Dirt

Tales From the Graveyard #3

by Susan Shultz

Lila is a small-town news reporter with lofty ambitions. She’s covering the story of Ainsley, the infamous local “man-eating” serial killer.
 
When Lila finds Ainsley’s old journal at the investigation site, she digs under the story’s surface and uncovers Ainsley’s darkest secrets. Lila becomes obsessed with telling the “real” story of the mysterious murderess on the hill—a woman with a tragic, hidden past.
 
Lila’s boyfriend and her editor try and stop her from getting too deeply involved, but it may be too late.
 
Will she be able to resurface once the story breaks? Or will she become another victim of Ainsely’s seductive side?
 
And can she resist the even more compelling shadow of the Blacksmith growing evermore in the distance?
 
Can anyone?
 
Dirt is the third installment in Susan Shultz’s artfully creepy Tales From the Graveyard series, following The Blacksmith and Jessie.

Contains content that may be graphic to some readers. Mature audiences only.

Praise for The Blacksmith , Book One of the Tales From the Graveyard “The Blacksmith by Susan Shultz is like Dexter with a feminine twist gone dark. Ainsley feeds her dead heart by killing men and eating theirs. Who run the world? Girls. And their apparently insatiable desire for man-flesh. A fun holiday read!” — Nerdist.com “It wasn’t until I read The Blacksmith by Susan Shultz that I thought about a different type of ‘scary story.’…It relies on legitimate fears of loss and the flaws in human nature to make you feel uncomfortable. Don’t misunderstand—if you like blood, ghosts and sociopaths, The Blacksmith has that for you.” — Volumes of Words “The new book…explodes with images and themes that test the limits of our understanding of love, death, pain and friendship. Shultz channels masterful storytellers such as Shirley Jackson and Stephen King to weave a surreal yet familiar world, as she delves into the psychology of a killer who is torn between her love of Sam and her passion for the Blacksmith.” — Darien Times

Genres: Paranormal

65 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2015

About the author

Susan Shultz is a writer/journalist living in Wilton, Connecticut with her husband and two children. Susan is the editor of The Darien Times, a Hersam Acorn newspaper located in Darien, Connecticut.

From her Amazon profile:
"I am a horror and anything else that moves me writer, poet and journalist. I enjoy writing about things that terrify me, and you. I consider a great privilege to allow me to frighten you.

I am an English major, from Staten Island, N.Y., now living in Connecticut."

Visit the author on:
Twitter: @SusnShultz
Blog: Creative Conjurings
The Darien Times
Photo Credit: Bryan Haeffele

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Full Fathom Five and NetGalley.)

"My roots spring forth and dig deep.
My story will grow and thrive.
I have found myself in Ainsley's garden."

Bit of an odd story about a journalist who gets a little too involved in the story of Ainsley and the murders she committed, and ends up paying for it. Bit tragic really.



6 out of 10

[Mujde Oz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story, and so creepy

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a copy of the collection from Netgalley, In exchange for an honest review.)

Actual rating - 2.75

This one was about the same as the last one. Weird, and couldn't keep my interest very well, but not as bad as the first book in the series.

I'm glad there's only one more left.

[Emily Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lila Derosa feels smothered by the limitations on her reporting set by the newspaper she writes for. She is tasked with reporting on the crimes committed by Ainsley/AJ in the first novella of the series The Blacksmith. She is fascinated by the heinous details and curious to learn the motivation behind the bloodshed, but she's frustrated by the limitations her newspaper places on her article because it has to be "acceptable for community publication".

Lila's curiosity drove her to explore Ainsley's old house and the site of her crimes where she discovered her journal buried shallowly in the Blacksmith's grave. Fueled by her new discovery, Lila is determined to uncover the real Ainsley and tell her story.

Shultz does a fantastic job portraying the details of Ainsley's story through Lila's investigative reporter perspective. As I said for the first two novellas in this collection, The Blacksmith and Jessie, this is a great October read.

[Kerr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publish date: October 2015


Full review can also be found on: Paein and Ms4Tune’s Book Blog

I was disappointed with this one. It added a new character and there was no history we didn't already know (except for about the new character). We learn nothing more about The Blacksmith or where he came from.

This is about a journalist with a dark past. She is seduced by the story of Ainsely and it reveals things about herself that she didn't realise. While the story is interesting and actually possibly darker than the others, it wasn't what I was hoping we'd get.

[Magda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dirt was totally weird. It was a story about a reporter - Lila, who researches Ainsley's story. The problem is she's slowly being consumed by the whole thing, the graveyard pulls her in and she slowly gives way to madness inside.

This story wasn't really interesting. I think it was supposed to reveal some details about Ainsley and show how her story can reveal darkness in others, but it just wasn't done well. I'd prefer if this story skipped a new character and maybe put Ainsley's journal into Sam's hands.

Yes, this story is dark and has a proper mood and setting, but was a new character really necessary?

[✨Cassie ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Shultz hauntingly tales is the perfect book to pick up during the Halloween season.
Dirt (story 3)
Lila the Journalist, feels there is more to the story than what everyone else is writing. There was more to Ainsley, than just the murderous woman. Find a journal will set Lila on a different journey then she ever thought of.
Tales From The Graveyard was a good, dark, haunting story. Each story was different, but had the same occurrence, Ainsley. I really enjoyed the way Susan writes... it's dark, fits with her stories.

[†Reviews of a FearStreetZombie† · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a little disappointing. I don't understand how Lila can be her? I mean, the story was really good and interesting.. but I'm kinda lost as to how Lila fits in with everyone else?
That is where the missing star comes in.
As for everything else, it was perfect. I loved how we hear more about Sam and the other characters while learning about the newer characters. I'm ready to read the final book and find out what happens!
EEEPPPP! I can't wait!

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan dishes the 'Dirt'

Once again, Susan presents a thrilling story as she further develops and introduces new characters to her world. It's another great story from a truly gifted author.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This was much better than the prior stories in this series! It had a better flow and wasn't so choppy. It still left me with some questions, but just over all was written much better than the first two. I'm more intrigued to read the next one now.

[[ J o ]]

Read the first book in the Tales from the Graveyard series, The Blacksmith. 1 Star; therefore will not be continuing with the series.