Another great thing about short story collections is they showcase an author’s range. You have to be a solid writer to produce a collection that works. Such is the case for Janine Pipe and Twisted: Tainted Tales.

Full disclosure: Pipe is a friend and a sweetheart. However, when the cover for this collection first popped up in my feed, I was eager to grab it without even realizing it was hers. The cover screams vintage horror in the best way possible. It gives off the same 80s vibes as the stories contained within—but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Before we get into my review, here’s a Goodreads summary:

An abandoned house. A locked desk drawer full of old papers. And an 80’s mix tape? Jill is tasked with seeking out any legal documents from the property. What she discovers, transports her into a world of nightmares, ranging from the macabre to the downright chilling. Jill knows she has to share the stories she’s uncovered…

In Twisted: Tainted Tales, the Splatterpunk Award-nominee delivers creature features, supernatural urban legends, cannibalism and a few other surprises. Mixing flash fiction with short stories, these tales might be tainted and will be twisted.

Includes foreword from the amazing Flame Tree Press author, Glenn Rolfe.

Twisted: Tainted Tales is visceral horror. The stories it contains aren’t for the faint of heart. If you’re not big on splatterpunk, you won’t have a good time here. Pipe’s writing is evocative and vivid throughout—so much so that it might be difficult to eat anything while reading. I mean that in the best way possible.

The collection has something for almost everyone. Whether you’re into coming-of-age horror, ghosts, haunted houses, gore, vampires, werewolves, or creeping dread, you can’t go wrong here. Twisted: Tainted Tales gets five stars from me.

Looking to score your own copy of Twisted: Tainted Tales? You can grab it from Amazon here. If you’d like to keep up with Piper, check her out on Twitter and Instagram. I’ll see you all next week for more Fully Booked.