They Lurk by Ronald Malfi

Title: They Lurk

Author: Ronald Malfi

Genre: Horror

Published: July 18, 2023 by Titan Books

I received a copy for review through NetGalley.

They Lurk is a collection of five novellas about the evil that lurks just out of sight waiting to strike. The first four novellas in the collection were previously published by DarkFuse in 2009. Now they are being reprinted by Titan with the addition of a new novella Fierce which is a 100% must read. The novellas seemed to be ordered from least amount of tension and horror to the most. The first two novellas were quiet slow burn stories and then things really kick off from there with ever increasing dread until the ultimate peak in Fierce.

Skullbelly- A private investigator is hired by the families of a group of campers that go missing in the Pacific Northwest where he learns the terrifying local legend of the cryptid, Skullbelly. The character study of the PI, the backwoods small town atmosphere, and the truly horrifying description of Skullbelly were enough to keep interest in this slow burn story. 3.75 stars

The Separation- A group of friends and attendants try to help a professional boxer that has started to feel displaced after a bad break up. This was a weird unique story that left me wondering what was truly happening until the very end. 3.5 stars

The Stranger- A couple on a road trip find a stranger in their car in a motel parking lot. This one really ramps up into some really disturbing body horror. 4 stars

After the Fade- A group of people are stuck in a bar during an infestation of big deadly insects. This novella was a truly horrifying apocalyptic novella featuring plenty of nightmare fuel. 4.5 stars

Fierce- A mother and daughter are thrown into the ultimate fight for survival after getting in a car accident during a snow storm. This is one amazing survival story with tension that keeps ratcheting up throughout and left me literally squirming with dread. 5 stars

My Average Rating: 4.15 out of 5 stars

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