The Missing - by Sarah Langan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A virus infects a small Maine town, unleashing an apocalypse in this Bram Stoker Award-winning horror novel.

It is always hungry; it is never satisfied . . .

It laid waste to the town of Bedford, Maine. A cocktail of toxic chemicals conjured up by the runoff product of a paper mill. But that was merely one ingredient of the poison that killed Bedford's people, whose lives were haunted by their unforgivable sins.

Now, the neighboring community of Corpus Christi is facing its own epidemic. A fourth-grader vanished during a field trip to Bedford's woods. And when he returned, he wasn't alone. Something took possession of him, driving him to hunt and . . . feed. He carries a contagion that spreads with every bite, turning wounded victims into predatory monsters.

Town librarian Meg Wintrob has her own problems when the virus comes. Her marriage is hanging by a thread. Her teen daughter wants to run away. It was an ordinary suburb with ordinary problems--until it wasn't. As the sick begin to outnumber the healthy, Meg will need to find a way out. Because this virus infects more than the body; it eats the soul.

"With The Missing, Sarah Langan solidifies her position alongside Joe Hill, Tim Lebbon, Tom Piccirilli, and a handful of others as one of the best dark fiction writers of our generation." --Brian Keene, Bram Stoker Award-winning author

"The Missing is reminiscent of Stephen King's Salem's Lot with wicked drops of Koontz, Barker and Straub. Sarah Langan is the new jack-o'-lantern on the doorstep. Walk around her cautiously." --Madison Country Herald

Review Quotes

"A powerhouse creepfest that recalls, in the best way possible, the early work of Stephen King. . . . Langan has the control of a pro, parsing just enough horrific details to allow the truly gruesome scenes to play out unbound in the imagination; this solid sophomore effort proves that The Keeper's disturbing ability to burrow into readers' heads and stay there was no fluke." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Langan has a sharp eye for the small, vivid details of American life, and her characters are utterly believable." --The Times (London)

"Ms. Langan succeeds in delivering a masterpiece." --J. G. Faherty

"Reads like any of the superior works of King, McCammon, or Barker." --Craig Davis, Hellnotes

"An outstanding page-turner that sidesteps the more dogged cliches while celebrating others with grandeur gore." --Starburst

"Lovingly gruesome descriptions, and the characters are richly detailed." --SFX

"This is a writer who actually gets better with each word that flows from her blood-soaked pen . . . Like King and Straub and Koontz before her, Langan proves that she's no one-hit wonder and is in this for the long haul." --Vince Liaguno, Dark Scribe

"The Missing is an excellent book. . . . A well-written, highly disturbing novel of evil at its worst." --Romance Reviews Today

"The Missing is horror at its shocking best. . . . Hair-raising, and like any nightmare it will linger long after you've reached the end." --Darque Reviews

"Chilling horror at its finest! . . . A great read by a very talented new voice in the horror genre." --Fresh Fiction

"This battle of good versus evil will leave readers on the edge of their seat." --Round Table Reviews

"The Missing is nightmarishly good, Sarah Langan is definitely the real deal, and my love for horror literature has been rekindled in a big way!" --Fantasy Book Critic

"The Missing may just make you realize how much you've been missing your American Cheese, how delightful these paperback visions of terror are." --The Agony Column

About the Author

Sarah Langan is a three-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author. Her works have appeared on best of the year lists at NPR, Newsweek, The Irish Times, and Publishers Weekly. Langan's short stories have been published in Nightmare and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and featured in anthologies The Best Horror of the Year, The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, and The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy. She has an MFA from Columbia University and an MS in Environmental Health Science/Toxicology from NYU. Langan lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughters.