Coffin Moon - by Keith Rosson (Hardcover)

About the Book

"It's the winter of 1975, and Duane Minor, back home in Portland, Oregon, after a tour in Vietnam, is struggling to quell his anger and keep his drinking in check, keep his young marriage intact, and keep the nightmares away. Things get even more complicated when his thirteen-year-old niece, Julia, is sent across the country to live with Duane and his wife Heidi. But slowly, carefully, guided by Heidi's love and patience, the three of them are building a family. Then Minor crosses the wrong man: John Varley, a criminal with a bloody history and a trail of bodies behind him. Varley, who sleeps during the day beneath loose drifts of earth and grows teeth in the light of the moon. In an act of brutal retaliation, Varley kills Heidi, leaving Minor broken with guilt and Julia filled with rage. The two of them are left united by only one thing: the desire for vengeance. As their quest brings them into the dark orbit of immortal, undead children, silver bullet casters, and the bevy of broken men drawn to Varley's ferocity, Minor and Julia follow his path of destruction from the gritty alleyways of 1970s Portland to the desolate highways of the Northwest and the snow-lashed plains of North Dakota-only to have Varley turn his vicious power back on them. Who will prevail, who will survive, and what remains of our humanity when our thirst for revenge trumps everything else?"--

Book Synopsis

From the author of the "exciting, suspenseful, horrifying" (Stephen King) Fever House, a Vietnam veteran and his adopted niece hunt--and are hunted by--the vampire that slaughtered their family.

"Grabs you by the throat and doesn't relent."--Cassandra Khaw, author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth

It's the winter of 1975, and Portland, Oregon, is all sleet and neon. Duane Minor is back home after a tour in Vietnam, a bartender just trying to stay sober; save his marriage with his wife, Heidi; and connect with his thirteen-year-old niece, Julia, now that he's responsible for raising her. Things aren't easy, but Minor is scraping by.

Then a vampire walks into his bar and ruins his life.

When Minor crosses John Varley, a killer who sleeps during the day beneath loose drifts of earth and grows teeth in the light of the moon, Varley brutally retaliates by murdering Heidi, leaving Minor broken with guilt and Julia filled with rage. What's left of their splintered family is united by only one desire: vengeance.

So begins a furious, frenzied pursuit across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. From grimy alleyways to desolate highways to snow-lashed plains, Minor and Julia are cast into the dark orbit of undead children, silver bullet casters, and the bevy of broken men transfixed by Varley's ferocity. Everyone's out for blood.

Gritty, unforgettable, and emotionally devastating, Coffin Moon asks what will be left of our humanity when grief transmutes into violence, when monsters wear human faces, and when our thirst for revenge eclipses everything else.

Review Quotes

"Just when I thought I'd read every kind of vampire novel, here comes Keith Rosson with a story that shocks and surprises. Coffin Moon is a gritty, blood-soaked tale of revenge that's steeped in '70s grime and grounded in authentic relationships."--Jason Rekulak, New York Times bestselling author of The Last One at the Wedding

"Epic, horrific, heartbreaking, and written with a punk poet's soul, Coffin Moon reads like the pre-Near Dark, 1970s vampire novel you always wanted. Be careful what you wish for, though, because this book will leave its mark."--Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie and A Head Full of Ghosts

"Coffin Moon has just as much heart as it does savagery. This is drive-in movie fare in its highest and most exciting expression."--Nathan Ballingrud, author of Wounds and Crypt of the Moon Spider

"Rosson expertly delivers a vampire revenge noir so thick with atmosphere and aura that you'll feel it in your guts from the very first sentence." --Jason Pargin, New York Times bestselling author of John Dies at the End

"Rosson manages to prick every emotion in this vital vampire novel. . . . A wild descent into darkness, pulsing with a wounded but relentless sense of hope."--Jahmal Mayfield, author of Smoke Kings

"Coffin Moon is a vividly grimy and ruthlessly rendered tale of vampires and vengeance with two human hearts at its core. . . . Unflinching, skillful, and suffused with dread."--Chuck Hogan, New York Times bestselling author of Gangland and The Town

"Coffin Moon is a road trip to hell, fueled by the madness of grief, through a charred landscape where the pavement is slathered with blood and the red sky above is saturated with revenge."--Philip Fracassi, author of Boys in the Valley

"Keith Rosson is slowly, surely, unstoppably carving his claim on modern horror, and this bleak and bloody 'vampire vengeance' spook show is another gut-gouge in his growing oeuvre. Do NOT miss this one."--Patton Oswalt, New York Times bestselling author of Zombie Spaceship Wasteland and Silver Screen Fiend

"Grabs you by the throat and doesn't relent till the end."--Cassandra Khaw, bestselling author of Nothing but Blackened Teeth

"Keith Rosson is at the peak of his considerable talents in this sinewy, fierce tale of vengeance, vampires, and the 1970s."--Joe Hill, author of King Sorrow

"A blood-soaked and bittersweet masterpiece . . . The remarkably well-written book convinces readers to invest emotionally in all the characters, while also giving horror readers the gruesome gore they crave."--Library Journal, starred review

"Rosson expertly balances action and character development to craft an edge-of-the-seat thrill ride. Readers will be hooked."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A pulpy, entertaining throwback about bad men and real monsters."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Keith Rosson is the author of the novels Fever House, The Devil by Name, Smoke City, Road Seven, and The Mercy of the Tide, as well as the Shirley Jackson Award-winning story collection Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons. He lives in Portland, Oregon.