★Taylor, Sonora. Errant Roots. Dog Star: Raw Dog Screaming. (Selected Papers from the Consortium for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena, Bk. 6). Oct. 2024. 2:56 hrs. ISBN 9798882239359. $4.99. HORROR

Deirdre’s pregnancy kindles a reconciliation with her estranged family, but not everyone will survive the gender reveal party. Deirdre never knew why her mother fled and cut all ties to the rest of the family, but now, she’ll humor her mother’s sudden need to visit their kin. As Deirdre will soon learn, however, her family is hiding sinister traditions born out of long-seated trauma. Narrator Jenna Rose Stein begins Taylor’s (Recreational Panic: Stories) latest with a Twilight Zone–esque monologue, presenting this as a case from “The Selected Papers from the Consortium for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena.” Stein ratchets up the tension, hinting at lessons to be learned before she drops into Deirdre’s narration. As Deirdre, Stein makes every emotion, from disinterest to terror, completely believable. The audiobook is brief in run time but there’s no shortage of emotion. Stein makes Deirdre’s love for her mother and boyfriend comfortable and sweet before events throw her into utter desperation. Whether she’s screaming through locked doors, whispering dangerous secrets to victims, or debating the horrors of the forest, listeners will be riveted. VERDICT A suspenseful, unputdownable folk horror. Listeners will undoubtedly hope Stein plans to narrate the rest of the “Anomalous Phenomena” cases.—Matthew Galloway