Haven

WINNER OF THE 2016 BRAM STOKER AWARD FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A 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. Praise for HAVEN "PW * With compelling characters (both good and evil), a shifting narration that keeps the story moving, a building sense of dread, and breathless action sequences, this is a well-crafted example of what is best about horror today. While the novel is obviously for fans of Stranger Things and the classic small-town horror by those like King or Straub, don't let its setting keep you looking in the past. There is a modern perspective behind this tale, similar to Maberry's Pine Deep trilogy or Janz' Children of the Dark (2016). Hand out freely to anyone looking for a solid scare." -- Booklist (starred review) "Debut novelist Deady closely examines his setting, showing how the difficulties of facing down mob hysteria and starting over after a lifetime of failure can be as deadly as an escaped military bioweapon." -- Publishers Weekly "Haven is a big, generous, Stephen King-like small town boys vs. monster epic." -- Stewart O'Nan, author of The Night Country and A Prayer for the Dying "A wonderfully entertaining ride, reminiscent of the Creature Features of yesteryear." -- Sloane Kady, author of Irreparable Deeds "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. Give it a read." -- Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Snowblind and Dead Ringers "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, author of Westlake Soul and Point Hollow "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, author of HANNAHWHERE, winner of the 2015 Drunken Druid Award and Stoker Award nominee.