A Mask of Flies
A Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons is a crime horror novel which blends It Follows and The Outsider, with a pinch of The Evil Dead, in which a criminal and the cop she’s taken hostage must find their way to safety – pursued by threats both human and supernatural – after a failed bank robbery.
In the grisly aftermath of a botched bank heist, career criminal Anne Heller has no choice but to return to her family’s cabin – a secluded shack in the San Luis Valley, and the site of her mother’s untimely death.
Along for the ride are Jessup, Anne’s badly wounded partner, and Dutch, the police officer she’s taken hostage. As they wait for help, Anne discovers strange relics of her mother and begins to unfold the mystery of her childhood at the cabin.
Anne’s quest to uncover more is interrupted when Jessup goes missing, only to turn up dead. She and Dutch bury her friend, but that night, the dead man comes back, seemingly risen from his grave to knock at the cabin door. Not a dream, not a hallucination, but not exactly Jessup, either. Something else. Something wearing her friend’s face. Something hungry…
The cops aren’t the only ones after Anne, and unraveling the secrets of her mother’s past may be her only hope of getting out alive.
A Mask of Flies is a gritty, heartfelt meditation on death, family, and the ever-changing, monstrous nature of grief.
For A Black and Endless Sky
“Lyons burnishes his reputation as a rising horror star . . . [and] keeps the pages flying with fast-paced chills.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“A lush, unsettling, visceral story that is Lovecraftian and uncanny, yet touching and endearing. This is a powerful, immersive experience.” —Richard Thomas, Bram Stoker– and Shirley Jackson–Award nominee
“Atmospheric and terrifying . . . readers won’t be able to put it down.” —Library Journal
“Thought provoking and scary. Read with the lights on!” —Robert Rotstein, USA Today and New York Times bestselling author
“A well-blended mix of action, noir, horror, and compelling humanity. Matthew Lyons is swiftly establishing himself as a master of gritty, dark noir, with his own brand of clear-eyed, effective character study.” —Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads and Whispers in the Dark
“Prepare to be thrilled, touched, and scared shitless in this sprawling tale you’ll wish was as endless as the ominous sky in the title.” —Fred Venturini, author of The Heart Does Not Grow Back and To Dust You Shall Return
“A creepy and unsettling tale that gets under your skin and stays there.” —Kathleen Kaufman, author of the Diabhal trilogy, Hag, and The Lairdbalor
“An intense, gripping, innovative novel filled with a delicious panoply of horrors. Get ready for a wild, creepy, and high-octane ride.” —Daco Auffenorde, award-winning author of Cover Your Tracks
“Nothing falls short in this eerie tale on redemption, loss and second chances. [Readers] will find themselves on the edge of their seat.” —Shelf Unbound
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