The Paranormal and Normal Investigators

by Stephen Rhoades, Betty Rocksteady (Illustrator)

Strange things are happening in the small town of Hope Springs. A teenage girl gathers her friends to form The Paranormal and Normal Investigators. When they get their first client, the group discovers a whole world of monsters hiding in the woods around them.

Author Stephen Rhoades delivers an entertaining ride through the terrifying streets of Belle Trailer Park. A quirky cosmic horror novel, with a sprinkle of magic, from one of the newest voices in horror.

Genres: Horror

265 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2025

About the author

Born in 1977, Stephen Rhoades loves to write stories. He loves writing horror, but he also writes in other genres such as fantasy, young adult, and anything else that tickles his fancy.

Mr. Rhoades has several published (or soon to be published) novels, including THE CALIFORNIA BUTCHER, THE PARANORMAL AND NORMAL INVESTIGATORS, and RAT DROPPINGS. He also edited the horror anthology, INANIMATE THINGS: VOLUME ONE and VOLUME TWO.

He currently lives in the darkest parts of Alabama with his wife and family.

Reviews

[Madalena Feliciano Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this story was two things, it was the most unpredictable and funny. It is a fast paced story that takes the most unexpected turns. It is very much focused on plot and getting things moving forward, sometimes so many things are happening at the same time that you ask yourself how the story is going to solve everything. I mean, it started with a woman trying to find her dog and became Big Foot, Zombies, Fish-faced creatures, wizards and Wizarding schools, immortality, most wanted man in the world, a love story between a girl and a fish-face, worm face humans and snakes controlled by a sort of cult to awake the darkest One, and trolls...
Thank you so much for the ARC!

[Horror Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun novel filled with quirky characters, cosmic horror monsters, and other creatures from myth and legend. I enjoyed myself while I was reading and with it's tight pacing, it's easy to get into.

This is about the small town of Hope Springs and an evil bloodthirsty eldritch snake god who is being summoned to take over the world. But a ragtag and weird group of people are going to try and stop it with sometimes terrifying and hilarious results.

They call themselves The Paranormal And Normal Investigators because they'll handle your supernatural problems but help you find your missing dog as well. The characters which make up this group are varied and quirky. From a drunk man with a mullet to a man who everyone calls the Professor to a bad ass buff woman who loves to kill things and her Ken doll like boyfriend. Kat and Cris are maybe the most "normal" of the group but they'll never be the same by the end!

There's a cult trying to summon this snake god, fish/humans living in the lake, a boy who is also a wizard, and as the story progresses we'll see bigfoot, krakens, giant toads, zombies, trolls.... and more.

As I said, this book packs all of this into a fast paced narrative with just as many laughs as gore and it makes for one hell of a fun read. I highly recommend it.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun quirky mix of bizarro, Lovecraftian, Horror Comedy and adventure horror.

[Jen Self · Rating 4 out of 5]

You all know that I love some fun, weird stories.....and this one is a blast! We follow a motley crew of friends/neighbors in a trailer park in Alabama as they form The Paranormal & Normal Investigators to solve strange happenings and missing children in their area. Simultaneously creepy, scary, action packed and silly, this book has it all! The monsters are awesome too!