Ainslie Hogarth

'Outstandingly weird and memorable' GUARDIAN 'Deliciously creepy' NEW SCIENTIST Fear never dies… These stories from eighteen master storytellers will curdle your blood, haunt your dreams and redefine terror. From a hungry young woman who is not what she seems, to a boy who has taken his mother's advice a little too seriously; from disfigured girls willing to pay any price to fit in, to an immigrant who cannot escape his tormentor in his new home country; from a new home with a sinister secret, to the discovery that a long-dead parent’s corpse is perfectly preserved decades later; this collection plumbs the depths of the psyche and dredges up some very modern horrors.

There is a rumour that a spirit haunts the town. Centuries ago, a young woman made a horrifying discovery about herself that resulted in her death. But some say she still lives on... Another tragedy has more recently befallen the town. A girl named Janie disappeared fifteen years ago without a trace. Her grieving parents became the object of everyone's unceasing attention. For her mother, Annette, the disappearance shaped her guilt and worry into an exquisite public face of resilience. For the father, Calvin, the disappearance broke something in him. He had no such composure, crying uncomfortably on television and prompting some to wonder: could his raw emotions in fact be a performance? Others still have more supernatural suspicions. What if the town's spirit was actually behind this? Now, fifteen years on, someone comes to help solve the case, a woman with a very unusual background, who knows a thing or two about public grief herself. She might be exactly the thing Annette and Calvin need to help them find their lost daughter. That is, if she doesn't tear their family apart first...

New mother Dani has a lot going on. She's just moved back to her hometown, where her father was once known as the Garbage King; she's fed up of not being a manicure-sporting, perfectly coiffed Normal Woman; and most of all, she's worried that her seemingly healthy husband, Clark, will drop dead, leaving her and her new baby Lotte destitute. And then Dani discovers The Temple. Ostensibly a yoga center, The Temple and its guardian, Renata, are committed to helping people reach their full potential. And if that sometimes requires sex work, so be it. Finally, Dani has found something she could be good at, even great at - meaningful work that will protect her and Lotte from poverty, and provide true economic independence from Clark. But just as she's preparing to embrace this opportunity, Renata disappears, leaving Dani to step into another role entirely - detective. Darkly comic, sharply witty and fiercely smart, Normal Women asks how our societies truly value female labour - and what independence really means.

New mother Dani has a lot going on. She's just moved back to her hometown, where her father was once known as the Garbage King; she's fed up of not being a manicure-sporting, perfectly coiffed Normal Woman; and most of all, she's worried that her seemingly healthy husband, Clark, will drop dead, leaving her and her new baby Lotte destitute. And then Dani discovers The Temple. Ostensibly a yoga center, The Temple and its guardian, Renata, are committed to helping people reach their full potential. And if that sometimes requires sex work, so be it. Finally, Dani has found something she could be good at, even great at - meaningful work that will protect her and Lotte from poverty, and provide true economic independence from Clark. But just as she's preparing to embrace this opportunity, Renata disappears, leaving Dani to step into another role entirely - detective. Darkly comic, sharply witty and fiercely smart, Normal Women asks how our societies truly value female labour - and what independence really means.

In this darkly comic story about how we value female labor--and don't--a new mother becomes embroiled in danger when her friend, a controversial entrepreneur, goes missing. When her daughter Lotte was born, Dani had welcomed the chance to be a stay-at-home mother. To be good at something, for once. But now Dani can't stop thinking about her seemingly healthy husband, Clark, dropping dead. Not because she hates him (not right now, anyway) but because it's become abundantly clear to Dani that if he dies, she and Lotte will be left destitute. And then Dani discovers The Temple. Ostensibly a yoga center, The Temple and its guardian, Renata, are committed to helping people reach their full potential. And if that sometimes requires sex work, so be it. Finally, Dani has found something she could be good at, even great at; meaningful work that will protect her and Lotte from poverty, and provide true economic independence from Clark. Just as Dani is preparing to embrace this opportunity, Renata disappears. And Dani discovers there might be something else she's good at: uncovering secrets.

‘A gruesome, blackly funny, utterly original feminist horror story‘ New York Times, Notable Book of the Year ‘A buzz-worthy and ferocious horror comedy from one of the genre’s most promising voices’ Buzzfeed Abby Lamb has done it. She’s found the Great Good in her husband, Ralph, and together they will start a family and put all the darkness in her childhood to rest. But then the Lambs move in with Ralph’s mother, Laura, whose depression has made it impossible for her to live on her own. She’s venomous and cruel, especially to Abby, who has a complicated understanding of motherhood given the way her own, now-estranged, mother raised her. When Laura takes her own life, her ghost starts to haunt Abby and Ralph in very different ways. Ralph is plunged into depression, and Abby is being terrorized by a force intent on taking everything she loves away from her. With everything on the line, Abby must make the ultimate sacrifice in order to prove her adoration to Ralph and break Laura’s hold on the family for good.

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - A darkly funny take on mothers and daughters, about a woman who must take drastic measures to save her husband and herself from the vengeful ghost of her mother-in-law. "A quirky, gruesome, utterly original feminist horror experience." --The New York Times Book Review When Ralph and Abby Lamb move in with Ralph's mother, Laura, Abby hopes it's just what she and her mother-in-law need to finally connect. After a traumatic childhood, Abby is desperate for a mother figure, especially now that she and Ralph are trying to become parents themselves. Abby just has so much love to give--to Ralph, to Laura, and to Mrs. Bondy, her favorite resident at the long-term care home where she works. But Laura isn't interested in bonding with her daughter-in-law. She's venomous and cruel, especially to Abby, and life with her is hellish. When Laura takes her own life, her ghost haunts Abby and Ralph in very different ways: Ralph is plunged into depression, and Abby is terrorized by a force intent on destroying everything she loves. To make matters worse, Mrs. Bondy's daughter is threatening to move Mrs. Bondy from the home, leaving Abby totally alone. With everything on the line, Abby comes up with a chilling plan that will allow her to keep Mrs. Bondy, rescue Ralph from his tortured mind, and break Laura's hold on the family for good. All it requires is a little ingenuity, a lot of determination, and a unique recipe for chicken la king...