Dark Across the BayDark Across the Bay (2021)
A novel by Ania Ahlborn

Introduction by Josh Malerman
Cover and interior artwork by Vincent Chong


SYNOPSIS:

In the vein of John MacDonald’s Cape Fear, Ahlborn takes the classic stalker tale and updates it for the modern era.

The house sits stoic and slightly askew off the coast of Raven’s Head. Its off-kilter windows are both charming and disorienting, its walls of overstuffed bookshelves both comforting and claustrophobic. When Leo and Lark Parrish arrive at their vacation home with their parents, their mother’s idea of a quintessential Maine getaway seems like both a blessing and a curse. Lark—a novice novelist—can’t wait to find inspiration at the end of a fog-entombed pier. She’ll forgive her mother for forcing her into this non-negotiable holiday, but only if she can find her muse among a lapping, rocky shore. And while being trapped in a house with no means of escape is the last thing Leo would consider a good time—especially with parents on the precipice of divorce—he can’t help but wonder if maybe the change of scenery will help him shake off the chains of sadness brought on by the death of his closest friend.

But what starts off as a relatively benign family trip quickly turns menacing. Leo finds himself face-to-face with what feels like his best friend reaching out from beyond the grave, and only hours after they arrive, Lark begins to receive sinister texts. And then they both see it: someone lurking in the shadows of their rental home. Someone who has been expecting them despite the Parrishes being a thousand miles from home.

 

500 numbered, Smyth sewn, offset printed copies, signed by Ania Ahlborn and Josh Malerman, $50 SOLD OUT
26 lettered, offset printed, traycased hardcovers, both book and traycase completely hand made using the finest materials, silk ribbon page marker, signed by all contributors, $1000 SOLD OUT

Praise for Dark Across the Bay:

“This nerve-shredding, nails-tough, and merciless novel jumps out of a dark ally, wrenches your arm behind your back, and holds a very sharp knife to your throat, taking you hostage from the moment the boat hits the dock.”
—Seven-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Gary A. Braunbeck, author of There Comes A Midnight Hour

“A story told by a truly gifted artist, an author who has long found her voice and doesn’t get caught up in labels, rules, expectations. Unforgettable.”
—Josh Malerman, author of Bird Box and Goblin; from his introduction

Dark Across the Bay is a fun (in a harrowing sort of way), propulsive take on the home invasion genre.”
—Sarah Langhan, author of Good Neighbors

"Ahlborn crafts a terrifying story of family dysfunction in this taut thriller."
—Publishers Weekly on Dark Across the Bay

"Ania Ahlborn brilliantly keeps the characters off balance, as well as the reader. Dark Across The Bay by is an amazing work from one of speculative fiction’s brightest minds."
—The Forgotten Fiction