The February 2025 issue of Booklist is live and I have two reviews in the magazine. Before we get to those, I do want to mention that the Booklist Online site has had a refresh and there are exciting things to share about that. I have invited Booklist to the blog to tell you all about that as well. So look for that sometime next week.
Now back to my reviews. As usual, I am posting my draft review here on the blog with bonus appeal info.
First up, the hotly anticipated follow-up to White Horse
Olivia is the most sought after paranormal investigator in Denver, but her successful business is rooted in deep personal trauma– her sister, Naiche, committed suicide in room 904 of the Brown Hotel almost five years ago. When the hotel contacts Olivia to prove that Naiche’s death is part of a cycle of violence that goes back generations, repeating exactly every five years, Olivia and her partner agree to take on this time-sensitive case. However, it is more dangerous than Olivia realizes as there are multiple forces at work, connected to a massacre of Native women and children in 1864, and these forces will stop at nothing to get what they want, even if it destroys Olivia and everyone she holds dear. Readers will eagerly follow Olivia’s investigation, getting to know her diverse and endearing friends, as this harrowing story twists and turns, winding its way from past atrocities right up to the present. For fans of emotionally charged supernatural thrillers, such as Shutter by Emerson and Forgotten Sisters by Pelayo.
Three Words That Describe This Book: supernatural thriller, great characters, emotionally charged
The heart of the story is the trauma of the Native experience in America in general AND in the Denver area, specifically. The entire book is framed by a real historical event-- an awful one-- the Sand Creek Massacre. The tendrils from this slaughtering of Native women and children (who were told they were safe) are reaching out into the present. But it is also the story of a personal trauma-- Olivia's-- as she is coming upon the 5th anniversary of his younger sister's suicide and how it changed her life forever.
The past is reaching into the present from both sides of the massacre. Wurth provides resources to learn about the real event at the end of the book, but out of respect to the survivors she does not name it in the narrative itself. It is just “the massacre.”
One of the best things about this book are the charcaters-- the awesome, diverse (in every, realistic way) and loving friends who work together here. Olivia is the main character and the only narrator, but her best friend and business partner in her paranormal investigation business, her ex, a Jewish paranormal investigator, her two best friends, and even her mother-- all of them make a great team of flawed, but believable characters who love each other. I loved spending time with all of them in this story and I want a sequel to spend more time with them.
Further Readalikes: The two in the review above are STELLAR examples of emotionally charged and thought provoking supernatural thrillers. I would also add Cranberry Cove by Piper and anything by Simone St. James as readalikes as well.
Last year I also read and reviewed What Grows in the Dark by Evans. That novel is also a good match here, but every other book I have mentioned, including the Wurth is better. The Evans was a good debut though and worth a try if thrillers reaching supernatural investigators is something you or your readers are particularly interested in.
Next up a SF-Horror hybrid that is sure to terrify you.
By Brian Pinkerton
Pinkerton presents a fast paced, near future, earth set AI-Horror nightmare that will chill readers to the core. Linda works as the PR professional for the public energy company in Chicago. With everyone mostly remote, finding and keeping new employees has been difficult. When her latest assistant quits, Linda immediately hires the most promising applicant, without a background check, Alison. However, she quickly regrets this decision as Alison appears to not only be too good at her job, but she is also working behind the scenes to not only push Linda out but discredit her through fake messages through the work portal. Also why are all the smart devices in her home acting weird? Readers beware as this story goes from general unease to terrifyingly realistic, quickly, hitting very close to home. For fans of earth based SF-Horror as written by Blake Crouch generally, but more specifically stories where AI becomes a sentient monster such as in Daemon by Suarez, Sea of Rust by Cargill, or the Robopocalypse series by Wilson.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Rise of machines, terrifyingly realistic, fast paced
More plot based than character centered-- with just enough character to get the reader invested-- this is the story of a work place where everyone has stayed remote and an AI infiltrates as an employee masquerading as a real person not only the workplace (which is a public utility!) but also attacks its boss, our main character,
This has everything a good AI/horror crossover story should including the 2001: A Space Odyssey turn/twist, but having it set in a very real feeling Chicago, following very real life things from remote work to smart homes, to deep fake viral social media posts and more... makes it more chilling.
This is a must read for fans of the space where near future/earth based SF and Horror overlap. You want a seriously terrifying (to the core) AI Horror novel...this is it.
But again, I need to stress-- it is terrifyingly realistic. You need to be ready to have this book's terror follow you off the page.
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