Stay-Home Winter Reads

If you're drawn to mysteries that blend the intrigue of crime with supernatural elements, "My Soul To Take" will likely haunt your thoughts well after you've turned the last page. Thora, the protagonist, isn't just solving a murder; she's peeling back the layers of history in an eerie setting that's as much a character as the suspects she grapples with. This book is a dark journey interwoven with sharp wit—perfect for those who appreciate complexity wrapped in a chilling atmosphere.

Hawksmoor is an atmospheric, chilling masterpiece featuring a detective story that spans centuries. This book is perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction and enjoy stories that are rich in detail. Ackroyd's writing is hauntingly beautiful, and the way he weaves together the past and present will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

This Victorian bestseller, along with Braddon's other famous novel, Aurora Floyd, established her as the main rival of the master of the sensational novel, Wilkie Collins. A protest against the passive, insipid 19th-century heroine, Lady Audley was described by one critic of the time as"high-strung, full of passion, purpose, and movement." Her crime (the secret of the title) is shown to threaten the apparently respectable middle-class world of Victorian England.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expertintroductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Collected in this chilling volume are some of the famous Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Rampo's best stories—bizarre and blood-curdling expeditions into the fantastic, the perverse, and the strange, in a marvelous homage to Rampo's literary 'mentor', Edgar Allan Poe.

A sensational story of murder and pie-making, Sweeney Todd is a classic of British horror writing, widely adapted in print and on stage, most famously by Stephen Sondheim, whose unlikely "musical thriller" won eight Tony awards. This edition offers the original story with all its atmospheric Victorian trimmings. The story of Todd's murderous partnership with pie-maker Margery Lovett--at once inconceivably unpalatable and undeniably compelling--has subsequently set the table for a seemingly endless series of successful dramatic adaptations, popular songs and ballads, novellas, radio plays, graphic novels, ballets, films, and musicals. Both gleeful and ghoulish, the original tale of Sweeney Todd, first published under the title The String of Pearls, combines the story of Todd's grisly method of robbing and dispatching his victims--by way of Mrs. Lovett's meat pies--with a romantic sub-plot involving deception, disguise, and detective work, set against the backdrop of London's darkand unsavory streets. Editor Robert Mack 'fleshes' out the story with a fascinating introduction touching on the origins of the tale, the growth of the legend, and a history of its many retellings. Mack also includes explanatory notes that point out interesting aspects, plus a full chronology of the many versions of Sweeney Todd.Since Sweeney Todd first entered the public imagination in the mid-nineteenth-century, his exploits have chilled and fascinated audiences around the world. This new edition allows modern readers to savor the ghastly original in all its gruesome glory.

From one of our most important contemporary writers, The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror is a bold, haunting collection of six stories.In the title story, a young boy becomes obsessed with his cousin’s doll after she tragically passes away from leukemia. As he grows older, he begins to collect “found dolls” from the surrounding neighborhoods and stores his treasures in the abandoned carriage house on his family's estate. But just what kind of dolls are they? In “Gun Accident,” a teenage girl is thrilled when her favorite teacher asks her to house-sit, even on short notice. But when an intruder forces his way into the house while the girl is there, the fate of more than one life is changed forever. In “Equatorial,” set in the exotic Galapagos, an affluent American wife experiences disorienting assaults upon her sense of who her charismatic husband really is, and what his plans may be for her.In The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror, Joyce Carol Oates evokes the “fascination of the abomination” that is at the core of the most profound, the most unsettling, and the most memorable of dark mystery fiction.

Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination can be a good read for someone who is looking for suspenseful and horror stories that offer a unique take on the genre. The book has a quick tempo that will keep readers on the edge of their seat, and each story has a distinct twist that makes it different from Western horror stories. Fans of Edgar Allan Poe will appreciate the similarities between his stories and those in this collection.

1. The Sanatorium is a gripping mystery that will keep readers on edge until the very end. 2. With its stunning mountain setting and suspenseful storyline, The Sanatorium is sure to be a hit with fans of thrillers and mysteries. 3. Readers will love the complex characters and clever plot twists in The Sanatorium, making it a must-read for any mystery lover.

"The Brimstone Wedding" is a hauntingly beautiful novel that explores the power and poison of love, highlighting the consequences of betrayal in a loveless marriage. It tells the story of Genevieve, who finds herself in a passionate love affair after 13 years of a loveless marriage. Stella, a dying woman who Genevieve cares for, shares with her the story of her own erotic entanglement, which only serves to heighten the suspense. This book will grip you until the very last page, leaving you with bittersweet feelings that only a well-crafted thriller can convey.

The Savage Garden could be a good read for lovers of historical fiction who enjoy a mix of mystery and romance with a touch of gothic atmosphere. The book is set in post-war Italy and follows a young scholar named Adam who is drawn to the mysterious Docci family and their beautiful garden. The story interweaves two tales of love, revenge, and murder, separated by four centuries, and builds up to a gripping conclusion full of suspense. The author, Mark Mills, creates a vivid sense of place and time, and the descriptions of the garden are particularly evocative, making readers feel like they are walking alongside the characters. Overall, The Savage Garden is a haunting and atmospheric page-turner that will transport readers to a bygone era and keep them guessing until the end.

In a southern Illinois college town where horror is carved in flesh and corruption knows no bounds, a young English professor with a shrouded past is about to learn higher education can be murder.     No one remembers how the body of Josie Fortune was found deep inside Lues Creek Canyon twenty years ago. No one remembers how corrupt police officials framed an innocent man and handed the victim’s daughter into the state’s welfare system. No one remembers, no one but a killer left to carve out a brutal legacy of torture and murder with absolute impunity in this rural southern Illinois college town.     When Josie Darling returns to Lues State to assume a teaching position and come to terms with her mother’s murder, she takes every precaution to hide her tainted past from her colleagues. But someone close remembers, and the shadows of history close in. Threats come, intimate promises of violence written in a desperately psychotic scrawl, invading every aspect of her life. Confronted by personal and professional jeopardy at every turn, Josie must face her terror and expose the identity of her mother’s killer—a killer who is now stalking her.     “If you think you can sleuth this thing, I’m afraid you’re in over your head,” warns a local investigator, but Josie’s stake in this case is all too personal and all the more immediate as she uncovers other murders. Her list of potential suspects includes her deranged ex-husband, her outlaw stepfather and any of his rogue clan, several manipulative Englishprofessors, and a host of corrupt local lawmen.      Struggling against an unseen but ever-present enemy and with few allies to counsel her, Josie embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery. Using her well-honed research skills, the academic becomes the detective and sets out to recover her birthright. Josie transforms herself from tormented victim to relentless avenger as she takes on the intense willfulness of her namesake. But even her renewed strength of character may not help Fortune’s Darling save herself and find the elusive killer’s true identity in time, an identity heard only in the whisper of leaves.

Following a shattering and exceedingly public personal tragedy, Antonia Weston moved to the sleepy town of Amberwood seeking peace and anonymity. As she struggles to rebuild her life, Antonia finds herself increasingly fascinated by the macabre history surrounding the town. The abandoned watermill, Twygrist, with its brooding darkness, and the now-vanished Latchkill Asylum—where, a hundred years ago, the unfortunate inmates suffered gruesome fates—both pique her interest. Eventually, however, Antonia's obsession with the linked histories of Twygrist and Latchkill alerts someone from her own past, a person who knows the town’s brooding secrets and who is prepared to use that knowledge in the most horrifying manner.