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New York Times

New Horror Novels Full of All Types of Hauntings

We Live Here Now Pinborough's WE LIVE HERE NOW (Pine & Cedar, 287 pp., $28.99) starts off like a standard haunted house novel: There's a move to an old place in a remote location, and characters are dealing with the aftermath of something awful. There are creepy noises, unusually cold rooms, a looming raven and more. Yes, a list of clichés — but don't despair because this book quickly morphs into a Pinborough novel: atmospheric, immersive, surprising and as dark as wet tires. Emily suffered a fall that left her in the hospital with a shattered leg and fighting sepsis. After being discharged, she and her husband, Freddie, abandon their home in London and move into Larkin Lodge, a big house in Dartmoor. Like any old building, Larkin Lodge has creaks and drafts, but Emily thinks there's more going on. Books fly off the shelves, a protruding nail vanishes and then reappears, a Ouija board spells an incomplete message, and there's definitely something on the third floor. The house could be haunted, or post-sepsis psychosis could be making Emily hallucinate. More than just a haunted house novel, this is a supernatural psychological thriller. The closing chapters are a master class in twists. There's plenty of spooky stuff here, but what makes the book great is the way Pinborough mixes in Emily's human struggles. 'We Live Here Now' deals with grief, infidelity and dying love, in addition to blackmail, lies and murder. It's an intoxicating mix. This story is urgent and bold until the very end. The Night Birds Golden's THE NIGHT BIRDS (St. Martin's, 289 pp., $28) is a tense, chaotic horror novel that moves like a thriller. The Christabel — a half-sunken boat off the shore of Galveston, Texas — has sat abandoned for more than a century. Nature has reclaimed the vessel, which is now covered in mangroves and has been nicknamed the 'Floating Forest.' Charlie Book, an employee of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is one of the scientists tasked with studying the strange ship, and he's so dedicated to the boat that he lives on it. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.