My Friends in Hell

by A.D. Jones, Spencer Church (Contributor), Alana K. Drex (Contributor)

360 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2026

About the author

A.D Jones lives in the North of England; where he spends his time favouring books over people and can be found writing or devouring said books to review online. He loves Cola, Twin Peaks, cult movies and all things horror. He dislikes the movie ‘The Karate Kid’ with a passion that burns brighter than the sun.

Reviews

[Sonja Charters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm back with another collection of short stories curated by Jones and I couldn't have been happier about seeing this new release.

Having read a fair few of this author's work already and also reading Deathbed Confessionals last year - I just knew that I was going to absolutely love this new collection.

This book contains another 25 short horror stories and as you may have seen me say before, I'm really leaning back into my horror era and am loving doing this through shorter pieces which can be devoured in complete chunks.

Once again, I spread this read out over a few days and added a couple of these stories to my lunch break each day.
I love reading horror like this and found it so easy to pick this up and put it down each day, without losing momentum with the book.

Each of these stories had a common theme of friendship ....hmm, maybe that's a theme of the lack of friendship?
I loved the diversity in each piece despite this running theme and it was great to see how each author had interpreted these ideas.

I'm always impressed with short stories because I feel that it must be harder to get people to invest in the character terms and their story in such a small number of words or pages, yet each of the authors here managed to draw me in from the first few lines and create an atmosphere that held me there with them to the end.

A brilliant collection and a great way to meet some new authors in this genre.
I can't wait to see what they all have to offer in the future.

[Christopher Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve come to enjoy anthology collections for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s the mixing of voices, the way the stories seem to just fit together or the blood saturated nightmares they bring with them. My Friends In Hell does not disappoint. Each author shows their own voices not to mention some very questionable dark sides that will make you think twice about being alone with some of them. I have the privilege of knowing some of these authors through a variety of ways and for other authors, some were my first experience with their writing. If you like horror, gore or just really creepy well writing stories then this anthology is worth the buy. A.D Jones has curated a collection that will scratch your itch, turn your lights on or maybe just made with a few of the stories, check in those dark places around your house when you hear strange noises.

[Siobhain · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Friends in Hell is one hell (I couldn’t resist) of a collection. I loved every second and entry of this collection. Jones has done a wonderful job of curating this anthology. Each entry brings its own level of unease and horror in the best possible way. I love the unique link of Friendship or rather lack there of. There is such an incredibly oppressive atmosphere and a growing dread in each story.

I can’t really pick a favourite but if I had to A Friend from Hell and With Sisters Like These are up there with ones that really stood out. This is a must read collection for horror fans, it was great to see some authors whose work I already love and of course it further cements why Jones is an auto-buy.

As always thank you to ZooLoo’s Book Tours, publishers and author for the copy to review. My reviews are always given freely and my honest opinion of the book is given.

[Lisa reads alot Hamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic group of short reads, stories that will fill you with unease and horror, a collection of dark and disturbing tales - and I completely loved everything about them.
Friendships comes in all guises i know but there are a few friends in this book that should be avoided at all costs.
Unnervingly brilliant

[Toni L · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cracking collection built by indie authors to showcase unique talents with twisted tales on friendship gone wrong. Really enjoyed the variety of authors' voices and story ideas, several have a heartbreaking message, killer twists and tension, and a wicked sense of humour.

[Bethany Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very privileged to have my short story: "The Pumpkin Patch" in this anthology. However, my rating is for all the other amazing and talented authors. Such an awesome and spooky bunch!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://sarahreads4.wordpress.com/202...

[Dave Musson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I got my teeth stuck into an anthology of stories from a bunch of indie authors, and more fool me for that as they are a crucial part of the genre and the horror community. But My Friends In Hell is certainly a fine way to get my eye back in for these sorts of collections - and not just because I have a story in it!

A.D Jones has done a truly impressive job of pulling together a veritable smorgasbord of dark tales about friendship - 25 of them no less - that offer all kinds of thrills and chills. Some are bloody, some are weird, some are downright nasty and all of them are fun to read.

I’ll quickly get my story out of the way before focusing on my favourites in this collection. My offering is called Love Buzz, it’s centred on the Nirvana song of the same name and if you know which writing prompt I used to get started on this story then I will give you a hearty high five. I’m proud of it, I failed to land it in a couple of other collections over the years, and I’m so glad it’s found a home here.

Anyway, onto the rest of the collection. As is always the way with an anthology, this one has something for everyone, even if not every story lands for every reader. For me, the standouts, the authors I can’t decide if I would or would not want to be friends with were…

Tulpa, by Camille Voss: nasty opener warning of the dangers of making friends with the wrong person. Great building of dread before a bombastic and gnarly climax.

Best Friends Forever, by Isaac Nightingale: a bloody romp that was silly, gross and didn’t go the way I expected. You’ll never look at old women in the same way again.

Prom Queen, by R.J Powell: absolutely excellent. The whole story is breathless and full of unease, but the climax is staggeringly good and deeply unnerving. My favourite of the bunch.

We Stalk the Night, by Willie R Heredia: creepy little vignette about one homeless man and his sort-of dog. Evocative and effective.

Vendetta, by A.D Jones: a vicious and bloody tale of revenge among friends. Lots of world building for such a short tale, and so nasty!

Christmas Every Day, by Lance Loot: quirky, engaging and a cracking punchline.

The Pumpkin Patch, by Bethany Russo: fun Halloween story full of gore, scarecrows, and clowns.

Caged, by TM Lunn: very original and very different POV for a story about trying to make friends. A mixture of scary and sad, very effective.

Now You Have Seen a Soul, by Jack Finn: longest in the collection. An excellent, dark and brutal story of an unusual partnership doing dastardly things on the road. Great world building and a fantastic climax.

Huge credit again to A.D Jones for compiling such a robust collection and for showcasing the talents of 24 excellent indie authors, and me! This is a perfect volume to dip into whenever the mood strikes and I would strongly urge you all to give it a go. Not only is it packed full of banging stories, but it also offers you a potential 25 new favourite authors for you to enjoy and champion.

This is a terrific celebration of indie horror authors and a fitting ode to the dark weirdness of friendship. Thanks to A.D Jones for having me on board and for the review copy!

[Claire Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️‍🔥 A Love Letter to Loyalty Drenched in Blood ❤️‍🔥

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“To betray a friend is to betray a part of yourself.”

Twenty-five stories stitched together by betrayal, devotion, obsession, grief, and the monstrous things people will do in the name of friendship—and not a single one plays safe. This sank its teeth in deep.

What makes this collection so effective is the sheer variety. Some stories creep beneath your skin with quiet unease, others hit with visceral brutality, and a few left me staring into space afterwards, wondering how something so short could leave such a lasting bruise. Every author brings something distinct to the table, yet the anthology never feels disjointed. Instead, it feels like descending level by level into a different kind of hell, each tale asking the same terrifying question: how far would you go for the people you love?

The atmosphere throughout is deliciously oppressive. There’s rot in these pages. Tenderness too. And that contrast makes the horror bite harder. Friendships become weapons, salvation becomes corruption, and trust is transformed into something almost predatory.

A. D. Jones has curated a collection that feels sharp, cohesive, and genuinely memorable. Anthologies can sometimes be uneven, but My Friends in Hell maintains an incredible balance of emotion and horror from beginning to end. Dark, clever, unsettling, and impossible to put down.

Verdict: A viciously entertaining anthology packed with heartbreak, horror, and beautifully warped explorations of friendship. Every story leaves a mark—and some leave scars. Five stars without hesitation.

[Nelli Lakatos · Rating 4 out of 5]

"𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚞𝚜."

With a mesmerizing dedication I stepped into my favorite type of literature — a horror anthology. And this one was extra special as the main theme in it was friendship.

I highly recommend this anthology to all horror readers! ♡

𝙼𝚢 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

🪾 𝐓𝐮𝐥𝐩𝐚 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐕𝐨𝐬𝐬 🪾
"𝙸'𝚖 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝙰𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚆𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍. 𝚅𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚎, 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚏𝚝. 𝚆𝚎'𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚊𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎."

What a gorgeous story! I felt drawn to the characters immediately, each of them made me so intrigued to find out more about them. To learn their past, to know more about Maddie especially. And the writing style was flawless! I would love to read a full length novel of this tale.

📹 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐛 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐊 📹
"𝚃𝚘𝚘 𝚋𝚊𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎-𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚑𝚎'𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎. 𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠𝚜."

I absolutely loved this eerie story, with a captivating writing style and enchanting setting at an abounded church. This tale mesmerized me completely! And the ending, was completely insane in the best way possible!

🍷 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐈��𝐚𝐚𝐜 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐞 🍷
"𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚊𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚎."

"𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗, 𝙰𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚊. 𝙼𝚢 𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚎-𝚘𝚛-𝚍𝚒𝚎. 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸'𝚍 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞."

The main character name being Aurelia felt like destiny as I just finished a new all time favorite read yesterday. You Shouldn't Have Answered by A.eM., and the main character in that was Aurelia Vale. ♡

And wow, this story was incredible, crazy in the best way possible! I absolutely loved it!

[Karolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my review for My Friends In Hell by A D Jones

I thoroughly loved this horror story anthology which has been curated by the brilliant author, A D Jones, who writes terrific horror stories and has one included. The stories appeared to be a mixture and I liked the logo announcing each story which changed appropriately. The stories themselves are graphically descriptive with everything described in detail. I was totally hooked right from the very start of the book as I can never get enough of horror and these stories were lovely and dark. With short stories, you can either read one or two or read all the way through in one go, the choice is yours. Also, I love the cover design which I think is brilliantly thought out to go with the book.

Blurb :

To have a friend is to have someone beside you to weather the storm. To betray a friend is to betray a part of yourself. The power of friendship is perhaps the strongest thing on earth. But who said that power had to be used for good?

My Friends in Hell offers up 25 tales of horror and unease that going forward will have you choosing your friends wisely.

Featuring stories from:

Spencer Church
Curtis Curio
Alana K. Drex
Jack Finn
Ellis Hart
Amber Hathaway
Willie R. Heredia
Jason A. Jones
Caleb James K
V.S Lawrence
Lance Loot
TM Lunn
Dave Musson
Isaac Nightingale
Charlie Nightshade
Joey Powell
R.J Powell
G.M Ray
E.H Regan
Hayden Robinson
Bethany Russo
L. Stephenson
Camille Voss
David Washburn

Curated by and featuring A.D Jones

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reviewing this as part of a tour with Zooloo's Book Tours.

This is an anthology of short horror stories by various authors, which all share a common theme of friendship. In some ways, I felt like the friendship element was the most important part, and so I wanted to consider how friendships were represented or portrayed in each story, and what I might be able to take away from that.

Of course, it's advisable to read the trigger warnings, and some of these were a little bit on the grisly side. There were some stories, like “Best Friends Forever”, and “Girls Night”, that I enjoyed for the dark, twisted humour and relatability on some level. Some stories that messed with my head, or struck me as particularly chilling, were “Creepily The Croak Cackles”, “A Friend From Hell”, “Vendetta” and “A Friend For The End”. I also liked the fairytale element of “The Princess and the Frog”, and the haunting quality of “I Am Made Of You”.

This is a good read, and I'd say there's something here to suit all bookish tastes and appetites.

Thank you to Zooloo's Book Tours, to the respective authors, and the publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this.

[N.S. Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my blog - https://nsfordwriter.com - on 23rd May 2026.

This dark and twisted anthology is ideal for horror fans, especially if you love short stories and indie authors. It will also make you wary of friendships, whether best friends, new friends, imaginary, animal, supernatural… This is the theme of the book, with every story being in some way about friends. Some of the stories are rather gruesome; I preferred the stories which had less gore and violence, but the great thing about this collection is the variety of styles and content. I was excited to try every story! Particular highlights for me were ‘AI Pals Incorporated’ by Alana K Drex, ‘Christmas Every Day’ by Lance Loot, ‘WTF is a Squish?’ by V S Lawrence and ‘Tulpa’ by Camille Voss, but the best story of all was ‘Caged’ by T M Lunn, which was an intriguing and surprising take on the theme. The book is a recommended read if you enjoy horror, but even if it’s not a favourite genre, I’d still recommend it because with so many stories to choose from, you’re sure to find some favourites.

Thank you to the authors and Zooloos Book Tours for the review copy.

[Kayleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun… I think the key to a great horror anthology is a little bit of everything- from the sublime to the ridiculous (in all the best ways) Jones has pulled together a wide range of talent with a wide range of styles that should suit most horror lovers.

Thoroughly enjoyed this walk through friendship from a horror perspective.

As has become tradition with collections; completely out of pocket and order less annotations…

🔪Actually feel sick
🔪Single White Female eat your heart out
🔪F that
🔪But do androids dream of electric sheep?
🔪Man’s best friend indeed
🔪😭
🔪Total head f*
🔪F that all the way to hell
🔪Ook
🔪Creep kids are creepy AF
🔪Karma is a b!tch
🔪Ariel would never
🔪Well a rabbit is a girls best friend
🔪Teenagers scare the living 💩 outta me
🔪So f-ing dark man
🔪F that
🔪Ick
🔪Well that was unexpected
🔪A woman scorned…
🔪F-ing teens
🔪Beware hot mysterious artists
🔪Old and wealthy- way too good to be true
🔪If you go down to the woods today….
🔪Give. Me. More.
🔪Actual chills


Go read it!

[Pauline Render · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this was such a huge treat for me. 25 short horror stories by 25 differ yet authors, including one of my favourites, A D Jones, who also curated this book.
Each tale has something terrifying to offer, from friends you really don’t want, to friends you really wouldn’t want to be introduced to, to friends you used to know. The gruesomeness varies from tale to tale, but for me, very apt for the storylines. Yet for certain characters I did feel some sympathy, albeit not too much. I did have some favourites but with so many stories to choose from, you’d have to decide for yourself which are your new favourite writers.
My Friends in Hell is a brilliantly anthology, best read with the light on and possibly not just before you go to sleep. I loved it.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always up for a good anthology, and this one is overflowing with fantastic stories. A few missed the mark for me, but that's always the case with a group of heterogeneous styles and approaches. My favorite of the bunch rolls in around the middle mark: tentpole tale "A Friend From Hell" by L. Stephenson. It's one part cosmic-bizarro, one part nightmarish infestation, and the imagery sticks the landing for certain.
Design-wise, the interior of the anthology is gorgeous with delicate illustrations draped over the first page of each tale; the book is worth buying in print if possible!

[L. Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full transparency, I am author to 1 out of the 25 stories in this anthology.

A.D Jones has put together something really special with his first outing as curator. My Friends in Hell is a cover to cover horror extravaganza, and its interior design is second to none.

My three standouts were the book's opener, Camille Voss' 'Tulpa' - always good to kick proceedings off with a banger! 'For The Views' by Caleb James K., which I found darkly funny in places. Am now excited to use the words, 'flaming shit shack' in conversation. And last but not least, Charlie Nightshade's 'A Friend for the End', which admittedly left me a little bit speechless.

And that was just on a first read.

Last Words:
If the maker of this collection sold his soul to the devil to make a kick-ass horror anthology, I say Congratulations and my condolences Mr. Jones...because you're going to hell!