Horror | Prepub Alert, April 2025 Titles

Bestselling Chuck Wendig returns with a tale of small-town scares and a mysterious staircase to nowhere, while S.A. Barnes offers more space horror; plus multiple terrifying debuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baker, Kylie Lee. Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng. MIRA. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780778368458. 304p. $28.99. HORROR

Bestselling YA author Baker (The Scarlet Alchemist) makes her adult debut with a haunting social horror that focuses on anti-Asian hate and harassment. After Cora Zeng, a crime-scene cleaner in New York City’s Chinatown, witnesses her sister’s murder, strange occurrences begin, and she soon learns that one cannot ignore hungry ghosts.

Barnes, S. A. Cold Eternity. Tor Nightfire. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250884954. 304p. $28.99. HORROR

Barnes (Ghost Station) returns with another space horror. An interplanetary political scandal sends Halley into hiding on a space barge that houses the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s wealthiest, but she may be trapped in an even more dangerous situation when she starts to hear disturbing sounds in the vents. With a 125K-copy first printing.

Carson, Scott. Departure 37. Atria/Emily Bestler. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781982191481. 448p. $29.99. HORROR

Carson, author of Lost Man’s Lane and pseudonym of Michael Koryta, writes a dual-timeline novel that switches between a Cold War espionage story and contemporary horror. On a clear day, hundreds of pilots refuse to fly after receiving mysterious calls from their mothers, some of whom are long dead. This baffling occurrence may have ties to a 1962 discovery that was extraordinary—and deadly.

Cassidy, Nat. When the Wolf Comes Home. Tor Nightfire. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250354341. pbk. 304p. $18.99. HORROR

Cassidy, author of the multi-best-booked Nestlings, returns with a horror thriller that receives a 125K-copy first printing. Jess finds a five-year-old boy hiding outside her apartment one night, and after a violent encounter with his father, she and the boy find themselves on the run, where they’ll encounter even more horrors.

Dotson, C. J. The Cut. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250335449. 304p. $29. HORROR

In Dotson’s debut, pregnant Sadie Miles, with her toddler in tow, flees her abusive ex-fiancé and finds a housekeeping position at a hotel that comes with free lodging. When a guest goes missing, she digs into the suspicious occurrences, and even more guests disappear. There also seem to be creepy, slithering things in the building.

Huff, Tanya. Direct Descendant. Astra/DAW. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780756419660. 336p. $29. HORROR

Huff (Into the Broken Lands) pens a cozy horror novel featuring a queer romance. Hundreds of years ago, the founders of Lake Argen made a bargain with an ancient evil—in exchange for their service, the town would prosper. When a visitor goes missing and a PI is sent to investigate, they may have to face off against that dangerous force.

Ryan, Lindy. Another Fine Mess. (Bless Your Heart, bk. 2). Minotaur. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9781250324238. 304p. $28. HORROR

Stoker Award winner Ryan offers a sequel to her horror/mystery blend Bless Your Heart. In a small Texas town, the Evans women run the local funeral parlor—and stop the undead from rising. As the body count mounts, Luna and Lenore Evans team up with the new sheriff to protect the town. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Turhan, Yiğit. Their Monstrous Hearts. MIRA. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780778368274. 320p. $28.99. HORROR

Turhan, born in Turkey and now based in Italy, where he is a fashion house executive, makes his English-language debut. Riccardo is struggling with writer’s block, so he leaps at the chance for a change of scenery when he learns that he has inherited his estranged grandmother’s villa in Milan. There he finds a haunted house full of secrets. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Wendig, Chuck. The Staircase in the Woods. Del Rey. Apr. 2025. ISBN 9780593156568. 400p. $30. HORROR

Bestselling Wendig (Black River Orchard) returns with another small-town horror novel. When five high school friends go on a camping trip, they find a mysterious staircase that appears to lead nowhere and disappears after one of them walks up—and doesn’t come back. Twenty years later, the staircase reappears, and the four survivors go in search of their lost friend.

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