What do you think?
Rate this book
The Little Coffee Shop of Horrors Anthology
Two generations of writers from one family get together for twelve terrifying tales. The writers visited twelve different coffee shops across the country to craft stories as dark as any drink served by a barista.
Stories A killer who keeps his eyes on the prize. A divorced couple face unspeakable aquatic horror when they hand off their child for shared custody weekend. A creepy cafe customer gets as good as he gives when he picks on the wrong barista. A group of influencers learn the hard way what a side hustle really means.
Read these and eight more shots of horror. Welcome to our coffee shop where the shaking does not come from the caffeine and the chills do not come from iced drinks but from the twelve tales of terror.
You will never look at coffee shops the same again!
Stories A killer who keeps his eyes on the prize. A divorced couple face unspeakable aquatic horror when they hand off their child for shared custody weekend. A creepy cafe customer gets as good as he gives when he picks on the wrong barista. A group of influencers learn the hard way what a side hustle really means.
Read these and eight more shots of horror. Welcome to our coffee shop where the shaking does not come from the caffeine and the chills do not come from iced drinks but from the twelve tales of terror.
You will never look at coffee shops the same again!
359 pages, Paperback
Published October 6, 2021
74 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Paul Carro
18 books21 followersPaul Carro is an active Horror Writers Association member and author of the acclaimed horror novel The House. His short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies, and he edits The Little Coffee Shop of Horrors Anthology series. His screenplay Penance is set up with legendary film producer Michael Phillips. Paul has served as a producer/writer in film and reality TV, and he resides in Santa Monica, California.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 20, 2022
A nice little collection of horror tales, with a little blurb about the coffee shop they were written in
The stories are all enjoyable, some of the stories aim to creep you out, while some of the other go for the gore factor
The Handoff - Picking up her daughter after a weekend with her father, Stella encounters something nasty lurking beneath the Ice. Honestly did not expect this to go where it did, pleasantly surprised 4/5
Popsicle Kids - Escaping some bullies into an abandoned house leaves the narrator with a fear of Spoons, this was one of the nastier tales 4/5
Shirts & Skins - Across the Globe, a strange game is being forced upon al people aged over 18. I loved this, there's no explanation for what is happening, it just is. 5/5
Ankou - A night out ends up in tragedy after bumping into someone that they really shouldn't have. Quite a slow build with one before it goes to a very dark place 4/5
Strange - A man looks to find a bit of "strange" gets more than he bargained for. The title sums up this one 4/5
Kopi Darah - 3 influencers on a island for a business deal with no internet service, what could go wrong. I guessed where this was going very early on, but it didn't matter as it was wonderful 5/5
Salem - A very dodgy religious man meets his match in Salem. It is always good to see nasty people get their comeuppance 4/5
Cul-De-Sac - A broken down van and a strange woman lead to a scary situation. I'm not sure if I enjoyed this one as much as some of the others. Probably my least favourite story 3/5
Outbreak - Staff at a a hipster coffee joint deal with a zombie outbreak. I liked this one, the characters were great and it went suitably dark 5/5
Old Bones - A realtor starts a new partnership, is there an ulterior motive? Lots of build up to pretty disgusting climax. good fun 4/5
You Can't Get there From here - A man and his wife end up in the wrong place thanks to SatNav. This was brutal, I loved it. 5/5
The Candy House - What lurks in the abandoned house and how do you escape it. A nice coming of age story set in the 80s 4/5
Overall well worth a read
The stories are all enjoyable, some of the stories aim to creep you out, while some of the other go for the gore factor
The Handoff - Picking up her daughter after a weekend with her father, Stella encounters something nasty lurking beneath the Ice. Honestly did not expect this to go where it did, pleasantly surprised 4/5
Popsicle Kids - Escaping some bullies into an abandoned house leaves the narrator with a fear of Spoons, this was one of the nastier tales 4/5
Shirts & Skins - Across the Globe, a strange game is being forced upon al people aged over 18. I loved this, there's no explanation for what is happening, it just is. 5/5
Ankou - A night out ends up in tragedy after bumping into someone that they really shouldn't have. Quite a slow build with one before it goes to a very dark place 4/5
Strange - A man looks to find a bit of "strange" gets more than he bargained for. The title sums up this one 4/5
Kopi Darah - 3 influencers on a island for a business deal with no internet service, what could go wrong. I guessed where this was going very early on, but it didn't matter as it was wonderful 5/5
Salem - A very dodgy religious man meets his match in Salem. It is always good to see nasty people get their comeuppance 4/5
Cul-De-Sac - A broken down van and a strange woman lead to a scary situation. I'm not sure if I enjoyed this one as much as some of the others. Probably my least favourite story 3/5
Outbreak - Staff at a a hipster coffee joint deal with a zombie outbreak. I liked this one, the characters were great and it went suitably dark 5/5
Old Bones - A realtor starts a new partnership, is there an ulterior motive? Lots of build up to pretty disgusting climax. good fun 4/5
You Can't Get there From here - A man and his wife end up in the wrong place thanks to SatNav. This was brutal, I loved it. 5/5
The Candy House - What lurks in the abandoned house and how do you escape it. A nice coming of age story set in the 80s 4/5
Overall well worth a read
May 10, 2022
Have I got a treat for you!
This is the best anthology that I have read, thus far this year (and that is saying something, as I have read some great anthologies so far, and yes, this is even better than the forthcoming Classic Monsters Unleashed anthology). The first two stories alone are worth purchasing this book!
There isn't a bad story within this collection. Here is a breakdown of the twelve stories:
The Handoff - a story of a divorced couple "handing off" their child for the weekend. Paul writes this one with a terrifying sense of foreboding. What happens is totally unexpected!
Popsicle Kids - an intense story about Koutaliaphobia. (Joseph's style of writing reminds me of Joe Hill's.)
Shirts & Skins - I would have liked some additional background information on this alien invasion tale.
Ankou - this one quickly becomes horrifying!
Strange - a perfect title, as this is a bizarre tale.
Kopi Darah - a story about social media influencers taken to a remote, tropical island.
Salem - a peeping tom peeps on the wrong person.
Cul-De-Sac - an air of mystery permeates this one.
Outbreak - an apocalyptic tale.
Old Bones - the title is key to this story.
You Can't Get There From Here - a GPS navigation gone wrong turns into a nightmare.
The Candy House - this was a very nostalgic story, for me, that you will read with bated breath.
This is the best anthology that I have read, thus far this year (and that is saying something, as I have read some great anthologies so far, and yes, this is even better than the forthcoming Classic Monsters Unleashed anthology). The first two stories alone are worth purchasing this book!
There isn't a bad story within this collection. Here is a breakdown of the twelve stories:
The Handoff - a story of a divorced couple "handing off" their child for the weekend. Paul writes this one with a terrifying sense of foreboding. What happens is totally unexpected!
Popsicle Kids - an intense story about Koutaliaphobia. (Joseph's style of writing reminds me of Joe Hill's.)
Shirts & Skins - I would have liked some additional background information on this alien invasion tale.
Ankou - this one quickly becomes horrifying!
Strange - a perfect title, as this is a bizarre tale.
Kopi Darah - a story about social media influencers taken to a remote, tropical island.
Salem - a peeping tom peeps on the wrong person.
Cul-De-Sac - an air of mystery permeates this one.
Outbreak - an apocalyptic tale.
Old Bones - the title is key to this story.
You Can't Get There From Here - a GPS navigation gone wrong turns into a nightmare.
The Candy House - this was a very nostalgic story, for me, that you will read with bated breath.
March 12, 2022
😀
Love the introduction before the stories.. Gets the reader inside the Authors head of where ideas come from as a setting for inspiration.. Great job guys! Looking forward to more from these two! Thank you both!
Love the introduction before the stories.. Gets the reader inside the Authors head of where ideas come from as a setting for inspiration.. Great job guys! Looking forward to more from these two! Thank you both!
January 29, 2022
Great book
Great idea, great book. I liked the concept as much as I love coffee. The stories were original. The writers are excellent. I would definitely recommend this.
Great idea, great book. I liked the concept as much as I love coffee. The stories were original. The writers are excellent. I would definitely recommend this.
April 16, 2022
Like a good cup of coffee, this collection is refreshing, invigorating, and dark.
January 2, 2023
The Little Coffee Shop of Horrors is such a treat!
The variety in these stories offer readers with a well-rounded experience. Each story provides a unique twist on our favorite tropes, serving up delicious samples of that coveted originality we crave.
I especially appreciate the intros to each story, offering a glimpse of where and how each of these tales were inspired. Brilliant!
If you like coffee and horror, this anthology is for you! Heck, you can hate coffee and enjoy it all the same.
Cheers to caffeine and killer reads! ☕️
The variety in these stories offer readers with a well-rounded experience. Each story provides a unique twist on our favorite tropes, serving up delicious samples of that coveted originality we crave.
I especially appreciate the intros to each story, offering a glimpse of where and how each of these tales were inspired. Brilliant!
If you like coffee and horror, this anthology is for you! Heck, you can hate coffee and enjoy it all the same.
Cheers to caffeine and killer reads! ☕️
May 11, 2022
Great read on a cold, rainy day with a cup of tea and light on, just in case.
August 9, 2024
As a die-hard genre fan, I’m pretty hard to scare, and let me tell you, The Little Coffee Shop of Horrors managed to TERRIFY the absolute hell out of me (and in the very best way)!
Paul and Joseph Carro’s anthology is a gorgeously frightening mélange of stories sure to sate the desires of any and every horror fan. Composed of 12 stories, the tales within this book excitingly span the subgenres in an incredibly effective and creepy manner. You’ve got everything from monsters (both human and…otherwise), body horror, dystopias, extraterrestrials, and more. Additionally, each story includes a preface regarding the coffee shop which influenced it, which provides such thoughtful insight into the lives and minds of these brilliant authors.
I finished this book a couple nights ago, and I’m still buzzing from the thrills and frights it brought me. In fact, much of my somatic response reminds me me of how I felt after watching Serling’s Twilight Zone and Night Gallery for the first time or Ray Bradbury’s Theater. I am also reminded of the excitement I feel after inhaling King anthologies.
Ultimately, if you are a die-hard genre fan like I am, this book will be such a decadent treat for you. Paul and Joseph Carro are magnificent, creative, and extraordinary story-tellers, and I cannot wait to read more of their works. I wouldn’t be surprised if their words terrified the absolute hell out of King himself. Highly, highly, highly recommend.
January 12, 2023
The title said horror so I was so excited to be reading short scary stories and feel the nostalgia of when I was younger reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but this book was not about horror. It felt more like it was a handful of submissions for a short story competition about monsters.
The writing style between the two authors are very distinct and if I had to choose one or the other, I would have to say that Joseph had the better stories. They were a little more raw and real whereas Paul’s stories were very drawn out with (again) no sense of horror. That being said, I think they both need to work on how to write female characters. The first story I didn’t have a problem with but all the other ones (if they had a female character) were lacking dimension and a personality.
The little blurbs about the coffee shops where each story was written I didn’t feel added anything to the stories overall. I did skim past a few of them because again they were slightly unnecessary.
The writing style between the two authors are very distinct and if I had to choose one or the other, I would have to say that Joseph had the better stories. They were a little more raw and real whereas Paul’s stories were very drawn out with (again) no sense of horror. That being said, I think they both need to work on how to write female characters. The first story I didn’t have a problem with but all the other ones (if they had a female character) were lacking dimension and a personality.
The little blurbs about the coffee shops where each story was written I didn’t feel added anything to the stories overall. I did skim past a few of them because again they were slightly unnecessary.
November 13, 2024
Thank you to the authors for providing a review copy.
Coffee is one of my favorite simple pleasures in life, so an anthology inspired by different coffee shops sounded right up my alley. With a variety of stories from the supernatural and demonic to creature features, there should be something here for everyone. 4.25 stars
The Handoff ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Popsicle Kids ⭐⭐⭐.75
Shirts & Skins ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Ankou ⭐⭐⭐.5
Strange ⭐⭐
Kopk Darah ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Salem ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cul-de-Sac ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Outbreak ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Old Bones ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
You Can't Get There From Here ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Candy House ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Coffee is one of my favorite simple pleasures in life, so an anthology inspired by different coffee shops sounded right up my alley. With a variety of stories from the supernatural and demonic to creature features, there should be something here for everyone. 4.25 stars
The Handoff ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Popsicle Kids ⭐⭐⭐.75
Shirts & Skins ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Ankou ⭐⭐⭐.5
Strange ⭐⭐
Kopk Darah ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Salem ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cul-de-Sac ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Outbreak ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Old Bones ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
You Can't Get There From Here ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Candy House ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
June 10, 2025
I enjoyed the blurb about the coffee shop where these were allegedly written. So that was cool. A lot of the stories were creepy and good like Ive come to expect with the authors. I like the collaboration between the two and can't really say which one of the two authors had stronger stories. I don't care for gore as shock value and this didn't feel like that to me but if you don't like gore take warning from me. The stories were creative I would look into Josephs work more from this.
December 30, 2022
Both authors have distinct styles and each story is unique, drawing you in and keeping you hooked until you finish. Can’t wait to read the next one!
November 23, 2024
Chilling
These stories kept me on edge with bated breath. Creepy, scary, and disturbing. I recommend to any horror loving reader.
These stories kept me on edge with bated breath. Creepy, scary, and disturbing. I recommend to any horror loving reader.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews