Carry Me to My Grave

Description:

From New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden comes a high concept horror novel about a man trying to protect his dead mother's body from the evil that is hunting them.

Maggie Wise will take your eyes.

When Malcolm was growing up, the local kids made up that chant about his mother, claiming she was a witch. He and his siblings did their best to ignore it. Now, Maggie is dying, and those same siblings have left Malcolm and his sister-in-law Violet to hold a vigil at her bedside.

But they're not as alone as they think they are. A dark figure waits and watches from beneath the willow tree across the street. Hundreds of miles away, an ancient evil stirs in its burrow under a farmer's cornfield. Across the country, other buried things begin to dream in anticipation of Maggie's demise. On her deathbed, the old woman elicits a promise from Malcolm, her youngest child―when she dies, he and Violet must return her body to her birthplace in Shediak, Maine.

From the moment she takes her last breath, before her remains are even loaded aboard the baggage car of the Imperial Limited, there are forces trying to stop Malcolm from fulfilling that promise. Violence erupts on the train, evil preys on its passengers, and once the sun goes down, those long-buried things are coming to make Maggie Wise pay for her past. God help anyone who stands in their way.

Brief description: Christopher Golden is the New York Times bestselling and Bram Stoker award-winning author of Ararat, All Hallows, Road of Bones, and Snowblind, among many other novels. He is the co-creator of two cult favorite comic book series, Baltimore and Joe Golem: Occult Detective. He is also the editor of such anthologies as Seize the Night and The New Dead, and won the Shirley Jackson Award for coediting The Twisted Book of Shadows. He lives in Massachusetts.

Review Quotes:

"Combining a genuinely creepy plot with grounded and relatable characters, this 1956-set horror outing from bestseller Golden shines... Golden skillfully integrates supernatural elements into the leads' harrowing cross-country road trip." --Publishers Weekly

"Some books are made from equal parts blood and adrenaline and wonder. Carry Me to My Grave is all of that, with heart to burn. " --Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians

"A deeply unsettling horror novel that reads like a high-intensity thriller, Carry Me to the Grave is unputdownable. A dark and mysterious mother, a promise made on a deathbed, an edge-of-your-seat train adventure, and terrifying ancient evil are all thrown into Christopher Golden's writing cauldron, and what comes out is pure magic. Don't miss this one!" --Jennifer McMahon, New York Times bestselling author of The Winter People and My Darling Girl

"Carry Me to My Grave is an absolute barnburner of a book, giving us mystery, dread, action, deliciously complicated family dynamics, fight scenes that would be at home in an Indiana Jones or Repairman Jack adventure, monsters that would make TED Klein and Clive Barker cheer, and even some good old-fashioned smoldering romance. Once this train gets rolling, there's no stopping it. Golden has outdone himself with this one." --Nat Cassidy, USA Today bestselling author of When the Wolf Comes Home and Mary

"A thrilling odyssey with death in tow. Golden loads Carry Me to My Grave with fisticuffs, witchcraft, fiends, and fraught relationships from start to finish in a non-stop gauntlet. Go off the rails with this crazy train." --Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of All the Hearts You Eat

"Carry Me To My Grave is a propulsive combustion engine of horror, akin to a cosmic Faulkner--imagine a supernatural As I Lay Dying--that also captures the fragile humanity of Bradbury. This novel never rests, and you won't either, once you start reading it, racing towards the end of one of Christopher Golden's absolute best." --Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

"Extremely bloody and profoundly moving, this is a heartbreaking tale of a son's promise to his mother and the dangerous secrets that make his task increasingly perilous. Christopher Golden is always outstanding, but Carry Me to My Grave is one of his best." --Christina Henry, author of The Place Where They Buried Your Heart

"Harrowing, terrifying, and utterly gripping, Carry Me to My Grave is a brilliantly written nightmare that will burrow deep into your subconscious. Christopher Golden's deft weaving of familial love, juxtaposed alongside the stark brutalities of survival, creates an atmosphere as poignant as it is chilling." --Monika Kim, author of The Eyes are the Best Part and Molka

"Golden writes horror the way it should be written: propulsive, relentless, and monstrous. With prose as sharp as bones and tension that creeps under your skin and tangles through your veins, Carry Me to My Grave takes root in the dark--and refuses to die. A roaring, bloody, feral ride." --Lindy Ryan, author of Dollface and Bless Your Heart

Additional Praise for Christopher Golden:

"A tense, chaotic horror novel that moves like a thriller... Outstanding." --New York Times on The Night Birds

"Golden showcases his gift for eerie scene setting in this outstanding horror novel... A tense, atmospheric thriller." --Publishers Weekly, starred review, on The Night Birds

"Combines the thrill of survival horror, the wince of body horror, and the spine-tingling chill of the occult. Golden's skill is on full display here as he crafts crackling action scenes, a horrifying creature, great dialogue, and an inclusive cast of characters." --Library Journal, starred review, on The Night Birds

"Drenched with unease from the opening pages... Heartbreakingly beautiful, filled with action, evil, shape-shifting witches, superior world building, and visceral terror, this is a tale where every detail matters... A strong choice for horror or thriller readers." --Booklist, starred review, on The Night Birds

"Golden's clean narrative keeps the mystery moving right along, with some compelling twists and turns along the way." --Variety on The Night Birds

"Golden's frenzied tale of demons and exorcisms is fast-paced, his portrayal of the insidiousness of possession is unsettling and it all comes together in a thrilling closing act." - New York Times on The House of Last Resort

"An essential read for horror and supernatural thriller fans." -- Library Journal (Starred) on Road of Bones

"Golden is writing at the top of his game." --Publishers Weekly (starred) on Road of Bones

"Christopher Golden's Road of Bones is tightly wound, atmospheric, and creepy as hell... I loved it." --Stephen King

"Golden evokes chills without relying on clichés and makes suspending disbelief easy through skillful characterizations of the leads. Horror fans should check this out." --Publishers Weekly on The House of Last Resort

"This new take on the exorcism tale adds spirits, desiccated corpses, and disgusting rats to the mix, making every page drip with terrifying imagery. It's a great choice for avid horror fans." --Booklist on The House of Last Resort

"The king of horror thrillers does it again. With this thoroughly modern exorcism story, Golden will make you believe in the existence of true evil." --Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor, on The House of Last Resort