Devil's Oven (34 page)
Authors: Laura Benedict
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Horror, #Ghosts, #Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, #Thrillers & Suspense, #Suspense, #Romance, #Gothic
She looked up at Bud. How long was she going to feel pity for herself? She prayed that wasn’t what she was feeling for him.
No. There has to be more. Bud deserves better. We both do.
Lila shivered in the damp towel.
“Ah, Red.” Bud stroked her hair. “Come here.”
He held her close until the shivering stopped.
About The Author
Laura Benedict
is the author of the dark suspense novels
Isabella Moon,
Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts,
and
Devil's Oven
. She has also edited the
Surreal South: an Anthology of Short Fiction
series with her husband, Pinckney Benedict. Her work has appeared in
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
,
Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads
,
Noir at the Bar
, and a number of other anthologies. She lives in the southernmost wilds of a midwestern state, where she is surrounded by coyotes, bobcats, and many other less picturesque predators.
She is scarier than she looks.
Website:
www.laurabenedict.com
Notes From the Handbasket Blog
Email:
[email protected]
In Gratitude and Thanksgiving
Cindy Gunnin
CJ Lyons
D.P. Lyle
Ellen Clair Lamb
Jedidiah Ayres
Jennifer Holbrook Talty
Joan Huston
Joe Hartlaub
Joyclyn
Karen Dionne
Kay Russell
Kermit Moore
Maggie Caldwell
Melissa Woods
Michelle Gibson
Paige Crutcher
Sophie Littlefield
Susan Raihofer
Pinckney, Cleveland, and Nora
What They’re Saying About Laura Benedict’s Work
CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS
“Don’t let the title fool you; though it sounds like a Cary Grant film, CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS is extremely scary. Benedict has written a very suspenseful, tense and sinister second novel.”
—Booklist
“Laura Benedict paints a vibrant picture of lives haunted by the past—where sins of the spirit meet sins of the flesh and no character is left unscathed.”
—Jonathan Santlofer, bestselling author of The Murder Notebook
“CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS is a lush, intelligent novel that elevates the typical horror novel into a fascinating and often diabolical character study that enthralls even as it terrifies. A beautiful, spine-tingling thriller of revenge, secrets and simmering childhood resentments with otherworldly surprises around every corner, this is one of the best books I’ve read in years.”
—Amanda Stevens, author of The Devil’s Footprints
“Deliciously malevolent—Benedict’s writing is like a beautiful, poisonous flower.”
—Alexandra Sokoloff, author of The Harrowing and The Price
ISABELLA MOON
“The melancholic appeal of Benedict’s first novel is deeply tied to her spot-on portrayal of small-town America and all its contradictions. An amalgam of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and Peter Straub’s Ghost Story, this mystery/thriller will simultaneously tug at the heartstrings and scare the bejesus out of readers. In a word: unforgettable.”
—Chicago Tribune
“A gripping thriller … [Benedict] unravels the tale masterfully … her pacing is quite good, with surprises that seem to come out of nowhere.”
—Grand Rapids Press
“A volatile mixture of heavy romance, serious homicide, and the paranormal … Kate, with a sizzling and explosive story all her own, holds all the strands together.”
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Benedict fleshes out her characters quickly, imbuing them with a lived-in history in a few concise pages. When she kills one of them off, early and brutally, it stings. [She has] an ability to make us mourn.”—
Cleveland Plain Dealer
“This debut thriller shines, boasting evocative writing and a well-integrated mix of ethereal supernatural phenomena and gritty violence.”
—Romantic Times (4 ½ Stars)
“An amazing debut … fast-moving … with a surprise ending.”
—Daily American
“Rewarding … Benedict’s debut is a small-town thriller with a hint of the supernatural and compelling, well-drawn characters.”
—Library Journal
“Like digging up an unmarked grave in the gloaming, ISABELLA MOON is a tense and creepy hunt for the truth about what lies beneath. With a missing child, a reluctant medium hiding secrets of her own, and a picture perfect Southern town resting on a foundation of sex, drugs and lies, Laura Benedict’s debut will definitely have readers sleeping with the lights on—if they sleep at all.”
—Lisa Unger, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Beautiful Lies and Sliver of Truth
“ISABELLA MOON is a book of secrets and dark miracles. Laura Benedict writes with such tender power and understanding, filling the pages with characters whose mysteries and longings will matter to every reader. She has written an exquisite, closely observed novel that happens to be a great thriller. It captivated me instantly, and haunts me still.”
—Luanne Rice, author of The Edge of Winter
Table of Contents