The Siren of Groves Peak by Glenn Rolfe - Be careful what you wish for

I love "Monkey's Paw/Be careful of the bargains you strike" stories and this book fills the bill. A story of a lobstering town's desperation and later, greed, and the secrets that lead to the downfall of everyone involved. We know the responsible party right at the outset, but the methodical deaths slowly begin to reveal the one secret that damns them all. This is not just a horror story of gory deaths. It's a statement on how a person's greed and hunger for power will eventually come back to haunt them. In other words, karma is a bitch.

I am a long-time fan of Glenn Rolfe's books. This is one of his best. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys the type of story I mentioned above, and folk horror in general.

My reviews of Rolfe's other works:

August's Eyes

Chasing Ghosts

Things We Fear

Blood and Rain

Boom Town

About the book

Groves Peak, Maine is home to a dark secret. The successful lobstering community is ready for summer, but a murder at sea changes everything. People are dying in the small coastal town, and the lobstermen are on edge.

Only one man knows the truth. His closet of skeletons is about to open, and no one is safe. Not even his daughter or her best friend. As a supernatural fury, homegrown dangers, and buried secrets coalesce into a series of real-life nightmares, friendships are tested, and heroes will fall. The Siren of Groves Peak reveals the true monsters in us all.

Advance praise
"Horror hits like a hurricane in this creature-feature masterfully layered with terror, dread, and scares so jarring they just might leave you seasick without ever leaving land." — Nick Medina, author of The Whistler and Indian Burial Ground

"A rising star in the genre. Highly recommended!" — Ronald Malfi, author of December Park and Senseless

"Rolfe is the real deal, folks, and anything he writes is well worth checking out."
– Gord Rollo, author of The Jigsaw Man and The Crucifixion Experiments

"An intense tale reminiscent of classic works by Jack Ketchum or Stephen King"
– Booklist

Releases June 30, 2026

Preorder: Amazon

Marla by Jonathan Janz - You might see her in your nightmares

I've wanted to read Marla since its limited edition was published in 2022. Unfortunately at the time I was unable to get in on the limited release. Fast forward to 2026 and Marla is being published by Blackstone Publishing, and in development for television (read the full article here). As I was reading, I was thinking it would be great on the screen. This is exciting news!

I'm a big fan of Janz's work and Marla has joined the ranks. Creepy and atmospheric, it's easy to feel the fear the town of King's Branch is experiencing. The deaths are piling up and all of the victims show signs of dying from terror. One cop suspects Marla, but how can a recluse be at all these places, let alone have the strength needed, as evidenced by at least a few of the deaths? There is a good mystery entwined with the horror. What is the motivation and who is behind it all? 

Don't get too attached to anyone...there is no holding back on who dies, which is hard because Janz has a talent for endearing us to the characters. 

Whether Marla is at the bottom of it or not (I'm not telling), she certainly is a creepy character. Staring out the window with a horrific leer that I found myself comparing to the "creatures" in the FROM series, or those unhinged smiles in the SMILE films. Oh, and there's gore, especially closer to the end. The final instance is quite shocking and oddly satisfying. 

This was definitely a page turner. It will fill you with dread, and you just might see Marla in your nightmares. 

My reviews of Janz's other works:

Children of the Dark

Children of the Dark 2: The Night Flyers

The Dark Game

Wolf Land

About the book

From beloved horror author Jonathan Janz, Marla is a slow-burn, full-throttle horror novel about the families we inherit, the guilt we carry, and the terrible gravity of a gaze you can’t forget. Turn the page—if you dare.

Every small town has ghosts. King’s Branch has Marla.

A reclusive young woman who lives with her mother in a creepy Gothic house, Marla Gorman is the stuff of urban legends. Some believe she’s a prisoner. Others claim she’s a witch.

The evening of the first murder, Detective Carl Lancaster sees Marla leering at him from her bedroom window. He sees her again at the exact moment a second man is killed. And though Marla was nowhere near either murder site, Carl is convinced she’s connected to the crimes.

To Carl, Marla is a menace. To social worker Annie Frost, Marla bears a bizarre connection to her past. To Dylan Ellison, a struggling college student, Marla might be the companion for whom he’s been longing.

But none of them understands Marla’s true nature. She’s about to plunge them—and everyone in King’s Branch—into an unspeakable nightmare. And teach them the true meaning of terror.

Recent reads - Mastodon by Steve Stred and Viy by Nikolai Gogol - Reviews

In the Afterword, the author mentions frequent visits to cryptozoology.com dating back to the early 2000's. First of all, as a cryptozoology fangirl, how did I not know about that website? Secondly, the same sentiments he mentions...footage of crypto creatures is exciting and always has me hoping it's real. But should we be hoping these creatures are real? After reading this book, I'm not so sure. 

I was fully engrossed in Mastodon. Missing parents, restricted government area, mind-blowing and terrifying creatures created in secret government experiments, and a story with heart that had me rooting for Tyler. All of this kept me coming back every chance I had. There are some definite shocking gross-out moments, and it will make you cringe at one point, but everything is necessary to convey the horrifying reality of what is going on in that facility. The ending left me cold, but not in a bad way. Overall, this is a solid cryptozoology government conspiracy mashup. If that's your thing, I recommend it.

Oddly enough, I discovered Nikolai Gogol from watching the Russian TV series, Gogol (an excellent series for horror fans - you can watch it for free on Tubi). Episode 6 is actually titled Viy. I developed an interest in the real Gogol and set about obtaining his works. I also watched the film, Viy (1967) which was rather comical in addition to the various horrific elements (watch the full movie for free on YouTube).

Preceding the story, Gogol's author's note: 

The "Viy" is a monstrous creation of popular fancy. It is the name which inhabitants of Little Russia give to the king of the gnomes, whose eyelashes reach to the ground. The following story is a specimen of such folk-lore. I have made no alterations, but reproduce it in the same simple form in which I heard it.

Viy is an entertaining story. Not so very scary, as it has a dark comedic tone (deftly reflected in the 1967 film), but I can see where this would have been a terrifying tale at the time it was written in regards to the folktale and the religious and superstitious beliefs of the time. The Viy episode of the TV series was much more frightening. All this being said, I enjoyed this tale, and I'm looking forward to reading more of Gogol's works.

Scene from 1967 film:

Gogol TV series trailer: