STRONG BONES

A serial killer with supernatural abilities terrorizes a small town in this debut thriller.

It’s 1989, and 11-year-old Hiram Gresham lives in West Chimney Top, Tennessee, with his 15-year-old sister, Mackenzie, and their mother, Corrie. Hiram’s been experiencing a rough childhood since his father, Deacon, died years ago; the boy is teased at school for stuttering and being chubby. He also sleepwalks, often into the woods, which is extra-dangerous with Lenny Skelton, the Blue Ribbon Killer, at large. After waking in the woods one night, Hiram is sure of having encountered a mysterious, old train car and a sinister man with a plaid mask. Corrie, meanwhile, has been secretly dating Trent Sutton, a wealthy landscaper and widower. Hiram and Mac learn their mom’s secret while visiting the Gold Rush theme park. Trent brings his two obnoxious teens, Jason and Kaitlyn, to the attraction. Later, Jason disappears to make out with Jenny Miles, a park employee. She’s eventually found dead with a blue ribbon, Skelton’s signature. As the seasons progress, Corrie and Trent plan to wed. Hiram comes to believe that Skelton’s victims are connected to the strange train car. Can Justin Johnson, a talented but reclusive former cop—who nearly captured Skelton once—help solve the mystery? Peterson’s tale strives to enshrine all that was magical about growing up in the ’80s. He laces his narrative with mentions of favorite films, toys, video games, music, and fashion, much like Ernest Cline does in Ready Player One (2011). While primarily being a Stephen King–style panorama of a town gripped by horror, Peterson’s story also feels like a cautionary middle-grade tale, especially as Hiram notes his guilt over bullying Lee Dockery, a classmate even more socially awkward than himself. The central plot is most compelling when the author dials back the references and allows his prose to breathe, as in the line “It was like the world had been built from gigantic geometric blocks of earth and grass and trees.” Still, the manic nostalgia that saturates the writing sometimes bogs the story down.

A magical killer and ’80s pop culture headline this crowded but engaging horror tale.