“One of the hottest horror authors on the planet” (Paste) and writer of the #HorrorBookTok sensation The Troop returns with a heart-pounding novel of terror about a young woman searching for her missing friend and uncovering a shocking truth.

On a sunny morning in June, Margaret Carpenter wakes up to find a new iPhone on her doorstep. She switches it on to find a text from her best friend, Charity Atwater. The problem is, Charity’s been missing for over a month. Most people in town—even the police—think she’s dead.

Margaret and Charity have been lifelong friends. They share everything, know the most intimate details about one another…except for the destructive secret hidden from them both. A secret that will trigger a chain of events ending in tragedy, bloodshed, and death. And now Charity wants Margaret to know her story—the real story. In a narrative that takes place over one feverish day, Margaret follows a series of increasingly disquieting breadcrumbs as she forges deeper into the mystery of her best friend—a person she never truly knew at all…

Nick Cutter is the author of the critically acclaimed national bestseller The Troop (which is currently being developed for film with producer James Wan), as well as The Deep and Little Heaven. He is the pseudonym for Craig Davidson, whose much-lauded literary fiction includes Rust and Bone, The Saturday Night Ghost Club, and most recently the short story collection Cascade. His story “Medium Tough” was selected by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jennifer Egan for The Best American Short Stories 2014. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

Nick Cutter's profile page

“Nick Cutter is a spinner of nightmares and The Queen is his darkest magic trick yet. A nerve-shattering story of friendship and secrets, terror and revulsion, it’s that rare gem of a horror novel that will touch your heart and then rip it right out of your chest, bloody and still beating. Don’t miss this stunner!”
—Richard Chizmar, New York Times bestselling author of Memorials

“The Queen establishes Nick Cutter as the living master of maximalist horror writing in the English language. But that’s not all! It’s also gripping, relentlessly suspenseful, and surprisingly tender. A big, stomach-flipping joy ride of a book.”
—Mason Coile, acclaimed author of William

“A harrowing body horror you won’t be able to put down, The Queen is an unforgettable journey that captures the monstrosity of pubescence and the violent heartbreak of adolescent friendships. As soulful as it is sickening, Cutter’s writing kept me utterly enthralled. I have never turned pages faster, but I’m certain my brain will be buzzing with this book for a long time to come.”
—Ling Ling Huang, award-winning author of Natural Beauty

"Ever since The Troop became a viral sensation, Nick Cutter has been one of the hottest horror authors on the planet, and The Queen looks to continue that streak. Set across a single day, it’s Cutter’s latest visceral thrill ride that hopes to take you deep inside a horrific, transformative experience for a young person, one you won’t soon forget." —Paste

“You may think you know where this story is going, and you will be totally wrong—Nick Cutter is at the wheel, and he’s one hell of a driver! One of the most original books I’ve ever read. Relatable, surprising, and frightening from the first moment, in more ways than one.”
—CJ Leede, acclaimed author of American Rapture and Maeve Fly

"Nick Cutter writes some of the scariest...horror novels around." —Variety

“You’re in for a wild, over-the-top, absolutely terrifying ride.”
—Book Riot

“With his breakthrough novel, The Troop, which was one of the most acclaimed horror novels of the last decade, Nick Cutter established himself as a writer of propulsive, muscular, unrelenting journeys into terror. His latest book, The Queen, reaffirms his place as one of the genre’s most entertaining storytellers, delivering a creature feature and the story of a doomed friendship in one unputdownable package…[He] is once again in top form…A must-read for horror fans, for Nick Cutter fans, and for anyone hoping to stay up late with a good scary yarn.” —BookPage (starred review)

"Hideously beautiful...Ambitious, imaginative and packing a brutal emotional gut-punch along with the page-turning suspense of a thriller, The Queen is a magnificent ride." —Daniel Church, author of The Hollows and The Ravening

“This fast-paced and suspenseful story…is one of the most entertaining novels readers will encounter this year…disturbing on every level…Readers will be engulfed by the story from the moment they open the book, while the echoing hum of what they just experienced will buzz around in their heads long after they finish…Cutter is at the top of his game here, providing an intensely visceral and gripping tale.” —Library Journal (starred review)