I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend For $200

Stephen King meets Sesame Street in this delightfully unhinged, mind-bending horror novel from Brockway (The Vicious Circuit). Maksim “Ivan” Ivanov has the unique ability to see other people’s imaginary friends. Desperate for cash, he decides to put this skill to use and offer his services as a hyper-specific kind of medium. Enter Mack Washington, whose eight-year-old daughter, Kay, has a deranged imaginary friend based on an internet animation named Eddie Video. When Eddie’s increasingly volatile antics result in Kay being seriously injured, a desperate Mack hires Ivan to dispatch him. But Ivan soon realizes that he’s up against much more than his usual foe, and a battle for Kay’s psyche begins in earnest. The result is an unfiltered scramble through the power of children’s imaginations, a fun and frantic carnival ride that leaves the reader a little dizzy. Brockway uses the outre stuffed animal–based gore and outright evil villain to craft a smart and surprisingly touching metaphor for growing up. This thoroughly original tale has heart, menace, and just the right blend of fluff and guts. (Jan.)