Schreiber's third horror novel is more of a languid, atmospheric ghost mystery than his previous page-turners, Eat the Dark
and Chasing the Dead
. Back in smalltown New Hampshire for his father's funeral, greeting card writer and frustrated novelist Scott Mast discovers the partial manuscript of a horror novel, The Black Wing
, hidden in the tool shed. His high school sweetheart, the still-sexy Sonia, suggests he stick around and finish his father's work. Scott agrees, partly so he can keep an eye on his alcoholic brother, Owen, and adorable nephew, Henry, but a local legend with ties to his family history soon has him wondering whether the manuscript is entirely fictional. With several genuinely creepy moments, this crunchy spook story with a gooey serial killer center will please readers who don't mind the slower patches. (Oct.)
