Ana Reyes is a writer in Los Angeles with an MFA from Louisiana State University. Her work has appeared in Bodega, Pear Noir, The New Delta Review and elsewhere. The House in the Pines is her first novel.
The Cover Girl (2025) Amy Rossi "Thrilling and glamorous as its runways and backstage parties, The Cover Girl is also heartbreaking and redemptive with an ending that made me cry. Birdie is a singular, unforgettable character whose story encapsulates so much of what led up to the #MeToo movement, and why the movement was so necessary. I look forward to reading whatever Amy Rossi writes next!"
Salt Bones (2025) Jennifer Givhan "Salt Bones breathes new poetry and life into the myth of Persephone and Demeter, drawing from the ancient story as deftly as from the contemporary realities of a single mother living on the Salton Sea. A mystery spiked with horror, magical realism, and stunning prose, this book cast a spell on me."
The Ascent (2025) Allison Buccola "The mystery at the heart of this novel is irresistible: How could fifteen people, all part of a doomsday cult, simply vanish one morning without a trace? The Ascent follows the only member left behind as she struggles to protect herself and her child from the trauma of her past and the dangers of her present. I tore through this book and was genuinely shocked by its ending!"
The Last Session (2025) Julia Bartz "Julia Bartz weaves psychology and mysticism into this strikingly original story of a social worker whose efforts to help an enigmatic patient lead her to confront the secrets of her own past. From its rich sense of mystery and complex characters to the atmospheric desert setting, The Last Session kept me flying through the pages."
The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey (2025) Astrid Dahl "Like the best, most addictive reality TV, The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey is about people behaving badly - lying, cheating, back-stabbing and worse. I started reading for all the juicy drama but it was the murder mystery that had me racing through pages at the end."
Hear Him Calling (2024) Carly Reagon "Haunting and atmospheric, Hear Him Calling infuses its supernatural premise with chillingly realistic themes, exploring the ways in which abusive family dynamics can, like ghosts, survive death to torment future generations. I highly recommend it!"
Like Mother, Like Daughter (2024) Kimberly McCreight "Gripping and bingeable, Like Mother, Like Daughter revolves around a realistically complex relationship between a mother and her estranged daughter. I rooted for Cleo and Kat as they raced to save each other from menacing exes, a tragic past, and a dangerous present. I had plenty of theories reading it yet the ending caught me totally off guard!"
Such a Bad Influence (2024) Olivia Muenter "Such a Bad Influence is as addictive as Instagram. Woven into its twisty, propulsive story of a missing influencer are complicated questions about the cost of mining one's life for content. I was riveted the whole way through."
Someone in the Attic (2024) Andrea Mara "As if attics weren't creepy enough already, this book will leave you scared of the slightest overhead squeak. Someone in the Attic augments its horrifying premise with shocking twists, complicated friendships and dark secrets. Highly recommended!"
You Know What You Did (2024) K T Nguyen "This book knocked the wind out of me. On top of its razor sharp twists and visceral scares, You Know What You Did taps into the true horror experienced by so many refugees and war survivors, and the way that trauma lives on through generations. Don't miss this brilliant thriller from a powerful new voice."
While We Were Burning (2024) Sara Koffi "Fast paced and thrilling, While We Were Burning is also heartbreaking in its portrayal of a grieving mother forced to confront both the person who caused her son's death and the systemic injustice that led to it. I was riveted the whole way through."
Indian Burial Ground (2024) Nick Medina "Nick Medina blends myth and reality, supernatural danger and ordinary human menace into a story that will pull your heartstrings even as it shreds your nerves. Like the alligators lurking in its pages, Indian Burial Ground will swallow you whole."
The New Couple in 5B (2024) Lisa Unger "If The Shining's Overlook Hotel were a luxury apartment building, it might resemble The Windermere--architecturally stunning, a tribute to a gilded past, yet deeply sinister. I was terrified the moment Rosie and Chad moved in. The New Couple in 5B is another thrilling, twisty hit from master of suspense Lisa Unger."
One Wrong Word (2024) Hank Phillippi Ryan "Everyone's a suspect in this twisty thriller about a crisis management expert forced to save not just her own reputation but her very life. Propulsive and bingeable, One Wrong Word kept me guessing to the very end."
The Night of the Storm (2024) Nishita Parekh "The Night of the Storm opens with a hurricane and grows tenser with every page as a single mother and her child find themselves sheltering in place with a killer. Parekh augments this pulse-pounding premise with brilliantly drawn characters who must navigate family secrets, betrayals, and the cultural complexities of being an immigrant in America. I was riveted the whole way through!"
The Beautiful and the Wild (2023) Peggy Townsend "A pulse-pounding novel of captivity, survival and deceit, The Beautiful and the Wild kept me guessing about Liv Russo's mysterious past as well as her precarious future. I needed to know how her story ended, even as I didn't want it to end."
A Haunting on the Hill (2023) Elizabeth Hand "Hill House is back and haunting as ever in this vividly imagined return to Shirley Jackson's iconic setting . . . This book gave me the best kind of nightmares."
And Then She Fell (2023) Alicia Elliott "Haunting and surreal, And Then She Fell had me questioning reality alongside Alice as she grappled with motherhood, being a writer, a wife, and feeling like an outsider in her own life. With its sharp wit and beautiful writing, this book had me flying through the pages."
Mister Magic (2023) Kiersten White "Few books I've read capture the wonder and terror of childhood as brilliantly as Mister Magic. Both creepy and profoundly nostalgic, it's guaranteed to unsettle anyone who grew up with Barney & Friends, Sesame Street, or other children's shows - or anyone who's ever been a child. This book gave me nightmares in the best possible way."
The Spare Room (2023) Andrea Bartz "Bartz's latest showstopper kept me up all night turning pages. Propulsive and sexy, The Spare Room left me gasping for air as I followed its main character into the fiery heart of a dark, complicated romance. Kelly Doyle must contend not only with two new lovers but her own expectations surrounding relationships and sexuality. This is one visit you won't want to end."
The Only One Left (2023) Riley Sager "The Only One Left is Gothic horror at its very best - a crumbling mansion by the sea, dripping with blood, secrets, and forbidden romance - and it's a thriller that will keep you guessing to the end. Riley Sager, king of twists, has done it again. I couldn't put this book down."
Dead Eleven (2023) Jimmy Juliano "Dead Eleven brought me right back to the nineties with its VHS tapes, Pogs and Trapper Keepers, balancing nostalgia and terror to explore the dangers of living in the past. If you liked Netflix's Stranger Things and Dark, don't miss Jimmy Juliano's gripping horror debut."
Monstrilio (2023) Gerardo Sámano Córdova "Monstrilio is unlike any other book I've read. Genuinely scary at times, it moved me with its humanity, made me laugh, and ultimately, made me cry. Gerardo Samano Cordova has written a stunning exploration of grief, belonging, and familial love in prose so beautiful you won't want to rush through it - even as you need to know what happens next."
