A dark debut from a rising literary talent

Brandon Galloway is a 29-year-old nobody, fumbling between dead-end jobs in a town full of drunks and prostitutes. When he lands a position with a pest control company and meets 21-year-old wild-child Melanie Blaxley while fumigating her apartment for bed bugs, Brandon’s life skips from hapless to hectic in no time. He is both attracted to and repelled by Melanie’s vulgar sensuality and reckless promiscuity, but when her world of crazy sex and petty crime starts to take its toll on his sanity, Brandon wonders how much more of her he can stand.

When she disappears, Brandon’s left to put the pieces together. Is it all just a prank, or have Melanie’s wild ways put her in peril? A hair-raising thrill ride through the bars and backstreets of a small college town, Poison Shy is a darkly funny and fast-paced novel about obsession, fear, and the threat of other people.

Stacey Madden was born and raised in east Toronto, where he still resides. He holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Toronto, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. His first novel, Poison Shy, was published in 2012, and he frequently reviews books for Quill & Quire. He enjoys books, beer, and quiet reading time. He owns a cat.

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“Provocative in its simplicity ... Poison Shy was told in a very extraordinary way.” — Talking Supe

“The Toronto author displays a commendable ear for dialogue and a conscious effort to entertain." —The Georgia Straight.