03/28/2026 - Danielle's Dark Corners

Happy Saturday! This week, I bring you four books that hit so hard it took everything in my power not to use the F word at least ten times per review. I somehow managed not to use it at all, I think. Anyway, I cannot praise these books enough. Absolutely amazing. And as usual, a little something for everyone. Enjoy!

AT THE HOUR OF VIOLENCE

by Robert Essig

"It was as if there was hopelessness trapped behind the façade, trying desperately to get through."

Wow! This book was incredible and brilliantly done! Hands down, my favorite book of Essig’s yet! This one is brutal, but in a way that I didn’t see coming. The emotions that this book was able to evoke were ones I wouldn’t expect from a splatterpunk / extreme horror story.

The characters were fantastic. Especially the MMC. The character development was top tier, truly. You really get sucked in right from the start and it just unfolds in this complicated but uncomplicated way that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

There were so many times I was reading that I thought I had something figured out, then boom, PLOT TWIST! And I love it when that happens in a book. And telling you in this review that there’s a plot twist doesn’t ruin a dang thing, I promise.

AT THE HOUR OF VIOLENCE will leave the reader feeling gross, shocked, disheartened, finding silver linings, and everything in between. It’s such an interesting story and the characters involved all have their own interesting stories. Ahhh, this is one of those reviews where I feel like I can’t even find the right words to do the story the justice it deserves. So, I’m just going to throw a Hail Mary and let you all know that this will most definitely be in my top reads of 2026, and advise you to trust me and take a chance on it. Be warned, there are some really hard triggers in this one, but if you aren’t easily scared off? Definitely take a chance on this book and get your hands on it when it releases!

SYNOPSIS:

From the outside, Owen’s life is the picture-perfect representation of the nuclear family, all bright and shiny and smiling and happy and hurting and struggling and goddamn when will I get a break from this fucking nightmare?!

But Owen is a good man running a successful business who is there to help his wife through her struggles and help with the kids and he is friendly with the neighbors and clenches his teeth and worries and wonders how much more I can take until I lose my ever-loving mind!!!

All the while, something stalks the night in human form and yet cannot be detected for these beings have no fingerprints, no hair, nothing distinguishable. They wander the streets, frolicking in a land of destruction, harming people for kicks, killing without consequence. They wander into Owen’s neighborhood like a physical manifestation of his inner animus. But what happens when their worlds collide? Who will come out victorious At the Hour of Violence?

Amazon Preorder (available on April 2nd): https://a.co/d/05rcbLEG

SOMETHING HERE IS VERY WRONG

by J. Boote

“Her teeth had been ripped out, some broken in half, same as the gums. I’m guessing the holes were made so she could be attached to some kind of cable or wire and strung up. In other words, that combined with cutting her limbs off plus the flesh means the guy had to have been up most of the night, then comes out here to dispose of the remains.”

Ok, damn. It’s been a while since I’ve read an extreme story by Boote, and while SOMETHING HERE IS VERY WRONG is clearly marketed as a supernatural extreme horror novel, even I was shocked. But I mean that in the best way possible. I love Boote’s extreme writing so much, and this one is freaking awesome.

SOMETHING HERE IS VERY WRONG is so brutal. It has many triggers. But it’s also one of those books where the payoff is SO worth every depraved word in between. What I found so insane is that this book is based on true events and he even puts information about the case it was taken from in the back of the book, which was really cool to read.

The supernatural element wasn’t something I was expecting, but it damn near could have knocked me over with a feather when it all came together. This book goes really freaking hard from cover to cover, but again, the payoff is worth any discomfort you have while reading it—in my opinion, anyway.

This might be my favorite story from Boote yet. Maybe? It is right now, lol. So, I HIGHLY encourage you to grab it asap! The paperback is live now and the eBook is available for preorder. 10/10. I honestly couldn’t recommend this book more if I tried!

SYNOPSIS:

A vicious killer stalks the streets of Belton, targeting young women. It could be anyone and the police have no clues, no witnesses. As though a ghost. Worried himself, but for different reasons, Joe Olsen moves his wife and daughter to nearby Bradwell. He hopes he will be safe here, not from the killer, but from the hordes of plainclothed detectives, journalists, paranoid residents making his job even harder.

Because Joe is the Belton Ripper and unless he makes a drastic change, he risks capture.

He also has another reason; the new house has a basement and he dreams of having his very own sex slave; this way his long-suffering wife won’t have to put up with the whippings and beatings. Soon, his dream comes true but something is very wrong. The basement door is often open despite ensuring it’s always locked. Things are moved around. He starts having terrifying nightmares that seem too real to be dismissed. And then there’s his neighbour, Edna, an elderly lady living alone. How does she always seem to interrupt him in the worst moment? Yes, something here is very wrong and Joe needs to fix it. And quick.

Paperback: https://a.co/d/06256WxW

eBook (available on April 3rd): https://a.co/d/0h3vF7u2

THE PULSE REMAINS

by Rob Grimoire

“The tapestry of our mind is open, documenting the story of our ending, and beginning. We fully succumb to the fury and spirit, accepting fate as the storm, and draw power from it. Lightning streaks across the sky like the many tails of a flywhip, lashing out, eager to touch the ground.”

THE PULSE REMAINS is a story that has more packed in less than fifty pages than some five-hundred-page books I have read. This story goes DEEP! I had such a fun experience reading it, too. This was the first time in a long time that I took extensive notes while reading; it was also the first time in a while that I had Google open and was looking up all the different themes that are present in the story, etc., and I forgot how much I loved doing that with a book.

Grimoire is a new-to-me author but someone I will absolutely be hounding to write more, because the world needs more of his writing. WOW. I don’t use the word brilliant lightly when it comes to how a story is written/told, but THE PULSE REMAINS deserves that adjective, because that’s exactly what it is. You can tell Grimoire put a lot of heart and soul into this based on everything from cover to cover.

There’s an awesome supernatural theme with different deities and that’s where my Google research came into play, as I mentioned above, and typically I don’t go as hard as I do with looking things up, but it completely changed my reader experience, and something I highly encourage all readers to do. If not with every book, definitely this one. It brings imagery to life and really changes the emotions and feelings that run through my body.

Yet another easy five-star and one I cannot recommend enough. I can’t wait to see what Grimoire brings us next because if it’s even half as good as this, then the community is in for a real treat!

SYNOPSIS:

The promise was reconstruction.

The result was devastation.

Eventually, someone has to answer for the suffering, and a force beyond control will come knocking.

And through it all...

THE PULSE REMAINS.

Amazon: https://a.co/d/03vEb8NS

THE RESURRECTION GIRL

by Nathan D. Ludwig

"The priest gasped into the void, trying in vain to recover his escaping life. His blood drenched the steaming meat underneath him like a fountain of watered-down barbecue sauce."

THE RESURRECTION GIRL is Ludwig’s debut novel, and that honestly shocks me. This book was out of this world. It felt like I was watching the best damn movie that I have seen in a long time, but through words, which makes it 10x better, in my opinion. I am not new to Ludwig’s writing; he’s a fantastic author, but this book just threw him over the edge to a whole new level.

This is honestly a subgenre that I don’t delve into much; Westerns just really aren’t my thing. That being said, I would read a million pages of this trope by Ludwig. The characters were crafted masterfully. The plot was absolutely brilliant. The vibe was just WHOLE VIBE. It’s weird. It’s supernatural. There are crime elements. There’s Wendigos. There’s a little bit of everything, and I can’t see this not being loved by so many people and being a five-star read for the majority of those who get their hands on it.

After reading all the early praises for THE RESURRECTION GIRL, I feel faulty as a reviewer in my ability to find good enough words to use that would give this book the justice it deserves. This one is special, guys. I see it doing big things. I don’t say that very often about books—but I am willing to make that claim with this one. And I cannot wait for that moment because he deserves every single positive word on this debut novel!

SYNOPSIS:

Anastasia Fell has the power to resurrect the dead.

The government exploits this ability in order to “defib” murderers at the scene of a crime. Innocent victims are left to rot while the feds look good with their conviction numbers. Naturally, this has taken a severe mental toll on Fell and she is desperate to break free and make a real difference.

She gets more than she bargained for when her longtime obsessions in the Butcher Brothers, a pair of ritualistic cannibal siblings, carve a bloody swath through the American Midwest searching for a hidden and haunted Shoshone reservation where the infamous Wendigo walks freely.

With a defiant hostage in tow, the brothers intend to harness the power of immortality from the legendary creature while Fell gives desperate chase to save what victims she can as it becomes increasingly clear that their destination is a godforsaken wasteland where no one gets out alive.

Early Praise!

"...there's no slow build here; things start fast and finish fast, leaving rarely a chance to catch your breath...THE RESURRECTION GIRL is one hell of an adventure that will stay with you long after reading." - Mark Towse, author of Nana & The Sound of Suffering

“RESURRECTION GIRL is like Natural Born Killers meets King’s The Dead Zone, with a topping of cannibal sprinkles. An intense, gritty thrill ride that is equal parts supernatural horror, gritty noir, and bloody fun.” - Richard Beauchamp, Splatterpunk Award-Nominated author of Thrall & Our Lord, The Worm

"THE RESURRECTION GIRL is a high-octane pleasure drenched in blood that never lets up!" - Chris DiLeo, author of The Hands of Onan & What Ever Happened to Jo Rose?

"Overall, RESURRECTION GIRL is an entertaining read! Cinematic in scope! Blood-soaked badassery!"- Evan Baughman, playwright and author of Try Not to Die in a Dark Fantasy

Godless: https://godless.com/products/the-resurrection-girl-by-nathan-d-ludwig

Amazon (available on April 7th): https://a.co/d/02yuWNcT