2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel
WINNER OF THE BRAM STOKER AWARD FOR FIRST NOVEL!
In 1961, the small town of Haven thought they'd gotten rid of their monster.
After a series of child killings, Paul Greymore was caught carrying a wounded girl. His face, disfigured from a childhood accident, seemed to confirm he was the monster the community hoped to banish. With Paul in prison, the killings stopped.
For seventeen years, Haven was peaceful again. But Paul served his time and has now returned to Haven--the town where he grew up, and the scene of his alleged crimes. Paul insists he didn't commit those crimes, and several townspeople believe him including the local priest, a young boy named Denny, and his best friend Billy.
Trouble is, now that Paul is back home, the bizarre killings have started again--and the patterns match the deaths from Haven's past. If Paul isn't the killer, who is?
Or WHAT is? An unlikely band of adventurers attempts to uncover the truth, delving into long-hidden tunnels that might actually be inhabited by a strange, predatory creature.
Haven is a compelling horror epic in the spirit of It or Summer of Night, and a stunning debut novel from a gifted author who knows that the darkest horrors lurk inside human beings, even when there is a monster on the loose.
Genre: Horror
In 1961, the small town of Haven thought they'd gotten rid of their monster.
After a series of child killings, Paul Greymore was caught carrying a wounded girl. His face, disfigured from a childhood accident, seemed to confirm he was the monster the community hoped to banish. With Paul in prison, the killings stopped.
For seventeen years, Haven was peaceful again. But Paul served his time and has now returned to Haven--the town where he grew up, and the scene of his alleged crimes. Paul insists he didn't commit those crimes, and several townspeople believe him including the local priest, a young boy named Denny, and his best friend Billy.
Trouble is, now that Paul is back home, the bizarre killings have started again--and the patterns match the deaths from Haven's past. If Paul isn't the killer, who is?
Or WHAT is? An unlikely band of adventurers attempts to uncover the truth, delving into long-hidden tunnels that might actually be inhabited by a strange, predatory creature.
Haven is a compelling horror epic in the spirit of It or Summer of Night, and a stunning debut novel from a gifted author who knows that the darkest horrors lurk inside human beings, even when there is a monster on the loose.
Genre: Horror
Praise for this book
"Full of well-drawn characters and slow burn suspense, Tom Deady's Haven is a terrific dose of New England horror that harkens back to some of my favorite classic monster fiction from writers like Rick Hautala and Charles L. Grant. If you're a fan of this sort of thing, you'll know that's damn high praise." - Christopher Golden
"If coming-of-age novels with a bad-ass monster sound good to you... if mounting suspense with a true to life cast of characters peaks your interest...then Tom Deady's HAVEN is right up your alley. Reminiscent of Charles L. Grant, HAVEN is a fun and nostalgic romp that brought me back to my own youth in small-town New England. And who doesn't love a good monster tale?" - John McIlveen
"HAVEN hits a note perfect tone of retro-cool horror evoking an early 80s sensibility without reading at all like an imitation. Like Stranger Things--though written before it aired--HAVEN conjures the aesthetic of the time both in content and style in a way that is spot on while being a modern story with an original voice. And while comparisons to Stephen King's early work are apt, where others often try to copy King and fall flat, Deady knows when to play classic notes and when to take the song in his own direction. If you're a fan of Stranger Things, like me, this book hits at exactly the right moment." - Bracken MacLeod
"A big, generous, Stephen King-like small town boys vs. monster epic." - Stewart O'Nan
"Haven is about scars, both literal and figurative; it's about second chances and broken memories. This is a great small-town horror novel--a bullet-read with deep characters and perfect pacing. Best of all, it's creepy as hell." - Rio Youers
"If coming-of-age novels with a bad-ass monster sound good to you... if mounting suspense with a true to life cast of characters peaks your interest...then Tom Deady's HAVEN is right up your alley. Reminiscent of Charles L. Grant, HAVEN is a fun and nostalgic romp that brought me back to my own youth in small-town New England. And who doesn't love a good monster tale?" - John McIlveen
"HAVEN hits a note perfect tone of retro-cool horror evoking an early 80s sensibility without reading at all like an imitation. Like Stranger Things--though written before it aired--HAVEN conjures the aesthetic of the time both in content and style in a way that is spot on while being a modern story with an original voice. And while comparisons to Stephen King's early work are apt, where others often try to copy King and fall flat, Deady knows when to play classic notes and when to take the song in his own direction. If you're a fan of Stranger Things, like me, this book hits at exactly the right moment." - Bracken MacLeod
"A big, generous, Stephen King-like small town boys vs. monster epic." - Stewart O'Nan
"Haven is about scars, both literal and figurative; it's about second chances and broken memories. This is a great small-town horror novel--a bullet-read with deep characters and perfect pacing. Best of all, it's creepy as hell." - Rio Youers
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