Traps and Specters: Stories

by Philip Fracassi, Sean Patrick Hopkins (Narrator), Patricia Santomasso (Narrator)

A new collection of short stories and novellas from Bram Stoker Award finalist Philip Fracassi, featuring an introduction by NYT bestselling author Matt Dinniman.

"Traps and Specters is an impressively literate and wildly imaginative collection featuring a truly remarkable range of work . . . Fracassi's a hell of a writer." —Bentley Little

From the mind of Stoker and British Fantasy award-nominated author Philip Fracassi comes fourteen stories of the macabre that will frighten, disturb, and ensnare listeners in a dark web of twisted tales.

In this book you'll find talking corpses and deadly tombs, misguided exorcists, technology gone wrong, blood-soaked prison riots, and enough vengeful spirits and haunted objects to fill a grave.

With an introduction by bestselling author Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl), Traps and Specters will chill, thrill, entertain, and leave you gasping in shock and terror at the horrors waiting within.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Expected publication September 22, 2026

About the author

PHILIP FRACASSI is the Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award-nominated author of the novels A Child Alone with Strangers, Gothic, Boys in the Valley, The Third Rule of Time Travel, and The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre. He is also the author of the story collections Behold the Void, Beneath a Pale Sky, and No One is Safe!

His stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Black Static, Best Horror of the Year, Nightmare Magazine, Interzone, and Southwest Review.

Philip lives in Los Angeles and is represented by Copps Literary Services, Circle M + P, and WME. You can find him on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky, or visit pfracassi.com.

Reviews

[Chewable Orb]

Traps and Specters: Stories by Philip Fracassi
4.45 rounded down to 4🔮orbs
Pub. Date: Sept. 22, 2026
Shortwave Publishing



A most terrifying escape…

💡 Orbs Prologue: Assisted by a walking cane, a geriatric Orb clumsily vacates the premises. Bright flames burst out of the roof of the Autumn Springs Retirement Home a short distance behind me, and I realize I will not be living there anytime soon. Overcome by dread, my shortness of breath is a strong indication I have no idea where I am going. Under the eerie glow of the Gothic moon, my eyes start to compose themselves, revealing what looks to be three Boys In The Valley. Upon my approach, they scatter like scared little jackrabbits, as if I am indeed a ghost reincarnated. Walking for hours, my body is reaching its breaking point, and luckily I stumble upon a roadside bar. An older gentleman sits behind the bar, while three older gentlemen in Confederate garb man a table off to the left, leaving me speechless, wondering if it was Halloween. Further inspecting the place, I am interrupted by a mysterious-looking woman who plainly greets me. “Welcome, my name is Sarafina."

🧐 A small glimpse: Pssst! Hey dear readers, it’s me, Orb. I want to let you in on a little secret…. Philip Fracassi is back with fourteen lovely little horror nuggets that will surely satisfy your need for fright! Oh my, is Fracassi back indeed! Here are some of my favorites in this collection:

D7 - A roadside bar becomes a haunting nightmare for hungry travelers. (Also inspiring the epilogue; all credit to Fracassi, of course!) 5/5

The Visitor - A priest is summoned to bless a house; unfortunately for him, a strange discovery unfolds. 4.5/5

The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon - A comedic tale about the corpse of Reese Witherspoon spending time with a contest winner. 4.5/5

Point Oh One - What would a man do if he knew the exact moment he was supposed to die? 5/5

⭐My Love Do Not Wake - A wife discovers the grass is not always greener on the other side. 5/5

👍 Orbs Pros: Such variety! Uniquely different and kept me up for hours in the passenger’s seat on a long road trip! Fracassi! I am firmly under the belief that some horror authors have it all figured out. Along with the likes of Nat Cassidy and Saratoga Schaefer, Fracassi is cementing himself as one of the best horror authors out there right now! The ease with which the stories flow is impressive, and if you want some variety, the stories come at you hard and fast from every direction. Just check out My Love, Do Not Wake, for example, which I feebly attempted to explain to someone, and they looked at me like there was something wrong with me! A thoroughly accessible type of horror! Now I get it; some like it darker… Chuckle, chuckle! See what I did there! In all seriousness, this can be enjoyed for those who just want a great little batch of stories that aren’t pushing the gore too far.

👎 Orbs Cons: A collection of stories.... Not a literary format everyone may enjoy! However, as far as a curated bunch of horror stories go, this fulfilled everything I wanted, so I personally have no complaints. Of course, per usual, horror will include some violence and tense and emotional situations that might disturb some.

Must read! ⁣⁣⁣ Leaning towards a 5-star rating, and yet, selfishly, I am holding out for the next Fracassi offering! Fracassi is a genius! Worth your time!

💡 Orbs Epilogue: “Orb,” I say flatly, still trying to understand this hallucination I was witnessing. “Please, come sit. Unfortunately, we are packed at the moment, but I can certainly make room for you!” Her finger beckons to me. Shuffling slowly, I notice the patrons look haggard. An unsettling feeling, as if I were A Child left Alone With Strangers, permeates through my mind. Seated now, an old-style jukebox begins to belt out a tune. In unison, the crowd of parched individuals marches to the dance floor, including myself. Gyrating hips and wicked giggles assault my senses, as if Trapped Specters are somehow infesting our bodies, making us move uncontrollably. I feel like a kid again, and yet, I can’t stop. My joints are grinding like the gears of an improper shift. People are frenzied, whooping into some sort of mad crowd of dancing baboons, an internal bestial rage unleashed. And then it happens. The cane flies out of my hands, and I trip and fall. A horrifying crunch lets me know my hip breaks, rendering me completely helpless, and yet these heathens don’t stop. The droning music continues, and as the hard soles of boots crash down on my body, I know this was the wrong place to stop…

Many thanks to Shortwave Publishing for the ARC through NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Krysta ꕤ]

one of the better horror anthologies I’ve read, most of the stories were of consistent quality and i enjoyed seeing what each one of them would bring to the table.

my individual ratings for the short stories :

• d7 - 4 ★
• the visitor - 4 ★
• the mummified corpse of reese witherspoon- 3.5 ★
• the servitor - 3.5 ★
• king mob - 3 ★
• the hunter - 2 ★
• point oh one - 4 ★
• betrothed - 3.5 ★
• my love, do not wake - 4.5 ★
• the black rider - 2 ★
• dream of me - 4 ★
• the resident - 2 ★
• i think my treehouse is haunted - 3 ★
• red leather - 4 ★

➣ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Shortwave Publishing for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[shyra ☾]

philip!!
where’s the petition to sign for the full versions of my six out of fourteen favorite tales that stood out to me from this creepy collection??
please let me know!!

it’s so difficult to choose 1 but anyways here’s my top 6 faves:

☠︎︎ D7 - a couple is trapped in a bar in the middle of nowhere and discovers a haunting jukebox nightmare

☠︎︎ the visitor - a priest is sent to bless a troubled family

☠︎︎ betrothed - til death do us part!

☠︎︎ dream of me - a young girl is gifted a journal from her nana to jot down her bad dreams

☠︎︎ i think my treehouse is haunted - lets just say someone is keeping eyes on you at said treehouse

☠︎︎ red leather - get a double or triple serving blood soaked meal!

attention horror junkies!
ya’ll better listen to me and * pre order * go grab this arc asap!

a fabulous assortment of 14 little macabre tales!
ranging variously from vengeful spirits to haunted objects to prison riots to a mummified talking corpse to deadly tombs to exorcism + more!!
i just seen someone say this is like an adult version of scary stories you would tell in the dark as a child, i felt that.
i’m telling ya’ll each story striked a different nerve within me and i hope it will for you too!

no clue what’s in philip’s blood to have the impressive ability to conjure brief and high quality haunting characters in this.
he freaking nailed it!
anthologies are usually a bit of a hit or miss for me but traps and specters might be my most favorite up to date!
i’m so happy i received early access to read this!
these tales gave me perfect, unsettling goosebumps while reading at midnight 🪦🦇

thank you netgalley & shortwave publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review!~

[Nikki Lee (Nikkileethrillseeker)]

You could be suffering from bouts of depression, loneliness, anxiety, or insufferable mental conditions…. Or you could just pick up a @pfracassi novel and immediately get that ease and comfort … like he’s a drug or something. If this dude writes it, I’m gonna consume it. End of story.

Traps and Specters is a collection of fourteen short stories. D7 kicks the book off with a haunted jukebox tale that I really loved. I own the novella itself.

What’s cool is how he can branch out within the genre and pretty much deliver a killer story. One that I personally thought was funny was the Reese Witherspoon one. How do you come up with this stuff, sir?

Supernatural, possession, tech nightmares, and just creepy shit all-around. I loved I Think My Treehouse Is Haunted. Another collection that guarantees a good time.

Don’t forget to pre-order your copy! Pre-orders are crucial for their success.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Shortwave Books for the gifted copy

[Teri]

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC kindle edition of Traps and Specters by Philip Fracassi. I have never read anything from this author before but knew of his reputation of being an excellent horror writer and that was no lie. This book contained 14 short horror stories. I wasn't sure what to expect because I've never read any books from this author. The stories were all very well written with some of them, particularly The Visitor, The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon (yes, you read that right), Point Oh One, My Love Do Not Wake, I Think My Treehouse is Haunted and Red Leather were sooo good that I cannot stop thinking about them. The horror wasn't grotesque but more creepy and eerie to me. I really felt the terror that the characters were feeling and you felt the dread coming in every page. Each story was separate and the characters did not bleed into the other stories. If I had to say which story was my all-time favorite from this book, it would have to be I Think My Treehouse is Haunted- because it was spooky and so creepy and it was the in the point of view of a kid. I would definitely recommend this to any horror fan and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

[phoenix *ੈ✩‧₊˚]

3.75

[Gareth Is Haunted]

A Masterclass in Modern Dread – A Must-Read Collection!

Philip Fracassi has firmly propelled himself into the upper echelons of modern horror writing with Traps and Spectres. This is a fantastic, diverse collection of short stories where every single tale firmly stamps its own unique identity into your mind.
Fracassi’s writing is riveting throughout, masterfully shifting his prose and pace from story to story to keep the reader completely off-balance.
I initially intended to review every single story individually, but these raw highlights speak for themselves:

THE VISITOR (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️): Amazingly taut and creepy for such a short piece. This is definitive proof that sometimes less is more. I loved how information is kept to an absolute minimum, leaving the reader to deduce what really happened.

MY LOVE, DO NOT WAKE (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️):
A highly peculiar and dark take on love, affairs, and murder. It brings a brilliant, much more literal meaning to the phrase "two-faced"!

DREAM OF ME (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️):
A fantastic story that beautifully combines a haunting with the innocence of childhood—a concept that always gets to me. A young girl is given a "Dream Book" by her Nana, but shortly after, her Nana passes away. That is when things get weird. For a 30-minute read, this punches way above its weight.

(Note: I have intentionally omitted my absolute favourite story of the collection. I cannot bring myself to taint its majestic presence with a summary, but let's just say it involves a child and a haunting, and it is simply unforgettable.)

The Verdict: Overall, this collection punches just as hard as similar works from the most lauded horror authors in the industry. It is, without a doubt, a buy-on-sight publication. Go get a copy immediately!

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

[unstable.books]

Few authors working in modern horror demonstrate the range and consistency that Fracassi brings to the page. Traps and Specters is a strong showcase of exactly why he is such a respected voice in the horror community. Spanning fourteen stories, this collection moves effortlessly between the supernatural, psychological dread, disastrous technology, possession, and brutality, yet every tale screams "Fracassi". What impressed me most was the versatility. One story may plunge the reader into an encounter with the impossible, while the next explores the horrors of the human body or mind. Haunted objects, restless dead and violent eruptions of chaos are all waiting for you, and the real connective tissue is Fracassi's talent for creating deep unease. Even when a story leans into gore or absurdity, there is an undercurrent of sadness and dread. As with short story collections, certain stories will resonate differently with each reader, but the quality remains remarkable throughout. Fracassi rises to the demands of short-form horror, always. He wastes little time establishing atmosphere, quickly immersing the reader in unsettling situations while still giving us memorable characters and emotional weight. Several stories build toward endings that simultaneously feel surprising and inevitable. The collection highlights Fracassi's skill at balancing entertainment with genuine discomfort. More than once, I yelled. For longtime horror fans and newcomers alike, Traps and Specters is an engaging and horrific collection that demonstrates why Philip continues to be one of the genres most compelling storytellers. Thank you to Shortwave Publishing for the ARC! This title is live for preorder over on Shortwaves website. Keep an eye out for it September 22nd, 2026. I will have full coverage of this title on Cemetery Dance soon!

[BookCharmedLife]

I devoured this book! I couldn’t put it down. I felt compelled to finish it no matter what was going on around me. I stayed up too late last night, then had nightmares as soon as I fell asleep. Woke up this morning thinking about what I read, and was almost late to work because I wanted MORE. How can one man write so many unique, disturbing, scary, compulsive, erratic, dire stories? (There are so many better adjectives to use, but I can’t think of any right now. I’m completely boggled). I want to crawl inside the author’s mind and watch all of his synapses firing. Fracassi’s short stories are so BIZARRE and HAUNTING. While reading, I felt like a kid watching an R-rated movie or chancing upon their uncle’s nudey magazine for the first time; I felt dirty, yet excited, like I was getting away with something. It was a nostalgic feeling that doesn’t happen often. That alone is worth 5 stars.

[Alora Khan]

I love this author and I was so excited to get an ARC of his short story collection. These short stories were WILD. Some of them actually did creep me out when I was reading late night. I thought it was a great collection that featured many different kinds of horror. This author definitely has a handle on horror and I’m here for it. Don’t miss this! Coming September 2026.

[Aaron B]

Out today from Shortwave Publishing, Traps and Specters: Stories by Philip Fracassi is a collection that shows a horror writer writing with a range of original concepts. There are fourteen stories that move from haunted objects and failed exorcisms to technological dread, ancient tombs and disturbing human violence The result is a collection that feels both classic and contemporary, rooted in tradition while, but in touch with modernity. Personal favorites include the collection-leading story, D7, which demonstrates the downside of marathon dance parties. In addition, The Servitor and King Mob will leave you reflecting on frightening aspects of the human condition. There are no duds in this book.

The book’s title lets the reader know immediately that Fracassi’s characters are often caught before they realize it—haunted by guilt, obsession, or forces they cannot name. The specters that haunt these pages are not only supernatural, but also memories, fears, and histories that refuse to stay buried: "Be sure thy sins will find thee out. At its most grotesque, the collection remains focused on mood, character, and the slow realization that escape may already be impossible. Traps and Specters is sharp, eerie, and consistently interesting. It’s a strong choice for serious horror readers.

[Matt M]

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know how much I love Philip Fracassi’s work. I’ve read most of his novels and this is now the third collection of his that I’ve read. And every single one is awesome.

TRAPS AND SPECTERS, coming this September from Shortwave, is another fantastic collection of stories from one of the best storytellers we have today. The way Fracassi can throw you into a situation, whether real life horror or speculative nightmare, and get you to ride along with the character as shit really hits the fan quickly. There are old school horror stories, heartbreaking tales of love lost, some very strange relationships, bad people getting their comeuppance, and so much more.

Some of these stories truly frightened me. Some in the classic, get-under-your-skin horror way, some in a more existential way. I devoured this collection because I just couldn’t get enough. I seriously think that Fracassi puts crack in his stories.

Standouts for me were “I Think My Treehouse is Haunted” (which had a legit jump scare), “Red Leather”, “Point Oh One”, “Dream of Me”, and “The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon”.

TRAPS AND SPECTERS is one of my favorite books from this year.

Thanks to Shortwave for an eARC for review on NetGalley!

[Brennan LaFaro]

Like King, Langan, Barron, readers have come to expect a certain measure of quality from a Fracassi collection. Of course, Traps and Specters is no exception. From the too-weird-for Twilight Zone ("My Love, Do Not Wake") to the Indiana-Jones-Adventure-Adjacent ("The Servitor") to what-kind-of-haunting-is-this-actually ("I Think My Treehouse is Haunted") to the patently outrageous ("The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon") and back again, there's a tremendous variety to keep the reader guessing what could possibly come with the next page turn. Also, there's a clearly careful curation to the stories, with many feeling like spiritual successors to the previous, without retreading familiar themes or even stretching to similar lengths. The kind of curation that makes an album feel different than a mixtape.

[Nele]

Thank you to RBmedia and NetGalley for this audiobook arc!

Coming soon September 22, 2026! Although I’ve loved the full length novels I’ve read before from this author, this was the first story collection I read by him. And I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint! The stories all ranged from solid to awesome, and featured a variety of concepts and tropes, which made this so fun to read. Like, you get ghosts, sci fi, riots, hauntings, talking corpses, dangerous tombs, all in one book. The two narrators made this a great listening experience. My individual thoughts on each story are below.

D7 4★
A couple looking for a nightcap in the middle of nowhere. The classic “you should’ve just gone home” tale. I liked where this went, although it was over way too quickly!

The Visitor 4★
A priest is sent to visit and bless a family. Arriving at their house, things seem off. This was creepy, fun, short and sweet. Loved it!

The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon 4★
Did you do a double take reading the title? Because I did 😂 this is such a weird concept, I loved it.

The Servitor 5★
Tomb raider vibes! Loved this! Might be my favorite out of the collection.

King Mob 4★
You know, just one of these days, when on your way home you just happen to find yourself part of a rioting mob. This one was wild, I kinda loved it!

The Hunter 3★
A kid hiding in the basement from his father. This one was super short, and it had a compelling premise but before I could really get into it, it was already over.

Point 01 4★
I loved the concept of this, and the themes in here are interesting too. Like death and the impact it has on our lives. Life and what makes it meaningful. And in the end, it was just a well paced enjoyable story. I wouldn’t say suspenseful exactly, but compelling definitely.

Betrothed 3★
I liked this, but it was quite short and I’m not sure I got the point.

My Love, Do Not Wake 3★
This protagonist takes an unusual lover. This was not bad! I liked it but I feel like it was a little too long?

The Black Rider 3★
A grandma being cruel to kids. Not bad either, but this one was over too soon!

Dream of Me 4★
A girl gets a dream journal from her grandma for her birthday. This was so creepy! Loved it!

The Resident 4★
House robbery gone wrong. This went in a different direction than I expected. Loved this one too.

I Think My Treehouse is Haunted 5★
Family moves to a new house, kid is excited to have a yard AND a treehouse, turns out it might be haunted. I loved this so much! It was scary, listening to this at night was honestly stressful haha! The format of this - diary/blog entries - had a little bit of NoSleep vibes and I’m here for that. Great entry!

Red Leather 3★
This was pretty good, but perhaps a little forgettable. I listened to this in the early morning, and when I came back in the afternoon to write down my thoughts I already couldn’t remember what it was about at first.

[RoseDevoursBooks]

Philip Fracassi is a master of his craft. I’ve read and enjoyed several of his books already, and this collection is yet another reminder of why he’s become an author I can’t resist picking up!

This book features fourteen short stories, and Fracassi makes sure each one brings something different to the table. Ghosts, demons, mummified corpses, elaborate booby traps, superstitions, body horror - you name it, he’ll find a way to make it unsettling. The stories range from bizarre and darkly funny to downright horrifying, and that variety is one of the collection’s biggest strengths.

Take The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon, for example. Yes, you read that correctly. A mummified Reese Witherspoon. I have so many questions, beginning with: what on earth inspired this?! It’s such an absurd premise, yet Fracassi somehow makes it work. Then there are the stories that lean much darker, with a few that were genuinely so creepy, it gave me goosebumps.

My favorites were:

The Visitor - 5⭐️ A priest attempts to bless the home of a family in need, but things are not quite what they seem. The twist ending was fantastic!

The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon 4.5⭐️- Completely left field. Completely ridiculous. Completely entertaining. I couldn’t get enough of this one. Sometimes horror takes itself very seriously, and sometimes it gives you a mummified Reese Witherspoon. I know which version I’m choosing.

The Servitor - 5⭐️ The guardian of a king’s tomb has rigged the place with elaborate booby traps to keep anyone from stealing the king’s gold. A woman manages to make it through every trap, only to discover that deception comes with a price. Clever, suspenseful, and entertaining.

Betrothed - 4.5⭐️ A couple buys two burial plots side by side, planning to spend eternity together. But after the wife dies and the husband remarries, he decides he’d rather not be buried next to his first wife after all. Unfortunately, she has something to say about that. The claustrophobic twist was so good!

My Love, Do Not Wake - 5⭐️ Olivia falls in love with a face that has grown out of the back of her husband Henry’s head. Yes. A FACE. She and Martin begin scheming to keep Henry sedated while Martin slowly takes over his body. It’s bizarre, funny, grotesque, and disturbing all at once.

I Think My Treehouse is Haunted - 5⭐️ A boy discovers that his treehouse is haunted by a little girl and a bleeding man. This one starts creepy and just keeps tightening the screws. The ending gave me goosebumps! There’s something about childhood spaces becoming haunted that hits a particular nerve, and Fracassi knows exactly where to press.

Red Leather - 5⭐️ A couple spends their wedding anniversary at the same diner they’ve visited every year, except something isn’t quite right. This was tragic and disturbing, and a fitting way to close out the collection.

My only criticism is that a few stories felt too short, while others simply didn’t resonate with me as much. However, even the ones that missed the mark for me were still entertaining, and every story landed above three stars.

Fracassi clearly has range. He can make you laugh at something completely deranged one minute and then have you staring suspiciously into a dark hallway the next. These stories refuse to settle into one flavor of horror, which is what makes Traps and Specters an easy recommendation for anyone looking for something fresh and unpredictable.

Overall Rating: 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

[Milt Theo]

Fracassi is one of those super-talented authors who make things easy for readers and reviewers (at least, for this reader and reviewer): recommending any work of his is a no-brainer, and the same goes for his latest short collection, "Traps and Specters"!

Fourteen tales in all, a couple of which were familiar to me ("D7", the novella opening the volume, and the well-known "I Think My Treehouse Is Haunted"), though I enjoyed giving them a go again. "D7", richly detailed and creepy, with an ending I for one hardly expected, takes the cursed object horror trope and turns it on its head; the "Treehouse" story combines ghosts and serial killers to come up with a plot full of suspense and dread. Neither, however, breaks entirely wholly new ground: that's reserved for the weirdest tale in the collection: "The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon" - the title promises chills and disturbing moments of horror comedy, and the story delivers a near-future, quirky and surreal, triumph of wild imagination: a young painter wanna-be wins the grand prize of hosting the mummified corpse of Reese Witherspoon at his house for a week! Coming a close second in order of weirdness is "My Love, Do Not Wake": a love story between a wife and the back of her husband's head. Can it get any stranger? Another standout was "The Servitor", a sort of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft-inspired tale told from the perspective of a temple's Guardian, a young man appointed to take care of a treasure trove in a tomb; he's responsible for resetting the deadly traps when an explorer (or thief) falls victim to one. A story I really enjoyed was "Point Oh One", another near future tale, about a technological miracle: a DNA-test that can pinpoint the moment you're gonna die! The ending full of black humor and bleak as hell.

My favorite, however, was the closing story, "Red Leather": it starts as a romantic ghost story, and slowly reveals itself to be so dark and disturbing, beyond anything one might have expected from the premise. I can still see that last hair-raising scene in my mind. It shows why this collection, as any collection of Fracassi's, is a must-read!

[Lucas]

Thank you to NetGalley and Shortwave Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarafina was the first book of Fracassi's I've read, earlier this year. As with Sarafina, the stories in this collection were dripping with suspense and dread. Fracassi creates such a creeping sense of unease amongst a miriad of settings, time periods, and characters. While not all of the stories resonated with me, they all carried a central theme of trepidation and foreboding that often left me hesitant to turn the page out of apprehension for what might be lurking just around the corner. As someone who reads a good amount of horror novels, to be able to invoke these feelings in me is a feat in and of itself.

This set of stories cements Fracassi into one of my top horror authors and I will definitely be circling back to read some of his past works while I await his next tantalizing story.

Some of my favorites, and those which gave me goosebumps were, The Visitor, My Love, Do Not Wake, and I Think My Treehouse Is Haunted.

3.75 ★ rounded up.

[Krystelle (based on the novel by Stephen King)]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Horror is best when it’s a little bit weird, and this collection of stories definitely delivers on that brief. I absolutely devoured this in a single sitting (well, treadmill walk at the gym) and thoroughly loved how freaky each and every story was.

I was impressed by the threads carried through the stories into the next ones. There’d be concepts carried through to the next story that just made complete sense in terms of pulling things together.

I think my overall favourite was probably ‘Dream of Me’, which had such a nasty undertone. My only critique overall is that some of the stories felt a little too vague, but I also get they were designed that way to feel a bit more spooky.

As a whole, a very solid anthology, and I’ll definitely be seeking more out from Fracassi in future to get across more of his work!

[Kate | Date With A Thriller]

Short story collections tend to be a mixed bag for me, but when I saw this was by Philip Fracassi, I knew I was in for a wild ride! I’m happy to say I was not mistaken! 🙌

What an awesome collection of short stories and novellas! Some were wild, some were weird, some were creepy as hell, and some were downright hilarious! 😆

Here are my favorites from the collection:
📖 D7
📖 The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon (yes, you read that right 🤣)
📖 The Servitor
📖 Dream of Me

If you have never read any of Fracassi’s work, I highly recommend checking this collection out - it’s quite an excellent sampling! 👏

Thank you Shortwave for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

[Paul Preston]

TRAPS AND SPECTERS is the perfect name for this book because first you are lured in believing you will be okay and then the horror begins. It’s what Fracassi does to you and to the characters within.
No one is safe (another collection but fitting) in this book, least of all you.
Look, I’m not going to try to convince you to read this collection of nightmares but don’t blame me when there is another movie coming out based on a Fracassi short story and you haven’t read it yet. Because it’s inevitable, the way these play out it your head, they are meant for the big screen.

[megs_bookrack]

ARC received! Thank you, Shortwave!

[Jesse]

Weirdly, Goodreads thinks this is not yet available, but I found it on the new-books table at Borderlands on Haight.

I prefer the later, more relaxed stylist Fracassi has become to the overelaborate wordsmithing of his first couple of collections. A lot of these are ghost stories--hence the title--with a big focus on vengeful ghosts of all ages. I appreciated the wide range of situations (haunted roadhouse, treehouse, mansion for the classicists, mean-spirited grandma) in which he deploys said ghosts--seems to me older genres like this work best when wrestled into and given gravity by contemporary culture. The best ones for me were the relationship ones, the Owl Creek Bridge (or not?) end-of-marriage story, and the one with the evil grandma. He's got a couple of stories with kid narrators, which he carries off well--though it's weird for a kid who looks up the origin of the girl ghost in his haunted treehouse not to Google what "sage" is. I don't think any of these are canon-level ghost stories, but they're propulsive, fun, and entertaining. Maybe a 3.6?

[Jessi Linne]

Wow! I haven't read a book of short stories in a hot minute. The intensity of these stories felt tangible as I was holding my breath frequently. I'm very grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me access to the ARC of Philip Fracassi's newest release. All fourteen stories are very intriguing, but I have 6 that I particularly liked.
1. The Visitor-I NEED to know more about Father Hall's backstory. I know he was pegged as the weird Father due to his extra sensory abilities, but I need more. The tension in the house. The imagery upstairs. I love a good WTF is going on with this house and family. I need more!
2. Point Oh One-I don't think I'd want to know when I was going to die. I especially wouldn't want to know if I was a POS. I didn't see that ending coming at all and it was brilliant! The tension towards the end was insane.
3. Betrothed-While kind of eerie, I felt like this was a nice comedic break that I maybe needed. My notes say "Your wife won't forgive you even beyond the grave. Best not to test her."
4. My Love, Do Not Wake-Ok, what? I can't stop thinking about this story. What a weird fantastical tale of horror, treachery, and irony. I was playing the scenes out in my head and could not stop cringing at imagery of the back of her husband's head developing into more human than the front. I could not understand the mechanics of his walking and day to day life after they killed her husband. How did they think this was going to work? Then the end, how did they think it was going to work. I assume they will just wither away as back of the head people or join a circus. Grass isn't always greener.
5. Dream of Me-Why is this granny holding a grudge? A grudge big enough to try and kill her granddaughter? This is another story that I would love more background on. Why did grandma blame her daughter-in-law? Where did she learn whatever sort of witchcraft to create the dream(nightmare) journal. I'm glad jaded granny didn't win in the end. That poor family had been through enough.
6. I Think my Treehouse is Haunted-Saving the best for last. What a great creepy story told from the view of the preteen. I never get scared reading stories but this got really close. I felt so scared with the little girl ghost showing up and talking to someone that wasn't there. Even worse when the bleeding man appears at night. I put myself in the kids shoes and felt dread in my chest. We all knew this wouldn't end well for the kid and his mom. I think the realtor is in on this one and this is another story that I'd love to have fleshed out. I need more!

This is a great collection of short stories. Philip Fracassi already won me over with "Boys in the Valley" and "The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre". I can't wait to see what he'll do next!

[Dave Musson]

I'm always up for a new collection of short stories, so jumped at the chance to get stuck into this one from Philip Fracassi. I'd previously read three of his books: loved two of them, DNF the third, so was curious to see how this would play out.

Overall, I liked this collection. When it was good, it was very good. I did have some issues with it - and there was one story that completely bamboozled me - but, as a headline takeaway, I would be happy to recommend it to people.

As with any collection, some stories will hit and some will miss. Of the 14 stories gathered here, I liked 8 of them. Specifically:

D7 - a crrepy tale of a stop at the wrong bar, where you really don't want the music to start playing. An original and fun opener.

The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon - this is the one that bamboozled me. Genuinely, the weirdest story I've ever read...but I liked it! And yes, it features said corpse of said celebrity...and she's still reocmmending books!

Point Oh One - a really fun tale set in the future where you can learn to the minute when you will die. At least, it seems to be that you can pinpoint it to the minute. Our main character makes some big decisions based on that information...I guess we'd better hope it's accurate, right? Probably my favourite - 70s King vibes for sure on this one.

My Love, Do Not Wake - another weird and clever one about an affair, the likes of which you've never seen before. Cracking ending and made me think of the backwards man from Freddy Got Fingered...and I mean that as a compliment.

The Black Rider - short, sharp, and kind of silly.

The Resident - a simple but effective story of what should have been a simple burglary gone wrong. A tad predictable, but creepy and fun.

I Think My Treehouse Is Haunted - a suitably spooky tale that feels like an urban legend or creepypasta, before a bold twist to ratchet up the horror in the final act.

Red Leather - a solid story with some nasty imagery

There were a couple of other tales - Betrothed and Dream of Me - that would have made this list had they not fluffed their endings, which was a shame.

However, a decent return from this collection and I'm left with a feeling that Sarafina just wasn't for me, but I'm still very much in on and interested in the works of Philip Fracassi. If you've never read him, this could well be a decent place to start - and he's got lots more coming out in the next couple of years, so you may as well give him a go!

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the review copy.

[Brittany | Lady in Read]

I'm just going to start by saying I LOVED this short story collection. The only Fracassi I'd read before this happened to be a short story that's in this collection too called "The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon." Yes, that is the real title, and yes it is hilariously gruesome.

What I didn't yet realize about Fracassi based on just reading that story alone was that he is brilliant at building unease from a world that seems unassuming and unobtrusive. I found myself thinking in the first half of each story, "nothing's really happening," and right about at that point, things would start to go off the rails - but subtly and cryptically and creepily. I love stories like that because they draw you in with normalcy, hold you tight within the unknown, and devour you with devastation and trauma. Which is why I think Traps and Specters is a perfect title for what we have here. And in this way, Fracassi is a patient writer - at least from what I can tell in this collection.

This is normally where I'd tell you what my favorite stories were, but I literally loved them all. So let me just share a brief (spoiler-free) synopsis of a few of them:
"Point Oh One": A troubled (and in trouble) man goes to the doctor and finds out when he's going to die.
"My Love, Do Not Wake": A woman unhappy in her marriage begins an affair with her husband...sort of.
"Dream of Me": A young girl gets a dream journal from her grandmother for her birthday, but someone else begins to write in it.
"I Think My Treehouse is Haunted": A young boy moves into a house with his mother and wants to find out why a little girl keeps showing up in his treehouse.

I feel so lucky to have gotten my hands on this collection. I recommend these short stories to anyone who loves being sucked into a bunch of little, unsettling worlds and being creeped the hell out. I own The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre and Sarafina, and now I cannot WAIT to jump into those as well.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Shortwave Publishing, and Philip Fracassi for this eARC. This review contains my honest, authentic thoughts and opinions.*

[luceski]

Traps & Spectres is a collection of horror short stories that mixes the creepy, the bizarre, the funny and the unexpectedly heartfelt. It’s the kind of book that’s perfect for dipping in and out of between longer reads, with each story offering something a little different.

As with most collections, some stories landed better than others, but there wasn’t a single one I disliked. My standouts were The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon, I Think My Treehouse Is Haunted and Dream of Me.

The collection covers a wide range of horror, from ghosts and hauntings to cursed places, strange creatures, unsettling relationships, historical horror and wonderfully weird supernatural concepts. One story had me laughing out loud, another genuinely creeped me out and a few left me thinking long after I’d finished them.

The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon was gloriously absurd and had me grinning from start to finish. On the other end of the spectrum, I Think My Treehouse Is Haunted delivered some brilliantly eerie atmosphere and was probably the creepiest story in the collection for me. Dream of Me was another favourite, blending grief with supernatural horror in a really effective way.

One thing I really enjoyed was how varied the stories felt. Just when I thought I’d worked out the tone of the collection, the next story would head off in a completely different direction. Whether it was dark humour, unsettling ghost stories, or weird horror that made me say, “What did I just read?”, it kept things fresh throughout.

If you’re already a Philip Fracassi fan, there’s plenty here to enjoy. If you’re new to his work, this is a great way to sample his style across lots of different flavours of horror.

Overall, a fun, entertaining collection with some genuinely memorable stories. If you enjoy horror anthologies that aren’t afraid to get weird, creepy and occasionally hilarious, this one’s well worth picking up.


Thanks to Shortwave Books & Philip for the ARC!

[Logan Gisick]

Traps and Specters by Philip Fracassi was an excellent collection of short stories and one of the best collections I’ve read in a while. Like most short story collections, there are going to be some hits and some misses, but the highs here are extremely high.

There were a couple of stories that seemed to end with a sort of “mic drop” final line that I didn’t quite understand. It felt like the ending was supposed to be especially impactful, but in a few cases I think it just went over my head. There were also a handful of stories that I really started to get into, only for them to fall a little flat by the end or leave me wondering what the overall point was. One story in particular was also just too short for my taste, even for a short story.

That said, several of these stories were fantastic, and some may be among my favorite short stories I’ve read. “The Servitor” was amazing. “The Visitor” was another standout, and “Point Oh One” was an incredibly interesting sci-fi piece. “My Love, Do Not Wake” might have been the most memorable of the bunch for me. It takes the concept of doing something “behind someone’s back” to a new level, and I loved the ending.

I’ve also read Fracassi’s Beneath the Pale Sky, and I had a very similar experience with that collection. Both books have a handful of truly standout stories surrounded by a few that didn’t connect with me quite as strongly. When Fracassi’s stories work for me, though, they really work.

Overall, Traps and Specters is a very strong collection with some genuinely fantastic stories. Philip Fracassi continues to be one of my favorite modern authors, and I’m always interested to see what he does next.

4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Mark Redman]

Fracassi knows exactly how to make me uncomfortable.

Traps and Specters is an atmospheric collection that reminded me why I love short horror. These stories don’t just throw gore and monsters at you and call it a day. There’s a real sense of dread running through them, and that creeping feeling that something is very, very wrong.

Some of these stories got under my skin more than others, but even the ones that didn’t completely land for me had ideas or images that stuck around afterwards. And that’s one of the things I look for in horror, I want the book to follow me out of the pages.

Fracassi is particularly good at taking ordinary fears and twisting them into something much darker. There’s grief, guilt, obsession, isolation and plenty of that horrible feeling of being trapped with something you can’t escape. The result is horror that feels nasty on the surface but has plenty going on underneath.

The Servitor was the standout for me. That was the one where I really thought, Yep, this is why I read horror. It had the atmosphere, the tension and that lingering sense of unease that makes a story difficult to shake off.

Not every story hit me equally, but that’s always the nature of a collection. Overall, this was a seriously creepy read, and there are definitely a few scenes I’m going to be thinking about for a while.

If you’re already a Fracassi fan, you probably don’t need much convincing. If you’re new to him and like your horror dark, unsettling, occasionally brutal and psychologically nasty, give this one a go.

Another solid addition for horror shelf. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc and an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

[Sonja Charters]

There is nothing better than an anthology of short stories to quench my little horror fix, without taking time out of my hectic reading schedule and this book is certainly one of my favourite so far.

This collection contains fourteen tasty tales ranging through a varied mix of horror sub-genres and every single one stood out and had me completely immersed.

Now, my usual plan would be to enjoy a story or two (depending on length) over a few days over lunch or before bed - this book, I devoured in just two sittings!
I could not put this down!

This author is new to me but I was instantly impressed by the descriptive writing and the wonderful scene and atmosphere setting which quickly drew me into each story.

With a short story, I need that instant hook and I love to feel that connection to the characters still, even though I may only be in their company for a short time and I feel that I got this in every one of these tales.
Maybe not every character had my heart, but I was certainly invested in each and every one.

If you're not a seasoned horror reader, then there may be some nasty surprises within this collection.
With possessions, body horror, gore and even some dark humour, there's something for everyone.

The narrators did a wonderful job of setting the mood for each story and I liked their portrayals of each of the main characters.....including the creepier voices.

I would love to see some (if not all) of these, developed into longer pieces - although this may diminish their impact - but I'm definitely keen to see more work from this author in the future.

[Carrie (scary.carrie.reads)]

A huge thank you to Shortwave and Tantor Audio for the gifted copy of this book!

My Thoughts:

TRAPS AND SPECTERS is a collection of haunting tales you won’t be able to escape. It contains an excellent variety of stories, ranging from dream journaling gone wrong to navigating a boobytrapped tomb. There are quite a few ghost stories, but they all have a unique take or twist. Some stories have a bit of humor, but most are downright terrifying.

I enjoyed every story in this collection, but some of my favorites are The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon, The Servitor, My Love Do Not Wake, Dream of Me, and I Think My Treehouse Is Haunted.

The audiobook is amazing. Sean Patrick Hopkins and Patricia Santomasso are quickly becoming two of my favorite narrators. They both add so much emotion to the storytelling and are just a delight to listen to. Also, I feel I must applaud Hopkins for their Broomie voice in The Mummified Corpse of Reese Witherspoon. That story had me grinning ear to ear! 😆

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and would rank it right up there with some of my favorite short story collections ever. There’s not a single bad story in the bunch. No matter which format you prefer, do yourself a favor and grab a copy!

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
Narration: 5/5 stars
✔️ highly recommend