Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales

Cameron Trost employs a kind of failsafe twist other writers aspire to but which he seems to have diligently mastered - Matthew Tait, author of Deception Pass

A businessman staying in a Scottish manor makes the mistake of deciding to spend the evening in the library. A group of unpopular teenage girls use witchcraft to pursue their aims. A rich banking tycoon has forgotten his university days when he and his friends dared to imagine a world ruled by social justice and working class ideals. The estranged family of a deceased aristocrat bicker over their inheritance. A botanist's love for his plants is unnaturally deep-rooted.

Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales is the first short story collection from Cameron Trost. It plunges the reader into a world of mystery, suspense, obsession and greed. From the Scottish highlands and the jagged peaks of the Pyr n es to the streets of Brisbane and the Australian countryside, Cameron Trost provokes the reader by ensnaring recognisable characters in disturbingly plausible situations. His writing seeks to entertain while exploring the absurdities and peculiarities of society and the human mind.

The Disturbing Tales

Not to be Read

Lightning

The Ritual

The Butcher's Window

Kangaroo Point

Patrick O'Malley

Beneath the Flowers

Toy Truck

Hardwicke's Fair Share

A Blizzard in the Pyr n es

The Legend of Redback Jack

The Lakeside Disappearance

Party Trick

Jenny's Dream

Noisy Neighbours

Cockatoo Cabin

A Well-Informed Corpse

Ambulance in Eden

The Mortenson Estate

Let Darkness Take Hold

The Stench

Cathedral Man and the Rare Twelve Inch

Hoffman's Creeper

Reviews "Cameron Trost employs a kind of failsafe twist designed to rock readers perceptions of what came before. It's a token technique, one that other writers aspire to but which he seems to have diligently mastered." - Matthew Tait, author of Deception Pass "Cameron Trost understands the most important thing about writing, something that is often forgotten by rising authors as they struggle to perfect technique and style. The bottom line is: A story should make the reader want to keep reading. It should entice them. The ending should be a tasty morsel of meat dangled before a hungry predator who wants nothing more than to devour it... Rarely do I read a collection of shorts and come away saying that I enjoyed every single story. Hoffman's Creeper is most definitely worth your while " - Lindsey Beth Goddard, dark fiction writer and reviewer

"Cameron Trost is an upcoming Australian author cutting his teeth in the horror genre. I picked this one up on recommendation from my fellow reviewer, Sharon Clarke. This collection is not your typical horror. These are accounts of the scariest monster of all, man and what he's fully capable of. You will find everything from revenge to pure murder and tragedy." - Goodreads review by Ripley

"The author captures real characters and lets them play out their black dramas on the page, giving a disturbing glimpse into the darkest side of human nature.

A great debut collection." - Goodreads review by Gene Flynn

"A chilling read with a diverse assortment of stories. All offer a unique glimpse into Trost's imagination, which at times, can make you shudder." - David Schembri, author of Beneath the Ferny Tree