Real Bad Things
By: Kelly J. Ford
Release Date | September 1
Genre | Mystery
The river that snakes through Maud Bottoms, Arkansas has claimed a fair share of victims. It is why when Warren goes missing, the locals assume he drowned. Accidents happen, especially when drunk, and the locals move on - until Jane Mooney confesses to killing her violent stepfather. The confession should have put her in jail but without a body, she isn't charged. So Jane escapes to Boston, taking her secrets with her.
Twenty-five years later, the river floods and a body surfaces from below. Talk of Warren's murder re-grips the town and Jane must return to face her past, face her revenge-bent mother, and make things right. Jane's return will enlighten some but threaten others and some secrets are better left at the bottom of the river.
Disclaimer (yippie!): Aster's Book Hour is an Amazon Associate. It earns a small commission from qualifying purchases attached to the Amazon affiliate links in this post.
The First Thing About You
By: Chaz Hayden
Release Date | September 6
Genre | Young Adult
The move from California to New Jersey presents the perfect opportunity for fifteen-year-old Harris to be known as Harris, not just that kid in the wheelchair. He's armed with his favourite question (what's your favourite colour?), ready to weed out the incompatible people based on their answer. No to purples or greens whose colour is too close to his own blue to be friends with but yes to reds, yellows, and oranges. First thing though, he'll need a new nurse - stat - so his mum can stop accompanying him to school.
Miranda accepts the job as his new nurse, an alumni of the high school he now attends. With beauty, confidence, and the ideal blend of red and orange, Miranda sees Harris for who he is and who he is funny, smart, and absolutely worthy of the affections of Nora Fischer, the cutest girl in his grade. With Miranda and two new friends by his side, Harris is ready to tackle his future but it seems Miranda is fighting her own demons and Harris begins to wonder if she actually has his best interests at heart.
Killers of a Certain Age
By: Deanna Raybourn
Release Date | September 6
Genre | Mystery
Having worked together for decades - Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie are nearing retirement. At 60, it's time to put in their final notice at the Museum, an elite organisation of assassins, where they have worked for forty years. To mark the start of their retirement, the Museum has gifted them an all-expenses paid vacation. But, it seems the gift was a cover as the four soon realise they have been targeted.
The only person who can call for a strike on a Museum employee is a board member and this time, it's their lives at stake. To return home alive, it's up to them to work together and finish one last assignment. They're about to teach a very important lesson on what it means to be a woman and a killer, of a certain age.
The Weight of Blood
By: Tiffany D. Jackson
Release Date | September 6
Genre | Horror
I am stoked for this novel. For starters, the cover is gorgeous and if I had not read previous works by Jackson, would have been the reason I picked up this novel. I am also apprehensive on if I'll actually like this novel because it is a retelling of Carrie, and I did not like Carrie one bit. I undoubtedly will read this because I enjoy Jackson's storytelling and have high hopes she'll deliver something unique whilst paying tribute to the original (but not too much); this is either going to become my favourite read of the year or land right on my DNF list.
When those who remain are questioned on what happened on the night of prom, they all have the same response... Maddy did it.
Madison Washington is an outcast at her Georgia high school, an easy target for bullies because Maddy has other things to worry about then standing up for herself. Until the one thing she's hidden is exposed during a surprise rainstorm; Maddy is biracial. At the demands of her white father, Thomas Washington, she's been pretending and successfully passing as white her whole life.
When a virtual bullying video exposes the high school's racist roots, student leaders devise a plan to change the narrative - host the school's first integrated prom. The popular white class president convinces her Black quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to prom, leaving Maddy wondering what it would be like to live a normal life. The sign of good faith doesn't mean her classmates are quite done with her but what they don't know is Maddy is hiding another secret, one much deadlier, that if exposed will cost them their lives.
I'm the Girl
By: Courtney Summers
Release Date | September 13
Genre | Young Adult
Daphne
By: Josh Malerman
Release Date | September 20
Genre | Horror
It's Kit Lamb's last summer before college. It's the last summer with her high school basketball team and best friend, Dana. It's the last summer before her life begins.
But the night before the big game, one of her teammates tells a ghost story about Daphne - a girl who attended their school years ago and who died - under mysterious circumstances. Some say Daphne was murdered, some say she died by her own hand, some say she was a killer. They all agree on one thing, that Daphne is still out there, revengeful, and waiting to kill anyone who thinks of her.
After that, Kit's teammates disappear, one by one, and Kit begins to think it's her fear, her own mind, that is conjuring the killer. To protect her friends and herself, she must race against the clock to find the truth behind the legend before the summer becomes the last one of her life.
The Getaway
By: Lamar Giles
Release Date | September 20
Genre | Horror
Employed at the infamous Karloff Country resort, Jay is living his best life as a part-time employee at the resort's main theme park after school. He's got his crew, family, and job and though life isn't so great for the rest of the world, he works at a wonderful place where people vacation to get away from it all.
As things worsen outside, Karloff sees its first signs of trouble. First, Jay's friend and family disappear and nobody mentions it. Then the richest and most powerful families begin to arrive but unlike before, they're not leaving. Unbeknownst to the employees, Karloff has begun selling shares in the resort, marketing it as an end-of-the-world oasis, where only the best of the best can live.
And to ensure the best of the best's needs are catered, the employees will be at their total beck and call - whether they like it or not. What Karloff Country didn't account for was Jay and his crew, and how far they'll go to save themselves and uncover the truth. What's more dangerous: the monster you know or the unknown nightmare beyond the resort?
The Sacrifice
By: Rin Chupeco
Release Date | September 27
Genre | Horror
Kisapmata is an island oasis, the perfect place for a relaxing vacation... if it weren't for the curse. The Philippine locals refuse to step on the island, they know the lives claimed by Kisapmata and also know they won't be next. Regardless of the locals warnings, a Hollywood film crew won't be dissuaded. Legend claims that a Dream god sleeps on the island, waiting to grant unimaginable power in exchange for eight sacrifices. The crew is determined to document their travels and even convince a local teen, Alon, to be their guide.
Within minutes of landing on the island, a sinkhole appears revealing mummified bodies entwined in a balete tree. The crew begin experiencing strange visions and Alon knows they're falling victim to the curse and it's up to him to convince them to leave. If they refuse to listen, there is no telling who will survive or how much the Dreamer god will destroy.
The Vicious Circle
By: Katherine St. John
Release Date | September 27
Genre | Thriller
Nestled deep in the Mexican jungle is Xanadu, a wellness centre home to The Mandala, a spiritual group led by Paul Benton and his wife, Kali. When Paul mysteriously dies, his entire estate - including Xanadu - is left to Sveta, a former model living in New York and Paul's estranged cousin.
Shocked but mostly confused, Sveta travels to Mexico to pay her respects. At first, Xanadu appears to be a secluded paradise with sprawling landscapes and a mesmerising de-factor leader in Kali. It isn't long before paradise fades to reveal brainwashed members drunk on the hopes of a false future guided by a dangerous leader. Sveta soon realises she can't escape Xanadu and her only hope for survival is to put her faith in the person she trusts the least.
We Spread
By: Iain Reid
Release Date | September 27
Genre | Horror
Penny has lived in her apartment for decades, accumulating through the years treasured objects that remind her of precious moments from her long life. She accepts the mundaneness of old age, until things begin to slip. After one too many "incidents," Penny finds herself in a new room at a long-term nursing home, organised by her partner prior to their passing unbeknownst to her.
Initially the move breaks up the mundaneness of her life and all is well, she even begins to paint again. But the days soon bleed together and Penny begins to lose her sense of time and also her place in the world. Is she losing herself to old age or is she part of something more unsettling occurring in her new home?
