The Keeper: A devastating small-town horror

The town of Bedford has been forgotten after the paper mill closure, leading to alcoholism, crime, and abuse. Susan Marley haunts their dreams, but when she dies, Bedford suffers horrors more terrifying than any vision. What dark secrets has Susan Marley been keeping, and why has she come back?

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 08 February 2024
Publisher: Canelo

In the forgotten town of Bedford, a place where dreams and nightmares intertwine, Susan Marley casts a haunting presence. Once a vibrant community, the town has fallen into decay after the closure of the paper mill, leaving a trail of bitterness and despair. A decade of layoffs has taken a toll on the inhabitants, leading to alcoholism, crime, and abuse. The worst symptom, however, is the shared nightmare that plagues them every single night.

Susan Marley, an object of derision, lust, and fear, roams the town barefoot, her voice silent. But when she meets her demise, betrayed by life one final time, Bedford enters a realm of horrors that surpass any imagination. The townspeople begin to experience terrifying visions, and it becomes clear that Susan Marley holds dark secrets that have been buried deep within.

As the townspeople delve deeper into the mystery surrounding Susan Marley's return, they discover that she is not alone. Something sinister is lurking in the shadows, waiting to prey on the innocent. The lines between reality and illusion blur, and the townspeople find themselves trapped in a waking nightmare.

In this chilling small-town horror, Bram Stoker Award winner Sarah Langan weaves a tale that inhabits the mind like a dark, lingering smoke. With her poetic sensibility and a taste for horror's most bravura excesses, Langan creates a story that is both poetic and terrifying. Peter Straub, author of "Ghost Story," praises Langan's ability to combine a genuinely poetic sensibility with a taste for horror's most bravura excesses.

The Keeper is a must-read for fans of A. M. Shine and Rebecca Netley, as well as anyone who enjoys a good scare. It is a reminder that sometimes, the darkest secrets are hidden in the most ordinary places, and that sometimes, the past can come back to haunt us in ways we never could have imagined.

Weight: 270g
Dimension: 128 x 197 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781804367476