their

The Firm by John Grisham

The Firm, John Grisham, 1991 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “If you don’t think about death, you don’t appreciate life.”  Most interesting characters: Mitch McDeere, a bright-eyed young lawyer with a great future in front of him; Abby McDeere, his wife Opening scene: Royce McKnight, senior partner at Bendini, Lambert, & Locke law firm,

Whistle for the Crows by Dorothy Eden

Whistle for the Crows, Dorothy Eden, 1962 (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS) My favorite quote: “It only took the forlorn sound of the baby crying to complete her loss of morale.” (I really identified with this because I, too, have felt much loss of morale at the sounds of shrieking babies — especially at Walmart when my

Misery by Stephen King

Misery, Stephen King, 1987 My favorite quote: “That was it. In Annie’s view all the people in the world were divided into three groups: brats, poor poor things… and Annie.” (I think I’ve met more than a couple of Annies in my life, but that’s another story for another book review …) Most interesting characters:

Today’s the Day!

Today’s the day! Books 1 – 3 in The Ravencrest Saga are available today as a boxed set for only $9.99!: https://tinyurl.com/yjy36u9h Book 1: THE GHOSTS OF RAVENCREST Ravencrest Manor is the most beautiful thing new governess, Belinda Moorland, has ever seen, but as she learns more about its tangled past of romance and terror,

The Entity by Frank de Felitta

The Entity, Frank de Felitta, 1978 My favorite quote: “It was neither dream nor reality. And who in the whole apartment, who in the entire city of Los Angeles, could tell her what it was?” (I’ll tell you what it is, lady — it’s a horny ghost, that’s what it is) Most interesting characters: Carlotta

The Omen by David Seltzer

The Omen, David Seltzer, 1976 My favorite quote: “It happened in a millisecond. A movement in the galaxies that should have taken eons occurred in the blinking of an eye.”  Most interesting characters: Jeremy Thorn, the coldly ambitious United States Ambassador to England and adoptive father of the sweet-faced, cherub-cheeked antichrist; Katherine Thorn, the scowling-one-minute-and-manic-the-next

The Clocks by Agatha Christie

The Clocks, Agatha Christie, 1963 My favorite quote: “One gets infected, it is true, by the style of a work that one has been reading.” (Which is probably why I feel so compelled to kill so many folks in my books when I read Agatha Christie — which is frequently. From now on, when my

First Peek at “TMR”

Here is my first book quote from the upcoming 4th book in the Crimson Cove series, “TMR.” (Although if you look at the little book cover in the corner, you can see the the book title. There. I did a title reveal.) Get the first three books in the series: https://amzn.to/3a6yvzk

Body Language by Julius Fast

Body Language, Julius Fast, 1967 My favorite quote: “The inheritance of instinct is not a simple matter, nor is the process of learning simple. It is difficult to pinpoint just how much of any system of communication is inherited and how much is learned. Not all behavior is learned, any more than it is all

After Midnight by Richard Laymon

After Midnight, Richard Laymon, 1997 My favorite quote: “My eyes are brown. So are my teeth. Just kidding about the teeth.” Most interesting characters: Alice, who’s real name isn’t Alice; The intruder   Opening scene: Alice, enjoying a quiet night alone while house-sitting for a friend. But let’s be honest: After Midnight IS a Richard Laymon

The Blue Lady of the Moss Beach Distillery

On the windswept cliffs below San Francisco, walks northern California’s most famous ghost, the Blue Lady of the Moss Beach Distillery. Hosts Thorne & Cross take you back to 1927, to a speakeasy known as Frank’s Place, which was frequented by rum runners, politicians, and criminals. How did the Blue Lady die … and why

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

The Last Time I Lied, Riley Sager, 2018 My favorite quote: “Although their eventual fate remains a mystery, I’m certain that what happened to those girls is all my fault.” Most interesting characters: Emma Davis, a painter with a past; Francesca Harris-White, a socialite who encourages Emma to return to the past  Opening scene: Camp

Ghosts, Witches, and Demons, Oh, My!

Coming March 29th (and available for pre-order now at: https://tinyurl.com/yjy36u9h) Books 1 – 3 in The Ravencrest Saga are available as a boxed set for only $9.99 Book 1: THE GHOSTS OF RAVENCREST  Ravencrest Manor is the most beautiful thing new governess, Belinda Moorland, has ever seen, but as she learns more about its tangled

The Back Passage by James Lear

The Back Passage, James Lear, 2006 My favorite quote: “Youth and athleticism are a wonderful combination: not even a sudden murder can quell the storm in a young man’s flannels.” Most interesting characters: Mitch Mitchell, a well-hung insatiable stud who collects clues at almost the same rate he collects steamy sexual encounters with other well-hung

Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? by Harold Schechter and Eric Powell

Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?, Harold Schechter and Eric Powell, 2021 My favorite quote: “You can’t apply morality to an insane person.” Most interesting characters: Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? centers, of course, on Ed Gein  Opening scene: Harold Schechter and Eric Powell begin Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?