First published 2021
Owen Crites knows only one truth: Jenna Montgomery belongs with him. When wealthy Jimmy McTeague enters the picture as his rival, Owen uncovers a damaging secret about the intruder. Owen will commit murder to possess Jenna completely. Mark thinks his new friend Dash is just another teenage rebel until Dash introduces him to occult stories and a mysterious drug. The substance allows Dash to peer into another realm filled with monsters and absolute darkness. Mark realizes too late that some games extract a terrible price. A group of college friends driving cross country spot highway signs advertising a roadside mystery. They stop at Brakedown Palace Gas & Sundries Emporium to investigate the attraction. The creature waiting in the back should have stayed buried forever. These three novellas explore how young people confront forces that test their limits and transform them forever.
Genres: coming-of-age, mystery, horror, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
348 pages · Hardcover · Alkemara Press
Content warnings: drug-use, graphic-violence, murder