Tell Me How It Ends: A Horror Collection

by Desiree Horton

The torrid mind behind Midnight Mother and What Comes From Between now brings you a collection of even darker stories that will leave you in a state of pure terror.

Within this collection, you will find the meaning behind a husband's dark secrets, a bear that may or may not be what it seems, an unwanted pregnancy that fights against its mother's wishes, a dystopian world full of clownish survivors, a backpacking trip into the darkest nightmare, a horrific Halloween shared between a demented father and daughter, along with three more tales of world-shattering trauma!

Desiree Horton's Tell Me How It Ends is a collection of pure fright that is only for the most fearless of readers. Will you be one of them? We dare you.

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2025

About the author

Desiree Horton is a horror writer and enthusiast. She can be found at home in the PNW with her two dogs, two kids, and one husband. Her work can be found in other horror anthologies, and on the edges of papers she will lose almost immediately. More information on her works can be found at authordesireehorton.my.canva.site or on Amazon. Instagram and tiktok: @horrortonwritesabook

Reviews

[Bo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desiree Horton’s Tell Me How It Ends is a sharp and satisfying horror collection that delivers a wide range of unsettling ideas in nine compact stories. Each piece feels like its own little trap, inviting you in with an easy voice before revealing something far stranger lurking beneath the surface. Horton has a gift for turning simple moments into something that makes you pause, and several of these endings hit with quiet force.
The collection opens with The Beach House, a story that blends grief with an unexpected twist that reshapes everything you think you understand. It sets the tone for what follows. Stories like Penny’s Tea and Sweeter Than Candy lean into body horror and Halloween folklore in ways that are vivid without being overwhelming. Family is Forever stands out as a dark portrait of grief and coping, and its final reveal lands with an unsettling clarity. Other entries push into dystopian, creature feature, and crime territory, showing how confidently Horton moves across different styles while keeping her voice steady and engaging. What ties the collection together is the sense that every story has a purpose, a sting, or a secret waiting to be uncovered.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tell Me How It Ends" (great title for a collection, right?) contains nine striking short stories of top-notch horror, written with a deceptively light touch, most of them with endings which will make your heart die a little. Horton approaches horror sideways on, taking the reader by the hand, and cheerfully leading them straight into the minefield! Her stories are, indeed, danger zones in miniature: by the time you realize where the story's going, however, it's already too late.

Out of the nine tales, at least five were easily my favorites: "Family is Forever," the brutal story of a young woman discovering the joys of taxidermy (to put it mildly and misleadingly on purpose), with an ending that's not that hard to guess, such a beautifully done tale of family horror I'd happily recommend it even to people who don't usually read horror but would like to; "Nocturnal Sport Convention," an unsettling yet darkly humorous serial killer story, crazy enough to inspire some urban legends of its own; "Sweeter than Candy," a culinary horror tale about Halloween - strong stomach required! "Penny's Tea" is the quintessential childbirth horror story; and "Melpomene," perhaps the strongest story in the collection, is a horrifying dystopian tale of the not-so-far future, full of memorable images of body horror, with some strong coulrophobia vibes.

In sum, a great collection definitely worth picking up, the perfect late night read. Recommend!

[Dawn Colclasure · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman makes a horrifying discovery after her husband’s death. Trick-or-treaters get more than they bargain for after they follow a young girl into the woods. And an unusual convention has an unlucky guest. These are just some of the horror stories that await readers of the book, Tell Me How It Ends: A Horror Collection by Desiree Horton. Within the pages of this book lurk people who delight in committing the most heinous of crimes and monsters eagerly hungry for the humans in their sights. The next story I read was even better than the last one. I read this book in a day, as it was hard to put down! I could not stop reading it once I began, and the cryptic endings made me hold my breath as I got to the very last surprising sentence.

This collection of stories starts off strong. The first story, “The Beach House,” had me thinking that it was a story about loss or grief, but then something completely unexpected happens that changed everything I thought I had figured out about this story. This plot twist had me eagerly reading more and what happened next took me by surprise. It’s a great story that lingered in my head long after I finished reading it.

“Penny’s Tea” was really horrific! I had no idea what to expect, though I understood what was happening. They say we should trust our instincts when we feel that something isn’t right with our bodies, and the character, Penny, really knew that she was dealing with something not only wrong but also unnatural. Loved the surprise at the end of this story! It’s a great body horror story that sent chills down my spine!

“Sweeter than Candy” was another enjoyable read. I have read this Halloween story before, when it was published in Halloween Horrors: A Fundraising Anthology, but of course I read it again and it was just as enjoyable to read again! That’s one good thing about spooky Halloween stories; they can be enjoyed many times over, especially during the month of October!

“Family is Forever” was also another awesome story in this book. When I started reading it, I had no idea what to expect. But as I got into this story, I was drawn into the mutual grief the cousins felt over yet another death in the family. They say that grief affects everybody differently, but for Daisy’s cousin, Rosie, she puts her unusual hobby to creative use in coping with the most recent loss.

All of the stories in this collection were enjoyable and I loved the last one, the title story, the best.

Tell Me How It Ends is a collection of spooky, haunting tales that are sure to frighten, terrify and alarm readers. These stories offer a combination of monstrous characters, horrifying spectacles and spinetingling scares that are unlike any other stories out there. Pick up this book to read if you’re looking for some scary stories to enjoy and you won’t be disappointed.

[Nat Whiston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desiree certainly knows how to create some thought provoking stories. The first story, Beach House, lets the reader walk into a broken marriage. As we follow Jessica's story of love, heart ache and sacrifice as she does everything she can to reach her dearly departed husband. But as they say, it's always after someone dies that the secrets come out of the woodwork. But the level of emotion and the depths of how hauntingly beautiful this story became, made me excited to carry on with the collection. 

A couple of stories held true for me with lines like “Being 34 was no joke, and that stiff wooden chair had done her tailbone no favors for the past 4 hours.” A line I felt in my soul at the age of 35, where my tailbone forever aches after a hyperfixation session. The collection takes you to various different types of stories, with a creative approach to varying topics and tropes. One story in particular gave me annihilation vibes, in the creature form of a creature feature with a difference. 

The body horror story in particular grabbed my attention, as Penny's terror was given in graphic detail. I couldn't help but feel like it gave similar vibes to my debut story with Godless. Which made me love every second of it. 

What I love most about the collection was the variety, the reader had no idea what was coming next. Whether it would be a shocking dystopian horror, which gives a We Happy Few Vibe. To a hiking trip gone horribly wrong, and a story of a Halloween kidnapping. Which highlights a disturbing bond between a father and daughter duo, Desiree does an amazing job with atmosphere and character development in each tale. Stories of family, grief, betrayal and talking in the darkness to an entity not meant to be there. The story that becomes the thought provoking read of the set, is the collection's name sake. Anna prays for a friend and gets more than she bargained for. I loved the nod to the lesser key of Solomon, having studied it for my own series. So it is always great to see a lesser known name pop into a story. The twist of the story really makes it worth the build up, a perfect end to a great collection. 

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good collection of horror stories and let me tell you, this is definitely a good one! I enjoyed every story in this collection, no exceptions. My absolute favorites were Melpomene and the titular story, Tell Me How It Ends but all of these stories were amazing. Total rating - 4/5 stars, I can't recommend this collection enough.

Below are my individual ratings for each individual story and any notes I have (WARNING: contains spoilers):

The Beach House - 3.5
We started off strong with this one, I started reading at night and it made me want to turn on my lights.

The Retreat - 4
This one really reminded me of Annihilation (the movie).

Penny's Tea - 4

Melpomene - 5
I love when the twist is cannibalism, chefs kiss (pun intended).

Feeling Sluggish - 3

Sweeter than Candy - 4
Don't worry about the razor blades in the Halloween candy this year, worry about the little girl in the handmade strawberry costume. You wouldn't want to become dessert.

Family is Forever - 3

Nocturnal Sport Convention - 3
Really shows the dangers of a gambling addiction.

Tell Me How It Ends - 5
Anna is smarter than both me and Wyburn. Such a great story to end on.


Thank you to Desiree Horton for providing me with a review copy of Tell Me How It Ends, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Joe Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately, I've been bearish on short story collections, because they tend to be slow reads for me. I tend to read one story at a time and take some time to chew on it before coming back to the next one.

That wasn't the case here.

I devoured TELL ME HOW IT ENDS in less than a day. I'd finish a story and come back as soon as I could to read the next one. Desiree's stories are quick and brutal, and the collection is a smorgasbord of body horror that is impossible to beat!

She even hints at a happy ending. Is it really? You'll have to decide for yourself.

[Dan Mckeithan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story collection. These nine tales covered the gamut and were hard to put down once started. Desiree does an awesome job of hooking the reader right from the start of each story and each one ends with a different bit of flair. While I loved them all, my favorite had to be "Nocturnal Sports Convention." It was dark but with just the right amount of humor.

At 100 hundred pages it is an easy read! I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each story in this collection left me muttering “WTF” 😂. These short reads are entertaining and disturbing. This book was short at just under 100 pages but it packed a punch. I look forward to reading more from the author.