Interior Darkness

Book excerpt: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Story and an American icon of horror explores the deepest, shadow-filled corners of his imagination in these sixteen stories. • "Straub's shorter fictions are like tiny novels you drown in: perfectly pitched, terrifyingly smart, big-hearted, dangerous, and even cruel.” —Neil Gaiman, bestselling author of The Sandman No one and no place is safe from the darkness that he reveals. In “Blue Rose,” an adolescent sociopath inflicts secret violence on his younger brother; in “Mr Clubb and Mr. Cuff,” a stern estate lawyer hires a pair of "Private Detectives Extraordinaire" to investigate and seek revenge on his unfaithful wife; and in “The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine,” a man and his much younger lover explore their decadent and increasingly sinister fantasies aboard a luxurious yacht on the remotest stretch of the Amazon River. Interior Darkness is a thrilling and terrifying testament to Straub's unparalleled contribution to the world of horror.