It’s July. We’ve arrived at the heart of summer. The heat is almost unbearable and my A/C is working overtime. August is just around the corner and you’re probably gearing up for a family vacation, that precious escape before sending the kiddos back to school. Which means you’ll also be browsing Amazon for some new reads, something to bring with you, something to murder kill a little downtime. Well, look no further. A couple days ago, my summer camp slasher/creature feature novel, KILL HILL CARNAGE, hit the market, and in honor of that I’ve decided to recommend a few slasher/creature feature novels that I’ve enjoyed, or some new releases from authors whose work I really dig. Ready? Let’s get bloody!

5. SEVERITY by Dan Padavona – Dan consistently puts out great stuff. His novel CRAWLSPACE is a fantastic read, one I ripped through in almost a single sitting. SEVERITY promises to be just as addicting:

What if you discovered your husband is a serial killer?

Marissa is leading an idyllic life on The Cape – until a terrifying revelation tears her life apart. When two women are murdered, the evidence implicates the fastest rising business leader in New England — Marissa’s husband, Tristan..

Another body is found in the woods outside of Medford. Butchered.

But Tristan isn’t a killer. Is he?

When Marissa unearths the dark secrets of her husband’s mysterious past, she questions everything she knows — and begins to fear for her best friend’s life. Yet Tristan has no relation to the victims. Is someone trying to frame her husband?

Now Marissa races to stay ahead of a bloodthirsty killer and save her friend. The truth of her marriage reveals itself, too horrific for her to face.

“One of the most exciting writers to burst upon the scene in quite some time.” – Brian Keene

A page-turning horror novel with bone-chilling suspense. Fans of Dean Koontz, Richard Harris, and Stephen King should get to know Severity.

Grab this page-turner and start reading now!

4. TRIPLE AXE by Scott Cole – If the stories in Scott’s SLICES are any indication, then holy shitballs, TRIPLE AXE is going to be bat-shit crazy, yo. I really dig his style and creativity. TRIPLE AXE looks like it’s a short read, but one that will be certainly worth the monetary investment. Check this out:

Jesse Jinx is a porn star. She has dreams of starting her own adult film production company where she and the other actors will be treated more fairly. But there won’t be a production company if she can’t come up with the money—or if there aren’t any porn stars left. A deranged killer is on the loose, targeting adult entertainers, and choking them to death with a weapon that leaves no trace of itself. When the authorities refuse to help Jesse and her two closest friends, the three women decide to take matters into their own hands . . . with axes. As their colleagues fall one by one, they have a plan to stay alive—and they’re ready to hatchet!

3. KILL RIVER by Cameron Roubique – This book. THIS BOOK. It hits on everything I love about 80s horror films. When I found out that Cameron takes self-publishing to the next level (the dude literally prints and binds every single book himself, a very cool process you can see here), I had to order myself a copy. Check out what KILL RIVER is all about:

In the summer of 1983, thirteen-year-old Cyndi and her three new-found friends, Stacy, Zack, and Brad decide to sneak away from their summer camp in the middle of the night by rafting down the nearby rivers. After spending a tense night lost in the woods, the four teenagers stumble into a mysterious water park that appears to be completely empty.

At first they are thrilled to have the rides all to themselves, at least until one of them disappears. Soon they discover that they are trapped in the park, and a dark figure is stalking them from the shadows, picking them off one by one. Once night falls, Cyndi will have to fight to escape the park, a masked maniac, and a living nightmare.

Kill River is a wild water park ride filled with blood, gore, and ’80s nostalgia. Slasher fans rejoice, old school horror is back!

2. UNDER THE BLADE by Matt Serafini – Serafini is a writer whose work should be widely read. Everything I’ve read from Matt, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. The new edition for this book just dropped a couple weeks ago via Black T-Shirt Books, and it looks great. Hopefully it gets more eyes on it with its sexy new cover, however, the real treat is the story inside. If you’re into slasher-thrillers with a unique spin, stop here:

Some campfire stories are real.

It’s been twenty-five years since Cyrus Hoyt’s infamous killing spree at Camp Forest Grove. A quarter-century since teenage counselor Melanie Holden left him mortally wounded and escaped with her life.

Today, Melanie’s teaching career has bottomed out and left her with no choice but to return to the scene of the crime. Motivated by a lucrative publishing offer, as well as a desire to free herself from recurring nightmares, Melanie’s research into the murderer’s life brings resistance from all directions as she uncovers skeletons in Forest Grove’s past.

Because of Melanie, a long-held secret is about to be revealed—one that somebody is willing to kill for in order to protect. And Melanie is going to discover she has a lot more to lose than just her mind.

The stalk-and-slash suspense of Friday the 13th meets the small town mystery of Sharp Objectsin this white-knuckle horror story of a final girl’s revenge.

1. BONE SAW by Patrick Lacey – A horror film buff who gets to meet his favorite director and finds out he’s sort of a dick. A monster named Pigfoot. More carnage and mayhem than your favorite low-budget blood fest. If any of these things appease you, you’re gonna wanna check out this little gem from Pat Lacey:

Liam Carpenter spends most of his time above his aunt’s garage, watching obscure horror movies and drinking cheap beer. But this week’s different. This week, things are getting weird. First, there’s his favorite director, Clive Sherman, showing up in town unannounced. Then there’s the string of murders that all seem like something out of Clive’s popular Pigfoot movie monster franchise. Throw in Liam’s mysterious new crush and the cough-syrup-addicted private investigator chasing her down and you might gain somewhat of a clue of what’s going on in Bass Falls lately.

And don’t even get him started on she-demons and blood sacrifices. Bone Saw studios is in town and they’re bringing you the bloodiest sequel featuring a pig-human hybrid killing machine you’ve ever seen.

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Hope you enjoyed this list and have found a few good reads for your upcoming vacation. As previously mentioned, my new novel, KILL HILL CARNAGE, is out now from Sinister Grin Press! Feel free to add that to your TBR pile, too. If you like dismembered corpses, dangerous woodland critters, and sound relationship advice, then you’re gonna love it.