Ronald Malfi – författare

Aaron Decker's life changes one December morning when his wife Allison is killed. Haunted by her absence-and her ghost-Aaron goes through her belongings, where he finds a receipt for a motel room in another part of the country. Piloted by grief and an increasing sense of curiosity, Aaron embarks on a journey to discover what Allison had been doing in the weeks prior to her death.Yet Aaron is unprepared to discover the dark secrets Allison kept, the death and horror that make up the tapestry of her hidden life. And with each dark secret revealed, Aaron becomes more and more consumed by his obsession to learn the terrifying truth about the woman who had been his wife, even if it puts his own life at risk.

Five childhood friends reunite, 20 years later, in their Chesapeake fishing town and are forced to confront their own dark past as well as the curse placed upon them in this paranormal horror masterpiece from the bestselling author of Come with Me.Maybe this is a ghost story…Andrew Larimer has left his past behind. Rising up the ranks in a New York law firm, and with a heavily pregnant wife, he is settling into a new life far from Kingsport, the town in which he grew up. But when he receives a late-night phone call from an old friend, he has no choice but to return home.Coming home means returning to his late father’s house, which has seen better days. It means lying to his wife. But it also means reuniting with his friends: Eric, now the town’s deputy sheriff; Dale, a real-estate mogul living in the shadow of a failed career; his childhood sweetheart Tig who never could escape town; and poor Meach, whose ravings about a curse upon the group have driven him to drugs and alcohol.Together, the five friends will have to confront the memories—and the horror—of a night, years ago, that changed everything for them.Because Andrew and his friends have a secret. A thing they have kept to themselves for twenty years. Something no one else should know. But the past is not dead, and Kingsport is a town with secrets of its own.One dark secret...One small-town horror...

Five childhood friends reunite, 20 years later, in their Chesapeake fishing town and are forced to confront their own dark past as well as the curse placed upon them in this paranormal horror masterpiece from the bestselling author of Come with Me.Maybe this is a ghost story…Andrew Larimer has left his past behind. Rising up the ranks in a New York law firm, and with a heavily pregnant wife, he is settling into a new life far from Kingsport, the town in which he grew up. But when he receives a late-night phone call from an old friend, he has no choice but to return home.Coming home means returning to his late father’s house, which has seen better days. It means lying to his wife. But it also means reuniting with his friends: Eric, now the town’s deputy sheriff; Dale, a real-estate mogul living in the shadow of a failed career; his childhood sweetheart Tig who never could escape town; and poor Meach, whose ravings about a curse upon the group have driven him to drugs and alcohol.Together, the five friends will have to confront the memories—and the horror—of a night, years ago, that changed everything for them.Because Andrew and his friends have a secret. A thing they have kept to themselves for twenty years. Something no one else should know. But the past is not dead, and Kingsport is a town with secrets of its own.One dark secret...One small-town horror...

An epic, Lovecraftian horror novel in the vein of Black River Orchard and American Elsewhere about a small town that becomes obsessed with a series of random objects left strewn across their town in the aftermath of a storm. From the Bram Stoker award-nominated and bestselling author of Come with Me.The residents of Mariner's Cove are changing...In the aftermath of a violent storm, a collective obsession is rapidly developing among the people of this quaint suburban neighborhood. Random, everyday items left scattered upon the lawns, the streets, and the shoreline all seem to call out to them. There is an item for almost everyone, and each item has a certain hold over the person who finds it-a hold that soon turns into unwavering infatuation. They hide their items from each other, obsess over them, and they will do anything-anything-to protect them.The collective hum of bees' wings...A young boy finds himself the possessor of a strange and inexplicable power. Is the arrival of this power linked to the increasingly odd and dangerous behavior of the residents of Mariner's Cove? Has he been granted this power in order to thwart whatever is about to happen in this small, bayside community, or is there a more sinister purpose?All hail the Dragon...All eyes are on him now.The residents of Mariner's Cove are watching.They move as one, like a solitary organism, and will do anything to succeed in their single-minded purpose.They will not be stopped.

The Bram Stoker Award finalist delivers a chilling horror novel of a childhood revisited, memories resurrected, and fears reborn.

Years ago, Laurie escaped the troubled house where she was raised. Now she is returning, with her husband and ten-year-old daughter, to claim the estate. But even though her father exorcised his demons in a final act of desperation, the past refuses to die. Laurie can feel it lurking in the broken moldings and empty picture frames. She even hears it laughing in the moldy greenhouse deep in the woods . . .

At first, Laurie thinks she’s imagining things. But when she meets her daughter’s new playmate, she notices her uncanny resemblance to another little girl who used to live next door—and died next door. As Laurie’s uneasiness grows stronger, her thoughts get more disturbing. Is she slowly losing her mind like her father did? Or is something truly unspeakable happening?

One man’s gifted daughter may be the cure to a mysterious illness causing hallucinations and death in this horror novel by the author of Little Girls.

First the birds disappeared.

Then the insects took over.

And the madness began . . .

They call it Wanderer’s Folly—a disease of delusions, of daydreams and nightmares. A plague threatening to wipe out humanity.

After two years of creeping decay, David Arlen woke up one morning thinking that the worst was over. By midnight, he’s bleeding and terrified, his wife is dead, and he’s on the run in a stolen car with his eight-year-old daughter, who may be the key to a cure.

Ellie is a special girl. Deep. Insightful. And she knows David is lying to her. Lying about her mother. Lying about what they’re running from. And lying about what he sees when he takes his eyes off the road . . .

Praise for the writing of Ronald Malfi

“Best horror novel of the year.” —Hunter Shea 

“Slowly but surely creeps under your skin.” —The Horror Bookshelf

“An emotionally compelling and interesting read.” —Booklist 

“A beautiful and ultimately terrifying story.” —Shotgun Logic

A landscape of frozen darkness punctuated by grim, gray days.The feeling like a buzz in your teeth.The scrape of bone on bone. . .Paul Gallo saw the report on the news: a mass murderer leading police to his victims’ graves, in remote Dread’s Hand, Alaska.It’s not even a town; more like the bad memory of a town. The same bit of wilderness where his twin brother went missing a year ago. As the bodies are exhumed, Paul travels to Alaska to get closure and put his grief to rest.But the mystery is only beginning. What Paul finds are superstitious locals who talk of the devil stealing souls, and a line of wooden crosses to keep what’s in the woods from coming out. He finds no closure because no one can explain exactly what happened to Danny.And the more he searches for answers, the more he finds himself becoming part of the mystery. . .Praise for Little Girls“Best horror novel of the year.” —Hunter Shea“Much more than a haunted house story.” —Cemetery Dance“Takes well-known tropes and completely turns them around.” —IHeartReading

In the tradition of Stephen King's The Stand, acclaimed horror writer Ronald Malfi takes readers on a nightmarish journey through a post-pandemic landscape, as a devoted father seeks a safe haven for his young daughter, who may hold the key to humanity's survival...First the birds disappeared. Then the insects took over. And the madness began…They call it Wanderer’s Folly—a disease of delusions, of daydreams and nightmares. A plague threatening to wipe out the human race.After two years of creeping decay, David Arlen woke up one morning thinking that the worst was over. By midnight, he’s bleeding and terrified, his wife is dead, and he’s on the run in a stolen car with his eight-year-old daughter, who may be the key to a cure.Ellie is a special girl. Deep. Insightful. And she knows David is lying to her. Lying about her mother. Lying about what they're running from. And lying about what he sees when he takes his eyes off the road…

"Deserves to stand alongside a Stephen King or a Dean Koontz—at their best . . . A mature horror yarn" from the award-winning author of Bone White (New York Journal of Books). Horror writer Travis Glasgow and his wife, Jodie, have bought their first house in Westlake, Maryland, just steps from Travis''s older brother''s home. Travis is buoyed by the thought of renewing his relationship with his estranged sibling and overcoming the darkness from his past. But the house has other plans for him. Travis is soon awakened by noises in the night and finds watery footprints in the basement that lead him to the nearby lake, which has a strange staircase emerging from its depths. When Travis discovers that a former occupant of his house—a ten-year-old boy—drowned in the lake, he draws connections to his own childhood tragedy. As his brother and wife warn him to leave well enough alone, Travis is pulled into a dark obsession, following the house''s secrets to the floating staircase—and into the depths of madness… "A modern classic ranking among some of the best supernatural affairs ever committed to print…. The story and setting sizzle to life through Malfi''s unparalleled literary talent."—Dreadful Tales "Malfi gives a few deft twists to the traditional haunted house theme with eerie, unpredictable, and exciting results."—Publishers Weekly "Profoundly moving, terrifying and life-affirming, this is a glorious example of what the genre of horror fiction can accomplish in the right hands."—Horror Novel Reviews

"Some ''old school'' horror storytelling of the highest degree" from the award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Bone White (Bloody Disgusting).They come in with the snow. They are the snow . . . The blizzard begins pummeling the Midwest on Christmas Eve, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at Chicago''s O''Hare International Airport. Todd Curry doesn''t need another reason to disappoint his son, so he joins three other people in renting the last four-wheel drive available and they set out into the blinding snow. Only two hours into the treacherous trip west, Todd swerves to avoid a man in the middle of the highway. The stranger claims his daughter is lost somewhere out in the snow. Though his odd demeanor and ripped clothes make Todd and his group uneasy, they agree to take the man to the nearest town—if the now-damaged car can make it. What awaits them at the next exit, however, is nothing they could have imagined. Around an empty town square, fires burn, cars are abandoned, storefronts are smashed. And there is no one to be seen—for now… But soon the shadows lurking on the edges of their vision will step into the light, and Todd and his fellow travelers will find themselves facing a sharp-scythed evil shaped from the snow, tearing its way into human form—and taking the neighborhood by storm.

"A complex and chilling tale of friends, family and the often murderous secrets that hide in the dark" from the award-winning author of Bone White (Robert McCammon, New York Times–bestselling author). The Piper has come to take the children away… In the fall of 1993, fifteen-year-old Angelo Mazzone sees his first dead body. The murder is linked to the Piper, the possible abductor of three other children—who haven''t been found—over the past few months. Some people in town say the woods are haunted, but Angelo and his friends head in anyway, to search the darkness for a monster. What they find there will change who they are—and everything they once believed in… "A frightening, thoroughly engaging read…that needle[s] the mind and tug at the heart in the best way…. A triumph of suspense, an affectionate ode to adolescence and by far Ronald Malfi''s strongest effort to date."—Horror Novel Reviews "Feels a bit like Stephen King crossed with Dennis Lehane…. Horror and crime fans will find much to like here."—Booklist

A Tibetan climbing expedition turns into an experiment in torture, destruction, and death in this survival thriller by the award-winning, bestselling author."If you love thrillers that keep you guessing, this is a must read." —Suspense MagazineSix months after he almost died in a caving accident, sculptor Tim Overleigh spends his time crutching his broken body from bar to bar in downtown Annapolis. He has told no one that it was his dead wife, Hannah, who helped him survive—and that he''s still seeing her… But a chance meeting with an old friend—and a plane ticket to Kathmandu—reawaken Tim''s passion for adventure. He agrees to join an expedition to one of the last unexplored places on earth: the Canyon of Souls in the Himalayas. The daunting climb will pit Tim and the other climbers against icy winds, mysterious forces, and the ghosts that live within each of them. "Malfi, like the great documentarians, really makes us feel as though we are there. Another fine effort from this increasingly interesting writer."—Booklist

From the award-winning, bestselling author of Bone White: "Riveting, idiosyncratic horror at its best . . . Leaves readers breathless with anticipation" (Fresh Fiction).New beginnings… In the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains, an aging house leaves much to be desired, but Alan Hammerstun hopes it will be the fresh start he and his wife, Heather, need after her two miscarriages and later suicide attempt. But Heather remains distant and depressed, and Alan is soon drawn to the woods behind the house—and the small lake hidden there. When he sees an injured child healed by its waters after being hit by a car, Alan discovers the town''s greatest secret. But for every benefit the lake bestows, it demands an exacting price. And when Alan dares to defy the warnings, an ancient evil enters his house and his mind, spawning nightmares and paranoia. Soon, nothing is off limits to its malignant power—even Alan''s wife… "A haunting and terrifying novel of madness and despair."—Horror News Network"Malfi deftly maintains the tension and engrossing atmosphere of horror by stepping up the pace and frequency of bizarre events…as Alan spins out of control."—Publishers Weekly

“A complex and chilling tale of friends, family and the often murderous secrets that hide in the dark” from the award-winning author of Bone White (Robert McCammon, New York Times–bestselling author).  The Piper has come to take the children away . . .   In the fall of 1993, fifteen-year-old Angelo Mazzone sees his first dead body. The murder is linked to the Piper, the possible abductor of three other children—who haven’t been found—over the past few months.   Some people in town say the woods are haunted, but Angelo and his friends head in anyway, to search the darkness for a monster. What they find there will change who they are—and everything they once believed in . . .   “A frightening, thoroughly engaging read with a deeply moving series of narrative motifs running throughout, ones that needle the mind and tug at the heart in the best way . . . A triumph of suspense, an affectionate ode to adolescence and by far Ronald Malfi’s strongest effort to date.” —Horror Novel Reviews   “Malfi is a man of many voices, a sort of literary version of Mel Blanc (the ‘man of a thousand voices’), but all of his voices are captivating, though none of them quite the same. Horror and crime fans will find much to like here.” —Booklist

A group of friends return to their hometown to confront a nightmare they first stumbled on as teenagers in this mesmerising odyssey of terror. An atmospheric, haunting page-turner from the bestselling author of Come with MeFor nearly two decades, Jamie Warren has been running from darkness. He's haunted by a traumatic childhood and the guilt at having disappeared from his disabled brother's life. But then a series of unusual events reunites him with his estranged brother and their childhood friends, and none of them can deny the sense of fate that has seemingly drawn them back together.Nor can they deny the memories of that summer, so long ago - the strange magic taught to them by an even stranger man, and the terrible act that has followed them all into adulthood. In the light of new danger, they must confront their past by facing their futures, and hunting down a man who may very well be a monster.

Four brand-new horror novellas from "a modern-day Algernon Blackwood" all about books, stories, manuscripts - the written word has never had sharper teeth...BOOKS CAN BE DEADLYFrom the bestselling author of Come with Me, four standalone horror novellas set in a shared universe!In The Skin of Her Teeth, a cursed novel drives people to their deaths. A delivery job turns deadly in The Dark Brothers' Last Ride.In This Book Belongs to Olo, a lonely child has dangerous control over an usual pop-up book.A choose-your-own adventure game spirals into an uncanny reality in The Story.Full of creepy, page-turning suspense, these collected novellas are perfect for fans of Paul Tremblay, Stephen King and Joe Hill. .

From the bestselling author of Come with Me, five collected novellas from the master of terror, featuring possession, parasites and something monstrous lurking outside...COME CLOSER...Five terrifying collected horror novellas newly reissued from the "modern-day Algernon Blackwood".SkullbellyA private detective is hired after three teenagers disappear in a forest and uncovers a terrible local secret.The SeparationMarcus arrives in Germany to find his friend up-and-coming prizefighter Charlie in a deep depression. But soon Charlie's behavior grows increasingly bizarre. Is he suffering from a nervous breakdown, or are otherworldly forces at work?The StrangerSet a rural Florida parking lot, David returns to his car to find a stranger sat behind the wheel. The doors are locked and there's a gun on the dashboard. And that was when then the insanity started...After the FadeA girl walked into a small Annapolis tavern, collapsed and died. Something had latched itself to the base of her skull. And it didn't arrive alone.Now, the patrons of The Fulcrum are trapped, held prisoner within the tavern's walls by monstrous things, trying to find their way in.And one more novella to be revealed!

A page-turning, supernaturally-tinged LA puzzle-box thriller - Zodiac with teeth, from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated and bestselling author of Come with Me. Perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Lauren Beukes.What do you see...?When the mutilated body of a young woman is discovered in the desert on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the detective assigned to the case can't deny the similarities between this murder and one that occurred a year prior. Media outlets are quick to surmise this is the work of a budding serial killer, but Detective Bill Renney is struggling with an altogether different scenario: a secret that keeps him tethered to the husband of the first victim.What do you hear...?Maureen Park, newly engaged to Hollywood producer Greg Dawson, finds her engagement party crashed by the arrival of Landon, Greg's son. A darkly unsettling young man, Landon invades Maureen's new existence, and the longer he stays, the more convinced she becomes that he may have something to do with the recent murder in the high desert.What do you feel...?Toby Kampen, the self-proclaimed Human Fly, begins an obsession over a woman who is unlike anyone he has ever met. A woman with rattlesnake teeth and a penchant for biting. A woman who has trapped him in her spell. A woman who may or may not be completely human.In Ronald Malfi's brand-new thriller, these three storylines converge to create a tapestry of deceit, distrust, and unapologetic horror. A brand-new novel of dark suspense set in the City of Angels, as only "horror's Faulkner" can tell it.

A page-turning, supernaturally-tinged LA puzzle-box thriller - Zodiac with teeth, from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated and bestselling author of Come with Me. Perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Lauren Beukes. What do you see...?When the mutilated body of a young woman is discovered in the desert on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the detective assigned to the case can't deny the similarities between this murder and one that occurred a year prior. Media outlets are quick to surmise this is the work of a budding serial killer, but Detective Bill Renney is struggling with an altogether different scenario: a secret that keeps him tethered to the husband of the first victim.What do you hear...?Maureen Park, newly engaged to Hollywood producer Greg Dawson, finds her engagement party crashed by the arrival of Landon, Greg's son. A darkly unsettling young man, Landon invades Maureen's new existence, and the longer he stays, the more convinced she becomes that he may have something to do with the recent murder in the high desert.What do you feel...?Toby Kampen, the self-proclaimed Human Fly, begins an obsession over a woman who is unlike anyone he has ever met. A woman with rattlesnake teeth and a penchant for biting. A woman who has trapped him in her spell. A woman who may or may not be completely human. In Ronald Malfi's brand-new thriller, these three storylines converge to create a tapestry of deceit, distrust, and unapologetic horror. A brand-new novel of dark suspense set in the City of Angels, as only "horror's Faulkner" can tell it.

An epic, otherworldly horror novel in the vein of Black River Orchard and American Elsewhere about a wave of collective obsession and paranoia taking over an American suburb. From the Bram Stoker award-nominated and bestselling author of Come with Me.The residents of Mariner’s Cove are changing…In the aftermath of a violent storm, a collective obsession is rapidly developing among the people of this quaint suburban neighborhood. Random, everyday items left scattered upon the lawns, the streets, and the shoreline all seem to call out to them. There is an item for almost everyone, and each item has a certain hold over the person who finds it—a hold that soon turns into unwavering infatuation. They hide their items from each other, obsess over them, and they will do anything—anything—to protect them.The collective hum of bees’ wings...A young boy finds himself the possessor of a strange and inexplicable power. Is the arrival of this power linked to the increasingly odd and dangerous behavior of the residents of Mariner’s Cove? Has he been granted this power in order to thwart whatever is about to happen in this small, bayside community, or is there a more sinister purpose?All hail the Dragon...All eyes are on him now.The residents of Mariner’s Cove are watching.They move as one, like a solitary organism, and will do anything to succeed in their single-minded purpose.They will not be stopped.

A landscape of frozen darkness. The scrape of bone on bone.'Malfi is a modern-day Algernon Blackwood. I'm gonna be talking about this book for years' Josh Malerman, author of Bird BoxPaul Gallo saw the report on the news: a mass murderer leading police to his victims' graves, in remote Dread's Hand, Alaska.It's not even a town; more like the bad memory of a town. The same bit of wilderness where his twin brother went missing a year ago. As the bodies are exhumed, Paul travels to Alaska to get closure and put his grief to rest.But the mystery is only beginning. What Paul finds are superstitious locals who talk of the devil stealing souls, and a line of wooden crosses surrounding the woods. Not to honour the dead, but to keep what's lurks there from escapingAn edge of your seat thrill ride from a true master of modern horror, perfect for fans of Paul Tremblay, Adam Nevill and T. Kingfisher.

A woman returns to her childhood home to face up to the ghosts of her past in this chilling and unsettling novel from the bestselling author of Come With Me"It's your house now."Following the horrific death of her father, Laurie Genarro returns to her childhood home along with her husband Ted, and their daughter Susan. Her father was always a cold and distant man, and as dementia took hold of him in final months of his life he grew more and more paranoid.Laurie soon discovers that he has left the house in a terrible state: pages are torn from books on the shelves, floorboards have been cracked and gouged and holes punched in the walls. The belvedere at the top of the house, the place from which her father leapt to his death, is locked, and the imposing greenhouse in the woods-the one that sends a shiver through her when she sees it again-is somehow still standing.And then her daughter introduces her to her new friend Abigail, a friend who seems to remind Laurie so much of another little girl, one who should be dead. Because the house has long held secrets for Laurie, things she has tried to bury ever since she was young and now it seems they are coming to the surface.

A creepy and atmospheric slice of small town horror from the Bram Stoker award finalist and bestselling author of Come With Me. Perfect for readers of Christopher Golden and fans of Mike Flanagan. In the aftermath of a terrible storm, the town of Stillwater, Maryland tries to recover what it has lost. From flooded roads and houses to ruined businesses—the residents of the town begin to clean up and return to normal. In the midst of the clean-up, people begin to see things. Matthew Crawly spies his father in the woodlands above the Narrows, but that cannot be possible; Maggie Quedentock nearly hits a child with her car, only to find an empty road lying before her; and in the middle of it all, Sergeant Ben Journell is thrust into an impossible investigation. Animals are being slaughtered, their brains systematically removed from their bodies. Something is happening to the town of Stillwater…something dark and ancient and evil has its grip on everyone.The saying goes, still waters run deep, but no one in Stillwater is prepared for just how deep they run, and no one can possibly be ready for what they might find waiting for them in the dark.

Twenty haunting stories from the Bram Stoker Award nominated, and bestselling author of Come With Me.A man leaves rehab and tries to make a new life for himself, only to find the past closing in on him. A married couple on holiday have a bizarre encounter with a shiver of sharks. And, on Halloween night, a young boy learns the truth of the world from the strange and unsettling Mr Trueheart.From London to Baltimore and many places in between, these stories claw through reality to find the horror deep within.In Ronald Malfi's debut short story collection, the shadows in the dark are ever moving, ever hungry, and the darkness that lurks beneath the surface is never too far away...