Midnight somewhere A short-story collection

In this short-story collection, Compton (Devils Kill Devils, 2024) uses unsettling prose and well-timed gore to add an extra twist to almost every tale. "Ffuns" opens the collection, immediately demonstrating that readers shouldn't trust their expectations. Is it a story of the abusive class divide? Is it an exploration of how far grief can push the bereaved? The shocking final page will make readers close the book for a moment so they can ground themselves before diving back in. Monkey's paw--esque scenarios arise in "The Genie and the Inquisitor" and "Charakakon," pitting the dark urges of confident men against supernatural creatures, showing that the worst horrors are human. If the collection has a central theme, it's that unresolved emotion is dangerous. But the stories aren't one-note, as "I Caught a Ghost in My Eye" summons the humor of Carissa Orlando's September House (2023) to an ocular haunting and "Doctor Bad Eyes is at the Top of the Stairs Again" is truly hilarious as the "creepy child who sees ghosts" trope collides with a mother's need for a good neighborhood. Good, creepy fun.