Night Chill

by Jeff Gunhus

Jack Tremont moves his family to the quiet mountains of Western Maryland hoping to leave behind a troubled past and restart his life. Instead, he finds himself caught up in a nightmare when his daughter Sarah is targeted by Nate Huckley, a mysterious and horrifying stranger driven by a dark power that will stop at nothing to possess Sarah. When Sarah goes missing, suspicion falls on Jack and he must uncover the secrets of the small mountain town of Prescott City and face the evil secret hidden there. As he digs further, he learns the conspiracy reaches more deeply than he could have imagined. Finally, he will have to face the question, What is a father willing to do to save his child? The answer? Anything. Anything at all.

“Gunhus deliver a taut supernatural thriller…the powerful Nate Huckley terrifies, and the assorted cast of human antagonists add to the white-knuckle tension. All the chops of an action-packed horror tale.” – Kirkus Reviews

Night Chill is a supernatural thriller in the tradition of Stephen King and Dean Koontz and is intended for mature audiences. For fans of my novel Jack Templar Monster Hunter and the books of The Templar Chronicle MG/YA series, this is a complete departure from that world. First, this novel is written for adults and contains all the language adults tend to use. Second, there are strong horror elements. That doesn’t mean it’s overly gory or disgusting (not my kind of book), but I’ve had emails from readers that there are scenes that kept them up at night. Which leads me to…#3 Night Chill is scary. Not in the way a creature feature or a slasher movie is scary though.  Think instead of being home alone, the doors locked for the night, the kids asleep and, just as you close your eyes, you hear the creak of a floorboard downstairs. Followed by another. And another. Too regular and heavy for it to be anything other than someone or something that shouldn’t be there. If you can imagine that feeling of adrenaline-soaked fear and dread, then you will know what you can expect from Night Chill.