What Kind of Mother: A Novel

A New York Times Book Review Best Horror of 2023 selection. “Packed with profoundly unsettling scenes that’ll slither under your skin and stay there long after you turn the last page.”—Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You HomeAfter striking out on her own as a teen mom, Madi Price is forced to return to her hometown of Brandywine, Virginia, with her seventeen-year-old daughter. With nothing to her name, she scrapes together a living as a palm reader at the local farmers market.  It’s there that she connects with old high school flame Henry McCabe, now a reclusive local fisherman whose infant son, Skyler, went missing five years ago. Everyone in town is sure Skyler is dead, but when Madi reads Henry’s palm, she’s haunted by strange and disturbing visions that suggest otherwise. As she follows the thread of these visions, Madi discovers a terrifying nightmare waiting at the center of the labyrinth—and it’s coming for everyone she holds dear.Combining supernatural horror with domestic suspense into a visceral exploration of parental grief, What Kind of Mother cements Clay McLeod Chapman's reputation as a “star” (Vulture) and “the twenty-first century’s Richard Matheson” (Richard Chizmar, Chasing the Boogeyman.)

Gabino Iglesias, New York Times Book Review

“Packed with profoundly unsettling scenes that’ll slither under your skin and stay there long after you turn the last page.”

Library Journal

“Chapman (Ghost Eaters) is becoming a not-to-miss horror novelist.”

Booklist

“Perfectly paced."

Den of Geek

“A Southern Gothic masquerading as a crime thriller…this is intelligent literary horror great for chilly nights in.”

Locus Magazine

“A story that’s as harrowing as it is sad and strange, What Kind of Mother is a superb addition to McLeod’s catalog and proof that he is quickly becoming one of the strongest voices in contemporary horror fiction.”

Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial

“An ink-black story about grief, courage, and what we’ll do for those we love.”

Caroline Kepnes, New York Times best-selling author of the You series

“A good old-fashioned salty summer scare about the beautiful, terrifying power of belief.”

Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts

“What Kind of Mother mixes Southern Gothic, a missing child story, and body horror into an entertaining brew sure to inform your nightmares.”

Ronald Malfi, best-selling author of Come with Me

“A tremendous, heartbreaking work of dark fiction, where the horror seeps in quietly until you’re left drowning. You won’t forget about this tale anytime soon. A masterpiece.”

in this strange, poetic, and gut-wrenching portrait of parenthood.”

“I’m not sure how Clay McLeod Chapman manages to be both tremendously tender and brilliantly hideous in What Kind of Mother, but he does

Rachel Harrison, national best-selling author of Cackle and Such Sharp Teeth

“Another stunner . . . one of horror’s modern masters. Beautifully written, deftly plotted, and completely engrossing, What Kind of Mother will get under your skin and take your breath away and break your heart and chill you to the bone.”

Sarah Gailey, best-selling author of Just Like Home

“What Kind of Mother is a deeply unsettling, oddly sweet book about what love can become.”

a beautiful, intimate work. Clay Chapman is the storyteller supreme, and I will follow him anywhere.”

“What Kind of Mother is a masterpiece

Erin E. Adams, author of Jackal

“Equal parts terrifying and beautiful. Chapman crafts a folk tale that slides under your skin and burrows its way into your heart. Visceral. Surprising. Stunning. Not to be missed.”

Rachel Eve Moulton, author of The Insatiable Volt Sisters Praise for Clay McLeod Chapman

“What Kind of Mother will make you pace the room, reconsider your own sanity, and question the stubborn instinct to nurture.”

Mystery and Suspense Magazine

“Chapman is a maestro at building grim suspense to the point of unimaginable consequences, proving genuine horror dwells in the world we live in today.”

Richard Chizmar, New York Times best-selling author of Chasing the Boogeyman

"Chapman is the 21st century’s Richard Matheson. He’s that good.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

ONEGive me your hand.     Such a simple invitation. I’ve asked it many times of many people over the last year. Folks tend to forget how intimate the act is, how vulnerable you become when you surrender your palm to another. Especially to someone like me. The tender flesh of your wrist, the meat of your palm, the peninsulas of your fingers. Their secrets hidden from you but exposed to me.     I’ll guide you there, but first you need to . . .    Give me your hand.

About the Author

Clay McLeod Chapman writes novels, comic books, and children's books, as well as for film and TV. He is the author of the horror novels The Remaking, Whisper Down the Lane, and Ghost Eaters. He also co-wrote Quiet Part Loud, a horror podcast produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw for Spotify. Visit him at claymcleodchapman.com.

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