Review: Cold Comforts by Marianne Halbert

This book is a fabulous collection of creepiness!

Cold Comforts by Marianne Halbert

Published June 2019

Dark Fiction  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon 

Source: Received for Review Consideration

Haunted objects. Haunted places. Haunted people.

Creatures otherworldly and places where looming shadows bring dread to your door.

A school bus stops at the home of an isolated family whose unusual children have a unique way to scare off their enemies.

A vacationing couple discovers something deeper than their love resides within wine country.

Objects in the attic of an old farmhouse come to life seeking retribution.

A peculiar girl discovers she has a strange ability.

These thirteen tales will take you from the farms and woods of the heartland, to prison and the south of France. Whether you're crunching through the snow wondering what's moving behind you, or sitting by a campfire listening to a tale of revenge, pull a blanket tight around your shoulders and be prepared for an impending chill to race down your spine.

All you'll find are cold comforts here.

My 2 Cents For Free!

Cold Comforts is a solid collection of morbid tales. The horror is the slow creep, quieter kind which is the type of horror I was craving after reading a few too many squishy tales, not there’s anything wrong with those because I love them (maybe a little too much for my own good!), but sometimes it’s nice to kick back with something a little less in your face.

The collection starts out with WHEN BETSY WHISPERS which ended up being my absolute favorite and is worthy of all five stars. It’s an eerie coming of age tale, of sorts. To say too much is to ruin the story. It’s SO unique and the prose is strangely sensual and beautiful and completely captivating. It’s dark as hell, sinister and lovely. This is the stuff I adore and you must all read it.

As with all collections, I loved some stories and I liked others. I’m going to focus on the ones I liked the most. Here they are:

PAPA’S WRENCH AND THE WINDCHIME is another great one. If creepy kids freak you out and you like that freaky feeling, you have to read this one. It’s about a strange brood of children who live in a dilapidated house. It’s super peculiar and it’s quite fantastic.

LIKE RIDING A BICYCLE features a man learning to maneuver his way through a soul-sucking job who gets a little help from a young lady. This one was beautifully evil. Such good stuff here.

LUXOR DECANTED is another beautifully told story. It’s about a cursed relic, its horrific backstory, and the vacationing couple who become ensnared in its darkness. This one is creeptastic.

HOUSING THE HOLLYGOBS features two young cousins who learn that honoring their gramma’s wishes is the single most important thing! This was another slow-burning creepy little darling of a story. Loved it. It felt like a very dark fairytale.

ADVERSE POSSESSION is about a dude named Willard who buys a new house that comes with an easement and responsibilities. Responsibilities that he feels he can scoot around. Well Willard, let me tell ya, shirking your duties is not a good plan and never a good plan in a book like this! But some guys just aren’t that bright now, are they? Willard is one of those guys and he gets what he gets and he deserves it, haha!

A BONE TO PICK is the last story in the collection and it was a heartbreaker and that’s all I’m going to say.

This was a great mix of dark fiction that was well written and none of the stories felt repetitive. I can easily recommend it if you’re looking for some quiet creeps!