Hell Heist

With this frenetic homage to cult classic horror films, first serialized via Substack, Peterson (Strong Bones) delivers a relentless and over-the-top supernatural thriller. When an elite FBI task force slays the supernatural slasher who’d been stalking a summer camp for decades, they unknowingly tip the balance of the cosmos, setting off an apocalyptic series of natural disasters. To restore the status quo, the enigmatic being overseeing Hell’s minions on Earth recruits Letta Starchild, daughter of an infamous cult leader, to replace him as Guildmaster. Her initiation test: break her mother’s soul out of Hell. Letta assembles a team for the heist, including two former friends from her mother’s Starchild Ranch: FBI agent Frith, who triggered the cataclysm, and hyperactive conspiracy theorist Nicky Nicodemus. Along with a supernatural Dream Master and a killer-possessed teddy bear, the gang enters supernatural realms to obtain a key, open a vault, and extract Letta’s mother. But with the universe at stake and time running out, they’re up against impossible odds. Peterson packs the text with tongue-in-cheek pop culture references, often to the point of distraction. Still, plot twists, side quests, unfolding backstories, and wild cosmology keep the pages turning on the way to a brutal climax. Fans of self-aware meta-horror will want to check this out. (Oct.)