Dark Screams Volume III

Release Date - May 2015

Random House

Book Review by Tracy Farnsworth

Dark Screams Volume III contains five stories by authors Peter Straub, Jack Ketchum, Darynda Jones, Brian Hodge, and Jacquelyn Frank.

I Love You, Charlie Pearson by Jacquelyn Frank

Stacey Wheeler is the object of Charlie Pearson's affections, and he'll do anything to make her love him too. I loved getting into Charlie's head with this one.

The Lone One and Level Sands Stretch Far Away by Brian Hodge

Tara and her husband seem quite happy until they get a new, sexy neighbor. The characters in this short story were probably fleshed out the best of all of them, but I simply couldn't get hooked in the story for some reason. I think it wasn't as spooky/creepy as the others and that's where I lost interest.

Nancy by Darynda Jones

Nancy is being haunted by a ghost. A new student in her school decides it's time to figure out what's going on. The truth is quite surprising. I really liked this short story and would put this as my favorite of the five. It's not horribly creepy, but the characters and backstory ended up working well for me.

Group of Thirty by Jack Ketchum

I really enjoyed this creepy tale. It's probably my second favorite in the collection. The author of The Neighborhood has been invited to speak to a group of aspiring writers. He really doesn't want to, but he also knows his fans come first. What they have in mind is nothing like what he imagined.

The Collected Stories of Freddie Prothero by Peter Straub

I grew up in a household where if my Mom was not holding a Stephen King book, she certainly had Peter Straub, F. Paul Wilson, or Dean Koontz. I've read plenty of Peter Straub's novels, but nothing other than Ghost Story has ever wowed me. I hoped The Collected Stories of Freddie Prothero would do it. I struggled with the pages of Freddie's journal that mimic a child's spelling and grammar and were just too much of a struggle to try to read.