First published 1999
Matthew Galen drives back to Summerfell after years away. His childhood friend sits locked in a hospital for the criminally insane, accused of acts so brutal people refuse to speak them aloud. Everyone believes his friend snapped, that madness drove him to violence. Matthew knows better. The real source of evil runs deeper than one man's broken mind. It springs from something ancient and malevolent that only Matthew understands. His friend became a vessel, not a villain. Now Matthew faces an impossible choice. He can walk away and let others believe the comfortable lie. Or he can confront the darkness that claimed his friend, knowing it might claim him too. The town of Summerfell holds secrets that predate its founding. Some doors should never be opened. Some truths should stay buried. But Matthew cannot abandon his friend to suffer for crimes committed by something far worse. He must decide whether friendship demands the ultimate sacrifice, even when the enemy operates beyond human comprehension.
Genres: mystery, horror, supernatural, dark-fantasy
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-friends, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Summerfell
368 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Leisure Books
Content warnings: violence