Stuff of nightmares is a collection of five short horror stories by Kim O’Shea, an investigator of the paranormal in real-life.

These stories are short, and the book can be finished in one sitting. The stories all have a firm grounding in reality, and not all the horror comes from the paranormal – sometimes the mundane is made terrifying through circumstances. Ghosts, monsters and serial killers can all be found in these pages. Unfortunately, except for the last story, they lack the set-up for real horror and unfortunately there’s a lack of pay-off for horror fans. This isn’t the creeping horror of a building threat, it’s mundane events and then a sharp twist.

There are no real new twists here for a devoted horror reader (with one exception I called the endings by the end of the first page), but the way the stories are told is nicely done, they are well-written, and there are a few new takes on old themes which should appeal.

While established horror fans may find this lacking, it will appeal to the occasional horror reader – people wanting creepy stories rather than outright horror may enjoy them – and to YA readers trying out the genre.