I Know a Place by Nat Cassidy is a novella and short story collection. It follows the same structure as Skeleton Crew by Stephen King, who Cassidy is a massive fan of and who also wrote the introduction for I Know a Place. The novella Rest Stop comes first, much like The Mist opens Skeleton Crew, followed by the short stories.

Rest Stop sets the tone for the collection, and that tone is “hold on to your butts” because anything can happen. The novella thrilled and scared me. I have not been to a rest stop since reading it, but when I do, I will probably think about this story. It is a literal locked door horror story, and the twists and turns are amazing for such a short novella.

I Know a Place contains 1 novella, 1 poem, and 10 short stories. There is also a special Barnes and Noble edition with bonus content.

I did not love every story, but the variety here means there is something for every horror fan. The collection features body horror, psychological horror, and cosmic horror. There are stories involving time travel, Santa Claus, and puppets.

This is Nat Cassidy’s first short story collection.

I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours was first published on May 5, 2026, by Shortwave Publishing.

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Why did I read I Know a Place by Nat Cassidy?

Nat Cassidy is a fantastic writer. When the Wolf Comes Home was my first 5 star read of the year. I met Nat Cassidy at AuthorCon and bought his other novels, Mary and Nestlings. I also attended a reading where he played guitar and performed a new song that told a story. I wonder if that will appear in the Barnes and Noble exclusive edition.

I follow Shortwave Publishing and saw they were offering their first ARC on NetGalley. I immediately jumped at the chance to read this collection. Thanks to Shortwave Publishing for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley.

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Stories Ranked from Least Favorite to Favorite:

A FRUITING BODY is a poem meant to be read aloud. It follows a famous fungus being studied while people begin killing themselves after examining it. This one did not work for me at all, but that is okay. Cassidy even warns readers it will not be for everyone. It still has his awkward humor all over it.

MEET-CUTE #2: THE SCARIEST THING follows a first date built around a confession. It explores the fear of letting your guard down. I thought it was decent overall. The guy is incredibly weird, but Cassidy writes strong dialogue and banter.

GENERATION is a story about life and the horrors that come with it. My perception of the story kept changing as it unfolded. At first you assume the worst, then more details slowly come to light. The story was a little too vague for me. Cassidy wants readers to create the horror in their own minds, but I needed a bit more guidance.

THE LUNAR ECLIPSE is a slow burn story focused almost entirely on setup. The eclipse itself happens every fifty years and plays a major role in the narrative. I loved the ending because it landed as a joke in the best way. For some reason, though, this one took a while to hook me even though it is one of the shortest stories in the collection.

MEET-CUTE #1: THE UNLUCKIEST GIRL is a fun story with strong banter. I guessed the twist fairly early, but I still enjoyed the ride. It also includes the line “I know a place,” tying into the collection title nicely. The title The Unluckiest Girl definitely fits.

THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT reminded me a lot of Vertigo. The story centers around a business arrangement involving a dead wife. I enjoyed the haunting aspects and where the story ultimately goes. My biggest issue was that too much of the important material gets explained afterward instead of shown directly.

INTO THE LIFE OF THINGS follows a woman found dead at a mental institution. She dies in a bizarre way, lying on her back staring at the stars. The story flashes back to a yoga retreat in the desert. Not everything worked for me here, though I liked the ending even if I am not completely sure it makes sense.

LAUGHLINES is told entirely through texts and emails. Normally this style does not work for me, but it really did here. The talk to text sections were especially effective. The story takes a while to get moving, but the payoff is genuinely creepy.

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE is a time travel story about a cover band musician who travels back in time and steals songs to perform as his own. I liked parts of this one quite a bit, though it probably could have been shorter. The ending was just okay for me. This story will especially appeal to fans of music from the 1960s and 1970s. There is one specific band at the center of the story, but I will not spoil it.

JUBILEE JUNCTURE follows a puppeteer introducing a disturbing new act for his Christian children’s show. He performs it privately for the station manager. This story becomes creepy very quickly. Some of the imagery genuinely made me squirm.

These next three stories were all 5 out of 5 for me.

NICE is a darkly funny horror story about an elf begging a Santa obsessed child to stop being nice so he does not have to make so many presents. The humor really worked for me. It reminded me of a Brian McAuley short story. I especially loved the character reveals.

COME is about a cursed sex tape spreading through a high school. Cassidy absolutely nails teenage dialogue. The story feels like a mix of The Ring and It Follows. At its core, though, it is really about the pressure and insecurity teenagers feel around sex. I thought the ending worked very well.

REST STOP is completely unhinged in the best possible way. One man becomes trapped at a rest stop with a truly twisted villain. The story is funny and terrifying at the same time. The imagery Cassidy creates here is unforgettable. The novella delivers constant twists and turns along with a satisfying ending.

Recommendations:

I Know a Place is a strong horror collection filled with memorable imagery and unique ideas. Cassidy has put scenes into my brain that I will probably never forget. I will never look at rest stops or googly eyes the same way again.

Not every story worked for me, but every story felt unique and completely different from the last. Some focus on shocking twists, while others lean into pure unsettling horror that refuses to let you look away.

I also highly recommend Shortwave Publishing. I have not read a bad book from them yet. The quality of both their books and overall presentation has been consistently excellent for an independent horror publisher.

Rating:

I Know a Place by Nat Cassidy

4 out of 5