4/5 ✨

7 very spoopy stories. This quick and creepy read has a story for everyone. This would be a wonderful collection of stories to read during Fall (or anytime really) or around a campfire.

If you're looking for 7 short pieces to unnerve and entertain, look no further. Ronald J. Murray covers all the bases.

What do leeches, fear of a bathtub drain, a soured relationship between friends, and a woman named Anastasia not answering your calls and texts all have in common? You'll find out in Jealousy, titled after the one word text message Riley receives from Anastasia, where nightmare and reality clash then blend together.

Next, A Letter To My Future Corpse begins with “Paintings have their stories to tell. The scattered, marked canvasses around this room told the spiderweb of mine”. We are trapped with an artist who yearns to know themself as more than what happened to them. An artist made of the webs they weave who learns that life is a series of deaths and rebirths. How they learn and what comes of that, well that's up to you read.

I Have Swallowed Sin follows a troubled narrator who needs to take their medication. When they don't, bad things can happen. When they do? Maybe bad things happen still.

In The Labyrinth begins with a sleezy, cheating narrator who tells himself he can't control the urges to cheat on his wife, his compulsion is like a monster that needs to be feed, leaving him emptier with each feeding. He might just be right.

Cornelia takes us on a trip down a windy road in the snow. A vehicle hits Brennan, he wakes up in a strange room and his friend is nowhere in sight. Brennan just wants to go home but he has to heal first and that means letting this odd pair of hosts help him mend.

The Incident at Shore Run Road is an homage to the Lovecraftian cosmic terror we can never get enough of. What's in the journal in the closet, and what's the deal with Sunset Motel room 206?

To Taste Her Flesh is a story about a mannequin, a man, the girl he is infatuated with, the partner who doesn't deserve her, and what happens when the stories you tell yourself in your head might not be true.

This collection is sure to entertain. You might get creeped out, you might blush, you might be left wanting more.

Just finished reading "Where the Dead Don't Die" by Ronald J. Murray. Incredible short stories. Murry effortlessly blends the supernatural with the grotesque reality of humanity. Each story dragged me in, twisted my nerves, and even broke my heart.

This anthology of short horror stories presents a diverse array of spine-chilling tales, from encounters with cannibals in the woods to unsettling scenes featuring sentient mannequins.

While I found the stories to be intriguing and enjoyable, I couldn't shake the feeling that they lacked depth in terms of character development and dialogue. Some stories felt rushed, leaving me craving more insight into the horror elements. In particular, "Cornelia" stood out to me as a narrative with the potential to evolve into a full-length novel.

As a reader who occasionally explores indie horror, I often find myself hoping for more from the genre, and unfortunately, this collection left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. While the book is well-edited and readable, many of the stories seem to dwell in dreary worlds with introspective narratives, making it unclear whether they aim for literary depth or simply rely on stylized prose. Although there are a few standout plots, such as "Cornelia," the majority of the stories failed to leave a lasting impression, especially in the first half of the book.

Overall, I struggled to find significant praise for this collection. Despite the involvement of a talented creator, it falls short in terms of capturing my interest and offering originality. However, considering the niche audience of indie horror and its sometimes-lower expectations, this collection may still find appreciation and acclaim within its community.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you are looking for a quick binge read or just a book to make your head spin this is it!

I was so pleased with the realism in these unique novelettes.

Each chapter/ story is written in its own unique style/perspective, each depicting a new horror of the human brain (or does it?)

The author did such an amazing job writing these novelettes in such a way that it allows you to ponder the reality of the characters. Open ended truths left to your interpretation!

Brilliant and honestly maybe I’m just a whimp but this book genuinely had me checking all the dark corners in my house 😂

This book has Love, Lust,Death, Trauma, Healing,Trust, Betrayal, Forgiveness, Horror, Beauty, Gore, and Paranormal sprinkles 🖤

This is a short horror story collection that includes; cannibals in the woods (my favorite), a gross bathtub, motel monster, a sex cult (hot), sentient mannequin weirdness.
I thought the stories were unique and fun, but the dialogue and characters weren’t the most fleshed out or deep. I think some of the stories could have been longer with more explanation, exploration, and more time given to the reader to unravel the horror. Some of the stories cut off so abruptly and left me feeling a little unsatisfied, which sucks because they had a lot of potential! I actually feel like a few of the stories could have been literal full length novels, Cornelia specifically.
2.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

Every so often, I check out the world of indie horror, daring it to impress me ... and come away almost invariably disappointed.  This book was no exception. In theory, it's better than most indies in so much that it's readable and has been properly edited. But context-wise, it's mediocre at best. Story after story conjures one dreary world after another, most often heavily internalized. It's difficult to tell if it tries to be literary or just hyper stylized with very short, very simple sentences, one after another in rapid succession. It seems the author tried for "deceptive simplicity" but didn't quite get there. The plots are by and large forgettable (and way too stolid), except for maybe Cornelia. The book generally improves in the second half. Overall, though, there isn't much here to recommend itself. It isn't particularly interesting or exciting or original.  Much like its oddly bland cover, despite the fact that the publisher used a talented creator. But because of the incestuous, back slapping ways of indie horror AND, more importantly, the genre's low, low quality expectations, it is sure to find an audience and praise. Thanks Netgalley.

I’d not yet read any of Murray’s short fiction, but having read a number of his poems and finding them visceral and engaging, I jumped at the chance to read this collection of short fiction. When you couple that with the phenomenal cover, it really hyped me up for diving into a pit of blackness and wondering if I’d be able to claw my way out from the depths.

What I liked: The collection is made up of short stories and novelette’s, which I can safely say, nothing feels bloated or overly forced to be boxed in by word count restraints. The longer stories flow well, not dipping and the shorter ones bite hard and immediately engage the reader.

Murray doesn’t dance around phrasing, this isn’t a poet filling the paper with purple prose, which we tend to see, and I was very happy to discover wasn’t the case here. If this was your first experience with his writing, you might even be surprised that he writes poems, as the format and pacing here is spot on.

Stand outs for me were;

‘Jealousy’ – the opening story starts this off with a bang. A chaotic story about Riley, who struggles to remember what happened in a traumatic moment and has to swim through his mind putting bits and pieces in front of him. It was a perfect story to start off with, one that sets the stage for the darkness that takes place after.

‘A Letter to My Future Corpse’ – one of the darker, bleaker stories within, Murray gives us a story about a despondent painter who desperately wants to be reunited with his family. This one was the closest story within that I could see beginning life as a poem and being transformed into long fiction, especially with some of the phrasing choices.

‘Cornelia’ – one of the more brutal stories, this one starts off with a man drunkenly challenging the world to strike him down while he raves in the middle of a snowy road. Ironically, he gets hit by a car, waking up under the care of a man and a woman. While Murray doesn’t keep the ‘twist’ that secretive, it still is absolutely unnerving as the story progresses and ultimately we get the big reveal.

‘In the Labyrinth’ – easily the highlight of the collection, Murray channeled his inner Lovecraft to deliver a story that was so cinematic and claustrophobic, that I was very sad when it ended. The story opens with Mitchell, a sleaze ball at a bar, looking to find a woman to hook up, even though he’s married. When he finds someone, they head to her place, where things seem straight forward. Hook up, leave, deal with his guilt. Until he gets drugged and wakes up in an odd labyrinth. We get a stunning dose of cosmic horror and Barker-level brutality from there on.

Throughout, Murray showcases his ability to seemingly ‘flick the switch.’ And what I mean is essentially block out the stories light and take us dark, take us to a place where there’s no hope in sight.

What I didn’t like: Overall, I enjoyed all of the stories, but some were definitely more to my taste than others, which is the case with every collection. Readers will always find which stories work for them and which don’t.

Why you should buy this: Murray is a talented poet and this collection shows that he can easily transition to a mastery of short fiction as well. His characters are flawed, well formed and push the story forward, which makes for a more connected experience for the reader.

Really solid release.

I truly enjoyed this read, I have always been a big fan of collections of stories, especially horror/mystery ones. This was a great, quicker read to get me out of a reading slump and I truly enjoyed every second of this book! 5/5 <3

I couldn't enjoy this. This is not for me.

I felt bored throughout, mostly by the bland perversions, hypermasculine tropes, and unlikeable characters. Then somewhat intrigued halfway by the two stories "Cornelia" and "The incident at shore run road". And just disgusted at the end by the choice of event, that never sits well with me, it could have been more akin to the actual title of the short story. That's all I'll say.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and RDS Publishing/ Uncomfortably Dark for this advanced digital copy.

5/5

“Where the Dead Don’t Die” is a collection of seven stories: "Jealousy," "A Letter to My Future Corpse," "I Have Swallowed Sin," "In the Labyrinth," "Cornelia," "The Incident at the Shore Run Road," and "To Taste Her Flesh." They all deal with betrayal and fit into horror subgenres like psychological, supernatural, Lovecraftian, and erotic. These stories dig deep into the human psyche and relationships. Murray’s writing takes you through dark tales of labyrinths, rituals, sacrifices, and secrets, all with a compelling weirdness.

“Jealousy” is the first short story and it’s about Riley, who’s on a break with his wife Anastasia and staying with his best friend Reggie. The plot twist? Insane! Even though it was kinda predictable, the ending still hit hard. The reversed psychology, the anger, the jealousy, betrayal, hurt… it’s all mixed together so well.

The second short story, “A Letter to My Future Corpse,” dives deep into the fucked-up, twisted side of human psychology. It’s all about nightmares and the complexity of human identity. I found it super interesting and thought-provoking. The suspense kept me hooked till the very end.

The third short story, “I Have Swallowed Sin,” had me hooked just from the title, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s about this guy who has crazy outbursts where he kicks, screams, and scratches his own arms. His uncle takes him to the doctor to get meds, and if he remembers to take them every day, he won’t have those outbursts and will become “lovable.” But this lady he knows, Genevieve, hates him taking that medicine and calls it him having “swallowed sin.” This one was super weird but in a good way—very wicked. The ending was scary, and I would’ve hated to be in that situation. It gave me a distant Red Herring vibe. Overall, I really liked this one.

The fourth short story, “In the Labyrinth,” is about Mitchel, who goes to a club to cheat on his wife again. He meets Clara and hooks up with her, not realizing that his wife finding out won’t be his only problem—things get way worse. This story wasn’t as intense as the other three and left me a bit confused, but it was still super intriguing. It had a cool Lovecraftian and sexy vibe. Not my favorite, but it was still executed really well.

“Cornelia” is the fifth short story, and it’s about these two boys, Justin and Brennan, who are out hiking or something. Brennan goes missing and ends up in the house of this beautiful lady named Cornelia and a crazy doctor named Doyle. Brennan catches feelings for Cornelia, but it’s super dangerous. This one was spicyyy. It was SO GOOD! I was left guessing until the very end, and the ending was messed up—like, holy shit. I loved it. It was truly creepy and gruesome, just what I was looking for. I’m still shook by that creepily disgusting ending. Awesome.

"The Incident at the Shore Run Road" is the sixth short story, and honestly, I couldn't tell you exactly what it's about other than some gruesome family and a haunted house. But even though the plot's kinda fuzzy, it's super messed up. The ending? Terrifying. I was more scared by the overall vibe and impact than by the actual story. Whatever it was, it was insane, and I liked it. Hehe.

"To Taste Her Flesh" is the seventh and last short story. So, Chris's close friend and the woman he's always loved dies, and his other friend Angelina is there to support him... or is she? OH DAMN, THIS WAS GOOD. Like, really fucking scary and messed up. The torture scene? WHAT THE HELL. This was so, so good. They definitely saved the best for last. The writing was delicious, and I devoured every word. The unrequited love, the aftermath of losing a loved one, the mind games, some witchcraft vibes—it's all just damn.

All of these short stories were so good, real creepy and very, very intense. Some were predictable, some had my jaw on the floor, and some had a completely different meaning or outcome than I expected. This was seriously so good, I enjoyed every single one of these stories, especially my favorite, "To Taste Her Flesh." So yeah, I recommend these seven wicked short stories to everyone who's into a little scare, a little bit of horror to brighten up the day. Lol, it's really worth it.

——————

PUBLICATION DATE:
31st of May, 2024

*Thank you NetGalley, RDS Publishing, and the author for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Ronald J. Murray is an author that is going somewhere in the horror genre. This was my first experience with his writing and damn, it was good! His writing is eerie. Prose 🔥. Descriptions told with pulse pounding fear that borders psychological thriller and supernatural horror combined. This novella is told in seven short stories. You will question what’s real and what is not. I’ll tell you that this is the kind of old school horror that I grew up to. This-right-here 🔥

Creepy and unsettling for all you fans of things on the darker side, check this out. I look forward to the next book Murray dishes out.
Many thanks to @Ronald J. Murray, @Uncomfortably Dark Horror and @NetGalley for the amazing opportunity.
Release date May 31, 2024
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#WhereTheDeadDontDie #NetGalley #Horror

Ronald J. Murray's 'Where The Dead Don't Die' contains seven wicked stories of psychological and cosmic horror, of varied length and thematically diverse, though all tied together by a very stark brand of the "unreliable narrator" storytelling device. Most of the psychological horror stories (especially the opening story, "Jealousy," a tale of infidelity told in ten parts of escalating violence and aggression) feel like taking the wrong turn in an otherwise familiar territory and trespassing into dark, back country roads: "Cornelia," for example, a story about a couple saving a teenage boy and bringing him back to health (in a variety of ways), only turns raw and brutal when you realize you've left everyday normality behind and there's no way back anymore; "To Taste Her Flesh," a briliant tale of unrequited love, takes the reader into an unforgiving journey of eroticism and fetishism, straight down to the madness that follows if the timely realization of the meaning of loss never comes. The supernatural stories, on the other hand, are deceptively easy reads, flirting with several Lovecraftian tropes, in order to hit on some dark surrealistic note the moment you least expect it. My favorite story of this kind (though not cosmic horror, just a haunted motel room instead) was definitely "The Incident At Shore Run Road." It's a grotesque family story grounded on the haunted house trope, without the usual drama; I personally found it worth the price of the collection alone.

Overall, this is a collection that offers stories of that kind of creeping psychological and supernatural horror which a horror fan never outgrows. The seemingly plain writing style takes a little time to get used to, but it's worth it!