Review: Midnight in the Graveyard, Edited by Kenneth W. Cain - More2Read
 

Midnight in the Graveyard, Edited by Kenneth W. Cain

Midnight. Some call it the witching hour. Others call it the devil’s hour. Here in the graveyard, midnight is a very special time. It is a time when ghostly spirits are at their strongest, when the veil between our world and theirs is at its thinnest. Legend has it, that while most of the world is asleep, the lack of prayers allow the spirits to communicate under the cover of darkness, among the headstones, their whispers rustling in the leaves of the old oak trees. But if you’re here in the graveyard, you can tell yourself it’s just the wind, that the moonlight is playing tricks on your eyes, that it’s only the swirling mist you see. But when you hear the graveyard gate clang shut, the dead have something to say. Here are their stories…

Praise For Midnight in the Graveyard:

“One of the decade’s finest feasts of fiction.”
—Matt Hayward, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of What Do Monsters Fear?  

“Midnight in the Graveyard is a collection of ghostly stories that will keep you awake at night long after you finish the last story. From vengeful spirits to sympathetic haunts, every one of these modern tales is a classic in its own right.”
—JG Faherty, author of Hellrider, The Cure, and Carnival of Fear  

“Midnight in The Graveyard is a tome packed with the best of the macabre, with a table of contents that will surely lure in horror fans of all tastes, with both heavy hitters and rising stars of the genre displaying some of the most original ghost stories penned. With tales of wandering spirits, those trapped here by the madness of their former deeds, and those doomed to walk the earth in limbo for atrocities they had no part in. Reading it is like a walk through a cemetery by the light of the moon, you can feel the soul sreaching out to you from each grave, desperate to tell their stories, some will whisper to you of their sorrows while others scream for your blood and suffering. A wonderfully spooky read!”
—Michelle Garza, co-author of Mayan Blue, Those Who Follow, Tapetum Lucidum, and Isolation  

“Seriously creepy and deliciously disturbed, you can practically smell the moldering earth on your fingertips as you turn the page… or swipe the screen.”
—Craig Spector, bestselling author of Underground and The Light At The End  

“Midnight in the Graveyard gathers a collection of some of the most talented authors in the genre today, both well-known names and up-and-comers. The stories are spooky, creepy, emotional, and gripping. If you want a sampling of great horror, this anthology is for you.”
—Mark Allan Gunnells, author of Daylight Will Not Save You and Book Haven and Other Curiosities

“Featuring work from a bevy of talented newcomers plus legends such as Beth Massie and Robert McCammon, Midnight in the Graveyard is the ghoulish grimoire of ghost stories you need to conjure scares this Halloween.”
—Mark Steensland, co-author of In the Scrape, The Special, and Jimmy the Freak  

“With stories ranging from macabre to melancholy to the downright frightening, this incredible mix of veterans and up-and-comers will surely give even the most jaded of horror fans something fresh and unique to discover. I absolutely adore this collection, and I think you will too. And keep this in mind: This is only their first anthology. With a book this good, the future is looking awfully bright for Silver Shamrock Publishing.”
—Wesley Southard, author of One For The Road and Resisting Madness

“Reading Midnight In The Graveyard is a haunting experience that will have you flipping on the lights and jumping at shadows. The book is full of ghosts, both real and imagined. Some are restless spirits from beyond the grave, others are failures and regrets that torment our mind. While each story offers a fresh look at a familiar theme, they combine to make you feel like something hungry is hovering right behind you, reading over your shoulder. I dare you to read this book alone at night. Just remember, when you hear whispers coming from the other room, run.”
—Brian Kirk, author of We Are Monsters and Will Haunt You

“I can’t tell you the last time I read an anthology where every story grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. Not only does Midnight In The Graveyard start out strong, oh man, the stories just kept getting better and better. Silver Shamrock comes flying out of the gate with this collection of superlative ghost stories.”
—Tony Tremblay, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of The Moore House.  

” Midnight In The Graveyard gathers an outstanding mix of ghost stories running the gamut of the creepy subgenre. From legendary authors, to talented newcomers, this anthology will leave you unsettled and questioning that cold draft in the hallway in the middle of the night.”
—Glen Krisch, author of Where Darkness Dwells and Little Whispers    

Review:

These short stories are my selection of chilling fiction tales of trepidation with what lurks and realms crossed, unknown to be known, living and dead juxtaposition in haunting scenes that impregnate the reader minds.
Good job done by the editor with selection in here.

Tug o’ War by Chad Lutzke

Ceremony and communicating, there will be death and with the scene unravelling reading on with immediacy with a grim set of affairs.

Euphemia Christie by Catherine Cavendish

The seeking out history behind a gravestone, one of a terrible history, scandal or tragedy, connected to arson, fire and family death, with a home haunted and condemned, with line of Enquiries ending in two outcomes, light or darkness.

Holes in the Fabric by Todd Keisling

$250 easy money in this tale, but there is no easy money, but a terrible price, for a task many would steer clear of, clearing remains after fire involving a cult near Devil’s Creek Road.
There were stories of living shadows in the woods.
There was a father Jacob that promised immortality and they are all dead and burnt at the beginning of this tale.
Norma, working for the $250 easy money, will find herself amidst a living nightmare of dead, a nameless void awaits.
Gripping and haunting tale leaving reader pondering on what will become.
This short tale has left me waiting with anticipation and expectation of good for his new novel to come Devil’s Creek.

“Everyone else her age had heard the same stories, the same gossip about the crazy Masters cult near Devil’s Creek Road. The woods were haunted, of course. Ghosts of the damned everywhere. Everyone knew someone who’d driven out here to get a look at the strange compound the cult built in the woods. Everyone had a story about this place.
Now that she was here, she realized she’d have a story of her own. And what a story it would be. Fifty-plus bodies all dead from self-inflicted wounds, the smoldering ruins of a church, twenty macho guys trying to impress the single lady in their presence—maybe she’d write a novel and make a fortune like that guy in Maine.”

Cool for Cats by William Meikle

Can a wee lass spot a con job or is it the real McCoy the world that opened up to Wendy at the graveyard burial.
He is just the housekeeper, he professes, and what is to prevail has been and still is, mistress and cats and all.
A nice concise whipped up little haunting spin.

Russian Dollhouse by Jason Parent

A little wandering into trick-or-treating territory with brother and sister, and other young characters.
They should steer clear of condemned colonial houses.
There is something afoot, could be passed off as an elaborate Halloween prank or trick, or is something more grotesque and sinister awaiting.

The Cemetery Man by John Everson

Everson intends to have the reader heated up in the cemetery with plenty of movement, with no so great decisions and company that loves the dark and shadows, carnal callings in this one.
Two Noir connoisseurs sounds great, but romps amongst tombstones a no go, graver danger awaits, take heed.

Haunted World by Robert McCammon

Begins with one ghost present with three living characters in a day of October, then with sign of tornado a drove of ghosts arriving and reader almost invited to a spirit convention, just don’t get trapped in the haunted world.
Static and lose of power amongst things occurring but plenty of movement with dead and alive.

Last Call at the Sudden Death Saloon by Allan Leverone

A little trip in field of journalism with one Seth, he ventures into a town called Springvale, one with a haunting past and much to explore, along with the mysterious and terrible past what terrible new things wait?
A nice short chilling mystery read. 

“Sinister is exactly what I’m after. I’m a journalist and I’m writing a story on Springvale’s unsolved disappearances. The story focuses on the events not as crimes but as manifestations of the town’s supernatural history.”

The Ring of Truth by Thomas F. Monteleone

A marine in dire situation, on precipice of life and sanity, last one left from squad who did bad and with that fill of guilt and terrible actions in war with a memento of a ring and ears to never forget.
One man to another with a dilemma, and possible reaping and returning to chaos.

Portrait by Kealan Patrick Burke

Once a happy family now no more, melancholy left with an eight year old girl an artist with sorrow for the gone, abandonment she feels and what else to follow?
Artistry with words with the fears and yearning for understanding in the rapid changing of circumstances in the life of the young character.

 

Reviewed by Lou Pendergrast on 09 October 2019