Cirrus@Austlit

'When Jenine finds an abandoned Polaroid camera in a lighthouse, she takes a photo for fun. But there's something very, very wrong with the picture: it contains ghosts.

'Jenine and her best friend, Bree, realise the camera is capable of capturing the dead. But with each new photo taken, the spectres become more aware and more alert, and begin stalking the friends. Desperate, they seek the help of a paranormal researcher. But his news isn't good: they've meddled with a supernatural power far beyond their control, and the ghosts won't stop... not until Jenine and Bree are dead.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves

'When the man calling himself Archie Leach begins spotting his dead lover at random locations around the city, he must finally stop running and face the truth-which may not be quite as he's remembered it all these years. An American living in Australia, Archie's had so many aliases that when he wakes up handcuffed to a hospital bed, he almost forgets which one he's supposed to use. With his delivery job derailed by a brief and inconvenient death, he's earned the wrath of his underworld boss, landing him an exorbitant repayment plan and the commandeering of his apartment for everything from corpse storage to Tuesday night yoga class.

'While recovering from his injuries, Archie is roped into dog-sitting for his new neighbor, Nisha, and a reluctant friendship ensues. She introduces Archie to the strange world of the Orrery, a nine-story mecca of surreal hedonism whose ninth level promises to hold the answers they're both seeking. But Nisha has spun plenty of her own deceptions, as Archie realizes too late. At this rate, they may both end up dead without ever knowing who's been fooling whom.' (Publication summary)

'When Christa joins a tour group heading deep into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, she's hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a bitterly cold snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they'll be safe as they wait out the storm.

'She couldn't be more wrong.

'Deep in the night, their tour guide goes missing...only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport...and they're far from finished. As the storm grows more dangerous and the number of survivors dwindles one by one, Christa must decide who she can trust before this frozen mountain becomes her tomb.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'No light. No air. No escape.

'Hundreds of feet beneath the ocean's surface, a graveyard waits...

'Years ago, the SS Arcadia vanished without a trace during a routine voyage. Though a strange, garbled emergency message was broadcast, neither the ship nor any of its crew could be found. Sixty years later, its wreck has finally been discovered more than three hundred miles from its intended course...a silent graveyard deep beneath the ocean's surface, eagerly waiting for the first sign of life.

'Cove and her dive team have been granted permission to explore the Arcadia's rusting hull. Their purpose is straightforward: examine the wreck, film everything, and, if possible, uncover how and why the supposedly unsinkable ship vanished.

'But the Arcadia has not yet had its fill of death, and something dark and hungry watches from below. With limited oxygen and the ship slowly closing in around them, Cove and her team will have to fight their way free of the unspeakable horror now desperate to claim them.

'Because once they're trapped beneath the ocean's waves, there's no going back.' (Publication summary)

'Lose yourself in fifty chilling tales of horror and suspense from USA Today bestselling author Darcy Coates.

'Push past the curtains of your rational, safe world and explore the un-nameable horrors living in the darkest corners of our consciousness. This is the realm of monsters and shifting shadows, where a single wrong step can plunge you into a terrifying fight for your life, where...

'Something mimics human voices as it lures you into the woods.
'A corpse had gone missing from its drawer in the morgue.
'A friend's eyes are unnaturally bright as they approach you in the dark.

'Whatever your choice, these fifty small bites of horror are sure to leave you haunted. (Publication summary)

'In every person's story, there is something to hide...

'The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers sitting at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The elegant Miss Phryne Fisher returns in this scintillating collection, which features four brand-new stories.

'The Honourable Phryne Fisher - she of the Lulu bob, Cupid's bow lips, diamante garters and pearl-handled pistol - is the 1920s' most elegant and irrepressible sleuth.

'Miss Phryne Fisher is up to her stunning green eyes in intriguing crime in each of these entertaining, fun and compulsively readable stories. With the ever-loyal Dot, the ingenious Mr Butler and all of Phryne's friends and household, the action is as fast as Phryne's wit and logic.' (Publication summary)

'When his friend Daniel Cartwright dies and names Rowland as his executor, Rowland must divert his plans to return home to Australia and travel to America. Daniel was vastly wealthy but appears to have disinherited his family in favour of a man called James Meredith, whom no one can find. Rowland and his troupe of friends embark on a journey that takes them through New York, Warwick and Baltimore as they track down answers to the questions that surround Daniel's death and the mysterious disappearance of James Meredith.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A chilling ghost story that will haunt and entertain readers, from USA Today bestselling author and rising queen of horror Darcy Coates

'Leigh Harker is certain her house is haunted. Curtains open by themselves. Radios turn off and on. And a dark figure looms outside her bedroom door at night, watching her. Waiting for her to finally let down her guard and fall asleep. Despite appearances, despite all logic, Leigh knows she's no longer alone. Pushed to her limits but unwilling to abandon her beloved home, Leigh's determined to find some answers. But the more she digs, the more she begins to suspect that her house is keeping troubling secrets…and some of them could be deadly.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Surrounded by secrets, great and small, the formidable Miss Phryne Fisher returns to vanquish injustice.

'When a mysterious invitation arrives for Miss Phryne Fisher from an unknown Captain Herbert Spencer, Phryne's curiosity is excited. Spencer runs a retreat in Victoria's spa country for shell-shocked soldiers of the First World War. It's a cause after Phryne's own heart but what could Spencer want from her?

'Phryne and the faithful Dot view their spa sojourn as a short holiday but are quickly thrown in the midst of disturbing Highland gatherings, disappearing women, murder and the mystery of the Temperance Hotel.

'Meanwhile, Cec, Bert and Tinker find a young woman floating face down in the harbour, dead. Tinker, with Jane and Ruth, Phryne's resilient adopted daughters, together decide to solve what appears to be a heinous crime.

'Disappearances, murder, bombs, booby-traps and strange goings-on land Miss Phryne Fisher right in the middle of her most exciting adventure.' (Publication summary)

'Shanghai 1935. An expatriate playground where fortunes are made and lost, where East and West collide, and the stakes include life itself. Rowland Sinclair arrives into this cultural melting pot, from Sydney to represent his brother at international wool negotiations. The black sheep of the family, Rowland is under strict instructions to commit to nothing . . . but a brutal murder makes that impossible.

'All the Tears in China throws a classic murder mystery into a glitzy, glamorous, tawdry and dangerous world, entrancing both new and old readers.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Sophie and Joseph’s escape from Northwood is short-lived. The beast survived, and attached itself to Joseph’s young cousin, Elise.

'Garrett writes to beg for their help. Joseph and Sophie travel to meet him at Kensington, a long-abandoned mansion that overlooks a dead town.

'The house offers a small hope: its original owner had dedicated her life to researching the monster that possesses Elise. Garrett hopes to find a way to kill the creature without harming his daughter.

'But Kensington is a dangerous building. Once the carriage leaves, they’re trapped inside the collapsing walls and forced to confront the horrors within.

'Shrouded figures stalk them. Whispers echo through the night. Unmarked graves dot the property.

'And the dead are not as restful as they seem…'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Sophie’s world is shattered when disaster bankrupts her family. She’s still reeling from the news when she’s offered an unexpected solution: Mr Argenton, a wealthy stranger, asks for her hand in marriage.

'Marrying Mr Argenton will restore her family’s fortunes and save them from scandal, but condemns Sophie to a life in Northwood, a vast and unnaturally dark mansion situated hours from civilisation.

'Sophie struggles to adjust to her new position as mistress over the desolate house. Mr Argenton’s relatives are cold, and Mr Argenton himself is keeping secrets. Even worse, the house is more than it seems.

'Mr Argenton’s young cousin, Elise, draws terrifying images. Doors slam. Inhuman figures slink through the forest surrounding the house. A piano plays in the middle of the night. Blood drips from the ceilings.

'Sophie is inevitably pulled towards the terrifying truth: Northwood’s ancient halls are haunted by the family’s long-dead ancestors. The malevolent spirits—produced by grisly deaths—resent her intrusion into their home.

'Trapped in Northwood and desperate for an escape, Sophie’s fate is further complicated as she finds herself irrevocably drawn to the tall, dark-eyed man she married. She suspects her feelings are returned, but Mr Argenton is hiding the truth about the house—and his secrets are so dangerous that they might just be unforgivable.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Keep the door locked...

'A week's visit to the remote Harob Lake cabin couldn't have come at a better time for Sam.

'She's battling artist's block ahead of a major gallery exhibition. Staying at Harob Lake is her final, desperate attempt to paint the collection that could save her floundering career. It seems perfect: no neighbours, no phone, no distractions.

'But the dream retreat disintegrates into a nightmare when Sam discovers she's being stalked.

'A tall, strange man stands on the edge of her dock, staring intently into the swirling waters below. He starts to follow her. He disables her car. He destroys her only way to communicate with the outside world.

'And Sam is beginning to suspect he's responsible for the series of disappearances from a nearby hiking trail.

'Stranded at Harob Lake, Sam realises she’s become the prey in the hunter’s deadliest game…'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Some houses breathe...

'Elle is thrilled to spend a month minding the beautiful Gillespie property. More than an hour's drive from the nearest town and surrounded by forests, the ageing mansion is ideal for someone seeking solitude.

'But things start to go very wrong, very quickly.

'Elle discovers a crumbling graveyard nestled in the woods. It contains a generation of the house's residents, all with an identical year of death.

'Scratching in the walls... slamming doors... whispers in the night... a locked room...

'As Elle explores deeper into the house, she begins to unravel the property's dark and dangerous history. At its centre is Jonathan Gillespie, a tyrannical cult leader and the house's original owner.

'And as Elle soon learns - just because he's dead, doesn't mean he's gone.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Could you survive a week in a haunted house?

'Mara is the daughter of spiritualists. Her childhood was filled with séances, scam mediums and talk of ghostly presences.

'When Mara finally left her family’s home, she vowed she would never allow superstition or false religion into her life again. Now she’s ready to start over with her fiancé, Neil, in a world based on rationality and facts.

'But her past isn’t ready to let her go just yet.

'Mara and Neil purchase Blackwood House, a derelict property outside of town. They’re warned about strange occurrences in the crumbling building. Doors open by themselves, voices whisper in the night, bloody handprints appear on the walls, and cold spots linger in the basement, where the house’s original owner was murdered.

'But Blackwood was dirt-cheap and came with a large plot of overgrown land. Mara loves her new home, and disregards the warnings.

'Because ghosts aren’t real…

'…are they?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'When Rowland Sinclair is invited to take his yellow Mercedes onto the Maroubra Speedway, renamed the Killer Track for the lives it has claimed, he agrees without caution or reserve.

'But then people start to die.

'The body of a journalist covering the race is found in a House of Horrors, an English blueblood with Blackshirt affiliations is killed on the race track. and it seems that someone has Rowland in their sights.

'A strange young reporter preoccupied with black magic, a mysterious vagabond, an up-and-coming actor by the name of Flynn, and ruthless bookmakers all add mayhem to the mix.

'With danger presenting at every turn, and the brakes long since disengaged, Rowland Sinclair hurtles towards disaster with an artist, a poet and brazen sculptress along for the ride.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A sci-fi horror novel from a USA Today bestseller and rising queen of atmospheric horror, in print for the first time!

'When a guard discovers an unusual lifeform on her remote moon outpost, she disregards protocol to investigate, with catastrophic consequences. The parasitic alien wears its victims' skins and adopts their personalities. It's a perfect disguise, and allows the creature to spread without being detected. By the time humanity realizes it's facing extinction, a third of its space stations have already gone dark.

'As the alien's ruthless progress collapses communication networks, wipes out defenses, and leaves hundreds of stations to fend for themselves, a handful of remarkable individuals must find a way to battle the greatest threat the universe has ever encountered...or die trying.' (Publication summary)

'"The dead are restless here..."

'Remy is a tour guide for Carrow House, a notoriously haunted building. When she's asked to host seven guests for a week-long stay to research Carrow's phenomena, she hopes to finally experience some of the sightings that made the house famous.

'At first, it's everything they hoped for. Then a storm moves in, cutting off their contact with the outside world, and things quickly become twisted. Doors open on their own. Seances go disastrously wrong. Red liquid seeps from behind the wallpaper. Their spirit medium wanders through the house during the night, seemingly in a trance.

'Then one of the guests dies under strange circumstances, and Remy is forced to consider the possibility that the ghost of the house's original owner, a twisted serial killer, still walks the halls.

'But by then it's too late to escape.' (Publication summary)

'She only went off the trail for a moment...

'22-year-old Eileen goes missing while hiking in the remote Ashlough Forest. Five days later, her camera is discovered washed downriver, containing bizarre photos taken after her disappearance.

'Chris wants to believe Eileen is still alive. When the police search is abandoned, he and four of his friends create their own search party to scour the mountain range. As they stray further from the hiking trails and the unsettling discoveries mount, they begin to believe they’re not alone in the forest… and that Eileen’s disappearance wasn’t an accident.

'But by that point, it’s too late to escape.' (Publication summary)