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Book Review: White Flight by Peter O’ Keefe

 

cover art for White Flight by Peter O'Keefe

White Flight by Peter O’Keefe

Uncomfortably Dark Horror, 2025

ISBN-13: 9798268263374

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com

 

 

Willow and Joel Ward are struggling with the recent murder of their Black adopted daughter, Diamond. When she became a teenager, they decided to move out of the suburbs and into a predominantly Black neighborhood. This was supposed to open opportunities for their child, make her more comfortable in her own skin, and allow her the chance to live within her community. While their desires are outwardly noble, their past actions and internal voices show something else. Are they really doing it to help their daughter, or show that they are the right kind of white people? Willow especially begins facing her motives when teenage Diamond comes home from school, learning new terms like white privilege, leaving a sign on her door denying white people entry, and still feeling alienated by her peers because of her circumstances. After a heated argument, Diamond is gunned down by the police. Now, the couple has put their house on the market and are getting ready to leave the neighborhood.

 

However, their problems are just beginning. Since they moved in, strange things have happened in the house. For instance, dropped objects roll on the floor in unpredictable directions. This is nothing compared to what is coming. Between the unknown parties banging on the front door, the rumbling of an unseen train nearby, and the house changing, the Wards and the officer they have called to the scene are in for a night of terror they won’t soon forget. As the couple inches closer to getting some answers, the house decides it has had enough.

 

There is so much tension in this book, I could not put it down. The Wards as a couple are difficult to sympathize with, as their motives are questioned by the reader, and they are both in denial about so many things, not just the treatment of their daughter. Willow is an outwardly supportive mother, but overcompensates frequently, at the risk of overshadowing her daughter’s identity. Joel, who grew up close to their new neighborhood, frequently demonstrates his own racial bias. I constantly asked myself if they adopted Diamond for the right reasons. The police are insensitive and have clear racial bias. Is it wrong of me to cheer on the house at times? Perhaps, but when the adult characters in the story consistently fail Diamond, in life and death, it is difficult to think of them as trustworthy and capable.

 

I would recommend this book for readers wanting a haunted house story with themes of systemic racism, social commentary, and familial struggle, such as The Spite House by Johnny Compton, Model Home by River Solomon, and Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele. Highly recommended

 

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on August 26, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: Normal for the Spider by Hank Schwaeble

Normal For The Spider by Hank Schwaeble.

Blackstone, 2026

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8228365018

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook (pre-order before September 15)

Buy:  Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

Readers know that when they pick up a book with the header “Weird Tales Presents” that it’s going to be a wild ride: something that is anything but normal. Hank Schwaeble, a Bram Stoker winner for Damnable, a stellar supernatural horror-thriller, has produced strong book after book, hitting on all spooky gears without a misstep.

 

Normal for the Spider is his strangest book yet, bringing something different to the world of killers and shadowy groups in an engaging, well-told tale that horror fans (and thriller freaks) will likely love.

 

Sienna Snow is a renegade, a killer who has her own set of rules, but unlike many others, she simply kills for her own agenda. Her reasons are her own and she’s not one to give speeches before the fatal blow. One day, she’s evading someone and dips into a store where the owner helps her hide, yet soon she realizes she’s been captured, like a fly for the titular spider. Something is trapped in the basement with her, something not quite right.

 

When she’s let in on the secret, that a group that calls itself the Book Club (how can that be a bad thing? Plenty of readers here would love to sign up for that) prey on the biggest predators in society. Those who feel they’re the apex in the food chain find themselves in horrific situations by the group are the decision makers in the world and are often terrible people.

 

Sienna jumps aboard, and the Book Club brings her to their island to discover what they’re truly about–  which is when the novel really takes off. What happens on the island? The worst nightmares for those caught in the spider’s web, with fates twisted in evil, but enticing ways. Yet there’s something else present on the island, something even darker than the members, and tougher than Sienna.

 

Schwaeble’s writing, which is always top notch, pulls the reader along the macabre journey with a cast of characters that aren’t exactly easy to fall for, but he succeeds. Sienna is a great character who bucks the system but intrigues enough to keep the pages turning. The writing is crisp and the pace is intense enough for a thriller, but the horror is strong.

 

For novels released in 2026, Normal for the Spider is going to be a strong contender for the year’s best list. Highly recommended reading.

 

 

Reviewed by David Simms

Posted on August 25, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: Newbourne Park by Jennifer Thorne

Cover art for Newbourne Park by Jennifer Thorne

Newbourne Park by Jennifer Thorne
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2026
ISBN-13: 979-8217177769
Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook (pre-order before September 29)
Buy: Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com

 

Those obnoxious English aristocrats never want to share their beautiful country houses with the help while they go on vacation. Why? I mean, they aren’t there anyway, are they? What’s worse, when their minions do decide to invite themselves over, one of those snooty people comes back unexpectedly and makes everyone feel like they deserve whatever they get just for having a little fun and relaxation. No one would expect things to take such a turn.

 

Martha has an inkling, though. Those bones in the barrel? They might be deer bones. Maybe. The horses gone from the stable? Strange, but whatever. The main thing is that plenty of food and alcohol are available. Strangely, the meals are all leftovers, but so what? The partiers are too drunk to care. The group’s host has barely started the job. It’s a bit brazen to risk losing his position by having everyone over for an illicit house party, one would think. Clearly, bad things are about to happen– and they do.

 

What makes this story extra interesting is finding out what happens after the catastrophe. The sullen townspeople do not seem very sympathetic to the plight of the survivor when she turns up. In fact, they seem hostile, so you get to thinking the creepy stories like the one about the so-called Dripping Man might be true. The poor victim is going through some physical and mental challenges and spends time on odd websites which give tips on eating and how to lock yourself up at night.

 

In Part 2 of the novel, the survivor is invited to join a club with others she can relate to, which is unusual given the invitation comes from Lady Lambert herself, who has her own secrets and is far from innocent. What blue-blooded nonsense has this woman gotten herself into?

 

Jennifer Thorne’s Newbourne Park is a rollicking good time in spite of its dark take on what goes on in the English countryside after the sun goes down. The narrator is cheeky, sarcastic, and cool. She tells us everything, accurately and honestly, and she is far from naive. At the same time, she is, somehow, not to be trusted. A lurking suspense and fear build throughout this book in the same manner as music heightens the emotions in a horror film making the viewer think the worst even while the action suggests nothing of the sort. At the same time, the most horrible details are unpleasantly normalized. This is a horror novel with attitude and a creative swerve in that we certainly know what there is to know, yet we are surprised by what we know and even more surprised by what happens as a result. Chalk it all up to some superbly inventive writing by Jennifer Thorne.

 

 

Reviewed by Nova Hadley

Posted on August 25, 2026 by , Reply
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