After her geologist friend Clay discovers an untouched cliff face in the Kentucky wilds, Dylan is hoping for her big break as the first person to climb it. Along with Clay, his research assistant, Dylan, and her boyfriend Luke, Dylan is prepared to document her achievement on social media and firmly cement her place as a rock climbing superstar.
Flash forward seven months, and three bodies are found in the trees near the highway, all in various states of decomposition. One just a skeleton, the second sans internal organs, the third mutilated—eyes, ears, and fingers gone.
And Dylan is missing. No trace, dead or alive.
Did a gruesome series of murders occur? Was it cannibalism? Or is there something far more sinister at work?
Take only pictures. Leave only bones.
Why we’re excited about this book:
Jenny Kiefer is one of the many new horror authors taking the industry by storm. Her short fiction has appeared at PseudoPod, Howls From the Dark Ages, and Cosmic Horror Monthly. Keifer’s debut novel is primed to start 2024 off with a bang with one of the most anticipated titles of the year. Cynthia Pelayo (The Shoemaker’s Magician) calls This Wretched Valley “ … horror that challenges our perceptions and understanding of the physical world, and that distorts our reality, [with] all of the elements I look for in horror—folklore, an environment that is a character itself, and characters trying to understand and survive through a horrific situation.” Hailey Piper (A Light Most Hateful) says: “This Wretched Valley made me nervous to keep going; not many books can do that. There’s a heaviness to the dread, and Kiefer layers looming atmosphere onto gripping desperation with a masterful touch. Forget the outdoors—stay inside with this enthralling book instead.”, and Todd Keisling (Cold, Black, and Infinite) says: “This Wretched Valley is a fast-paced free fall straight into a Kentucky nightmare. Kiefer’s prose sings in this horrific tragedy of blood and dread and paranoia. The story will drag you kicking and screaming into the night and will not let you go. I lost sleep over it. Highly recommended.”
Releasing from Quirk Books 16 January 2024, This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA