Praise for Black Mouth
"Brutal, packed with magic, and with an interesting cast of characters who are all outsiders, Black Mouth is creepy, violent, heartfelt horror fiction that has something for every kind of reader. It’s also a book that cements Malfi as one of the most exciting and consistent voices in contemporary horror." – Locus
“The well-done cosmic horror and mix of mundane and magical scares make this a standout.” – Publishers Weekly
"Malfi, like Stephen King and Stephen Graham Jones, tells horror stories that are anchored in the real world. His characters, like theirs, are ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. He earns his screams and shudders honestly, through good writing and careful plotting: there are no B-movie jump scares here, just an increasing sense of dread that erupts into blood-chilling horror. Don't miss this one." -Booklist
"Unsettling and, at times, genuinely frightening, it’s the best horror novel I’ve read in quite some time. Highly recommended." - Cemetery Dance
"Stunningly good, with echoes of King, Bradbury, Straub, and McCammon, but somehow purely Malfi. Full of malevolence and dread, and peopled by truly compelling characters, the book locks in Malfi’s place as one of the best writers in the genre.”
– Christopher Golden, 'New York Times' bestselling author of 'Road of BONES' and 'Ararat'
"'Black Mouth' is good magic about dark magic: a powerful meeting between adulthood and childhood, the people we pretend to be and the people we have to be. Smart, character-driven horror."
– Andrew Pyper, author of 'The Residence' and 'The Demonologist'
"Malfi has established himself as one of the all-time great horror writers, and 'Black Mouth' shows him working at the peak of his dark powers. Equally terrifying and heartbreaking, 'Black Mouth' is a book filled with terror, ghosts, and murder, but also hauntings of the heart, and the soul. Riveting, bloody, and cosmic, this novel will tear you apart in all the best ways.”
– Philip Fracassi, author of 'Beneath a Pale Sky'
"From one of horror's best storytellers...If you’re looking for a good, unsettling, smart and well-written horror novel, Black Mouth should certainly be on your short list. This is doubly true if you enjoyed Stephen King’s IT." - Eggplante
"Expertly crafted and thoroughly engrossing, Black Mouth is a sure-fire contender for the book of 2022."- Bloody Flicks
"Black Mouth is a fantastic horror novel and ranks amongst his very best" - Ginger Nuts of Horror
"An intricately plotted marvel of a story...masterful and controlled...highly recommended for horror and thriller fans alike, Black Mouth should not be missed." - Books Bones Buffy
“A dark, unsettling and terrifically tense novel. If you’re a fan of Stephen King’s IT or Paul Tremblay’s spine-chilling horror stories, you’ll find this one equally difficult to put down.” - Culture Fly
“Malfi’s writing is visceral and full of interest, with plenty of surprising imagery and a sustained creepy atmosphere throughout.” - Interzone
Praise for Come with Me:
"A stunning and heart-clenching novel... A perfect fit for fans of Stephen King and modern true crime classics like Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Come with Me both awes and terrifies from beginning to end."
BookPage, Starred Review
Malfi is a modern-day Algernon Blackwood... I'm gonna be talking about this book for years
JOSH MALERMAN, author of Bird Box
"This is what it is to be transported: you might think you're on solid ground, but Come with Me is a story that will carry you, inescapably, into the uncanny, the horrific."
Andrew Pyper, author of The Residence
“An exploration into grief, and into the dark secrets within a seemingly perfect marriage. Part mystery, part ghost story, Come with Me chimes with rare beauty and page-turning brilliance. I surrendered to it completely.”
Rio Youers, author of Lola on Fire
"A must-read for fans of Stephen King. Come with Me is so damn good, truly chilling and suspenseful, yet also hauntingly nuanced"
Christopher Golden, author of Ararat
"Come with Me is Malfi's masterwork – a haunting, heartbreaking novel about grief and secrets. Utterly engrossing and terrifying. Highly recommended!"
Brian Keene, author of The Rising
“Shines as both a nightmare journey of shadows and secrets, and a poignant testimony to love and loss. I read it in a single day because I had no other choice: it’s that damn good.”
Richard Chizmar, author of Gwendy's Button Box
Malfi impresses in this taut, supernaturally tinged mystery... and sticks the landing with a powerful denouement. There’s plenty here to enjoy.
Publishers Weekly
Malfi artfully fits the reader’s head in a noose and s-l-o-w-l-y begins to take out the slack. Take a deep breath. You’ll need the oxygen
The Day
"Unsettling and, at times, genuinely frightening, it’s the best horror novel I’ve read in quite some time. Highly recommended."
- Cemetery Dance
12/01/2022
Malfi (Bone White; Come with Me), a respected novelist among horror and suspense fans, returns with a compelling new title for readers to add to their list. Jamie Warren, freshly recovering from alcohol- use disorder, returns to his hometown after his mother's suicide. There, he and his childhood friends Mia and Clay confront a monstrous man from their past. Malfi's characters (in both their young and older incarnations) are well written, sympathetic, and endearing. Jamie has both realistic and potentially supernatural struggles, and they both feel equally believable. Narrator Joe Hempel's voicing of Jamie and portrayal of the adult male characters in the book both pass muster, but his female and child voices are not very distinctive. His pacing is quite slow—slow enough that listeners may prefer to listen to a digital copy so that they can increase the listening speed. VERDICT This horrific tale will appeal to readers who appreciate coming-of-age stories, found families, sibling relationships, and childhood friends reuniting as adults to defeat a villain from their youth. Share with fans of Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, and Peter Straub.—Ammi Bui
