"They Lurk" by Ronald Malfi is a chilling anthology that masterfully blends the mundane with the macabre. Malfi proves once again that he's adept at crafting stories that seep into the reader's psyche. From the eerie forest of "Skullbelly" to the unsettling tensions in "The Separation", each tale invites a sense of impending dread. "The Stranger" brilliantly transforms a commonplace setting into a pressure-cooker of horror, while "After the Fade" presents a grotesque menace in the most unexpected places. With one more novella still veiled in mystery, this collection is a must-read for those who revel in tales of the sinister and surreal.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of They Lurk.

I've read several books by the author, thanks to NetGalley, and enjoy them which is why I look forward to requesting his books.

These novellas are all new to me so I was grateful for the chance to read them.

Novellas are hit or miss; you may like one or none, but rarely do I like them all.

Still, there were aspects I enjoyed in each story:

Skullbelly is about a private investigator hired to look into the disappearance of three teenagers. When one teenager returns, shell shocked and traumatized, the PI has to figure out what happened. But it turns out the small town and its locals have much to hide, including their neighborhood monster.

This was reminiscent of IT, the killer clown from Derry, Stephen King's famous fictional town in Maine. My biggest caveat is I wished this was scary. There's a lingering sense of unease, you know something's not right in the town, but nothing really stands out.

A formulaic story about a monster in a small town, nothing new.

The Separation is about a therapist called to visit a friend in Germany suffering from depression...and something else. This was creepy, though I wished the author had run with it more, explained more about how Charlie's symptoms manifested. Was it just the divorce or something else?

The Stranger was a creepy, bloodletting story about a guy named David driving with his current main squeeze when he discovers a stranger sitting in his car. Except, the stranger might be someone David knows, all too well.

This was more Twilight Zone-y, sort of like a glimpse into the future, where the present crosses into a multiverse and you see what might happen to David if his current path in life continued.

After the Fade was my favorite story. I despise bugs and I love zombies (not in a zombies-are-hot kind of way, but in a I-enjoy-zombie-movies-and-books-kind of way). This was creepy and unsettling and gross. Bugs are so gross.

Fierce was a mother/daughter tale of survival where a daughter, resentful of her mother's refusal to allow her a once in a lifetime chance to take a year off from college to go backpacking, discovers what powerful strength and resiliency her mother has after a frightening car accident.

And discovers she's and her mom aren't so different after all.

Overall, a good read that kept me reading and engaged.

I did notice a typo in "The Stranger."

A sentence is written as "Tires peeled," but the word is supposed to be spelled "pealed." That was kind of funny. Made me think of slipping on a banana peel, for some reason. Random, I know.

Looking forward to reading the author's next book.

I love a good Malfi book and this was a solid collection of short stories.
Sometimes short stories are hard to connect with but these pulled me in from the very first and held my attention.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book

After reading Come With Me, I became a huge fan of Ronald Malfi and this book certainly didn’t disappoint. I love reading short stories and this book a very solid collection of horrific and suspenseful stories. Some are definitely stronger than others, but all around a great read.

Another fantastic example from Ron Malfi. Each is carefully chosen, with creeping dread and brilliant plotting throughout. Malfi continues to be all but unrivaled in his position in horror. FANASTIC stuff.

Really dark compelling and complex. I need more from this author, a lot more, immediately. Cannot wait.

For the most part, Ronald Malfi's strengths come through in this collection of novellas - he's exceptionally good at creating atmosphere and eking out dread throughout a story, and his stories tend to twist in interesting directions. That said, there are elements of this collection that frustrated me slightly. The ending to the first story, SKULLBELLY, didn't land with the punch that I was hoping for, and THE SEPARATION never seemed to take flight. In contrast, THE STRANGER is particularly good, taking an everyday occurrence - what if a man got into your car and refused to leave - and spiralling outwards into something truly nightmarish. The same goes for AFTER THE FADE, which takes its horrific concept and runs with it, leaning hard into grotesquerie and claustrophobia with great effect.

All in all, this is a good collection by one of the best horror writers working today, and that might be enough of a recommendation: a good Ronald Malfi story is usually a hell of a lot better than most things you'll read out there. If some of these stories feel a little more like sketches than fully realised worlds, then perhaps that's okay - they're a great insight into how Malfi's longer works evolve, and they're also tremendously enjoyable, atmospheric and frequently scary. But if you want something that'll leave you more satisfied on a narrative level, you might be better off seeking out his novels.

3.75 stars rounded up

Although he’s not an author who’s brought up often, Ronald Malfi is one of the best in the (horror) business. At least, that’s what I’ve learned after reading his two latest novels and his most recent collection of novellas. Thankfully, there’s quite a bit more in his library, meaning I have a good amount left to read, which I look forward to doing so. In fact, I’ve been meaning to read most of his books ever since I borrowed a lot of them from the library several years ago.

In the last year or so, Mr. Malfi has opted to release two different collections, both of which are made up of novellas, some of which were previously published. While I’ve yet to read the first, Ghostwritten, I did buy it in paperback and eBook formats. I have, however, read the latest one thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books, and am here to share my thoughts. It’s called They Lurk.

What you’ll find within the physical (or digital) pages of They Lurk by Ronald Malfi is a set of five different stories, the first four having been previously published. They get progressively longer, and also tend to get better as they go along. All of these tales are at least pretty good, too, with some being notably better than that.

In Skullbelly, a private detective crossed state lines to search for answers after three teenagers disappear while camping in strange woods. Upon doing so, he’s informed of a local legend involving a strange creature called Skullbelly, which has a translucent stomach, allowing people to see his (human) victims get digested and reduced to bone. This is a pretty good novella, which isn’t all that long, and it does a solid job of setting the tone for the rest of this collection.

The Separation is next, and it’s undoubtedly the weakest of the bunch, despite being decent itself. Within its words, a psychiatrist travels to Germany to help an old friend (and professional boxer) return to himself. As the fighter’s manager has stated, his charge has been acting very strangely, has been losing weight and has been deteriorating in other ways since his separation. The behaviour is alarming, not to mention incredibly strange. Thus, doctor and patient take up residence together within an old farmhouse, along with a couple of other men, those being the manager and an assistant.

Next up is The Stranger, wherein a man and his younger female partner stop at a roadside motel not far from Tallahassee, Florida. There, they meet a stranger with odd proportions, who says something eerie before parting ways. Not long after, they find that the odd man has locked himself inside their car and won’t get out. That’s not the worst of it, either.

The Stranger is a good and thought provoking novella, which will stick in your mind after reading. It’s also the creepiest of the bunch.

The fourth story, then, is After the Fade, which is undoubtedly the best of the bunch. It centres upon a jazz musician named Tommy, who chooses to break up with his girlfriend of one year in a familiar bar in Annapolis. Things don’t go as planned, though, because odd things begin to happen once she enters the establishment. It begins with a woman Tommy knows entering the bar in an odd state, with some sort of bug-like creature stuck to the back of her head. I liked this one best because, not only was it a really good story, but it worked as an interesting character study.

Last up is Fierce, which is the only newly written novella in this book. It’s also the longest, taking up about thirty percent of its pages.

Fierce pretty much begins with a young woman trying to get her divorced parents’ approval to take a gap year between high school and college, in order to travel across Europe with friends. She speaks about her strict mother, but things really pick up during a pre-Christmas dinner with her musician dad and his younger girlfriend. Then, it moves on to she and her mom driving home through a one lane mountain road that is bordered by steep snowdrifts on each side.

As the two argue, they see headlights appear over the next hill, then have little time to react before a big truck barrels into them. With a deadly accident narrowly avoided, but their car inoperable nonetheless, the two get out and find that the driver of the truck isn’t someone they want to get to know. That’s all I’ll say to avoid spoilers.

All of these novellas are at least pretty good, if not quite good, and combine to make They Lurk worth your time. Like everything I’ve read from Ronald Malfi, they’re also very well written. He’s really talented at what he does. Still, it doesn’t reach the same heights as his last two novels did, and left me wishing for a bit more. Then again, I’ve developed high expectations when it comes to this author.

This review is based on a copy of the book that we were provided with. Receiving one from Titan Books and NetGalley did not sway our opinion or jeopardize our review.

This is a great horrifying collection of five short stories.
Skullbelly - Four teens go camping in the forest and only one comes back traumatised and bleeding. The families hire a private investigator to get to the bottom of it and he discovers a local secret.

The Seperation - Marcus travels to Germany to help his friend Charlie through his separation from his wife but his behaviour grows increasingly more bizarre.

The Stranger - David and his girlfriend decide to stay at a motel for the night and when he returns to the car he finds a stranger sitting in the drivers seat even though the doors were locked and he's reluctant to exit

the Fade - A woman enters a pub, collapses and dies with something attached to her head and it didn't come alone. Now the patrons are trapped inside the pub while these things are trying to enter.

Fierce - After a mother and daughter get in a car accident the daughter must figure out how to save her mother's life.

I lived these stories and I'm so glad I got a chance to read them some very chilling, gruesome and thrilling stories in here. Kept me so gripped. Highly recommend!

They Lurk by Ronald Malfi is an anthology of five horror novellas.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Titan Books and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



My Synopsis and Opinions
Although they are all horror stories, I will, as always, rate each novella on its own. Note that the first four were originally published between 2009 and 2012.  The last one is new.



Skullbelly... PI John Jeffers has been hired to find out why only one of four teenagers returned from their camping trip, and the one that showed  up has major cuts to his body, and is in a comatose state.  This was really good.  I loved the atmosphere and story.  Creepy good. 5 stars



The Separation... Charlie and Gloria broke up 3 months ago, and he is still deeply depressed.  His friend and psychologist Marcus arrives in Germany to find Charlie's behaviour more than bizarre.  Wasn't sure where this was going.  Really good! 4 stars



The Stranger...  David and Rhonda are on a road trip.  When he returns to his car, he finds a strange man behind the wheel, doors locked, and the man refuses to budge, even when the police show up.  Things just get worse from here.  Lots of blood and gore, but loved it!  5 stars



After the Fade...  Tom asks Lauren to meet him at a bar.  He's decided it's time to break up with her.  But before that can happen, a bleeding and disoriented woman walks into the bar, falls down and dies in front of the stunned patrons.  There is a giant bug attached to the base of her skull.  More arrive, and the world may never be the same.  Loved it!  5 stars



Fierce ... Connie and her mother are involved in a car crash on a remote snowy road.  The driver of the other vehicle is a little "off",  and soon Connie is running for her life.  She is reminded of another monster that her and her mother encountered when she was 10.  She hopes she will survive this monster too.  OMG...this was fantastic.  5 stars



Overall, this was a great collection of horror stories.  Suspense of impending doom in each of the stories creates a really creepy and scary atmosphere.  You are never real sure what is real, and what could be of a more supernatural nature, and each one keeps you guessing from start to finish.

I will definitely be finding more of this author's books to read.



For a more complete review of this book and others, (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, as well as author information and contact details), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

4.5! As someone who lacks creativity, Malfi’s writing somehow even lets ME envision the gore and monsters. I love it. Skullbelly, The Stranger, and After the Fade all felt like I was watching a short film. Incredible! The only story that disappointed me was Fierce, but I think I’m going to give it a re-read because I’m sure I missed the point.

Can’t wait to continue to read more Malfi.

I love Ronald Malfi so much. He’s one of those authors that can write books that are so vastly different from each other but still satiate the craving he always leaves me with. I’ve been a big fan ever since I received Come With Me in a Nightworms package years ago and I instantly had to have more after that.

They Lurk is everything you expect from Malfi, but I do have to say I enjoy his novels more. All of the stories are creepy, anxiety inducing, and dark and I really did like them all, but I think my favorite was The Stranger. Thanks so much to Titan Books for my eARC and audiobook! 🖤 They Lurk is available now and is really worth the read!

I discovered Ronald Malfi last year, loved Black Mouth and Come with and enjoyed this collection of short stories.
Ronald Malfi excels at writing novellas and short stories: they're all well plotted, tightly knitted and there a beginning and an apex of horror that keeps you on the edge.
There's different type of horror and all of these stories was quite terrifying regardless of the genre.
It's a good way to get to know this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A masterful collection of short stories from one of the great horror writers! Good to see these stories back in print, especially Skullbelly.

This will be a quick review with perhaps a more details one later. I enjoyed most of the stories here with two exceptions - the opener, Skullbelly, was average and the closer, Fierce, was terrible. That's always the problem with short stories, or a collection of stories, is it'll be hit and miss.
Still, overall worth picking up because there were some genuine chills, even in the two aforementioned stories.
Thanks for the opportunity to provide an honest review. I'm definitely keen to read ,ore from Malfi

A collection of five novellas. I thought Malfi did a great job with a notoriously difficult form of writing. Longer than a short story, but shorter than a novel, the author does a great job telling a haunting tale that often combines elements of the supernatural and suspense. The collection seems pretty even in terms of quality between the collected works.

Look, if a Ronald Malfi book is being released, I'm getting it. I, like many others I believe, first discovered him recently with the novel Come With Me, and I've been hooked every since. I was especially happy to get this book because it's four novellas, and the last book I read by Malfi was Ghostwritten, which is also four novellas, and he is a master at it. It's difficult to write short stories and novellas - you aren't able to necessarily wrap everything up, and you have to keep it engaging but not seem rushed, and he's very good at that. Each novellas ends, and you turn the page, thinking there is more, but realize it ended, and turn back to read the last page. They end when they could go on, and yet you don't feel like it's a cliffhanger. It's a very hard thing to do, and I"m glad Malfi is so good at it!

So, I've not read anything from Ronald Malfi before but I definitely will be in future. Horror is a new genre for me and I feel like this has been a good introduction for me. It was creepy throughout, but it made me want to keep reading.

A solid 4 stars from me.

**4.5-stars rounded up**

This 2014-novella collection has been lovingly-repackaged and rereleased by Titan Books and Tantor Audio.
I am so pleased with how the cover pairs with Ghostwritten. I really enjoyed that collection as well and feel like these two would make quite a duo on the shelves.

The stories included are: They Lurk, Skullbelly, The Separation, The Stranger, After the Fade and Fierce. I felt the arrangement was great, as my favorite story was the first one and my least favorite was last, but by least favorite, we're still talking like a solid 3.5-star rounded up.

Ronald Malfi is one of my favorite authors. Truth be told, I'm a bit of a fangirl, but honestly, I feel like this collection has something for every Horror Reader to enjoy. Each story had it's own vibe, but the one thing they all had was a overriding creepiness as the narrative unfolded. There were times I was feeling like Bone White vibes, other times I was getting The Mist, I was hooked.

I listened to the audiobook and would definitely recommend that as a medium. Both narrators did an incredible job bringing these stories to life. Well done!

It's rare for me to find a short-story collection that works for me so well. This was fantastic. I can't praise Malfi enough. Every time I pick up one of his books, I'm reminded of how in love I am with the tone and delivery of his stories. Chef's freaking kiss!!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tantor Audio and Titan Books, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'm working my way through Malfi's backlist and these rereleases are certainly helpful!! If you love Horror and have yet to read Malfi, you need to change that ASAP. 10-out-of-10 recommend!!!

Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I am a big fan of author Ronald Malfi.

I rank his novel Black Mouth as one of the finest horror stories of the past decade. For his latest release, Malfi has compiled five novellas that show he can tackle many different types of horror.

Skullbelly is the story of three missing girls in a small rural town. Given the tried motif of a town with a secret, this story builds up nicely but then ends quite abruptly.

Next up The Separation shows how Malfi resonates with readers of Stephen King with is writing of characters. There is a personable quality that makes these characters engrossing and drives the story.

The highlight of this anthology is The Stranger, a truly harrowing tale that sees a stranger lot themselves in a man’s car outside a motel. This one is extreme body and psychological horror at its finest. It’s truly horrifying and will stay with the reader.

After The Fade is Malfi’s attempt at some doomsday horror mixed by with body horror. A girl collapses in a bar with giant bug attached to her, which triggers a series of events that feel like the world is truly ending before our eyes. This one also has a fantastic sting in the tail which will have readers chuckling, when they thought it couldn’t get any more bonkers.

Closing out this anthology is Fierce, which pits a teenage girl and her mother against evil forces that are and aren’t human following a car accident. This once again shows Malfi’s strength in writing deep and engrossing characters. This one is very much a coming-of-age story in a horrific scenario that feels like there is no escape.

Conclusively They Lurk is another winner from Malfi giving readers a varied yet entertaining collection of stories that are perfect for late night reading.