Ghostwritten

Malfi’s (Black Mouth) latest horror collection demonstrates how dangerous books can be. The collection features four novellas, each focusing on books that are hazardous to one’s health and sanity: a paperback hungry for writers’ blood; an ancient text that leads two brothers on a harrowing road trip; a special pop-up-book owned by a lonely child; and a choose-your-own-adventure ebook that may make listeners question their own reality. This collection allows Malfi to get meta as he shows how stories can become much more than just words on paper. The variety of stories will satisfy readers’ eclectic tastes, from the urban fantasy–infused “The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride” to the Twilight Zone–inspired “This Book Belongs to Olo,” which, with its dark fantasy elements and sympathetic depiction of childhood loneliness, may be the strongest tale in the collection. Narrator Joe Hempel makes the most of this opportunity to flex his vocal cords, effectively creating voices that range from a precocious child to a grizzled gangster.