Bloodstone

In the tradition of Salem’s Lot and The Exorcist comes a mesmerizing novel of murder, possession and twisted family secrets. A recovering alcoholic on the run from his past, all Billy Smith wants is to be left alone. But commanded by the voices in his head to commit acts of violence he does not understand, he kidnaps a prostitute known only as Angel and heads north to a bucolic little New England town called White Falls. Something monstrous has taken root in White Falls, and has waited centuries for the right time to awaken. Psyches begin to unravel and violence erupts. The fate of the living ultimately rests on the back of one man. For the dead are watching…And they are hungry.

From Publishers Weekly

Stephen King's influence is apparent in Kenyon's debut spooker about White Falls, Maine, a sleepy backwater mired in ordinary smalltown routines until the day that ex-con Billy Smith arrives, drawn by dreams of death and dark purpose. Accompanying Billy is Gloria Johnson, a hooker he felt compelled to kidnap; she happens to be plagued by similar dreams. Meanwhile, Jeb Taylor, a local boy, has fallen under the spell of an amulet with a sinister history reaching back almost three centuries to the town's founding. As the characters struggle to understand the amulet's malignant influence, they come to terms with their ordained roles in the impending showdown between Good and Evil. Kenyon gives his tale an impressive panoramic sweep that shows the horrors manifesting subtly and insidiously through the experiences of a large cast of characters. Though the climax is a chaotic jumble that doesn't answer all the questions raised along the way, it has an energy and enthusiasm that make up for the book's otherwise formulaic plotting. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap

An ex-con on the run from his own shattered past...a woman taken against her will...a young man consumed by rage...and a town on the edge of darkness. In White Falls, a horrifying truth is about to be uncovered that will unleash an ancient evil. Some secrets should remain buried...A recovering alcoholic, all Billy Smith wants is to be left alone. But the visions that torture his every living moment will not let him rest. Commanded by the voices in his head to commit acts of violence he does not understand, he kidnaps a prostitute known only as Angel and heads north to a bucolic little New England town called White Falls. There, the two strangers try to blend in while they struggle to understand the bizarre circumstances that have brought them together. But in this town all is not what it seems. Something monstrous has taken root in White Falls, and has waited centuries for the right time to awaken. As the town draws closer to its Spring Festival, psyches begin to unravel and violence erupts. Nobody is safe from the madness that spreads from neighbor to neighbor, kin to kin. As Billy Smith and Angel hurtle headlong towards their ultimate destiny, they find themselves in the grip of a power much greater than they can imagine. The fate of the living ultimately rests on the back of one man. For the dead are watching . . . and they are hungry.

From the Back Cover

"A dark, disturbing, white-knuckler of a page-turner." DOUGLAS CLEGG, author of The Priest of Blood and Afterlife "A stunning debut. The writing is smooth and refined, the imagery striking and vivid, and Kenyon proves adept at involving the reader and dragging him or her along for a very dark, very disturbing ride." TIM LEBBON, Bram Stoker and British Fantasy award-winning author of Face, Desolation and Berserk "Lasting horror stories explore dread and despair, regrets and wrong-turnings, that "heavy emptiness" that paradoxically fills the soul. Ultimately, then, they also explore penance and yearning, atonement and peace Meet Billy Smith, a pilgrim on the Road to Redemption. In assured prose that eschews the tawdry and respects the reader and his characters, Kenyon s ghost story shares the pain and promise of what it means to be human ... Bloodstone is the genuine article." MORT CASTLE, Editor, Writing Horror (Horror Writers of America); 4-Time Bram Stoker Award Nominee "Just the right mix of strong, involving story-telling and creepy suspense and horror. A fun read that will not let you down." RICK HAUTALA, bestselling author of over 20 novels "Bloodstone is a chilling, terrific debut with shades of Stephen King and Jim Thompson. Nate Kenyon's gripping, eerie novel will keep you up till three and sleeping with the light on thereafter." WILLIAM LANDAY, John Creasey Memorial Dagger Award-winning author of Mission Flats

About the Author

Nate Kenyon grew up in a small twon in Maine with dark nights and long winters to feed his interst in writing. His stories have appeared in various magazines an in the horror anthology Terminal Frights.

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