The Brooligan Press

A room with terrible secrets in its walls: a drug that will blow more than just your mind: an art installation to die for: a supermarket poltergeist with an eye for fashion. Sixteen short stories and one novella from a master of the strange, the unusual, the downright unsettling. “Laurence Staig writes stories that creep up quietly... and sink needle teeth into your spine. He does in print what Hammer House of Horror did onscreen—shows very nasty, yet horribly credible haunted stretches of Britain. Highly recommended and not for the nervous” Kim Newman “There’s a strong whiff of The Twilight Zone about some of these stories… no bad thing in my eyes. Inescapable nightmares.” Lucian Poll, Writer and critic “Laurence Staig is one of the great unsung heroes of British horror and fantasy fiction.” Stephen Jones, World Fantasy Award-winning writer and editor “A similar theme and atmosphere to ‘The Companion’, but one that succeeds in being more M R Jamesian. On route to the climax the...

The novel that inspired the headline-grabbing ITV series starring John Lynch, Kenneth Cranham, and Christine Kavanagh. A terrifyingly plausible journey into the disturbing nerve-centers of medical science where our secret future is formed today. When Peter Carson is invited to the pioneering Jenner Clinic by one of the lab assistants, he's naturally intrigued. But when he arrives at the remote site in the Cumbrian fells to find police roadblocks and official silence, he realises that he's stumbled onto a story that will do him no good at all. Dr Jenner's work matters to the government. Enough to warrant unlimited funding, high security, and the best technicians in the country. But something has gone badly wrong. The project that has no room for mistakes has produced a result so terrible that it must never see the light of day. And now the evidence must be destroyed, whatever the cost. “A rip-roaring chiller . . . a latter-day Prometheus both Unbound and bloody”...

“There it was again. More scrabbling. No question about it now. Someone, or something, was scratching at the window. Someone, or something, wanted me to open it up and let them in...”  John Croydon is out of his depth. His latest client is classy, beautiful and very, very rich. And she’s being stalked by her fiancé’s ex-wife, who is threatening to disrupt the wedding, or worse. Croydon has just one week to persuade this inconvenient ex to leave the happy couple alone.  Problem is, she’s going to take some persuading. Because she’s dead. Has been dead for some time.  And she isn’t looking pretty. From the author of cult vampire novel Suckers and Notting Hill ghost story Stiff Lips comes another ghost story, narrated with self-lacerating humour by a private eye who has a lot to learn about himself and the supernatural. In the course of an investigation that will lead him from London to Norfolk and, ultimately, to Venice, John Croydon will be forced to dig into...

Something is stalking the Northumberland moors, slaughtering sheep and other livestock. There have been sightings of a big cat, a huge, feral creature that has so far managed to elude capture. Some of the locals are terrified, while others scoff that it’s only a legend. Still, the killings continue. Cath Lane is a young novelist and mother, eager to explore her new home in rural Northumberland. To her the legendary beast of the moors is excellent fodder for a new novel. How could she know as she begins her research that the beast is no mere myth?  How could she foresee the terror that waits for her, crouching in the dark…? “Ferocity draws on horror’s history. I was particularly reminded of the style and worlds of Cornell Woolrich. Both Woolrich and Laws share engaging writing styles; incorporating the worlds of crime and horror. Stephen Laws’ prose generates suspense with exquisite simplicity” Horror Reader “This is a wonderfully involving and truly frightening tale that b...

A STORM IS COMING Christmas. And an entire office block of revellers has disappeared into thin air. A STORM IS COMING DI Jack Cardiff and his investigating squad are about to discover the Hell that is ‘Darkfall’; where bricks, plaster and stone have a life of their own, where the inexplicable and the insane become horrifyingly real. A STORM IS COMING And for those trapped in the block and cut off by the violent weather, a terror beyond imagination is about to descend from the howling tempest. “A slam-bang paranormal thriller, Laws is one of the most inventive writers on the scene” The Times “Makes the reader distinctly uneasy about touching any walls or doors when the thunder rumbles” Penthouse “One of Britain’s masters of terror” Vector “A powerhouse of a book that hooks you immediately and never lets go. Exciting, relentless, gory and hugely entertaining” Million Magazine “Truly barnstorming supernatural horror from a writer of tremendous pace and energy. A v...

Paperback and ebook.   In the lobby of a Blackpool hotel, one year after the end of the Great War, Britain's spymaster recruits a young sideshow fortune-teller for a mission of historic importance. A standalone novella from the author of the Sebastian Becker novels The Kingdom of Bones, The Bedlam Detective, and The Authentic William James. MELODY JAMES: a novella Stephen Gallagher The Brooligan Press $7.95 (102p) ISBN 978 999920784  Buy the paperback Buy the ebook The Sebastian Becker Stories: Reviews The New York Times: "The Kingdom of Bones... shows the occult mystery in its best light. Vividly set in England and America during the booming industrial era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this stylish thriller conjures a perfect demon to symbolize the age and its appetites… although Gallagher delivers horror with a grand melodramatic flourish, his storytelling skills are more subtly displayed in scenes of the provincial theaters, gen...

A story of modern terror and suspense set against an authentic and spectacular background. The Follower—one of Scandinavia’s most intriguing myths. It brings together geologist John Visco, chasing a survey job that may not exist, and Sara Hansun, a woman sticking to her side of a lovers’ agreement in an affair gone cold. Their shared destination: the Arctic fishing village of Tromstad.  But the roads are closed. And the snow is falling. And out in the darkness, the Follower waits; half-human, half-beast, a demon spirit rejected by its maker to live independently and in misery.   The Follower’s sole and driving purpose; to achieve a return to human form.   To find a new host. "If thriller reading were a sin, Stephen Gallagher would be responsible for my ultimate damnation. His work is fast-paced, well-written, infused with a sense of dark wonder, and altogether fresh."—Dean R Koontz   "Gallagher knows the secret of good supernatural horror. He keeps th...

“The only bad thing about his books is that they eventually end. Brilliant.” —Jonny Lee Miller As the Special Investigator to the Lord Chancellor’s Visitor in Lunacy, Sebastian Becker delivers justice to those dangerous madmen whose fortunes might otherwise place them above the law. But in William James he faces a different challenge; to prove a man sane, so that he may hang. Did the reluctant showman really burn down a crowded pavilion with the audience inside? And if not, why is this British sideshow cowboy so determined to shoulder the blame? The Authentic William James is the third novel to feature ex-police detective and former Pinkerton Man Sebastian Becker, joining The Kingdom of Bones and The Bedlam Detective. Praising “this superbly crafted thriller”, Kirkus Reviews named The Bedlam Detective one of their 100 Best of the Year and called it “that rare beast, a literary page turner”. MysteryTribune.Com described it as “a rare literary masterpiece for lovers of historical...

First appearance in paperback.   "A philosophically insightful and literary tale of terror" — Publishers Weekly Banished to an isolated rural hospital for killing a fellow student in a duel, Hans Schneider meets the mysterious Dr Lavenza and learns about Frankenstein's prescription—the secret of eternal life. Together, Schneider and Lavenza set out to collect the missing pieces of the formula. But they are not alone. From Germany to Rome, from Rome to Paris, to the failed and wretched Eden of an all-too-human God, a dreadful creature follows in their wake and brings destruction wherever they go.  A unique piece of work; fast, funny, and with a terrific sense of period and place. Frankenstein's Prescription reads like the bastard creation of Jonathan Swift and Jimmy Sangster. "It is, quite frankly, a brilliant novel, one which takes the old stereotype and fills it with vibrant new life. The story is gripping, with each and every element of the plot fitt...

"A finer, more chilling ghostly novel than most of those recently published. Mr Damp deserves a place in the gallery of great English night creatures. M. R. James might have been proud to have created him, and I certainly would be.” — Ramsey Campbell A broken church window, smashed in a bid to contain the power trapped within its stained glass... The desperate sobbing of a child who isn’t there... When restoration expert Kit Farris moves into the adjoining Grange with his three daughters, how can he know what dark forces his work will unleash? “A high energy fantasy with very powerful scenes. . . a chilling and dramatic end.” — Books for Keeps   “This is an excellent book, which celebrates and transcends genre. As much family story as ghost story. A tense drama of abuse, neglect and longing. An old-fashioned ghost tale with a modern edge, consciously a tribute to M R James in its setting and atmosphere. It echoes a book such as Margaret Mahy’s The Changeov...

“Gripping—part thriller, part something darker”—Neil Gaiman “A powerhouse psychological thriller… in a stunning denouement you learn that, dead or alive, people will do what they have to do. Death is no obstacle, The ending is sledgehammer stuff— hard-hitting and merciless. Gallagher is a master of abnormal psychology and he just gets better and better” —Mystery Scene  Johnny Mays. The moral conscience of a selfish child in the frame of a plain-clothes cop. When Johnny starts a car chase, he pushes it too far. Soon they're fishing for his body at the foot of a dam while his partner Nick Frazier is left behind to pick up the pieces. Then the killings start. Killings of people Johnny didn't like. And when Johnny's car is dredged up empty, Johnny's last words still echo in Nick's mind. “I'm going to remember this,” he said, a dark fire in his eyes. “I'm coming back for you. ”   “Stephen Gallagher’s most ambitious, most committed book to date… the n...

“A moving, shocking, compelling psychological drama with a mesmerising plot… impossible to put down and, once read, impossible to forget”—Booklist After rescuing Marianne Cadogan from an incoming tide on a lonely and forgotten part of Britain’s coast, ex-con Ryan O'Donnell is cornered into helping her escape a supposedly abusive father to reach the safe custody of her mother. Too late, he finds himself compromised, the subject of a trans-European manhunt while he struggles to deliver the child and prove his motives pure. The deeper in he gets, the more trapped he will become. “A world class, first-rate novel”— Elizabeth George “A fast, smart, emotionally involving and authentically new thriller which confirms Stephen Gallagher’s particular fictional talent” –John Williams, The Independent “High marks for psychological terror”—Daily Telegraph “A powerful exploration of evil and redemption”—Publishing News “A taut, engrossing thriller that transcends genre to examine ...

The ITV miniseries starring Stephen Tompkinson, Maria Lennon, Lydzia Englert “A gripping combination of thriller, horror story and romance” —Bookworld There’s an apparently fatal incident when schoolteacher Jim Harper opens the wrong door in a mountain research station owned by multinational giant Risinger-Genoud. Even treatment with their untried and experimental superdrug cannot save his life. Or so it seems. For Jim Harper, though left for dead, has survived. And in the long haul back to health and sanity, he begins to realise that some terrible change has taken place. Step by horrifying step, Jim Harper unravels his story and then designs the perfect act of vengeance, an act that takes him to the brink of madness... “In the best tradition of the international thriller and horror fields, Gallagher, author of the fine Valley of Lights, has created another blend of genres that shouldn’t disappoint the dedicated reader of either. Is it still paranoia when everybody re...

Magpie  Not Here, Not Now By the River, Fontainebleau Driving Force The Visitors' Book Little Angels The Drain Old, Red Shoes The Horn Modus Operandi The Jigsaw Girl Fancy That! Life Line Like Shadows in the Dark No Life for me Without You, Vodyanoi God's Bright Little Engine O, Virginia  The Sluice Casey, Where He Lies In Gethsemane From the introduction by Brian Clemens: "These stories are varied and imaginative, each with a fascinating premise. They take you by the hand and lead you through Steve’s uniquely angled take on the world . . . often embodying stunning twists and featuring real stings in the tail. In one, Steve slips into the head of a recalcitrant driver with terrifying accuracy, and then, in another, he moves just as smoothly into the minds of pubescent boys, with all their fantasies and cruelties. It’s always controlled in masterly fashion and while his characters may occasionally be unable to see the truth their creator always does....

“Capable of being either subtle or blunt depending upon the needs of his plot, Gallagher has assembled a fine and varied collection of weird fiction” — Publishers Weekly Contains: Little Dead Girl Singing  The Back of his Hand Restraint The Plot Doctor Hood Jailbird for Jesus Hunter, Killer My Repeater The Wishing Ball Like Clockwork The Blackwood Oak Nine Horrors and a Dream Following the World Fantasy Award-winning Out of his Mind , this further collection of short fiction includes stories originally published in Weird Tales, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Night Visions, The Dark, Winter Chills, and Subterranean Magazine. Buy the paperback B uy the ebook Plots and Misadventures Stephen Gallagher Paperback: 270 pages £7.99 Publisher: The Brooligan Press (16 Feb. 2018) Language: English ISBN-10: 1999920740 ISBN-13: 978-1999920746

“Hard to put down, impossible to forget… subtle and disturbing”—Today Lucy Ashdown is a girl with a mission - to find the driver who ran down and killed her sister Christine. Now she has a lead and she's off to London. Disgraced Detective Joe Lucas is as dedicated as Lucy. His aim is to bring her home. By any means necessary. Stepping into her sister's shoes, this small-town girl is thrust into a terrifying night journey of deceit, danger, and degradation. By recreating her sister's journey, she unwittingly heads toward her sister's fate; and even as she believes that she's closing in on the murderer, the murderer is closing in on her.   “A strange, powerful story of love and vengeance”—Felicia Lamb, Mail on Sunday “Gallagher's descriptions pin down London's underbelly with deadly accuracy” — The Times  “Since Valley of Lights he has been refining his own brand of psycho-thriller, with a discomforting knack of charting mental disintegration and ...

“A classic of psychological suspense that sets this year’s benchmark in written terror… Plot, pace and prose skewer you on page one and keep you pinned until the very last line”—Christopher Fowler  When Ruth Lasseter hires an escort to cover for a workplace affair, she lets a deeply disturbed young man into her life. Though she survives the consequence, she’s left with the lingering suspicion that he hasn’t simply disappeared. He’s still out there, taking out his problems on other women just like her. There was a moment when Ruth had her chance to stop him for good. But she didn’t take it. Now she sees that closure—for both of them—lies on the other side of that line.    “The final, inevitable showdown proves as powerful as the promise that Gallagher has built up, page upon gripping page of this compelling, unusually sensitive chiller”—Mystery Scene  “A satisfyingly twisty suspenser with a truly menacing villain”—Kirkus Reviews  “A smashing serial-ki...

“An elegant stylist, a shrewd psychologist … and a powerful storyteller with enormous range and depth” Ed Gorman A dark love story, and a disturbing tale of a divided soul. In the days leading to the fall of the Soviet empire, a young woman with a deadly secret slips unnoticed into the West. And when Alina Petrovna first appears in Three Oaks Bay it’s clear that her frail, luminous beauty is likely to cause some ripples in the surface calm of the peaceful resort town. For Pete McCarthy, the boatyard worker who gives her shelter, she’s an enigma. A complex, well-meaning young woman with a difficult past. Someone whose mystery deepens as the season gets under way, and the deaths by drowning begin... “Gallagher handles the balance between mundane reality and stomach-turning horror with reassurance and offers a nicely twisted ending to boot. Highly recommended” Nigel Kendall, Time Out  “A master of pace and suspense, Gallagher has the dark, neon-splashed imagination of a t...