I Know A Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours

by Nat Cassidy

The first collection from USA Today bestselling author Nat Cassidy, featuring his unique blend of gleefully terrifying short fiction.

"[A] platter of phobias... Luckily, for every scare, there is a sense of resilience and a laugh in the face of fear to get you there." —Fangoria Magazine, on Rest Stop

There are locations in this world where the light doesn’t seem to reach. Where, no matter how illuminated the place might be, shadows creep in too strongly to fight back.

A suspiciously empty gas station rest stop in the middle of the night, littered with googley eyes... A doctor’s office, where a bottle of booze and a tear-stained folder wait on the desk... A tech millionaire’s haunted kitchen... A Bible-quoting ventriloquist’s dingy apartment... A yoga retreat in the middle of the desert, silent except for the screaming...

These locations and more are your destination and bestselling author Nat Cassidy will be your guide. Featuring the Bram Stoker Award-nominated, critically acclaimed novella Rest Stop (one of Esquire’s Best Horror Books of 2024), along with a number of other original short stories, some which have never been published before, I Know A Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours is a travelogue down twisting side streets and through alleyways where the darkness has eyes... and teeth.

Let’s hope you make it home in one piece.

"A blood-soaked freakout that does for gas stations what Jaws did for beaches." —Kirkus Reviews, on Rest Stop

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Adult, Fiction, Anthologies, Supernatural

Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 5, 2026

About the author

NAT CASSIDY is a national bestselling and Bram Stoker Award-nominated author whose acclaimed works include Mary ("One of the Best Horror Novels of All Time" - Audible), Nestlings, and Rest Stop. Esquire described him as one "of the best horror writers of this generation" and among the writers "shaping horror's next golden age." His award-winning plays have been produced across the country, including Off-Broadway and the Kennedy Center. You've also maybe seen Nat guest-starring on shows such as Law & Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Bull, Quantico, FBI, and many others ... but that's a topic for a different bio. His newest novel, When the Wolf Comes Home, hit shelves in April 2025 and was called "a classic" by Stephen King. He lives in New York City with his wife.

Reviews

[Ricarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 was the year I turned into a Nat Cassidy fangirl, so naturally I was beyond thrilled about receiving this ARC! And it turned out to be a very solid collection of shorter fiction that allowed me to get a good impression of the author's range and often-used themes. There is one novella (Rest Stop) and 12 short stories collected in here and, after clicking around on Goodreads, I think that about half of them have been published before. But I'm glad that everything is in one place now, because let's be real, I would have never picked everything up on its own. I ended up liking most of the stories, but at the same time none of them were super outstanding to me. And a select few either went over my head or just weren't my thing because of the themes that were included. I will write a little something about every story, so if you'd rather not know anything, stop reading here. Just know that I would recommend it to fans of the author, but not necessarily as an entry point to his works. I think a full-length novel is more suitable for that. At least that was the experience that I had.

Rest Stop – I must admit that I've read this one before and that I wasn't really a fan. But now that I know that Nat Cassidy is not the Dudebro author that I once thought him to be (I'm sorry, Sir), I dutifully read it again. And honestly, I kinda see the vision now. It's about a musician on the road, pulling into a gas station and having the absolute worst night imaginable there. It's such a fever dream of spiders and snakes and intense gore and googly eyes, and I'm not surprised that I was overwhelmed the first time I read this novella. I appreciated it a lot more this time around and I especially thought the (psycho) religious theme to be very interesting.

Meet-Cute #1: The Unluckiest Girl – More of a short interlude in my opinion, about a man and a woman meeting in a bar and complaining about how awful the world is. The twist was clear once a name was mentioned and it was up to the reader to imagine how unlucky that girl really got that night. It was pretty underwhelming for being the story that the I Know A Place part of the collection title refers to.

Generation – An interesting one with a cool concept. About a gynecologist who has to deal with a fundamental change in pregnancies. I liked that it stayed kinda vague and calm instead of leaning into the horror side of it.

Nice – An unexpected Christmas story. Focuses on a six-year-old boy who is lowkey unhealthily obsessed with Christmas and Santa Clause. But once he is visited by an elf who hates his job, the boy changes his mind and behavior. It started out fun and then turned into a disturbing story with creepy children and Christmas gore. As the title suggests, it was nice. :D

The Art of What You Want – Another disturbing story about a haunting taking an unexpected turn. I liked it for the amount of unhinged people that were included in here.

The Lunar Eclipse – I would love to tell you what this was about, but I didn't get it. It wasn't a horror story and was told in a strange way.

Laughlines – My favorite story of the collection! I could have done without the email format, but it was a nice change of pace. It was about a young woman traveling to the English countryside after learning about her estranged father and his side of the family. She's exploring a remote village and an old castle, and I don't know what it was, but I was somehow super invested in the creepy medieval castle lore. If Nat Cassidy ever decides to write a medieval horror novel, I would be so here for it. On the downside there was a random Harry Potter reference in here (come on, Mr. Cassidy!), and I'm pretty sure that the use of emojis made my kindle crash. (It has recovered now.)

Run For Your Life – This probably is a story that is close to Nat Cassidy's heart, because he poured a huge amount of music knowledge into it. Unfortunately, I really can't stand musical themes in books. They are just completely lost on me. I think the story has the potential to be people's favorite, but it really wasn't for me.

Jubilee Juncture – I personally think that ventriloquists are already kinda creepy on a good day, but this story takes the profession to the next level, in a bad way. It's about a man visiting his sketchy coworker and his creepy doll, and it was very gross and therefore one of the best stories of the collection.

Come – Who would have thought that the cursed sex tape high school story would be one of my favorites? It was wacky and kind of stupid, but I was living, laughing, loving. And there was asexual rep which even tied into the plot. It's a yes from me.

Into The Life Of Things – Two very annoying detectives are called to a hospital where a woman was killed. They talk to a nurse and learn about the woman's history, which includes a yoga cult and psychic powers. It was not my favorite, but it was fine. I think the dual timeline thing was kind of unnecessary.

Meet-Cute #2: The Scariest Thing - Another story about a man and a woman meeting in a bar, but I don't think that it was further connected to the first Meet-Cute story. This one went places I didn't expect and it walked a very weird line between stalking and positivity. I don't really know how I was supposed to feel about it.

A Fruiting Body – Maybe the story works better if you read it with others like the author suggests, but this one didn't do anything for me. Not the best note to end on, in my opinion.

Overall, I have to call this a good collection. I wish there was at least one story that I loved much more than the rest, but there were plenty that I enjoyed. My personal favorites were Laughlines and Come and I'm so glad that I liked Rest Stop much more than before. This collection brought me unhinged characters, intense violence and gore galore, but many stories also offered discussions about at a whole variety of important themes, like religion, sexuality, mental health or grief. The majority of the stories is positively wild, but you can get much more out of them if you want to. And if you don't want to, you will be entertained anyway.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Court Zierk · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2

Nat Cassidy could write a cookbook and I’d be enthralled. Something about how this man writes connects deeply with how I consume literature. This collection of short stories is no exception.

Having already read Rest Stop, and thinking it was one of the best short stories I’ve read, I was excited to see what else he had in store. This didn’t disappoint.

This has something for everyone. Serial killer meet cutes, time traveling Beatles theft, flesh eating ventriloquists, cursed sex tapes, and a use of emojis that quite literally almost blew up my Kindle.

I love a good short story collection from time to time, and this one measures up to some of my favorites by King and Malfi. Nat Cassidy’s come up continues.

[Nikki Lee (Nikkileethrillseeker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawt damn! When a Nat Cassidy book comes out…… guess what? You READ THAT SHIT!

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a short story collection all the way through. Why? Because they’re short stories. I take breaks and go back. NOT HERE my friends. I read every story and loved them all.

Rest Stop is the first and it’s about a guy who gets trapped in a gas station with creatures and a serial killer! Loved it! How can Nat be so terrifying, yet, have me laughing my ass off? Satire doesn’t work in a lot of horror novels for me, but he has a true gift that does.

My other favorites were about an insane yoga retreat, the ghost of a dead wife, and a creepy dummy ventriloquist. These were fantastic!!!

If you are a horror fan, not scared of some gore, and love this author….. you’re sure to love this.

Massive thanks to Shortwave Books, Nat Cassidy and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub date 5/5/26

[thevampireslibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope nat cassidy keeps writing forever

[Wyatt Flett · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC via Netgalley. Thank you to Shortwave Publishing for their copy.

Nat Cassidy certainly knows locals who allow him to illustrate his craft in his anthology, I Know A Place. The main destination within this road trip is his novella Rest Stop, which features a rock star who gets locked in a gas station bathroom and has to cope with creepy crawlies and an unstable assailant who monitors his every move. Within this short thriller, we get enough pages for readers to learn Abe’s background and his dysfunctional relationships as much as we get his taste in music. As Abe reminisces while trapped in the stall, we flashback to his Jewish heritage and his complicated relationship with his grandmother. A childhood boogeyman, remembered through his Grandmother, sharpens Abe’s fear as he faces his own boogeyman in a claustrophobic, dirty bathroom. Abe is a likable enough rock’n’roller, and there is enough tension and gas station crud to keep the reader invested in his predicament while he tries to survive the night. However, there was a sequence in the middle that unnecessarily slowed the momentum of Abe’s desperation.

Outside the novella, Cassidy offers other routes. We’re allowed to get enough of how he writes surrealist tales that can unfold in a doctor’s office, in a suburban household, a yoga retreat, at a Castle in the UK, at school, or even across time. He is allowed to frame these locations as opportunities to creatively explore horrific scenarios. Personally, the stories I’ve enjoyed most were Nice (the Christmas-themed story), Laughlines (the medieval story told in email format), and Jubilee Junction (proof that dummies are still unsettling). I’ve felt like they were the most memorable of the collection, with the first two being evidence that Cassidy can effectively blend dark humour in vile situations. In contrast to what I enjoyed, I couldn’t get into stories such as Run for Your Life and Into the Life of Things because their pacing meanders and their characters’ motivations were limited by the length, which could be proof that some of Cassidy’s concepts work better as full-length novels.

Overall, despite some detours that slow the journey down. I enjoyed exploring Cassidy’s dark destination in I Know A Place, and I’m definitely interested in what comes along.

[Alina ♡]

Party people, this is not a drill! I received an ARC and could not be more excited. Hope to read very soon.

[Becky Spratford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading for review in the April 2026 issue of Library Journal

Three Words That Describe This Book: dark humor, immersive, a road map to a singular voice

When I think a collection is "fine" the review is easy to write. But when I LOVE a collection it is SO HARD to not write about every single story. I only have 200 words to convey why the collection is great though. Figuring out the level of detail is key. Share why it is awesome, leave some bread crumbs to get people to take it off the shelf or add to their Ingram cart for their library, but again 200 words.

Here some of the words need to go to how happy I am that the amazing novella REST STOP will be available for more readers. It is a story about literally getting trapped in a rest stop bathroom but it is also a contemplation about family and our complicated relationship with them and how they are a part of us, like it or not. It’s also about getting trapped in your own life. And that is VERY BROAD STROKES. But it is terrifying in the immediate and it has an unease that lingers. You will think about it during but also after. Both will give you chills.

Others words to say how these are all stories tied to their place-- yes I know that is in the title but it needs saying in a review because just because Cassidy put it in the title doesn't mean he followed through. Also many of these stories started as plays (from story notes) and they feel that way but you can tell that they have been enhanced by being put into prose. More words to talk about the journey Cassidy takes readers on through this 13 "detours," like a great mix tape (Cassidy is also a musician and there is a great story here about a band you know...or do you). And there need to be words about how that journey leads to a final story which-- if the first story is set in a very specific place, where someone is literally trapped the last story is set in a blank room (well two blank rooms actually-- its meta-- the room of a scientist and a very specific fungus who are the characters in the story and the room of a black box theater as the author directs people to act out this story for themselves -- read it aloud-- as if it were performed. And this story (Fruiting Bodies) is the most expansive . It is chilling, full of existential terror and so much dark humor. In many ways it is the most different story here and yet, it is also the perfect ending because it leaves you satisfied, glad you went on the trip, but also wanting more.

And there it is. I have landed on how I will share this collection in my review-- I will tell readers that this collection is journey, told by a singular voice with an excellent ear for dialog, who understand terror both existential and literal, who takes readers along for the ride, on a well mapped out trip, stopping at 13 detours to experience the full range of horrific emotions, from places they know to those they could have never imagined on their own but they are glad to have visited them. This collection is a conversation about horror, emotion and the genre.

(I am still going to go over on words.) (I also feel like I channeled Cassidy a bit, writing this review; but you probably noticed that already.)

For fans of authors who use the full scope of the emotion of horror to convey a wide range of original, immersive and compelling terrifying stories featuring characters and situations that feel very personal, as done by authors like Joe Hill, T. Kingfisher, Clay McLeod Chapman, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

But also so many more. I picked these to give library workers examples that seem so different, but really they are not when you look outside the plots of their books and think about how they work to place readers in tangible spaces, give them memorable characters, and let the terrors lose on it all. The methods are different, but the feelings are not.

[Matt M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nat Cassidy’s first collection of short stories, I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours, is one of the best collections of short horror fiction I’ve read in some time. Reading this collection evoked the same feelings I had reading Night Shift by Stephen King for the first time.

I Know a Place is anchored by the opening novella, Rest Stop, which was a huge indie hit when it came out as a standalone from Shortwave. It’s a gleefully nasty horror romp set in a rest area bathroom. This collection also features the short stories from Shortwave’s Cassidy Catacombs chapbooks and numerous new stories, all of which were excellent.

My personal favorite story is “Run for Your Life”, a story toeing the line between short story and novella that features a narcissistic cover band musician who wants to BE The Beatles. It’s like 11/22/63 but with an egomaniac. It’s so much fun, especially if you love The Beatles or meta-fiction.

The stories here range from WTF did I just read all the way to absolutely beautiful stories like “The Lunar Eclipse”. There’s even a performance piece at the end of the collection. Other standout stories for me are “Jubilee Juncture”, “Laughlines”, “The Art of What You Want”, and the two “Meet-Cute” stories.

I Know a Place is a modern horror master at his absolute finest. Sharp, thrilling horror stories about the darkest depths of human nature and the lengths people will go to get what they want or to simply survive.

If you’re looking for a bloody good time, I know a place, in the hands of Nat Cassidy.

Thanks so much to Shortwave for an eARC for review!

I Know a Place will be released on May 5th, 2026.

[Heathers_readss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had already read rest stop (which was super creepy 😆) and the rest of the stories were equally unnerving!

Nat Cassidy really knows how to crawl under your skin and give you the heebie jeebies ! If you love all things horror definitely give this a read :)

[Pav S. (pav_sanborn_bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores sinister and supernatural locations where darkness prevails. It features the novella *Rest Stop*, recognized as one of Esquire’s Best Horror Books of 2024, alongside original short stories. The narrative takes readers through eerie settings, such as an empty gas station, a doctor's office with unsettling items, a haunted kitchen, a ventriloquist's apartment, and a silent yoga retreat, emphasizing the potential dangers lurking in these places.

This book is packed with short, creepy stories that will send chills down your spine. Some tales left me needing my nightlight, while others were okay. However, this collection truly delivers on the eerie experience! Each story is fast-paced and chilling, and I appreciate the variety of ways in which they evoke fear. You'll find terror where you least expect it or in places you would expect it, which adds to the thrill.

These short stories are great for anyone looking to dive back into reading or explore a new genre. You can enjoy each tale separately at your own pace without feeling like you're missing out, as they stand alone as individual novellas. So, if you're feeling adventurous and want to try something new, this is your sign!

This book is ideal for those who already love this author or are drawn to dark, haunting narratives that linger long after you’ve read them—enough to make you check under your bed before sleeping. I typically don't watch horror films, but there's something about reading these stories that feels different. I find comfort in thinking that the monsters, ghosts, and nightmares will only emerge when I reopen the book. But the nagging question remains: will they truly wait, or will they slowly creep off the pages and into my soul? Boo!

Thank you, Shortwave Publishing and NetGalley, for the DRC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Seattle Overcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nat Cassidy has very quickly become a favorite of mine. He has pretty much had me in a chokehold since I read Mary in 2024. I have genuinely enjoyed everything he has written, and I Know A Place was no exception.
Every story captured my attention. The pacing was excellent and each story was unique. There are a few stories that I would LOVE a novella or novel of. I just didn’t want them to end. Stephen King really wasn’t exaggerating when he said “these stories are fucking great.”
If you want to dip your toes into Nat Cassidy’s work, this is the perfect place to start. Add it to your TBR. Just do it.
HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for the opportunity to read this arc!

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 - This short story collection left me with so many emotions. These stories weave their way into your self and find homes. I love how Nat writes such scary and gruesome stories, but finds a way to give them deeper meanings. It really is just such an honor to get an arc from a new all time fav author. Here are my thoughts of each short story!

The social commentary in generation and nice were great. I loved the twisted story of the art of what you want. The lunar eclipse and a fruiting body made my heart met with blood. Rest stop was a wild ride with twists and turns I did not see coming. Nice was a great horror Christmas story and meet cute #1 settles in the weird tale of real life. Laughlines was uniquely told and it worked so well. Come was so good, gave me smile and it follow vibes. Into the life of things was a mind fuck. The meet cute 2: the scariest thing was not horror, but just the horror of the internet and people stalking you. It was raw, honest, and beautiful. Unfortunately, run for your life was my least favorite. It’s a cool concept but I just didn’t care since I’m not huge on the Beatles.

Overall, I’ve loved and enjoyed majority of these stories.
I want to thank Nat Cassidy, NetGalley, and Shortwave for the ARC. This review is 100% my own, honest, and unpaid.

1. Rest stop 5/5
2. The art of what you want 5/5
3. Meet Cute #2: The scariest thing 5/5
4. Come 5/5
5. Laughlines 5/5
6. Into the life of things 5/5
7. Nice 5/5
8. Jubilee Juncture 4.5/5
9. Meet cute #1: The unluckiest girl 4/5
10. The lunar eclipse 4/5
11. Generation 4/5
12. A fruiting body 4/5
13. Run for your life 2.5/5

[Jeanie ~ MyFairytaleLibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed Nat Cassidy’s writing since reading Mary. He has a unique writing style and great sense of humor.

I love when a short story has a “Ha!” ending. Several of these do. Meet-Cute #1 has a particularly good one. Nice has a perfectly sketchy elf named Twinklebottom who has an ingenious idea to make Christmas less stressful, if only he can get a child to agree to his plan. I liked all of these stories, but those two and Rest Stop were my favorites.

This is a wonderful short story collection and if you are a horror fan, don’t miss it! Thank you to @shortwavebooks and @catnassidy for an early digital copy.

[BookishlySonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

I have literally loved every book that I have read by Nat Cassidy, and this was no exception.

Cassidy is able to weave such a fantastic blend of horror and social commentary and while this collection is more on the nose than his other full length novels, they’re still fantastic.

Rest Stop was such a harrowing exploration of identity and religion and it left me staring at a wall. Thankfully the wall in my safe and cozy room and not in a gas station bathroom.

I am not normally a short story collection reader but these may have made me a convert. With that said, I would absolutely love it if Generation, Nice, Laughlines, and Jubilee Juncture were made into full length novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Nat Cassidy for a while now, there’s something about his voice that feels theatrical in the best way—big swings, weird premises, humor braided tightly with horror. I Know a Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours absolutely delivers on that promise… though, like any short story collection, some stops along the way hit harder than others.

Rest Stop

The opening novella—and the most hyped piece in the collection—leans into that unsettling, liminal-space dread hard. Is the rest stop a metaphor for death? Being stuck? Choosing comfort over risk? Maybe all of it.

The atmosphere was excellent—bugs, hallucinations, that creeping sense that something isn’t right—but the ending didn’t land for me as much as the buildup did. Still creepy. 4/5.

Meetcute #1: The Unluckiest Girl

The moment the male lead introduced himself, I knew something was coming… and I loved being right. Clever, tight, and satisfying. 4/5.

Generation

Alien babies! Strong opening! Confusing ending! 3/5.

Nice

You’ve heard of Elf on a Shelf—now get ready for….something scarier?
No notes. Horrifying. Delightful. 5/5.

The Art of What You Want

Emotional, eerie, and strangely tender. I kept thinking, I’d like to believe I’d be a nice ghost to my husband if I died. 5/5.

The Lunar Eclipse

This one dragged for me, it never quite tipped into scary. 2/5.

Laughlines

Weird in the best Cassidy way. The moment she got invited to that castle, I knew it wasn’t going to end well… but I wasn’t prepared for the absurd comedy-horror of a cauldron-shaped ball of flesh slap-slap-slapping. 4/5.

Run for Your Life

I HATE beetles.
Which means this story destroyed me.
Five stars, immediate panic, incredible. 5/5.

Jubilee Juncture

Child predator themes always make my stomach turn. Gross and upsetting, but not one of my favorites overall. 3/5.

Come

Sex curse! Effective, uncomfortable, solid middle-tier entry. 4/5.

Into the Life of Things

Yoga cult energy, nurses, desert isolation—interesting setup but didn’t quite go as far as I wanted. 3/5.

Meetcute #2

A man tries to meet the woman from his favorite porn. Strange. 3/5.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know I had to hit that mf request button once I saw this hit netgalley. Doesn't matter how long or how short, his stories always pack a punch. Blood pressure rising, full out gross & downright nasty, hilarious, oddly tender and heartbreakingly sad.

I already read a few of these before and some of these I've been dying to get my hands on. I always think short stories and novellas are the perfect place to start with a new author to see if you mesh with their writing, so this one is PERFECT as a starter to getting into Nat Cassidy. It has just about everything I love about his writing and stories.

Weird and gross. Every character feels so full of life and rich with unique voices. Some a bit darker than others. I honestly can't rate them individually because I genuinely loved all of them! Though, Rest stop, you will always be famous.

Thank you to Shortwave and netgalley for the arc!

[BeMandyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten million stars!
I just finished and WHEW! I need a minute to collect my thoughts but for now- brilliant collection, I was invest in each story, but couldn’t wait to see what was next.

[Becky (sirensongreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Know a Place

-Rest Stop
3.5/5
This book had me STRESSING. Cassidy successfully created a tense scenario with my actual worst nightmare brought to life. That being said, the ending of this one was so wild. I know, I said I wanted more absurdity from the previous book, reading these two back to back was wild because I wanted this one to pull it back a bit.

- Meet Cute 1
2/5
Yeah, this one didn’t work for me. The whining was a bit too much to deal with, the narrative felt so disjointed, and the ✨reveal✨made me roll my eyes.

- Generation
4/5
I did like this one a lot. There’s so much left up to the reader and questioning the mystery of what’s going on and what will happen next was great. This is one I’d want to theorize over, revisit, and speculate some more. A very gripping, quick read.

- Nice
5/5
Reading that before bed was a mistake. Horrifying and brutal. I normally don’t like the stories about evil kids, but this short story packed the perfect punch. Also, makes you reconsider what elf on the shelf is saying to your kid.
CW: animal cruelty, gore

- The Art of What You Want
3/5
I had to reread the ending to to figure out what was going on. I liked this story, I was compelled to keep reading but it didn’t have the same punch as some of the others.

- The Lunar Eclipse
2/5
Am I stupid? I don’t get what happened. I don’t get what the joke was? Is it that his reanimated corpse came back? Like I don’t get this one. I just kept waiting to catch up to what was going on. I feel like I was missing part of the story.

- Laughlines
5/5
Ah this one was creepy but so much fun! The idea of learning about your dark family legacy and getting trapped in a ghost story? Terrifying and compelling. So far this one is my favorite.

- Run For Your Life
3.5/5
This was a very creative take on a time travel story and felt like a horror version of Yesterday - that Beetles movie. I appreciated the impending sense of dread we got with this one and how the twisted history unfolded. I wish we had the opportunity to expand on that more, particularly through interaction with the Beetles and a look at what this new world is like.

- Jubilee Juncture
4/5
I’m a sucker for a creepy puppet story; I’m a bigger sucker for a human puppet. This one just scratch my itch and I really enjoyed it.

- Come
3.5/5
I appreciated what this was one doing - a haunted sex tape is a helluva story. I did find some of the humor quite juvenile to the point I was rolling my eyes. I also wanted more from the ghost part too - I wish we could’ve gotten the scene of the attack, we as the audience could’ve learned what happened. But I do appreciate the fact that it was told from an ace/aro MC.

- Into the Life of Things
3.5/5
This was basically behind her eyes, with a yoga cult twist. Not a bad story, but also not my favorite. That being said, the tension was…a lot.

- Meet Cute 2
2.5/5
There wasn’t anything wrong with this story, but I just kept waiting for something to happen. For the reveal to happen. But it never did. I mean, it was a meet-cute, as promised, but that really was it.

- A Fruiting Body
3.5/5
Kind of like the story above, there wasn’t anything wrong with this one, but I was just waiting to know what happened next. I don’t mind an ambiguous ending, but I feel like this one was slightly too open-ended to satisfy a reader.

Collection rating: 3.5
Review
- Humor rarely landed for me
- Some things came up more than once, and I was waiting for them to be relevant or connect the stories, but it was just a random thing that popped up
- The standouts were fantastic, the rest were fine?

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

[Sydney Scarbrough · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and shortwave publishing for an arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

reading this book/these short stories was a really fun experience. it is a difficult book to rate because the stories that i liked, i REALLY liked. however, there are a few here that are unremarkable in my opinion that unfortunately bring the rating down for the rest of the gems hidden amongst the chapters. star ratings and brief reviews for each short story are below.

---------------------------------------------

star ratings for each short story as i progress -

rest stop:
4.5 ⭐
my immediate response was a dislike of the ending. after more time to reflect on it, i see where cassidy was going with it and how it adds horror and psychological implications to the story.

meet-cute #1: the unluckiest girl:
2 ⭐
predictable and done before.

generation:
2 ⭐
eerie and dystopian but just didn't land for me.

nice:
5 ⭐
SO good. a reminder to be clear when communicating, especially with children, and thoughtful about how the things you encourage people to do can make monsters of innocence. reminds me of a favorite American Horror Stories episode, "The Naughty List"

the art of what you want:
4.5 ⭐
disturbing. so many elements of human shortcomings from betrayal, greed, revenge and then horror elements of paranormal activity and murder combine to make this story realistic and just deranged enough to really stay with you.

the lunar eclipse:
2 ⭐
cute, paranormal love story.

laughlines:
5+ ⭐
i won't forget this one for a long time. the format of emails to tell the story, the setting of a castle in the english countryside, the familiar (to me) discomfort of connecting with a long lost family member, the unsettling legends and medieval lore and cast of characters that all seem to be in on a joke but you... flawlessly creepy and horrific in all the best ways.

run for your life:
3 ⭐️
time travel and the butterfly effect combine here to ask readers the questions: who would you become to achieve your wildest dreams, and would they be worthwhile to live if they were never yours to begin with?

jubilee juncture:
5 ⭐️
immediately liked this one because of the title. reading just brought more treasures from the horror trove, with puppets — human and classic versions— and religious zeal at the forefront.

come:
4.5 ⭐
satirical horror on the advent and over-accessibility of internet p*rn, including non-consensual distribution of such, and the sometimes extreme repercussions indulging in your urges can have.

into the life of things:
4 ⭐️
i loved this. unsettling story about the transference of human consciousness from one body into another achieved through popular, commonplace activities like yoga and meditation. would’ve been 5+ stars if it weren’t for the similarity to the book and tv series “Behind Her Eyes”

meet-cute #2: the scariest thing
3 ⭐
interesting and suspenseful. encapsulates the modern conundrum of wanting to date and meet people but struggling to do so organically. with lives lived online, how much of our true selves do we accurately convey, and how much of our true selves can we hide?

a fruiting body:
3 ⭐
VERY unique poem-formatted story designed to be read aloud with a group. since i read it traditionally (in my head and by myself), that may have affected my rating. i liked and appreciated the novelty of the layout and also the premise.

[Raaven💖 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Taking off points for a HP reference in 2026.

I’m a huge sucker for a horror short story collection. I have read most of Nat’s books as well. He has an interesting voice in horror which I enjoy. His 2025 book When the Wolf Comes Home was both depressing and dark and that is what I was hoping for this collection. The stories in here were very well done and delivered what I was looking for.

Rest Stop is a previously published novella which is the first story in this book. It was very interesting and filled me with suspense as I was reading it. I would never leave my phone in my car going into a strange place I’ve never been but that’s just me.

My favorite stories were:

The Art of What You Want
Jubilee Junction
Come
Meet Cute #2: The Scariest Thing
I really appreciated that Come had a aroace MC. It was super cool to read a protagonist in a horror book that was like me. There aren’t too many of them. I also liked how the MC didn’t have a gender and it’s up to the reader to decide. Of all the stories The Art of What You Want was the most wtf story to me. That ending I didn’t see coming and I was impressed with the great twist. Same as Jubilee Junction. The whole story was just so much and I was very impressed with how it played out.

Generation, Nice, Laughlines, and Into the Life Of Things were all interesting but there just wasn’t enough of what I needed from them.

I did not understand The Lunar Eclipse I felt like I was missing the point. Same as the first Meet Cute story. It just didn’t hit me as I was reading it.

All in all this collection was very entertaining and I loved reading the stories. Besides the HP reference that didn’t need to be there this collection was pretty spot on.

[Chane Van Tonder · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐ 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave for the ARC of I Know a Place!

This was my first Nat Cassidy book, and I really enjoyed it. I love how open-ended many of his stories are — that lingering, did-that-really-just-happen? feeling makes them even creepier, because your imagination keeps working long after you close the book.

Rest Stop – A strong start. The spider and snake scenes were deeply unsettling. It definitely felt like a fever dream at times, and I had to surrender to the weirdness, but once I did, it worked.

Meet Cute #1: The Unluckiest Girl – Super short with a twist that forces you to imagine just how unlucky this girl truly is. Clever idea, but this ended up being one of my least favourites.

Generation – This one was genuinely creepy. It takes something that’s already unsettling and amplifies it, making the whole experience feel tense and uncomfortable in the best way. Definitely one of the stories that stuck with me.

Nice – A creepy little story about a bad elf influencing a child. Quietly unsettling and effective… very nice 😉

The Art of What You Want – A haunting look at how grief can warp a person. This was my third favourite overall, and the ending completely caught me off guard.

The Lunar Eclipse – This one unfortunately went over my head, and I struggled to connect with it.

Laughlines – One of the standouts. The castle, the servants, and the slow unraveling created such a strong eerie atmosphere. Even in email format, the visuals were vivid and unsettling.

Run for Your Life – My absolute favourite. I love a time-travel story, and this one delivered. The character development was strong, and the true impact doesn’t hit you until the very end — chilling in the best way.

Jubilee Juncture – Creepy dolls will never not be unsettling, and this story leans fully into that fear.

Come – Total early-2010s nostalgia. It reminded me of those chain horror messages on BBM — share this or else. Sinister, fun, and I loved it.

Into the Life of Things – You can believe anything if you want to badly enough. This cult yoga retreat story was deeply unsettling and ended up being my second favourite. I’d happily read an entire book based on this concept alone.

Meet Cute #2: The Scariest Thing – A disturbing exploration of obsession and loneliness. Quiet, uncomfortable, and very creepy.

A Fruiting Body – Since I read this as an ARC, I wasn’t able to experience it with six friends, but this would be a perfect book club pick. Twelve wildly different stories followed by a chilling little play at the end makes for great discussion.

[Shelby Bubenchik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know what it is about Cassidy’s writing, but he just GETS it. He’s tapped into something that’s so rare and special, and my eyes drink up every single word he writes like they’ve been wandering a literary desert and haven’t properly had their thirst quenched in weeks.

I was thoroughly engrossed in every single story; each one had its own special tone and atmosphere, with the voices of the characters belonging solely to them, and I couldn’t wait to see what wild and twisted adventure I was going on next with the start of each one. The range of emotions he can make you feel in such few pages is something I’ve ever quite experienced; he can take horror and morph it into so much more - you’re left feeling things you weren’t expecting to feel but in the best way.

I couldn’t read these stories fast enough but I also wanted to take my time and savor them, knowing this would be the last time I get to read them for the first time.

The reference of one story inside another story didn’t escape me either, and it left me giggling for a good while afterwards - I see what you did there 👀

Overall, if I could give this collection of stories one million stars, I would. Nat Cassidy is just a force to be reckoned with and I can’t wait to see what his crazy mind comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing an eARC to review early!

[Jen W · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Nat Cassidy really knows how to write a horror story. Gory at times. With humor at times. This book of short stories is no exception.

Like Mary, Nestlings and When the Wolf Comes Home, I think these short stories will stick with me.

Rest Stop was so creepy and I know that I will likely think of it on any night drive when I have to make a pit stop.

Other stories include a haunted castle, a wild yoga retreat and a young child who is so excited for Christmas.

Each story was fun (yes, fun in horror) and unique. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebecca Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Nat Cassidy, Shortwave & NetGalley for the eARC

I Know A Place begins with a novella and then has a collection of short stories after. The ones that I enjoyed the most were ‘Nice’ and ‘The Lunar Eclipse’. In these short stories a mix of both physical trauma and psychological trauma is depicted and each story has a way of captivating the reader. These stories have made me want to delve deeper into the horror genre.

The pacing of each story is perfect and enough to keep readers engaged. No two stories are the same and readers can expect a little bit of everything that makes horror so compelling.

The best thing about a collection of short stories is that there is always something for everyone to enjoy.

[daisysbooknook · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC copy from Net Galley


This collection of short horror stories was dreadful, exciting, and slightly unnerving.... in the best way possible. Nat Cassidy does it again with his descriptive and poetic writing. This horror anthology takes readers along for a while ride to many locations to meet many intriguing people. Readers will travel to a ghost town rest stop, a concerning doctor's office, bars, and even an eerie castle. You will meet an elf on the shelf gone rogue, a serial killer, a mysterious father figure and an unsettling puppeteer. The Dark humor aspect of Nat Cassidy's writing made this book the perfect mix of mind-bending and hilarious. I swear he can turn anything into a horror story....

The entire time I was reading this book, I was excited to get into the next story. I devoured this book in 2 days, and I wish I could read it for the first time all over again!

[Reisa Bolog · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some good stories and some stories that make you feel like you have no idea what you just read. A lot of cliffhangers, a lot of gore. I didn’t love it as much as his other books, but there was some good stories in there.
The one part in the book I didn’t like was the 30 pages of emojis for one chapter. I thought my kindle broke 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay but what the heck some of these stories were insane!!!!!!! Like a Christmas horror story reminiscent of Terrifier 3? I was cackling haha.. and then the meet cute 1.. I KNEW IT!!!! I had that inkling and I was right!!!! One story made me not want to visit castles anymore (so thanks Nat because that’s the best part about the UK!!!!) and then all the emojis I get it now!!!! And then Businessman was a fave because it was very American Psycho coded. Also one of the best short stories I’ve ever read probably.

Thank you Shortwave publishing, NetGalley and Nat for the ARC!

[Aryah Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.75 rounded up)

I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours started strong. The opening story, “Rest Stop,” was vivid, tense, and darkly funny in a way that had me laughing while also raising my blood pressure. Cassidy’s descriptive writing really shines here and set the tone for the collection. (I will never look at a bottle opener the same way…)

The rest of the stories were enjoyable, even if none quite matched the impact of the first. The collection offers a fun variety of unsettling concepts, including a twisted meet cute with a famous serial killer, evil children doing the work of an evil Elf on The Shelf, a deadly obsession over The Beatles, killer sex tapes, a bizarre yoga cult (?), and more. One thing that consistently worked for me was Cassidy’s use of dark comedy, pop culture references, and strong, vivid imagery throughout.

The final chapter was a standout and a great way to end the book. I highly recommend acting it out with friends as suggested. It was creepy, playful, and genuinely fun.

Overall, this was a strong and entertaining collection that kept me engaged from start to finish, even when some stories resonated more than others. This is a good read for someone wanting something they can easily binge in a day or two!

Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for gifting me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review ✨

[Marisa (marisalynnreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up

RTC

dude, Nat... Laughlines literally almost broke my kindle, it couldn't handle the 🤣🤣🤣 I had to restart it and skip over the story, it kept glitching and wigging out.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come upon release.

Most of these stories were 5* stories, so five stars it is