Eminence Front

In this gruesome outing from Rowland (Optic Nerve), a 48-hour snowstorm reveals the brutal truths lurking beneath the surface of what appears to be an average suburban neighborhood. The narrative moves house to house through a picturesque New England enclave as the storm rolls in, uncovering the secrets each neighbor is hiding. There’s a man whose agoraphobia drove his partner away; a woman who is cheating on her live-in boyfriend with their friend and neighbor, who himself hides a cocaine habit; and a housewife whose obsessive cleaning can’t cover the cracks in her relationship with her husband. One by one, these residents feel mysteriously called out into the storm, where they are confronted by strange whispers and hallucinations of their neighbors who use these secrets to manipulate them into acts of brutal violence. As whatever malevolent force lurks in the snow expands its range of attack, the bodies pile up. The turns are shocking and well-crafted, and the imagery is graphic and striking. Horror fans will find plenty to haunt them. Agent: Becky LeJeune, Bond Literary. (Jan.)