by Jack Ketchum
First published 2007
Dead River, Maine has enjoyed a decade of peace since the cannibal family terrorized the town. The residents believe the threat ended permanently ten years ago. They have grown comfortable in their assumption that the flesh-eating clan was eliminated. The townspeople go about their daily lives without the fear that once gripped their community. Their sense of security proves misplaced when the cannibals return to Dead River. The inbred family has survived and now threatens the unprepared town once again. The residents must confront the same monsters who previously ravaged their community. The story explores how a town copes when its worst nightmare returns after years of assumed safety.
Genres: fiction, suspense, horror, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: return-of-the-villain, survival
Setting: Dead River, Maine
Period: Decade
293 pages · Paperback · Dorchester Pub Co Inc
Content warnings: body-horror, gore, violence