The Throat - (Blue Rose Trilogy) by Peter Straub (Paperback)

About the Book

Straub completes the Blue Rose trilogy with this searing novel of psychological terror. Tim Underhill and the brilliant and reclusive Tom Pasmore court ultimate destruction as they dare to look back to a dark past that holds the secret of evil which signs its name Blue Rose. A bloodstained tapestry of stunning emotional power.--"San Francisco Chronicle."

Book Synopsis

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Story brings the chilling Blue Rose Trilogy to an astonishing close--secrets unearthed, demons revisited, and mysteries solved. - "A masterpiece.... The most intelligent novel of suspense to come along in years." --The Washington Post Book World

Tim Underhill, now an acclaimed novelist, travels back to his hometown of Millhaven, Illinois after he gets a call from John Ransom, an old army buddy. Ransom believes there's a copycat killer on the loose, mimicking the Blue Rose murders from decades earlier--he thinks his wife could be a potential victim. Underhill seeks out his old friend Tom Pasmore, an aging hermit who has attained minor celebrity as an expert sleuth, to help him investigate. They quickly discover that Millhaven is a town plagued by horrifying secrets and there is a twisted killer on the loose who is far more dangerous than they ever imagined. Expertly tying together the events of Koko and Mystery, The Throat proves Peter Straub to be the master of the suspense novel.

Review Quotes

"A masterpiece. . . . The most intelligent novel of suspense to come along in years." --Washington Post Book World

"Disturbing. . . . Satisfying entertainment. . . . A bloodstained tapestry of stunning emotional power." --San Franscisco Chronicle

"A classic mystery novel. . . . Deft, impressive." --The New York Times Book Review

"Magnificent. . . . Intensely riveting. . . . A haunting tale of murder, obsession, and the malevolent horror that can inhabit those dark forbidding places in us all." --Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Terrifying psychological horror. . . . One of this year's best contemporary horror novels. . . . Straub, a master storyteller, weaves a tale that's rich in detail and character." --Cleveland Plain-Dealer

"An intense thriller. . . . Fans of Straub's Koko will be pleased to know that Tim Underhill is back." --USA Today

"An excellent psychological novel. . . . Straub well understands the dark recesses of the psyche where the personal demons dwell. . . . We may want to turn away . . . but we cannot because the horror mesmerizes us." --Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Suspenseful and compelling. . . . Mesmerizing. . . . An accelerated roller-coaster read that is totally engrossing. . . . Just when the reader thinks he has the cases figured out, Straub manipulates the plot to expose yet more twists." --Chattanooga Times Free Press

"Marvelous. . . . Enormously satisfying. . . . Unashamedly designed to fascinate."--Sacramento Bee

"The best of Peter Straub's writing." --Houston Chronicle

"The characters are outstanding. . . . They are the story, enshrouded by a nightmare that never lifts. Peter Straub takes bold risks and he succeeds." --San Jose Mercury News

"Enomously entertaining and scary. . . . Rich, complex, dark, and tough to put down."--New York Daily News

About the Author

PETER STRAUB is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels. In the Night Room and Lost Boy, Lost Girl are winners of the Bram Stoker Award, as is his collection 5 Stories. Straub is the editor of numerous anthologies, including the two-volume American Fantastic Tale from the Library of America. He died in 2022.