The cult monster-hunting reporter returns for Moonstone Books’ upcoming Kickstarter campaign

Moonstone Books will publish a graphic novel anthology for the 50th anniversary of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, which began in 1972 as a TV movie starring Darren McGavin as the title monster-hunting reporter and later a TV series that became a cult classic that famously inspired X-Files creator Chris Carter.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Anniversary Graphic Novel will contain 10 all-new contributions from master storytellers such as Jonathan Maberry (V-Wars), Peter David (The Incredible Hulk), Kim Newman (Anno Dracula), and more, with an introduction by Richard Christian Matheson, the bestselling horror writer and son of Richard Matheson, who penned the original TV movie and its TV movie sequel The Night Strangler. An essay on the 50th anniversary from Mark Dawidziak, the author of The Nightstalker Companion, will be included, along with a retrospective of Moonstone Book’s massive Kolchak publication history from publisher Joe Gentile.

The Final Girl Support Group
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Grady Hendrix
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: July 13, 2021

“The line between being too careful and not being careful enough is a line you only get to cross once” is a belief Lynnette Tarkington still holds true even 20 years after she survived a Christmas Eve massacre that left her a “Final Girl.” That’s “final girl” as in the last female standing at the end of a serial-killing spree in horror films, but for Lynnette this is no slasher flick… this is her reality.

In The Final Girls Support Group, Grady Hendrix explores the mindset of the now middle-aged Lynnette, whose been unable to live a normal life since her traumatic Yule Tide experience as a teenager. She sees danger around every corner and will go to extreme lengths to protect herself, including barricading herself in her booby-trapped apartment, where she can control her surroundings. Or taking different routes and modes of transportation hours out of her way each time she ventures outside, going so far as to ride the airport shuttle so that potential stalkers won’t be able to ascertain her routine.

Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow
Paperback | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Christina Henry
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 28, 2021

In the Washington Irving classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, schoolteacher Ichabod Crane relocates to Sleepy Hollow, where he tries but fails to woo Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter of the town’s wealthiest landowner. Instead, his stay is cut short after a terrifying encounter with the Headless Horseman who haunts the quiet New York village. No one knows what became of the schoolteacher after that, but Katrina went on to marry Abraham “Brom Bones” Van Brunt, her childhood sweetheart and Crane’s rival for her affections, and the legend of the Horseman prevailed.

Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow picks up with Katrina and Brom more than 30 years after Crane’s mysterious disappearance, but is told from the perspective of their sole grandchild, Ben Van Brunt. To the 14-year-old, there’s nothing better than adventuring in the nearby woods playing Sleepy Hollow Boys, a game glorifying Brom’s youthful exploits. But after the decapitated body of a local boy is found there, Brom warns Ben to stay out of the area, much to the younger Van Brunt’s dismay. Ben is drawn to the forest and would rather do some investigating, especially after another victim is found. Is this the work of the fabled Horseman, who Brom maintains is not real, or is there someone else prowling the woods?

Welcome first day of Fall 2021…. and with it come lots of new books!

Last year, aka Pandemic Year 1, while self-isolating and staying indoors as much as possible, I threw myself into reading … print books, magazines, ebooks, and audiobooks. So while it was a stressful year on a whole (for all of us), I really enjoyed being able to prioritize reading. This year, what’s become Pandemic Year 2, I wanted to get outside a bit, but also continue to be on the safe side, which meant road-tripping and hiking the great outdoors. Therefore, I’ve leaned more towards audiobooks.

Below are some titles — with accompanying links to the print, ebooks, and audiobooks editions — that I personally am looking forward to this Fall, presented here in order of release date, starting with those releasing in September 2021. After this main list, I’ve included some titles that came out earlier this year that you might have missed, as well as some themed Cookbooks, Crafts, and Guidebooks, along with an Audiobook Spotlight. And with the Fall comes, of course, Halloween and some spookier picks!

Continue on to check out my Fall 2021 Book Recommendations…

The Ultimate Evil
The Search for the Sons of Sam
Paperback | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Maury Terry
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release Date: April 20, 2021

Beginning in July of 1976, “Son of Sam” struck fear in the citizens of New York City for a year, as the serial killer eluded police while killing 6 and wounding 10 during 8 separate shooting sprees. So when the NYPD arrested David Berkowitz for these crimes in July of 1977, New Yorkers finally felt safe. The killer who terrorized a major city was at last captured and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison 6 times over. He’d never be able to harm anyone ever again.

But was Berkowitz acting alone? Journalist Maury Terry was determined to find out and spent a decade conducting an exhaustive investigation of this infamous case in an effort to uncover whether these seemingly indiscriminate murders were cult-related and if the killer had an accomplice. The result was 1987’s The Ultimate Evil, now back in print from Quirk Books with a new introduction by Joshua Zeman, the producer of The Sons of Sam, the recent Netflix documentary series based on Terry’s 500-page true crime book.