The Night Pool - by Lauren Lee Smith (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Night Pool is a blood-soaked, page-turning horror set in the Gold Rush West, where three women must battle monsters both human and inhuman to survive--perfect for fans of Alma Katsu's The Hunger and Victor LaValle's Lone Women.

The American West is no safe haven for women--least of all in the Gold Rush town of Coloma, California. Not for Clara Tice, the blacksmith's strange and stubborn daughter. Not for Mei, the healer whose calm presence in the makeshift camp for Chinese immigrants contrasts sharply with her brother's hard-eyed pursuit of riches. And certainly not for Haloke, a Nisenan shaman's granddaughter whose native village has been devastated by smallpox, hunger, and the relentless greed of Outsiders.

One night, Clara and Haloke meet at the river's edge and watch in horror as Clementine Cobbs, the town beauty, is lured across the water. Together they witness something terrible in the Night Pool. Soon after, an unseen attacker descends upon the mining men of Coloma, abandoning heartless bodies one by one. As the gruesome killings in Coloma threaten to incite further violence, Clara, Haloke, and Mei find themselves unlikely allies--without the gangs, guns, or bravado of the men who claim Coloma's riches. The three women must work together to confront the evil that menaces them from both monsters and men.

A gripping tale of sisterhood, vengeance, and survival, The Night Pool explores the horrors of greed and lust, and the hidden strength of the most vulnerable among us.

Review Quotes

"The Night Pool is a fever dream of gold and blood, where the land itself remembers what was taken. Here, women confront the brutality of the frontier and the haunting darkness that stalks the ravaged banks of Gold Rush-era Coloma. Lauren Lee Smith writes with a visceral beauty that braids history and horror into powerful prose that is as lyrical as it is merciless."

--Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Children of Chicago

"A brilliant blend of history and horror, Lauren Lee Smith's The Night Pool explores the terrors of Gold Rush California. With prose sharp as a bowie knife, Smith carves through the mythology of the Wild West and creates one entirely her own. A magnificent debut."

--Aaron Gwyn, author of All God's Children and The Cannibal Owl

"Brutal [and] ethereal...The Night Pool is a slow-burn thriller about how destructive anger can be, even when that anger is justified."

--Foreword Reviews

"Exceptionally well-written, original, and yes, terrifying...The writing is razor-sharp, and the author doesn't shy away from the sights, smells, and gore surrounding the harsh personal environment that all three women struggle to overcome...Smith crafts not only a uniquely harrowing story but also a poignant one that will leave the reader satisfied."

--Women in Horror

"I'm only a few pages in and already hooked!"

--Real Simple

"Lauren Lee Smith's debut novel The Night Pool sets its horror in the ugliest parts of [the Gold Rush], exploring the corruption of men and the resilience of women right where it all started: Coloma, California...Smith [paints] an environment that feels outright hostile [and] informs the psyche of the three protagonists whose experiences are explored in the story, imbuing them with a palpable sense of strength and resolve."

--The Beat

"Love a Western! Excited for this."

--Daniel Kraus, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angel Down

"Smith's novel abounds with poetic metaphorical language and symbolism...[and] pays tribute to the treasure that is this land that nurtures us, our relationship with it, and our necessary reckoning with our sometimes-monstrous selves. A gripping tale of friendship, love, and sacrifice, suffused with gore yet bearing a stirring and poignant emotional ache."

--Historical Novel Society

"Terrifying...In a year full of horror fiction debuts, Lauren Lee Smith aims to add her name to the list of writers we can't get enough of."

--This Is Horror

"There is comfort and strength to be found in [The Night Pool], despite the sad and terrible things that happen and that are done...A good and satisfying story."

--The Skiffy and Fanty Show