Bumps in the Night – Anthony Renfro

Edition Details:
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 70
ASIN: B01KBPYYLE

Bumps in  the night is collection of six stories. The following stories are collected here:

1. Need to Feed 5/5

First Sentence:
The sheriff sat in his office listening for the bells that signalled High Noon.

The first full moon of June has arrived. Every year this date brings with it the terror and death and people of Saltwater know it. This year is no different. They are prepared but will they survive? Read the story to find that out.

I loved this story. It’s long and i enjoyed reading every bit of it. It’s basically a story featuring Vampires and humans and the latter’s fight for survival. The author has put an interesting twist to the Vampire lore and i liked that. The sheriff’s character was also intriguing. I couldn’t decipher what he was but he was not definitely human. I would love to read more about him. If i have to pick my favourite then this one easily would be my favourite from the collection.

2. Fear of the Scarecrow 2.5/5

First Sentence:
A desperate man stumbled and slipped as he made his way aimlessly through the endless rows of corn.


Tommy thompson is distraught. He couldn’t believe his wife would do this to him. Now he wants revenge and he’s found a way to do it. Will he get his revenge?

This one felt like a fantasy that the guy that has been cuckolded would dream of. There is twist in it though. But overall i thought i found it a tad bit ridiculous.  I think it was the weakest story in the collection for me.

3.The Man from the road 3/5

First Sentence:
A fat, yellow moon filled the sky.

He was walking on a lonely road when something aroused his curiosity. He thought he saw some people  and he felt he had to know what they were doing there in the middle of the night. He shouldn’t have. Sometimes ignorance is bliss and many times it can be the thing that is keeping you from being dead.

I liked the story although i could gauge where it was leading. I must say it was the ending that made it worth reading. It opens up a lot of questions and it’s upon the reader to answer them.

4. Gluten Free 3.5/5

First Sentence:
My name is Alan Category and by the time you read this i’ll be dead.

Alan has had it enough. His doctor has asked him to stay Gluten free or else it would be fatal to him. But Alan has decided that fatal would be good than a life that he’s living now. What happened next forms the story.

The premise of the story looks ridiculous because you know something like this could never happen. But what it lacks in believable premise it more than makes up in the gory details of the events. If you are into gore you’d like this. I did.

5.The Dead of winter 4/5

First Sentence:
Eric surveyed the road ahead and behind him.

Eric is walking. He has his cat for company when he comes across a human being. It’s a miracle to him. Zombies are ruling the planet and he has been alone for a long time. It’s snowing and a warmth of friendship is what he desires. Who’s this person? Will they survive the winter? Or they’ll turn into the zombies. Read the story to find out.

Although, the Dead of Winter is set up in the middle of a zombie apocalypse but i think it’s a story about the need of companionship that humans have. We are social animals and we need friends. The story’s end is  kind of sad but over all i enjoyed reading it. The only thing that irked me was that it felt very slow at the start. It takes too much time to build up. It has it’s scary moments but i loved the way it shows that we can have some good times irrespective of  how bad the things are, if we are among friends. I was not expecting it to turn it this way(i had thought of various sinister scenarios) but i liked what the writer has done.

6. The Lot 2.5/5

First Sentence:
Ernie Holsten sat in his office.

Ernie Holsten couldn’t believe it was Gavin. He seemed such a nice guy. But all the evidences seemed to be stacked again him. It’s Christmas eve and they would have to apprehend him. He doesn’t wants to do it but will do it. But no matter how much he tries he couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that a good guy like Gavin could be responsible for all those murders. Who was this Gavin? Did he really kill all those people ? And if yes then why? Would Ernie be able to catch him?

Read the story to find that out.

It was an okay story for me. We as a reader are directly put at the end of the investigation and from there we see the events happening. I felt i would have enjoyed it more if the story would have begun when the first tourists started disappearing.I liked the idea but I guess if this one could be turned into a novella then it would have been a more fun and engaging read. The story is good but a novella would have been better and more satisfying for the reader.

You’ll find vampires,zombies, werewolves, supernatural trees that drink blood and scarecrows that exact revenge in this collection. If you are into horror then you’d definitely enjoy stories in this collection.

If you have read this book, then do tell me what did you think of the stories. If you haven’t and want to read it then you can get it from the following links:
Kindle
Paperback