Scary Suspense

This is Slappy's world-- you only scream in it! But where did he come from? And can he ever be destroyed? Slappy the ventriloquist's dummy has only one mission in his tiny, deranged mind: do evil every day, all day. His creator, powerful sorcerer Darkwell the Magician, has warned him that should he fail to cause chaos before the sun sets each day, he will sleep FOREVER.

1927: Mary Rourke—a Hollywood studio fixer—is called urgently to the palatial home of Norma Carlton, one of the most recognizable stars in American silent film. Norma has been working on the secret film everyone is openly talking about…a terrifying horror picture called The Devil’s Playground that is rumored to have unleashed a curse on everyone involved in the production. Mary finds Norma’s cold, dead body, and she wonders for just a moment if these dark rumors could be true.

The Aldens have promised Grandfather a vacation from mysteries during their island visit. But the promise proves hard to keep when things start to go missing. Then an old fisherman tells Benny of the island’s ghost horse, and late that very night Benny sees a mysterious stallion galloping down the beach. Could the ghost horse have something to do with the disappearances?

Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn't the only town with vampire trouble. Claire never thought she'd leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can't pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane.

When Fiona's family moves to a new town to be closer to her older sister's figure skating club—and far from Fiona's close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona's unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town's library, a rambling mansion donated by an heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance. Lost Lake is a town of restless spirits, and Fiona will learn that both help and danger come from unexpected places—maybe even from the sister she thinks doesn't care about her anymore.

Denise Farber has just moved back to New Orleans with her mom and stepdad. They left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and have finally returned, wagering the last of their family's money on fixing up an old, rundown house and converting it to a bed and breakfast. Nothing seems to work around the place, which doesn't seem too weird to Denise. The unexplained noises are a little more out of the ordinary, but again, nothing too unusual. But when floors collapse, deadly objects rain down, and she hears creepy voices, it's clear to Denise that something more sinister lurks hidden here.

Dan Tate’s tortured past returns to haunt him.... Scarred by both mental and physical strain, Dan Tate struggles to control his feelings of panic and despair. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Aiding the ghosts of Coffin Cemetery has given him a purpose. And his budding romance with Diane Wright has brought him peace. But Dan soon finds his life turned upside down. Corrupt medium Janet Ladd has unleashed a diabolical new spirit to plague the town. He finds himself haunted by the living as well, when someone from his past makes a surprise visit.

Lily Horne is a drama queen. It's helped her rise to stardom in the school play, but it's also landed her in trouble. Her parents warn her that Florida has to be different. It's a fresh start. No theatrics. But this time, the drama is coming for her. The Hornes' new house is awful. The pool is full of slime; the dock is rotten; and the swamp creeps closer every day. But worst of all, the house isn't empty...it's packed full of trash, memories, and, Lily begins to fear, the ghost of the girl who lived there before her. And whatever is waiting in the shadows wants to come out to play.

When 11th grader April Corrigan learns that her unassuming father has been working undercover for the FBI, she is shocked. But when she is told that she and her family must take on other identities and move to a faraway state under the Federal Witness Security Program, she feels everything familiar slipping away. Soon she has a new name, and she lives with a new fear that is more powerful than anything she has felt before. Every stranger could be a threat; every minute could be the one that exposes April and her family to the deadly, dark-eyed man who has begun to follow them. Danger is everywhere.

A ghost has been spotted lurking around Capitol City's American History Museum. It seems someone - or something - is unhappy with the museum's recent exhibit on the Vietnam War. Can Raining Sam, the son of the head of educational programs at the museum, and his friends figure out who's behind the haunting before someone gets hurt?

The dead speak and one man hears their harrowing cries.... Dan Tate survived a heart-breaking tragedy and is plagued by nightmares of his terrifying ordeal. Withdrawing into an emotionless shell, he has driven away everyone who cared about him. Dan is lost, and utterly alone. Until he hears the voices.... In Coffin Cemetery, the anguished spirits cry out to him. Lost souls, torn from their places of rest, are seeking a way to move on. Dan wants to help these wandering ghosts find some measure of peace, in the hopes that, he too can finally put his past behind him.

Dan thought his nightmares were over. He was dead wrong.... With new friends and a feeling of solace while repairing the local schoolhouse, things are finally looking up for Dan Tate. His therapy has finally quelled the PTSD and nightmares. He’s even developed romantic feelings for a special friend. But a part him fears it’s all too good to be true.... Dan soon finds his peace and tranquility shattered, when corrupt medium Janet Ladd unleashes Olivia, a vindictive spirit with a taste for blood. Once again, the small town finds itself frozen in the icy grip of terror.

Shane Ryan knows all about pain and suffering. A retired Marine gunnery sergeant, Shane has seen the worst humanity has to offer. He survived his ordeal, but his soul has been tainted by the darkness, leaving him with a permanent connection to the world of the supernatural. Shane sees the spirits of the dead. He hears their whispered cries of pain. And it’s a gift he plans to put to good use, when he travels to Detroit to investigate the death of one woman who saw through all the darkness in his heart. A woman who became his lover, many years ago.

At the end of Maureen Johnson's New York Times bestselling novel, The Madness Underneath, Rory, Callum and Boo are reeling from the sudden and tragic death of their friend and squad leader, Stephen. The Shadow Cabinet picks up where listeners left off, and now Rory is convinced there must be a way to bring Stephen back. Meanwhile, new dangers arise: Rory's classmate Charlotte is missing, and Jane and her nefarious organization are clearly planning something big.

The Alden children have discovered another mystery close to home! The old boxcar where they once lived is now a playhouse in their backyard. One night, Benny sees a strange light in the boxcar, and the children begin to find clues to the boxcar’s past. Could something that happened long ago be haunting the boxcar now?

Lili St. Crow’s darkly exhilarating Strange Angels novels have won a devoted readership. In the third book of the series, Crow’s unusual heroine, Dru Anderson, has been through the ringer, what with a missing mother, her father turning all undead on her, and forces of evil that just won’t seem to let her be. On the run from a predator with a taste for her blood, Dru can count on help from Graves and Christophe—but they just might do more harm than good as they battle for her affections.

This second novel in the Tales from Lovecraft Middle School series begins right where Professor Gargoyle ended. Seventh-grader Robert Arthur has discovered that two of his classmates are actually sinister snake-women in disguise. Even worse, his new middle school is full of “gates” to a terrifying alternate dimension - a haunted mansion full of strange spirits and monstrous beasts. For Robert to protect his teachers and classmates, he'll need to return to this haunted dimension with his best friends.

Jen Noonan's father thinks a move to Harmony House is the key to salvation, but to everyone who has lived there before, it is a portal to pure horror. After her alcoholic mother's death, Jen's father cracked. He dragged Jen to a dilapidated old manor on the shore of New Jersey to start their new lives - but Jen can tell that the place has an unhappy history. She can feel it the same way she can feel her anger flowing out of her, affecting the world in strange ways she can't explain.

When Karen closes her eyes, the visions come. Through time and space, she sees a place where stolen children sleep. And if Karen denies a young policeman's request for help, the children may never go home again.

Lois Duncan presents a ticking-clock mystery with thrills at every turn.

When Ashley finds a doll in her garden, she's determined to keep it. Little does she know that its previous owner - who's been dead for seven years - wants it back.