Thank You for the Flowers - Scott Nicholson

I'm not a horror fan, per se. Sure, I've read my share of Stephen King but then I'm not altogether sure that most of his bibliography actually qualifies as horror. But that's a subject for another post. Anyhoo. I've not read Scott Nicholson's other books, but I'll definitely keep an eye out for them. This one is a collection of short stories and a very satisfying read. The stories are quiet and unassuming on the surface but they sink behind your eyelids and deftly work their way into your imagination. And stick there.

There's no artifice or manipulation in the writing and when you read as much as I do, that's my idea of high praise for an author. The tales are off the beaten track: a Little League team with a vampire shortstop; a serial killer who keeps a late-night deejay on her speed dial; a drought ended by a young girl's tears; a high school girl who has a crush on her best friend's guy -- and so does her best friend's ghost.

The stories will not cause a rift in the tectonic plates, but the characters will make themselves at home in your memory and keep you in good company for a while. And isn't that what good characters are supposed to do?