News & Features » May 2016 » 5 Akashic Books to Read This Friday the 13th

5 Akashic Books to Read This Friday the 13th

Every once in a while the calendar presents us with the day 13 falling right on a Friday and makes half of us concerned about theories and superstitions of disasters and bad luck. In fact, some real tragedies have actually happened on this date. From the bombing of Buckingham Palace to the death of rapper Tupac Shakur, the unlucky date registers shipwrecks, airplane crashes, survival cannibalism, dictator’s birthdays, and a successful movie franchise on its resume. The fear is real, and the phobia of Friday the 13th has even a name: paraskeridekatraphobia. (Now try repeating it aloud three times!) But before you avoid black cats or go out to terrorize your neighbors in a hockey mask, let us suggest some chilling titles that perfectly fit the day.

Necropolis by Avtar Singh

In this upcoming release (out June 7, but available now on our website), a psychopath is cutting off people’s fingers in New Delhi, and detective Sajan Dayal is swallowed by an urban intrigue that involves vampires, werewolves, and centuries-old women—all the elements you need to keep the lights on when you go to bed tonight.

“Someone is cutting off victims’ fingers in New Delhi and vampires and lycans are suspects in this ambitious mix of detection and the supernatural from Singh.”
—Publishers Weekly

Black Lotus by K’ wan

This exciting thriller—part of our Infamous Books imprint—is the story of a detective’s search for a serial killer that will make him face the ghosts of a cold case from the past.

Act fast—for the month of May only, Black Lotus is available for only $0.99 exclusively through Amazon Kindle! Click here to purchase.

American Honor Killings: Desire and Rage Among Men by David McConnell

What kind of Friday the 13th list this would be without a true crime book?

This book recounts some of the most notorious crimes of our era. Beginning in 1999 and lasting until the recent conviction of a youth in Queens, New York, McConnell puts us in front of a face of an American society made of hate, intolerance, and homophobia, and shows how some murderers think they’re actually cleaning up society. Even more scary because it’s true.

“A dark and disturbing portrait of the hate crime murderers of gay men as men who are also gay. . . . The glimpse into small town America that American Honor Killings presents is a strong rationale for gay positive role models, including ally groups and self-esteem activities in the educational system—and the sooner the better.”
—Huffington Post

The Dead Detective by William Heffernan

This book has all the elements needed to keep you awake at night: crime, intrigue, a guilty victim, and a hero that was brought back to life from the dead. You will become homicide detective Harry Doyle’s best friend, and will never think about Tampa the same way again.

“The Dead Detective is a meaty story that offers an intriguing and conflicted protagonist, a darkly fascinating victim, solid police procedural detail, a knowing look at the Tampa Bay area and its politics, an unlikely murderer, and a creepy denouement that hints that Harry [protagonist] will be back.”
—Booklist

Suicide Casanova by Arthur Nersesian

It wouldn’t be Friday the 13th without a spicy psychosexual thriller!

Leslie Cauldwell is a successful attorney haunted by an accidental murder. In his quest for redemption, he goes from LA of the ’80s to New York of the new millennium, in a modern-day tale of love and loss, innocence and corruption, crime and redemption.

“A tight, gripping, erotic thriller.”
—Philadelphia City Paper

Posted: May 13, 2016

Category: Akashic Insider | Tags: Akashic Insider, American Honor Killings, American Honor Killings: Desire and Rage Among Men, Arthur Nersesian, Avtar Singh, Black Lotus, David McConnell, Friday the 13th, K'wan, list, Necropolis, Suicide Casanova, The Dead Detective, William Heffernan