Under the Blade

How it reads

Under the Blade is horror (slasher horror, specifically), and its dominant mood is dark. It goes to difficult places and doesn't look away. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in a big city setting, in the present day, told in the third person, staying close to one character. Its central concerns are survival, secrets and redemption. In weight it's light and escapist — easy to fall into.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is dark — no rescue, no neat bow. At 344 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's moderately known: read by plenty of people, but not a household name.