First published 2021
Richard Chizmar comes back to his Maryland hometown in summer 1988 just as mutilated bodies of missing girls surface around the quiet suburb. Police believe a serial killer walks among them, but whispers spread that something inhuman stalks local teenagers. The FBI joins the investigation as the killer taunts law enforcement with twisted games. Curfews lock down the community while neighbors watch each other with growing suspicion and fear. Richard tries to focus on his upcoming wedding and budding writing career, but the horror consuming his town pulls him into its center. He begins documenting the killer's reign of terror in a personal account, not knowing these events will follow him for years ahead. The once peaceful community fractures under paranoia as the nightmare stretches on with no end in sight.
Genres: suspense, mystery, horror, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Maryland
Period: 1988
322 pages · Hardcover · Gallery Books
Content warnings: gore, violence