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No One Can Help You: Tales of Lost Children and Other Nightmares
The world is a scary place…
A five-year old boy tries to tell his parents there’s something not right about the cleaning lady, but it may be too late.
The ghost of a child killed in a mass shooting begs his mother to take revenge.
A police officer sees visions of people dying and is helpless to stop it. Then he sees his own daughter die.
Doctors tell a woman she’s perfectly healthy. She’s not.
Think of the worst thing that can happen, then add in the supernatural, the strange, and some heartbreaking twists. You’ll have No One Can Help You: Tales of Lost Children and Other Nightmares.
With brand new novelette Trigger Warning, new short story Anxiety, and never-before-published flash fiction, this collection is your worst real-life fears come true. Then magic makes it so much worse.
A five-year old boy tries to tell his parents there’s something not right about the cleaning lady, but it may be too late.
The ghost of a child killed in a mass shooting begs his mother to take revenge.
A police officer sees visions of people dying and is helpless to stop it. Then he sees his own daughter die.
Doctors tell a woman she’s perfectly healthy. She’s not.
Think of the worst thing that can happen, then add in the supernatural, the strange, and some heartbreaking twists. You’ll have No One Can Help You: Tales of Lost Children and Other Nightmares.
With brand new novelette Trigger Warning, new short story Anxiety, and never-before-published flash fiction, this collection is your worst real-life fears come true. Then magic makes it so much worse.
- GenresHorror
261 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 28, 2022
4 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Anna Evans
55 books107 followersRuth Anna Evans is a writer of short horror fiction who lives in the heart of all that is sinister: the American Midwest. She has been composing prose of all types since childhood but finds something truly delightful in putting her nightmares on the page. Her stories are full of twists and turns with relatable protagonists and startling endings. If you like Grady Hendrix and Ira Levin, you'll like Ruth Anna Evans. Follow Ruth Anna on Twitter @ruthannaevans for updates on her work.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 22, 2023
BIG OOF!
I am a sucker for Anthologies and short story collections. And this one did not disappoint whatsoever! This collection by the amazing Ruth Anna Evans features dreadful, horrible and sad stories all surrounding children/death and the beyond. Absolutely beautiful written to make the reader feel empty at times, sad, or just that plain ol' feeling of WTF.
My favorite stories were Missing, Phantom Pain, Anxiety, and Nicholas is gone.
Fantastic short story collection that more people need to read.
I am a sucker for Anthologies and short story collections. And this one did not disappoint whatsoever! This collection by the amazing Ruth Anna Evans features dreadful, horrible and sad stories all surrounding children/death and the beyond. Absolutely beautiful written to make the reader feel empty at times, sad, or just that plain ol' feeling of WTF.
My favorite stories were Missing, Phantom Pain, Anxiety, and Nicholas is gone.
Fantastic short story collection that more people need to read.
June 3, 2025
I’m not sure Evans can do wrong in my mind. Nailed the novel form in Do Not Go In That House, nailed short stories, nailed flash fiction. Although I think she shines when allowing herself more time to really dig into character and ideas but flash fiction as my least favorite of her writing seems almost petty when even my least favorite is admittedly quite effective in her hands.
That being said, I also lover her fiction that focuses on children the most. Horror with child protagonists are my jam right now and Evans knows how children think. Again, stories with adult protagonists are my least favorite seems almost petty because they can pack quite a punch, as Evans showcases here - but most stories so feature children pretty heavily so luckily this collection hit the spot. (Yes, it’s few flash fictions and mostly longer stories here, too.)
I have What Did Not Die by the author on order and hope to read more of her work soon.
That being said, I also lover her fiction that focuses on children the most. Horror with child protagonists are my jam right now and Evans knows how children think. Again, stories with adult protagonists are my least favorite seems almost petty because they can pack quite a punch, as Evans showcases here - but most stories so feature children pretty heavily so luckily this collection hit the spot. (Yes, it’s few flash fictions and mostly longer stories here, too.)
I have What Did Not Die by the author on order and hope to read more of her work soon.
June 25, 2022
All of these short stories are fanatic! My favorite is Phantom Pain.
June 20, 2022
Another release that came onto my radar recently when I tweeted that I was here to help folks (good grief how arrogant does that sound! Apologies, not my intentions at all!) if they were trying to get some reviews or blurbs etc, ‘No One Can Help You: Tales of Lost Children and Other Nightmares,’ comes with a warning at the beginning that there are a number of triggers within, and I have to say – even with those triggers, the stories still managed to unnerve me and hit a number of emotions I wasn’t expecting.
What I liked: Short story collections have a tendency to either really work or fall flat and I have to say, it shows how solid of a writer Evans is that this one works well and remained solid throughout.
The stories all deal with oddities and extremes and it’s because of that pairing that we see the strengths in the stories.
Highlights for me were:
‘Nicholas is Gone’ – this story was about an alcoholic mom, who ends up becoming homeless with her son. After some more bad decisions, they run into an older man who wants to help them, but has a sinister reason. This story starts out horribly, horribly sad and doesn’t get much brighter.
‘Sight of Blood’ – this one was really fascinating. A police officer begins to have horrible visions, realizing that they are visions showing him incidents to come, but no matter what he tries to do, he simply can’t seem to change the future. Really well done and the character was flawed but one you wanted to root for.
‘Missing’ – this one starts out innocently enough, when a young boy sees the housekeeper start to take some of his things. The reasoning and resulting actions were terrifying and completely unhinged, which is why this one works so well.
‘The Surprise’ – this story shoots out of the gates with Noah’s step dad taking him and declaring that a coven is going to eat him. The atmosphere in this one was electric with the gnawing sense that even though things were bad, they could suddenly get worse.
Every story had a palpable energy to it, which was great and even the shorter ones hummed along SEE: Hypochondriac, which works well to keep the readers always uneasy.
What I didn’t like: As with all collections, some stories just may not connect with the reader. For me, there was a few that started out great and then went somewhere I just wasn’t excited about. The main example of that would be ‘Phantom Pain.’ This started out as one of the best Body Horror stories I have read in some time, where something odd was happening and getting worse by the sentence. But then it took a turn and seemed to go into full Bizarro territory, which just didn’t connect.
Why you should buy this: This is a rock solid collection that had me gripped from story one. Ruth Anna Evans delivers some truly dark and terrible moments and has a willingness to make extremely flawed characters as the ones that we need to root for, and that in and of itself is a tough act.
Had a blast with these stories and if you’re looking for a great collection to check out, look no further!
What I liked: Short story collections have a tendency to either really work or fall flat and I have to say, it shows how solid of a writer Evans is that this one works well and remained solid throughout.
The stories all deal with oddities and extremes and it’s because of that pairing that we see the strengths in the stories.
Highlights for me were:
‘Nicholas is Gone’ – this story was about an alcoholic mom, who ends up becoming homeless with her son. After some more bad decisions, they run into an older man who wants to help them, but has a sinister reason. This story starts out horribly, horribly sad and doesn’t get much brighter.
‘Sight of Blood’ – this one was really fascinating. A police officer begins to have horrible visions, realizing that they are visions showing him incidents to come, but no matter what he tries to do, he simply can’t seem to change the future. Really well done and the character was flawed but one you wanted to root for.
‘Missing’ – this one starts out innocently enough, when a young boy sees the housekeeper start to take some of his things. The reasoning and resulting actions were terrifying and completely unhinged, which is why this one works so well.
‘The Surprise’ – this story shoots out of the gates with Noah’s step dad taking him and declaring that a coven is going to eat him. The atmosphere in this one was electric with the gnawing sense that even though things were bad, they could suddenly get worse.
Every story had a palpable energy to it, which was great and even the shorter ones hummed along SEE: Hypochondriac, which works well to keep the readers always uneasy.
What I didn’t like: As with all collections, some stories just may not connect with the reader. For me, there was a few that started out great and then went somewhere I just wasn’t excited about. The main example of that would be ‘Phantom Pain.’ This started out as one of the best Body Horror stories I have read in some time, where something odd was happening and getting worse by the sentence. But then it took a turn and seemed to go into full Bizarro territory, which just didn’t connect.
Why you should buy this: This is a rock solid collection that had me gripped from story one. Ruth Anna Evans delivers some truly dark and terrible moments and has a willingness to make extremely flawed characters as the ones that we need to root for, and that in and of itself is a tough act.
Had a blast with these stories and if you’re looking for a great collection to check out, look no further!
October 12, 2022
I read a lot of horror story collections. A lot. But this collection sets out to do more than just scare you. No, that would be too easy. Evans sets out to utterly destroy you from the first story, and never relents. No One Can Help You is an emotionally devastating collection of terror.
January 19, 2023
Sprinkled throughout the indie publishing world are hidden gems, quiet writers just going about their business, staying out of the spotlight.
Those are the ones you have to watch out for.
Ruth Anna Evans certainly does not look like she would be the type of person to have these dark, demented fantasies running around in her head, and yet...
This collection contains some great stories. Evans takes everyday life and adds a little something weird, something bizarre, something horrific to it, and builds a tale upon this premise.
The majority of the stories in this book deal with children, and reading them, as a parent, is hard. From a boy traded to a coven of witches in exchange for health, to a small child kidnapped by a psychotic woman, to a roomful of ghosts left over after a tragic shooting at a preschool, these stories take the real fears that parents face every day and add an extra degree of horror - sometimes supernatural, sometimes not - to make them truly unsettling stories.
Ruth Anna Evans may look sweet and innocent, but the inside of her mind must be a dark place, indeed.
Those are the ones you have to watch out for.
Ruth Anna Evans certainly does not look like she would be the type of person to have these dark, demented fantasies running around in her head, and yet...
This collection contains some great stories. Evans takes everyday life and adds a little something weird, something bizarre, something horrific to it, and builds a tale upon this premise.
The majority of the stories in this book deal with children, and reading them, as a parent, is hard. From a boy traded to a coven of witches in exchange for health, to a small child kidnapped by a psychotic woman, to a roomful of ghosts left over after a tragic shooting at a preschool, these stories take the real fears that parents face every day and add an extra degree of horror - sometimes supernatural, sometimes not - to make them truly unsettling stories.
Ruth Anna Evans may look sweet and innocent, but the inside of her mind must be a dark place, indeed.
July 7, 2022
A great collection of horror short reads
This was my first read by this author. The collection contains a large range of stories that includes a little something for everyone. There is psychological horror, body horror, supernatural and much more.
The stories all are thematically based around fears and anxieties, specifically to do with children. I'd recommend reading the trigger warnings as some scences may be triggering for some people. Some stories are longer interspersed with some brief shorts.
The writing style is impeccable and very strong. I'd have expected there to be some stories I didn't care for in a volume like this but that wasn't the case. They were all very different and each great in their own way. My favorite story was Nicholas is Gone.
Thank you to the author for a review copy of this book. I will definitely read more in the future.
This was my first read by this author. The collection contains a large range of stories that includes a little something for everyone. There is psychological horror, body horror, supernatural and much more.
The stories all are thematically based around fears and anxieties, specifically to do with children. I'd recommend reading the trigger warnings as some scences may be triggering for some people. Some stories are longer interspersed with some brief shorts.
The writing style is impeccable and very strong. I'd have expected there to be some stories I didn't care for in a volume like this but that wasn't the case. They were all very different and each great in their own way. My favorite story was Nicholas is Gone.
Thank you to the author for a review copy of this book. I will definitely read more in the future.
May 28, 2022
Regardless of what your common or "irrational" fear may be, there's a story in this book that will convince you it's not so irrational after all! Each one is terrifying in it's own way, but there will be no denying it when you find the portions that make you feel fidgety. That little voice in the back of your mind will stick with you throughout the day, and into the shadows at night!
May 28, 2022
This is a great collection of varied short stories. At the heart of all of the stories in this collection are the fears and anxieties we all deal with everyday. The anxiety and emotions of the characters in these stories is so real and believable it is easy to feel the fear in every story. Do not miss this collection.
May 25, 2022
I love horror, and I love short stories, and this was fantastic! A thrilling, chilling compilation. As a parent it made me think - am I doing enough, what would I do, how far would I go? I burned through this in a day, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Highly recommend!
April 14, 2024
Love Ruth Anna Evans! Dark tales full of heart
November 30, 2022
Good read!
Wow! I really like this author. Her stories are well written and so connectable. She does a great job of writing about what a person would really feel.
Wow! I really like this author. Her stories are well written and so connectable. She does a great job of writing about what a person would really feel.
June 28, 2024
This is quite the collection of emotional, bit of a gut punch, anxiety inducing horror!
July 9, 2022
Just starting this book freaked me out. Being a parent as well I completely understood where all these fears and worries came from.
I won’t ruin the story but one part really made me laugh. When the lady went to see a doctor about a very serious and life threatening issue and he told her to lose weight and it’ll get better. I nearly wet myself because that’s the answer to everything these days apparently. That was pretty much the only part that was light.
The story that was possibly inspired by the shooting in Texas recently was so heart wrenching, beautifully written and it had a devastating ending.
The last story although short was so utterly claustrophobic, terrifying and I just felt like it traumatised me.
All in all the stories while seemingly the things of nightmares and anxiety are not that far away from reality making them all the more utterly terrifying.
I read this in one sitting and feel like I still need some time to process. The writing was just so vivid and I could see everything playing out before my eyes. Will be looking for more from this author!
I won’t ruin the story but one part really made me laugh. When the lady went to see a doctor about a very serious and life threatening issue and he told her to lose weight and it’ll get better. I nearly wet myself because that’s the answer to everything these days apparently. That was pretty much the only part that was light.
The story that was possibly inspired by the shooting in Texas recently was so heart wrenching, beautifully written and it had a devastating ending.
The last story although short was so utterly claustrophobic, terrifying and I just felt like it traumatised me.
All in all the stories while seemingly the things of nightmares and anxiety are not that far away from reality making them all the more utterly terrifying.
I read this in one sitting and feel like I still need some time to process. The writing was just so vivid and I could see everything playing out before my eyes. Will be looking for more from this author!
July 21, 2022
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had a hard time finishing books all the way through. It just had to be something that really grabbed my attention and kept me turning page after page. Ruth Anna Evans was gracious enough to send me a copy of her new project No One Can Help You. At first glance, I was really excited seeing a collection of short stories and snippets of horror. I knew I’d at the very least be able to finish this one. What I didn’t expect after finishing however, was wishing that these stories would have been longer. Every single one of these felt so real and so emotionally deep that it wasn’t a stretch to picture myself in every single one of these scenarios that Ms Evans so meticulously has crafted. Sometimes I felt caught up in the emotions of the adults and other times she scratched at an old fear I once had as a child. We all know some of the most terrifying stories are the ones we can relate to the most and Ms Evans has done a fantastic job capturing those feelings in only a few well-constructed pages. I look forward to seeing what her next project will be.
July 6, 2022
An Incredible Collection!
This was my first time reading Evans, but will not be my last. I can't remember where I first heard of this author, but I'm so glad that I did; she has one of the smoothest, most unique voices I've encountered in horror recently.
Here's a sample of her prose:
It had stunned Abby how little reflection all of the parents had required before getting on board with the idea of what was, really, murder. It was the kids. Having your dead child ask you to avenge their death…When a child died, you regretted every single “No” you’d ever told them. You wished that you could go back and say yes to the ice cream, yes to the late-night movie, yes to one more story.
I enjoyed all the stories in NO ONE CAN HELP YOU, but my favorites were "The Surprise," "Trigger Warning," and "Sight of Blood." I'm looking forward to reading more from Evans. Highly recommended!
This was my first time reading Evans, but will not be my last. I can't remember where I first heard of this author, but I'm so glad that I did; she has one of the smoothest, most unique voices I've encountered in horror recently.
Here's a sample of her prose:
It had stunned Abby how little reflection all of the parents had required before getting on board with the idea of what was, really, murder. It was the kids. Having your dead child ask you to avenge their death…When a child died, you regretted every single “No” you’d ever told them. You wished that you could go back and say yes to the ice cream, yes to the late-night movie, yes to one more story.
I enjoyed all the stories in NO ONE CAN HELP YOU, but my favorites were "The Surprise," "Trigger Warning," and "Sight of Blood." I'm looking forward to reading more from Evans. Highly recommended!
December 6, 2022
This is a fantastic collection of short horror stories. Taking on all manner of subjects from kidnapping to gun control to even more supernatural things, each of these stories has a lot of heart behind the horror!
Ruth has taken situations that, in real life, are horrifying enough and then deftly adds an element of terror that makes them much worse. She is not afraid to tackle issues that we're all too familiar with and yet she never "preaches" about them from any political spectrum.
With characters that we'll feel instantly familiar with and the talent to tell their stories in a way that engages us, you'll find it difficult to put down. But each tale will give you pause as your mind goes through what you've just read and you look forward to the next just to see if she can top herself (she often does).
I highly recommend this awesome anthology. Heartfelt, imaginative, creepy, and frightening.
Ruth has taken situations that, in real life, are horrifying enough and then deftly adds an element of terror that makes them much worse. She is not afraid to tackle issues that we're all too familiar with and yet she never "preaches" about them from any political spectrum.
With characters that we'll feel instantly familiar with and the talent to tell their stories in a way that engages us, you'll find it difficult to put down. But each tale will give you pause as your mind goes through what you've just read and you look forward to the next just to see if she can top herself (she often does).
I highly recommend this awesome anthology. Heartfelt, imaginative, creepy, and frightening.
December 10, 2022
This has been one of my favorite single-author collections of the year.
What I love about it best is Evans’ unflinching exploration into topics that would make other horror authors flinch. Parents aren’t safe. Children aren’t safe. Nothing is off limits.
The stories range from descriptive body horror to heart-wrenching emotional pieces. Most of the offerings fall somewhere in between.
Usually I like to talk about my favorite story in a collection, but ‘No One Can Help You’ made it impossible to choose just one. Instead, I must offer my two favorites; ‘Trigger Warning’ and ‘Anxiety.’ Both of these titles offer speculative horror with a building sense of dread. They’re followed closely by ‘Phantom Pain’ which is one of the most disgusting things I have read this year, but in the best way.
If you’re looking for a wide range of engaging horror — and provided you’re not a squeamish reader — I simply cannot recommend this book enough.
What I love about it best is Evans’ unflinching exploration into topics that would make other horror authors flinch. Parents aren’t safe. Children aren’t safe. Nothing is off limits.
The stories range from descriptive body horror to heart-wrenching emotional pieces. Most of the offerings fall somewhere in between.
Usually I like to talk about my favorite story in a collection, but ‘No One Can Help You’ made it impossible to choose just one. Instead, I must offer my two favorites; ‘Trigger Warning’ and ‘Anxiety.’ Both of these titles offer speculative horror with a building sense of dread. They’re followed closely by ‘Phantom Pain’ which is one of the most disgusting things I have read this year, but in the best way.
If you’re looking for a wide range of engaging horror — and provided you’re not a squeamish reader — I simply cannot recommend this book enough.
September 27, 2023
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. This book contains nine short horror stories all involving children and how damage can be done to them. All of the stories are uniquely different but similarly addictive! I read them all in one sitting. Here are my five favorites:
Nicholas is Gone - A new way to lose your child through addiction
A Bad Way to Go - This story had my anxiety shooting through the roof since I experienced a similar situation last month on a bus
Phantom Pain - A whole body transplant
Trigger Warning - Victims of a school shooting return for revenge
The Surprise - Heartbreaking and surprising choice. Bonus points for witches!
I cannot wait to check out more from this author.
Nicholas is Gone - A new way to lose your child through addiction
A Bad Way to Go - This story had my anxiety shooting through the roof since I experienced a similar situation last month on a bus
Phantom Pain - A whole body transplant
Trigger Warning - Victims of a school shooting return for revenge
The Surprise - Heartbreaking and surprising choice. Bonus points for witches!
I cannot wait to check out more from this author.
May 28, 2022
Super creepy!! Ruth Anna Evan's stories play on our worst fears as parents. From Missing to Nicholas is Gone, I really enjoyed this collection. Everything that can go wrong goes worse than you expected. A couple of times the stories made me so anxious I had to pause and take a break. But that's the stuff of great horror!
June 4, 2023
I picked up this collection after reading the author's novelette, Phantom Pain (included here). I very much enjoyed it!
Nicholas Is Gone ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Sight of Blood ⭐⭐⭐.5
A Bad Way To Go ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Missing ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Phantom Pain ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hypochondriac ⭐⭐⭐
Trigger Warning ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
True Story ⭐⭐⭐
The Surprise ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Anxiety ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nicholas Is Gone ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Sight of Blood ⭐⭐⭐.5
A Bad Way To Go ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Missing ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
Phantom Pain ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hypochondriac ⭐⭐⭐
Trigger Warning ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
True Story ⭐⭐⭐
The Surprise ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Anxiety ⭐⭐⭐⭐
May 28, 2022
There was so many of these stories I wished a little help came. I don't have a favorite story but trigger warning was definitely the saddest. I wished I didn't have to work or I would have read it in one sitting. Highly recommended.
July 13, 2022
Was going to say Goosebumps feel, great for YA horror… then you completely lost me with the Trigger Warning story. Would not recommend.
July 13, 2022
Loved this book. Each story perfectly represents at least one very real fear, which is then twisted to feel like an actual nightmare that your sleeping brain creates.
August 2, 2022
This was an excellent—and at times heartbreaking—collection of horror stories. Evans is a masterful storyteller who manages to switch from the perspective of an adult to that of a child with ease.
April 15, 2023
Wow. I loved every story!
Trigger Warning was so brutal and heartbreaking. Anxiety gave me huge anxiety. Missing, Nicholas Is Gone, The Surprise - omg SO GOOD! Great book
Trigger Warning was so brutal and heartbreaking. Anxiety gave me huge anxiety. Missing, Nicholas Is Gone, The Surprise - omg SO GOOD! Great book
September 21, 2023
didn't love the last few stories but some of them.. wild ride as usual
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews