by Eric LaRocca
Part of Burnt Sparrow
First published 2025
Christmas morning arrives in Burnt Sparrow, New Hampshire with three faceless entities who commit brutal violence against the isolated town. The senseless attack leaves residents grieving and struggling to understand what happened to their community. Young Rupert Cromwell faces the painful truths about his family while the town reels from the massacre. As relationships between survivors become complicated and more violence follows, the people of Burnt Sparrow discover that revenge offers no real satisfaction. They learn that cruelty has consequences and some lines should never be crossed, no matter the provocation. LaRocca crafts an atmospheric tale that explores how a small New England community responds when unforgivable violence shatters their world. This visceral story examines the aftermath of tragedy and the dark choices people make when their lives are torn apart.
Genres: literary-fiction, horror, adult-fiction, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, gritty, haunting, thought-provoking, visceral
Tropes: aftermath-of-tragedy, community-fractured, cycles-of-violence, moral-reckoning
Setting: Burnt Sparrow, New Hampshire
Period: Christmas
304 pages · Hardcover · Titan Books
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, murder