Books like 'The Punished'
Readers who enjoyed The Punished by Peter Meredith also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary fantasy horror monsters/creatures supernatural paranormal suspense ghosts hauntings haunted-places
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The Magnus Archives: Season 1 by Jonathan Sims
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe Magnus Archives is a horror audiobook written by Jonathan Sims, directed by Alexander J. Newall and distributed by Rusty Quill. Sims narrates the stories in-character as the main character, Jonathan Sims, the newly-appointed head archivist of the fictional Magnus Institute; an institution based in London centred on research into the paranormal... -
God Hammer by John Conroe
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsBook 9 - Summer in the Big Apple. Eight million stories of excitement and adventure... plus one. Declan O'Carroll is ready to start his summer internship at the hottest new company on the planet, Demidova Incorporated... -
Tales from the Gas Station: Volume Two by Jack Townsend
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNightshift clerk and high-functioning insomniac Jack is back to work, trying his best to keep out of trouble. But when his chain-smoking coworker discovers a mysterious radio signal revealing the guarded secrets of their town, Jack will learn that an annoying new dayshift manager is far from the worst of his problems... -
'Salem's Lot by Stephen King, Jerry N. Uelsmann
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 65 ratingsStephen King's second novel, the vampire bestseller 'Salem's Lot, tells the story of evil in small-town America. For the first time in a major trade edition, this terrifying novel is accompanied by previously unpublished material from King's archive, two short stories, and eerie photographs that bring King's fictional darkness and evil to vivid life... -
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River Marked by Patricia Briggs
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 67 ratingsMercy Thompson: Mechanic, Shapeshifter, Fighter.Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. And she's never known any others of her kind. Until now... -
Into the Hollow by Karina Halle
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsPerry Palomino has fought her demons – and won – but the battle is far from over. She’s now left broken and on her own, leaving behind her life and family in Portland to focus on giving Dex Foray – and the Experiment in Terror show – a second chance. But their past mistakes continue to tease and test their relationship, as does the wild and desolate terrain of the Canadian Rockies... -
The Ghost in the Hall by K.M. Avery
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSomething is very wrong with the Fitzwilliam estate... It was supposed to be a regular séance job. But from the minute I met an angry ghost in the hall, I knew there wasn’t going to be anything ordinary about this house or its dead residents. First of all, there were way too many of them. Second, some of them had been helped along from living to dead... -
Monster Hunter Legion by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsMonster Hunter International might be the premier monster eradication company in the business, but they’ve got competition. When hunters from around the world gather in Las Vegas for a conference, a creature left over from a World War Two weapons experiment wakes up and goes on a rampage across the desert... -
The Romeo Catchers by Alys Arden
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIs blood thicker than magic in La Nouvelle-Orléans?Adele scours Storm-ravaged New Orleans for the truth about her family’s magical past, tormented by the fate she condemned her mother to, and by the lies she’s forced to tell to cover it up. But every turn leads her back to the one person she’s determined to forget: Niccolò Medici... -
That Ain’t Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsCrossroads, noun: 1. A place where two roads cross.2. A place where bargains can be made.3. See also “places to avoid.”Antimony Price has never done well without a support system. As the youngest of her generation, she has always been able to depend on her parents, siblings, and cousins to help her out when she’s in a pinch—until now. After fleeing from the Covenant of St... -
Otherworld Nights by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsRare and never-before published short stories featuring fan favorites from the New York Times bestselling seriesIt’s been more than ten years since Kelley Armstrong began the Otherworld series and drew legions of fans to a realm roamed by witches, werewolves, necromancers, vampires, and half-demons...Categorized as:
ghosts paranormal suspense action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook contemporary -
This Book Is Full of Spiders by David Wong, Jason Pargin
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsOriginally released as an online serial where itreceivedmore than 70,000 downloads,John Dies at the End has been described as a"Horrortacular", an epic of "spectacular" horror that combines the laugh out loud humor of the best R-rated comedy, with the darkest terror of H.P. Lovecraft. The book went on to sell an additional60,000 copies in all formats... -
The Last Coven by Rick Gualtieri
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThere are reasons we fear the night. He might finally be one of them. A goddess returned, a war between primal powers, and a prophecy to fulfill. That's a lot of crap to heap on anyone's plate, much less a former game programmer from Brooklyn. But that's exactly what Bill Ryder - gamer, geek, and legendary vampire - has to deal with... -
Shadow Tainted by Elena Lawson
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsComing soon!For news and updates on this series, join Elena Lawson's facebook fan group!Reading Order:Soul Bound - May 18thMagic Untamed - June 15thBlood Pledged - July 20thShadow Tainted - August 24thDeath Kissed - September... -
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Magic for Nothing by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsImprobable, adjective:1. Not very likely to happen; not probable.2. Probably not a very good idea anyway.3. See also “bad plan.”As the youngest of the three Price children, Antimony is used to people not expecting much from her... -
The Wicked Dead by Rick Gualtieri
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThere are reasons we fear the night. Now he must become one of them.Bill Ryder has a powerful destiny. He just never expected it to involve an amnesiac bloodsucker, a bunch of D&D dorks, and a hormonal witch. It's time for the gamer, geek, and legendary vampire to embrace his fate... -
Half a Prayer by Rick Gualtieri
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTerror lurks below and it’s about to surface.The end of the world is rapidly approaching, but Bill Ryder - gamer, geek, and legendary vampire - finds himself with more pressing matters to worry about: the women in his life. Sidelined from action, he’s forced to reevaluate his feelings. Sadly for him, it’s a luxury he can ill afford... -
Tales from the Gas Station, Vol. 1 by Jack Townsend
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWorking at a dead-end retail job in the middle of nowhere can be hard. The long hours. The helpless customers. The enormous eldritch horror living deep below the building… As the only full-time employee at the twenty-four hour gas station at the edge of town, Jack has pretty much seen it all... -
Dreadful Company by Vivian Shaw
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsContemporary fantasy in the world of Strange Practice, starring Dr. Greta Helsing, whose family has been keeping the supernatural community not-alive and well for generations... -
Tales from the Gas Station: Volume Four by Jack Townsend
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAs the new owner of the worst business in history, Jack has a lot on his plate. His self-appointed “biggest fan” wants to finally meet, and won’t take no for an answer. The annoying cultists are back and cultier than ever. Plus, there’s a creature living under the building's crawlspace that must be fed regularly (or else)... -
Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsPenance, noun:1. Punishment for past actions.2. An attempt to pay for what can’t be bought.3. See also “exile.”Antimony Price is on the run. With the Covenant on her tail and her family still in danger, she needs to get far, far away from anyone who might recognize her—including her own mice. For the first time in a long time, a Price is flying without a safety net... -
The October Country by Ray Bradbury
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsRay Bradbury's second short story collection is back in print, its chilling encounters with funhouse mirrors, parasitic accident-watchers, and strange poker chips intact. Both sides of Bradbury's vaunted childhood nostalgia are also on display, in the celebratory "Uncle Einar," and haunting "The Lake," the latter a fine elegy to childhood loss... -
Breeds 2 by Keith C. Blackmore
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe jaws of winter are clamping down on the city of Halifax. As the light recedes, new terrors arise...Months after the war with Borland and his vicious were brood, Kirk and Morris are experiencing curious aftereffects. They're stronger, faster, and no longer vulnerable to the sharp sting of silver.There is one concern, however... -
Pop Art by Joe Hill
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsImogene is young and beautiful. She kisses like a movie star and knows everything about every film ever made. She's also dead and waiting in the Rosebud Theater for Alec Sheldon one afternoon in 1945. . . .Arthur Roth is a lonely kid with big ideas and a gift for attracting abuse. It isn't easy to make friends when you're the only inflatable boy in town. . . .Francis is unhappy... -
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What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong, Jason Pargin
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsNYT bestselling author Wong takes readers to a whole new level with his latest dark comic sci-fi thriller, set in the world of John Dies at the End and This Book is Full of SpidersDave, John and Amy recount what seems like a fairly straightforward tale of a shape-shifting creature from another dimension that is stealing children and brainwashing their parents, but it eventually becomes clear... -
Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThe ninth book in the fast-paced InCryptid urban fantasy series returns to the mishaps of the Price family, eccentric cryptozoologists who safeguard the world of magical creatures living in secret among humans.Sarah Zellaby has always been in an interesting position... -
Guns and Graveyards by Katie May
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsI have blood on my hands. Blood that isn't mine. I had thought I had escaped my past. I had thought I had finally freed myself. But can you really escape your monsters? With a gang war looming on the horizon, bodies piling up, and a strange new student claiming ties to the Shadow Man, I find myself looking into my past... -
Bright Blaze of Magic by Jennifer Estep
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsBad Things Always Come In Threes…As a thief, I'm good at three things: hiding in the shadows, getting in and out unseen, and uncovering secrets. I put these skills to work for the Sinclair Family, one of the magical mobs that run the tourist town of Cloudburst Falls. Everyone knows Victor Draconi wants to take over all the other Families--and kill every last Sinclair... -
The Source by Brian Lumley
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe third book in the Necroscope series traces the battle between Harry Keogh and the horrifying Vamphyri on their home ground, an alien landscape of looming towers, impossible cliffs, and ravenous vampire-beasts.Russia's Ural Mountains hide a deadly secret: a supernatural portal to the country of the vampires... -
Deadspawn by Brian Lumley
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThere's a maniacal murderer on the loose, brutally slaughtering young women with a ferocity that rivals that of vampires Harry Koegh has spent his life combatting. The Necroscope's been asked to solve the crimes...asked by the dead spirits of the madman's victims. Harry cannot turn down a request from the dead...even if it costs him his soul... -
Kill City Blues by Richard Kadrey
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsJames Stark, aka Sandman Slim, has managed to get out of Hell, renounce his title as the new Lucifer, and settle back into life in LA. But he's not out of trouble yet. Somewhere along the way he misplaced the Qomrama Om Ya, a weapon from the banished older gods who are also searching for their lost power... -
Chaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsFifth book in Seanan McGuire’s funny and fast-paced urban fantasy InCryptid series featuring ballroom dancer and monster expert Verity Price.Verity Price is back on the West Coast and getting back into the swing of the family business: cryptozoology... -
Night's Black Agents by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsContents: Horror Stories:Adept's gambit Man who never grew young Smoke ghost Automatic pistol Inheritance Hill and the hole Dreams of Albert Moreland Hound Diary in the snowGirl with the hungry eyesBit of the dark worldFantasy:The Sunken land (Fafhrd & Gray... -
Dating & Dismemberment by A.L. Brody
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEmily Henry meets Grady Hendrix in a hilarious and original romantic comedy full of love, laughter, and limbs.Darla Drake, Duchess of Death, has haunted Camp Clear Creek for years. Until an existential crisis forces her to take a sabbatical from wreaking havoc on teenagers while she figures out what she wants from the rest of her (possibly infinite) life... -
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Shadow's Edge by Lizzy Prince
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsYou never know what’s hiding in the shadows. HazelI’ve always seen ghosts, but since moving to Shadow Falls I haven’t seen a single spirit. Everyone says weird stuff happens here, it’s just a way of life. Ghosts don’t scare me but what’s happening in Shadow Falls is terrifying. Shadows that cling to people like parasites and a man who wants to devour me. AlarikSomething is wrong in Shadow Falls... -
Defilers by Brian Lumley
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJake Cutter is reluctantly learning how to be a Necroscope--how to use the Mobius continuum to travel instantaneously from place to place, how to talk to the dead--but dead humans don't like him much. It seems Jake's got a hitchhiker named Korath. Since Korath holds the key to the Mobius equations, Jake can't just kick him out . . . though he's certainly trying... -
The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies by John Langan, Laird Barron
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJohn Langan has, in the last few years, established himself as one of the leading voices in contemporary horror literature. Gifted with a supple and mellifluous prose style, an imagination that can conjure up clutching terrors with seeming effortlessness, and a thorough knowledge of the rich heritage of weird fiction, Langan has already garnered his share of accolades... -
Nothing Left to Lose by Dan Wells
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Dan Wells continues his acclaimed John Wayne Cleaver series, popular with fans of DexterHi. My name is John Cleaver, and I hunt monsters. I used to do it alone, and then for a while I did it with a team of government specialists, and then the monsters found us and killed almost everyone, and now I hunt them alone again.This is my story... -
The Dark Winter by Flint Maxwell
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsCan you survive the cold?After the initial series of summer blizzards, the snowfall has decreased, but the temperatures continue to drop, the icy wind still blows, and with each passing day, the darkness lasts longer and longer.It is in the darkness the monsters thrive... -
Malamander by Thomas Taylor
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNobody visits Eerie-on-Sea in the winter... -
Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper by J.L. Bryan
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEllie Jordan’s job is to catch and remove unwanted ghosts. Part detective, part paranormal exterminator, Ellie operates out of Savannah, Georgia, one of the oldest and most haunted cities in North America... -
The Elementals by Michael McDowell
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsOn a split of land cut off by the Gulf, three Victorian summer houses stand against the encroaching sand. Two of the houses at Beldame are still used. The third house, filling with sand, is empty...except for the vicious horror which is shaping nightmares from the nothingness that hangs in the dank, fetid air... -
Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsCryptid, noun:1. Any creature whose existence has been suggested but not proven scientifically. Term officially coined by cryptozoologist John E. Wall in 1983.2. That thing that's getting ready to eat your head.3. See also: "monster."The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity--and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price... -
It Devours! by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsFrom the authors of the New York Times bestselling novel Welcome to Night Vale and the creators of the #1 international podcast of the same name, comes a mystery exploring the intersections of faith and science, the growing relationship between two young people who want desperately to trust each other, and the terrifying, toothy power of the Smiling God... -
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Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsFive days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a fourteenth story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer. It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Officially secret, some of them are evil, and some are just hungry...Categorized as:
ghosts humor paranormal suspense action-adventure adult alternate-history apocalyptic -
Devil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsRichard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim—aka James Stark—is, quite simply, one of the most outrageous uber-anti-heroes ever to kick serious butt on this or any other world or dimension... -
Kane by Dick Wybrow
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsKane was a wolf until he was bitten by a man. He's now a six-foot-seven French-Canadian searching for the guy who infected him, so he can return to his pack. Born as a creature of the forest, Kane is cunning, strong, and brave. He's also a terrible driver. And reading makes no sense to his wolf brain. So, he's hired a troubled Minneapolis dive bar worker to help him out... -
Callis Rose by Mark Tufo
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCallis Rose is a girl blessed with a gift from above or cursed with a ruthless power she barely understands, it’s really just a matter of degrees. As her family life is turned asunder she is thrown into an indifferent Social Services program where she defends herself the only way she knows how. Callis is moved from home to home until she finally settles at the Lowries... -
The Forgotten Phantom by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsKeep your hand at the level of your eyes...Christine is certain that the Institute is trying to get rid of her. Why else would they send her to investigate a hundred-year-old cold case about some illusive “Phantom” lurking in the depths of a crumbling old Opera House?Turns out, she’s probably right. But as unlikely as it seems, there might be something to it... -
Search and Rescue Woods by Kerry Hammond
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSearch and Rescue Woods is an eight-part Creepypasta by Kerry Hammond, published on Reddit under the username searchandrescuewoods. It was originally posted to the Nosleep subreddit in August of 2015, with its final update being in December of that year. Currently, a novelization is in progress...
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