Editorial Content for Headlights

The recent resurgence of horror has been happening not just in the movie theaters but across the shelves of bookstores and libraries around the world. One of the many new voices at the forefront of this movement is CJ Leede, whose first two books, MAEVE FLY and AMERICAN RAPTURE, have garnered numerous awards and nominations.

Leede’s third novel, HEADLIGHTS, brings with it her unique style that mixes complex characters and pulse-pounding plotlines with prose that reads like literary fiction. She clearly respects the writers of classic horror who blazed the way as there are more than a few references to Stephen King’s THE SHINING, which also is set in Colorado.

"CJ Leede will keep you guessing and questioning nearly every character who is introduced, and no theory is too outlandish in this case.... HEADLIGHTS is an unforgettable read in all the best ways..."

Special Agent Daniel Stansfield needs a major change in his life. Not only is he leaving his job with the FBI, he already is prepared to reenlist for another year of overseas military service. That is, until one of his former colleagues turns up on his doorstep to let him know that he is back. The “he” is the serial murderer who pushed Daniel over the edge with the case that he was unable to solve. Two new victims have emerged, each showing signs of the killer they could not find or stop.

Daniel is guilted back into finishing the job, and the first potential suspect he meets just may be another victim. The man turns up bloodied and naked wearing the skin of a recently deceased woman he did not know. This grisly discovery is not the only signature of this sick freak; the other is that a piece of hair is tied around his tongue. What will become even more bizarre is when the source of that hair is revealed, which I will not spoil here. Daniel is haunted by two sets of parents (birth and adoptive) who passed away, as well as a childhood made memorable by music --- especially John Denver’s --- which is not lost on the killer. 

The slayings become more frequent. Leede pulls no punches with the descriptive gore that is as artfully depicted as anything I have read by Thomas Harris. When two bloody bodies are found in a hotel, one of which is skinned, the team is alarmed to discover that one of them is very much alive. Her mouth is covered by a piece of duct tape to hold in the unreal object inside: the victim’s tongue. Hannah Lawrence is drawn to Daniel, and vice versa, and they will form an unlikely bond in their efforts to stop this perpetrator, who is showing all signs of being something distinctly supernatural rather than human.

Leads are found on the web and in social media on fetish sites that bear user names like CanisLoopus and speak of something called Wizdumteller. Believe me, it will get far darker than this as Daniel and his team continue to dig. The investigation points to a quasi-religious type known as Father Sky, but the situation gets way out of control when Daniel and Hannah meet him. Beyond this, their relationship has crossed into new and unexpected territory that adds yet another layer of texture to this already complex story. If you have read BONES AND ALL or caught the film adaptation, you will have some idea of what I am talking about.

CJ Leede will keep you guessing and questioning nearly every character who is introduced, and no theory is too outlandish in this case. HEADLIGHTS is an unforgettable read in all the best ways, and Leede has proven once again that there is nothing to restrain her infinite literary talents.