Malice House (The Malice Compendium)

From New York Times bestselling author Megan Shepherd comes a complex tale of dark magic, family secrets, and monsters that don’t stay on the page. “A propulsively charming nightmare, pooling like spilled ink across your imagination.” ― Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Hide“Haunting and beautifully written . . . an exploration of the mysterious power of stories.” ―Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls and The Last to Vanish“One step away from our world lies another: a land of violent fantasies, of sharp-toothed delights. . . .”Of all the things aspiring artist Haven Marbury expected to find while clearing out her late father’s remote seaside house, Bedtime Stories for Monsters was not on the list. This secret handwritten manuscript is disturbingly different from his Pulitzer-winning works: its interweaving short stories crawl with horrific monsters and enigmatic humans that exist somewhere between this world and the next. The stories unsettle but also entice Haven, practically compelling her to illustrate them while she stays in the house that her father warned her was haunted. Clearly just dementia whispering in his ear . . . right?Reeling from a failed marriage, Haven hopes an illustrated Bedtime Stories can be the lucrative posthumous father-daughter collaboration she desperately needs to jump-start her art career. However, everyone in the nearby vacation town wants a piece of the manuscript: her father’s obsessive literary salon members, the Ink Drinkers; her mysterious yet charming neighbor, who has a tendency toward three a.m. bonfires; a young barista with a literary forgery business; and of course, whoever keeps trying to break into her house. But when a monstrous creature appears under Haven’s bed right as grisly deaths are reported in the nearby woods, she must race to uncover dark, otherworldly family secrets―completely rewriting everything she ever knew about herself in the process.

Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls and The Perfect Stranger

“Haunting and atmospheric, Megan Shepherd expertly blends horror and suspense in her captivating book-within-a-book adult debut. Beautifully written and steeped in Gothic lore, Malice House explores themes of family and legacy, magic and curses, and the mysterious power of stories.”

Katherine Howe, New York Times bestselling author of Conversion and The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

"Gripping, chilling, creepy, and enthralling, Megan Shepherd's new thriller Malice House channels Shirley Jackson, if Shirley Jackson knew how to make me check under the bed every night before going to sleep. Malice House is a must for readers who love gothic horror, creaking old houses, attics overflowing with dark secrets, or for anyone who has ever secretly suspected that there is an entire other universe hovering just out of reach."

Chuck Wendig, NYT bestselling author of Wanderers and the Star Wars: The Aftermath trilogy

“This book, like Malice House itself, contains many secrets, and you will read it voraciously to try to find and consume them all. May it compel you as swiftly as it compelled me."

made up of even more twisted tales

“In her adult debut, Shepherd (Midnight Beauties) conjures up a twisted tale

Booklist (starred)

“All is not what it seems at Malice House, and Shepherd uses the conventions of a gothic haunted-house tale to keep readers on the edge of their seats. In her adult debut, bestselling young adult author Shepherd has written an intensely spooky and scary tale about the power of stories and the art of creation. Highly recommended."

Shea Ernshaw, New York Timesbestselling author of A History of Wild Places

"Each word of this novel felt like a blade down the spine, chilling and haunting and perfectly crafted. Megan Shepherd weaves a story like no one else, and Malice House is no exception."

Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Hide

"Shepherd's deft adult debut is a propulsively charming nightmare, pooling like spilled ink across your imagination. Count me a happy resident of Malice House amidst all its monsters."

Elle Cosimano, USA Today bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

“Utterly original and exquisitely terrifying, Malice House unfolds like a carefully crafted mystery. Every twist and reveal drew me deeper into its walls and the monsters within refused to let me go. Like a bone-chilling Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children for grown-ups.”

Gwenda Bond, New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds

“Turn on all the lights before you start Malice House, and plan to stay up late. Megan Shepherd's novel is a sophisticated, gothic tale that will keep readers turning the pages and guessing what's next until the very end.”

Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows

“Beyond phenomenal! This book scratched an itch I’ve had since reading Night Film years ago. I adored every second! Malice, and all its denizens, are going to linger with me for a very, very long time to come!”

Bookreporter

“Megan Shepherd crafts a seriously tight mystery with plenty of red herrings, shocking twists and even a few jump scares, making it a chilling thriller with a totally immersive setting. At the same time, it is a deliciously dark fantasy that is a true testament to the power of stories and perfect for any book lover who has ever wanted to step inside a book or has been obsessed with a favorite author (bad idea, says Haven). Haunting, full of secrets and strangely charming, Malice House is perfect for readers of Leigh Bardugo, Shea Ernshaw and Katherine Howe.”

About the Author

Megan Shepherd is a New York Times best-selling and Carnegie Medal–nominated author who grew up in her family’s independent bookstore in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of many acclaimed novels and now lives and writes on a historic farm outside Asheville, North Carolina, with her family, an especially scruffy dog, and several ghosts.Author Website: https://www.meganshepherd.com

Reviews

News