Mike Suggests: Joe Hill

Heart-Shaped Box is the debut novel from Joe Hill (who may or may not want you to know he's Stephen King's son) and is one of the most chilling stories I've read in a long time. Jude is an aging heavy metal star who's living as a recluse in his upstate New York farmhouse, with all the trappings that come with his persona: a collection of the macabre, legions of fans, and a steady stream of girls half his age. Adding to his collection of dark materials, Jude purchases a dead man's suit--with the dead man's ghost promised to accompany--and quickly finds that he's invited the vengeful spirit into his house. Combining equal parts voodoo, psychological warfare, and hypnosis, Hill creates a horrific portrait of a ghost that won't quit until you're dead.


If it's graphic novels that you're into, be sure to check out Joe Hill's comic, Locke & Key. Part fantasy, part horror, and part mystery, Locke & Key has been drawing awards, nominations, and the attention of critics as if it were the only game in town. Set in a New England town with the foreboding name of Lovecraft, the Locke family finds itself in the Hill House after a tragedy befalls their family--but the beginnings of that tragedy were in the very house they're seeking refuge in.