Daphne: A Novel

Author: Josh Malerman
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Horror has a new name: Daphne. A brutal, enigmatic woman stalks a high school basketball team in a reimagining of the slasher genre by the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box.

“A superb serial killer novel and a great coming-of-age story.” —Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Paste

It’s the last summer for Kit Lamb: The last summer before college. The last summer with her high school basketball team, and with Dana, her best friend. The last summer before her life begins.

But the night before the big game, one of the players tells a ghost story about Daphne, a girl who went to their school many years ago and died under mysterious circumstances. Some say she was murdered, others that she died by her own hand. And some say that Daphne is a murderer herself. They also say that Daphne is still out there, obsessed with revenge, and will appear to kill again anytime someone thinks about her.

After Kit hears the story, her teammates vanish, one by one, and Kit begins to suspect that the stories about Daphne are real . . . and to fear that her own mind is conjuring the killer. Now it’s a race against time as Kit searches for the truth behind the legend and learns to face her own fears—before the summer of her lifetime becomes the last summer of her life.

Mixing a nostalgic coming-of-age story and an instantly iconic female villain with an innovative new vision of classic horror, Daphne is an unforgettable thriller as only Josh Malerman could imagine it.

Related Urban Legends

I've been diving deep into some urban legends for research on something special. Most times, urban legends start from a truth before embellishment and fabrication make the tale more sinister than it originated. But let's be real, as horror fans, we live for the scary details that are added in. We chase that thrill of possibly summoning Bloody Mary in front of a mirror, or exploring a supposedly haunted house.

Some Urban Legend Horror Books:

• Bad Dreams In The Night and Let Me In Your Window by Adam Ellis
• Jack O' Dander by Priya Sharma
  This short story follows a family impacted by their choices, but also by a mysterious urban legend.
• Killer on The Road/The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones
  Both novels play on common urban legends. Killer on The Road deals with the legend of a serial killer picking up hitchhikers. The Babysitter Lives centers around the babysitter receiving a call/knock on the door urban legend.
• Daphne by Josh Malerman
  Did you ever play "The Game" back in school? The urban legend named Daphne comes to life when you think of her. The more you think of her, the higher chance she will come and kill you.
• Schrader's Chord by Scott Leeds
  A man inherits a supposed cursed record from his recently deceased father. Legend has it that all four records played at the same time will open a gate to the land of the dead.
• Narcissus by Adam Godfrey
  A group of college kids learn the hard way that legends can be true after hearing about a subterranean pool tied to Narcissus.

Books on My TBR:

• Books Of Blood by Clive Barker
• Scanlines by Todd Keisling
• Maggie's Grave by David Sodergren
• The House On Abigail Lane by Kealan Patrick Burke