Robin’s Review of Things Are As They Should Be

Things Are As They Should Be and Other Words to Die For

THINGS ARE AS THEY SHOULD BE and other words to die for is an interconnected Southern gothic noir journey from reconstruction New Orleans to a present-day landscape of terror. Each story invests the reader in a setting and characters that traverse the fringes the Louisiana swamps, pool halls in New Orleans, and attics filled with boxes of cherished memories, each tale patinaed with desperation and death.

Robin’s Review

Triggers: Violence, death, vengeance, generational trauma, witchcraft, demons, haunted objects, Southern gothic themes

What Did I Just Walk Into?

A swamp-soaked, Southern gothic horror collection that smells like secrets, bad decisions, old grief, and something cursed dragging itself out of the bayou at midnight. This is not cute horror. This is humid, haunted, morally messy horror where revenge is always circling, the dead are rarely done, and Louisiana practically becomes its own character.

Here’s What Slapped:

The atmosphere in this collection is ridiculous in the best way. P.M. Raymond knows exactly how to pull a reader into dark corners, dusty rooms, swamp edges, and memory-filled spaces that already feel wrong before the horror fully arrives. Every story seems coated in dread, history, and the kind of tension that says nobody here is getting out emotionally intact.

I also loved that these stories are interconnected without feeling gimmicky. You get recurring characters, relatives, echoes, consequences, and that lingering sense that everyone is trapped in the same rotten web, just at different points in time. That kind of layering gives the whole collection extra weight. It makes the book feel bigger than a stack of separate stories. It feels like a whole haunted world with a long memory and a mean streak.

There is also a nice blend of horror flavors here. Demons, witchcraft, cursed objects, revenge, family damage, greed, and straight-up bad energy are all doing the most. The stories feel rooted in Louisiana and its history, and that setting gives the whole book teeth. Some collections have one or two standouts and the rest are just there for decoration. This one actually feels deliberate. Even when I liked some stories more than others, the overall tone stayed strong.

What Could’ve Been Better:

This is not a breezy, mindless horror snack. Some of the stories drop you right into the middle of things and basically tell you to keep up, sweetheart. Sometimes that works beautifully. Sometimes it takes a minute to find your footing. Readers who like everything explained neatly and quickly may get a little cranky. Also, since it is a collection, favorites will vary. That is just short story law at this point.

Perfect for Readers Who Love:

Southern gothic horror, interconnected story collections, Louisiana settings, swamp horror, black magic, generational trauma, literary horror with teeth, and stories where revenge refuses to die

Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review

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