The Chrysalis

Deneen’s haunted house novel is riddled with creeping terror and the relatable growing pains of early adulthood. Tom and Jenny Decker live and work in New York City until their budget buckles under one too many rent hikes. After viewing increasingly bleak options, they luck into a once-in-a-lifetime deal on a three-bedroom Victorian in New Jersey. Soon after the move, personal trainer Jenny discovers she’s pregnant, so Tom gives up bartending—and his ponytail—for the corporate world. Suburban life seems to be looking up until Tom starts unraveling, and it becomes clear that the house hides an insidious entity that has Tom, and their lives, firmly in its grip. Deneen (The Ninth Circle) gives readers a horrifying peek at the darkness beneath the suburban veil with a macabre story that will thrill horror fans. (Sept.)