Last March, I was scrolling through the r/horrorlit subreddit, when I saw someone mention a book called Ghosts of East Baltimore. Considering I spent the first 20 years of my life growing up on the southwest side of the city, I immediately was intrigued by this title and looked it up right away. The cover is adorned with an egg custard- flavored snowball with marshmallow topping (with a tentacle sneaking out of it), which is a Baltimore staple (sans tentacle, of course). Between the cover that tugged at my inner Baltimore girl’s heart and the fascinating premise, I immediately downloaded and devoured it.

Ghosts of East Baltimore follows Worm, a man who has just been released from a 2-year prison sentence. Upon his release, he discovers that the city he knows and loves is being ravaged by a deadly chemical being sold on the street. Worm sets out to discover who’s behind the drug that’s terrorizing the streets, but he needs to do so before his 9:00pm curfew at the halfway house.

I tore through Ghosts of East Baltimore pretty quickly; it’s an action-packed novella that takes place over the course of a single day, so it was really hard to put it down! It feels like an acid trip gone horribly wrong, which is fitting considering it’s about a new drug with horrifying side effects. This book is an insane ride that manages to combine crime thriller, science fiction, cosmic horror, and PLENTY of body horror all in one deliciously fun book. Along with having an entertaining story, I really appreciated that this book also explored plenty of issues that plague Baltimore, such as the drug trade, racism, and issues within the justice system (just to name a few). It is a gross and wild trip into insanity that still serves as a love letter to a city often misjudged by those who never lived there. It’s clear that David Simmons loves his city, and his love oozes through the pages of this book. It made me feel so proud, and a little homesick.

Just last week, I found out that Simmons released a sequel to Ghosts of East Baltimore, appropriately named Ghosts of West Baltimore. I didn’t even need to read the synopsis before I downloaded this one, because I loved the first book so much (and like I said, I grew up on the southwest side…so I was excited for a story set in my side of town!) Ghosts of West Baltimore starts with Worm being released from the hospital after the events of the first book. Probation has sent him to live in a Park Heights neighborhood where evil is lurking, once again. Aside from the chaos being unleashed by the rabbi who believes he is the Messiah meant to raise the dead, Worm’s probation officer is also a sadist who enjoys hunting the clients on his caseload. Once again, Worm needs to make it to the halfway house before curfew…but he has to save the westside first!

Similar to the first book, Ghosts of West Baltimore is another insane trip through the city. While the first book leaned more into crime/thriller territory, this book features more elements of folklore and mysticism. I actually really enjoyed the shift in plot, because while the main character and the setting are the same, the story is refreshing and entertaining. If anything, I think I enjoyed Worm’s foes in this book a little more than I enjoyed the baddies of East Baltimore. I was fascinated by the motivations of the Rebbe, and enjoyed his conversations with the young boy he was priming for help with his master plan. Worm’s probation officer, Olomon Troop, is one of the most grotesque characters I’ve come across; he’s crass, skeevy, and he made my skin crawl every time we shifted to his point-of-view. I also found it fascinating that in the aftermath of the first book, Worm was left with a malfunctioning amygdala, which results in him essentially being unable to feel emotions. However, when shit starts hitting the proverbial fan, he once again gears up to save the city, even though he has no emotional stake in the game. Interestingly, Worm just assumes the role of hero without a second thought. I feel as though this really is a testament to the kind of man Worm is, and it makes him such an incredible main character to root for.

Similar to the first book, West Baltimore explores some pretty philosophical topics, such as religion and the idea of breaking generational cycles of poverty & trauma. There was one passage in particular towards the end of the book that really stuck out to me, to the point where I had to take a moment to collect myself because of how hard the truth displayed on the page hit me. In this scene, Worm is talking to a woman about the ways that Baltimore youth are impacted by their environment. They philosophize about whether the hardships that individuals in Baltimore face are due to the rising murder rates, the expansion of commercial tourism with disregard to community funding, or generational trauma. At one point, the woman theorizes that the children of Baltimore suffer because they don’t know any better, and they don’t have families that care enough to help them learn the skills needed to succeed. Instead, they grow up in survival mode, and the cycle continues once they have children of their own. The woman sums it up perfectly by saying, “How you gonna contribute to the betterment of your community when you just trying not to die in it?” The entire exchange was tugging at my heartstrings, but this line in particular brought me to tears. Baltimore is so often shunned and mocked by people who only have a perception of the city based on the headlines, but people rarely stop to consider why the city struggles so much. Something I really appreciated about both of these books is that though there is plenty of good humor and nasty violence, Simmons really makes you reflect on much deeper topics than you’d expect. It may impact me more than others because I personally am from the city, but I assure you that even if you’ve never been to Baltimore, both of these books will have you re-imagining the way you perceive the city.

I picked these books up on a whim because of my love for my hometown, and I am so grateful that I did so. I cannot stress enough to you how incredible both Ghosts of East Baltimore and Ghosts of West Baltimore are. They’re over-the-top in the best ways possible, and they are a guaranteed fun time to be had. They both feature some of the craziest imagery you’ll find in any horror book, but they also help start some very important conversations that need to be had. Thank you, David Simmons, for creating such awesome stories and for showing so much love to Charm City.