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A spine-chilling, heart-pounding suburban horror novel at the heart of the genre, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, Cassandra Khaw, and Catriona Ward.
In 1998, desperate loneliness pushes preteen Amber to ignore the misgivings of her family, particularly her younger sister, when she befriends the troubled new kid in the neighborhood-a boy with dead eyes, a fascination with fire, and no remorse. Their turbulent relationship is brief but creates lasting consequences.
Twenty-two years later, in 2020, he resurfaces to kill Amber's parents, and is in turn betrayed by his accomplice and killed in Amber's childhood home.
After the deaths, Amber inherits the house and, in an effort to save money, moves in with her husband and two children, hoping to reclaim some sense of stability in the grief and chaos surrounding her. Instead, she finds that the familiar walls are haunted by more than just bitter memories and lockdown stress. She shifts in and out of dreamlike trances, her reflection won't blink, and a menacing voice whispers to her from the gathering shadows. Although she tried to brush off the strange happenings as stress-fueled hallucinations, Amber is soon forced to admit that something much more real-and more dangerous-haunts her family. But Amber has deadly secrets of her own, and she must resolve these long-buried truths or lose the life she's contrived for herself. C.J. DOTSON possesses the statistically average number of body parts for a human being to have. She and her husband, stepson, and children (all of whom also appear human) share a cabin in the woods with more bugs than she would ever like to see. In her limited spare time she enjoys reading, video games, painting, baking and decorating cakes (with…questionable success), and petting her dog and two cats. Visit her at cjdotsonauthor.com or cjdotsonsdreadfuldispatch.substack.com
Praise for The Cut:
"Dotson does praiseworthy work crafting a unique horror protagonist." -Publishers Weekly
"Dotson gets readers invested in Sadie immediately, even as the plot-driven story burns slowly, and by the last third of the book, that investment pays off as revelations, danger, and monsters burst the story open. Not for the faint of heart." -Booklist
"The Cut is a deliciously creepy tale filled with pitch-perfect suspense, horrifying monstrosities, and written with genuine heart. I simply could not put it down." -Nicholas Binge, author of Ascension
"The Cut is a chilling, paranoia-inducing thrill-ride of a horror tale! Bizarre twists, great characters, and an ending that will leave you breathless!" -Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Cave 13
"A compelling page-turner full of slithery secrets and scares." -Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of Black Sheep
"A creepy tale, guaranteed to keep you reading well past midnight. Fantastically paced, filled with wonderfully crafted characters-the twists and turns don't let up until the very end. Dotson's debut is a highlight of the year." -Erin E. Adams, author of Jackal
"An exquisite slow burn horror story that combines the terror of escaping from an abusive relationship with evil that's reminiscent of Lovecraft. Absolutely devoured this book and can't wait to read more by Dotson!" -Amina Akhtar, bestselling author of Almost Surely Dead
"Creeping with twisting tight tension. The Cut by C. J. Dotson is heart hammering, breath shuddering, and full of visions of monsters along our periphery. The terrors here will leave you speechless." -Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Forgotten Sisters
"The Cut made me squirm in my chair! Utterly creepy and engaging. The blend of real world horror with the supernatural is pitch-perfect and absolutely claustrophobic." -S.A. Barnes, author of Dead Silence and Ghost Station
"The Cut combines the throat-clenching tension of a domestic thriller and a soaking wet su
In 1998, desperate loneliness pushes preteen Amber to ignore the misgivings of her family, particularly her younger sister, when she befriends the troubled new kid in the neighborhood-a boy with dead eyes, a fascination with fire, and no remorse. Their turbulent relationship is brief but creates lasting consequences.
Twenty-two years later, in 2020, he resurfaces to kill Amber's parents, and is in turn betrayed by his accomplice and killed in Amber's childhood home.
After the deaths, Amber inherits the house and, in an effort to save money, moves in with her husband and two children, hoping to reclaim some sense of stability in the grief and chaos surrounding her. Instead, she finds that the familiar walls are haunted by more than just bitter memories and lockdown stress. She shifts in and out of dreamlike trances, her reflection won't blink, and a menacing voice whispers to her from the gathering shadows. Although she tried to brush off the strange happenings as stress-fueled hallucinations, Amber is soon forced to admit that something much more real-and more dangerous-haunts her family. But Amber has deadly secrets of her own, and she must resolve these long-buried truths or lose the life she's contrived for herself. C.J. DOTSON possesses the statistically average number of body parts for a human being to have. She and her husband, stepson, and children (all of whom also appear human) share a cabin in the woods with more bugs than she would ever like to see. In her limited spare time she enjoys reading, video games, painting, baking and decorating cakes (with…questionable success), and petting her dog and two cats. Visit her at cjdotsonauthor.com or cjdotsonsdreadfuldispatch.substack.com
Praise for The Cut:
"Dotson does praiseworthy work crafting a unique horror protagonist." -Publishers Weekly
"Dotson gets readers invested in Sadie immediately, even as the plot-driven story burns slowly, and by the last third of the book, that investment pays off as revelations, danger, and monsters burst the story open. Not for the faint of heart." -Booklist
"The Cut is a deliciously creepy tale filled with pitch-perfect suspense, horrifying monstrosities, and written with genuine heart. I simply could not put it down." -Nicholas Binge, author of Ascension
"The Cut is a chilling, paranoia-inducing thrill-ride of a horror tale! Bizarre twists, great characters, and an ending that will leave you breathless!" -Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Cave 13
"A compelling page-turner full of slithery secrets and scares." -Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of Black Sheep
"A creepy tale, guaranteed to keep you reading well past midnight. Fantastically paced, filled with wonderfully crafted characters-the twists and turns don't let up until the very end. Dotson's debut is a highlight of the year." -Erin E. Adams, author of Jackal
"An exquisite slow burn horror story that combines the terror of escaping from an abusive relationship with evil that's reminiscent of Lovecraft. Absolutely devoured this book and can't wait to read more by Dotson!" -Amina Akhtar, bestselling author of Almost Surely Dead
"Creeping with twisting tight tension. The Cut by C. J. Dotson is heart hammering, breath shuddering, and full of visions of monsters along our periphery. The terrors here will leave you speechless." -Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Forgotten Sisters
"The Cut made me squirm in my chair! Utterly creepy and engaging. The blend of real world horror with the supernatural is pitch-perfect and absolutely claustrophobic." -S.A. Barnes, author of Dead Silence and Ghost Station
"The Cut combines the throat-clenching tension of a domestic thriller and a soaking wet su
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Reviews
"These Familiar Walls is further burning testament that the past won't only just haunt you, it'll come crashing like a blazing boomerang. C. J. Dotson sets her ghosts on fire and this haunting novel is an absolute incendiary sensation. You'll burn through this book or it'll burn right through you."
Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes
"A novel steeped in isolation, resentment, betrayal, and retribution... Offer this to fans of ghost stories with convoluted family histories, such as Carissa Orlando's The September House and Grady Hendrix's How to Sell a Haunted House."
Booklist