Headlights
A dark, visceral serial killer horror for fans of The Shining
Will be published approx. on 18. June 2026
400 pages
978-1-0374-1015-4 (ISBN)
Description
'Dazzling . . . You're gonna have a hard time finding a more thrilling or moving book this year.'
- Josh Malerman, author of Incidents Around the House
An FBI agent with an uncanny ability to sense danger must hunt down a serial killer through the wilderness of Colorado, in this tense and gripping thrill ride by bestselling author CJ Leede. Perfect for fans of The Shining, Longlegs and Twin Peaks.
Every instinct tells him to run. Every memory tells him he can't.
Special Agent Daniel Stansfield is ready for a change. Burnt out and defeated by the job, it's his last day with the FBI. But before he can turn in his badge, he's summoned back to Denver, the city he ran from four years ago, with a chilling message: it's happening again.
Seemingly innocent people are waking up on the side of the highway, with no memory of how they got there, wearing the skin of victims they've allegedly never met. And they each share one haunting detail: a strand of a stranger's hair is tied around their tongue.
Now Daniel is pulled back into the gruesome cycle, and every clue leads him deeper into the shadows of his own past. He will have to confront the ghosts of his traumatic childhood and face what's been hunting him all along - before he and the people he loves become the next victims.
- Josh Malerman, author of Incidents Around the House
An FBI agent with an uncanny ability to sense danger must hunt down a serial killer through the wilderness of Colorado, in this tense and gripping thrill ride by bestselling author CJ Leede. Perfect for fans of The Shining, Longlegs and Twin Peaks.
Every instinct tells him to run. Every memory tells him he can't.
Special Agent Daniel Stansfield is ready for a change. Burnt out and defeated by the job, it's his last day with the FBI. But before he can turn in his badge, he's summoned back to Denver, the city he ran from four years ago, with a chilling message: it's happening again.
Seemingly innocent people are waking up on the side of the highway, with no memory of how they got there, wearing the skin of victims they've allegedly never met. And they each share one haunting detail: a strand of a stranger's hair is tied around their tongue.
Now Daniel is pulled back into the gruesome cycle, and every clue leads him deeper into the shadows of his own past. He will have to confront the ghosts of his traumatic childhood and face what's been hunting him all along - before he and the people he loves become the next victims.
Reviews / Votes
Headlights is instantly seminal. Enshrine it, I say. And it's not just the great premise or fabulous ideas: Headlights is a dazzling juggling of horror without camp, wit without loss of dread, pace without hurry . . . I'll be recommending this book at parties forever. But first I'm gonna go get everything else she's written. You're gonna have a hard time finding a more thrilling or moving book this year -- <b>Josh Malerman, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Bird Box</i> and <i>Incidents Around the House </i></b> An utterly stunning novel . . . Wrapped within one of the most disturbing concepts ever to grace the genre is an utterly beautiful reflection on overcoming trauma, seeking freedom, and the afterlife. Not just one of the best horror books you'll ever read but one that has the capacity to change you permanently -- <i><b>GrimDark Magazine</b></i> Gory and brutal and beautiful and painful and terrifying and a pure delight -- <b>Stephen Graham Jones, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Buffalo Hunter Hunter </i>on <i>Maeve Fly</i></b> Blood-soaked, heart-wrenching, grim and glorious. CJ Leede is a singular talent -- <b>Rachel Harrison, bestselling author of <i>Black Sheep </i>on <i>American Rapture</i></b> Brutally violent, and, as with her previous novel, Maeve Fly, Leede doesn't pull a single punch -- <b><i>Vulture</i> on <i>American Rapture</i></b> Bold, fiercely sharp, and deeply unsettling -- <b>Chuck Tingle, <i>USA Today</i> bestselling author of Camp Damascus on <i>American Rapture</i></b> Thoughtful, wild, frightening, and fun -- <b>Rivka Galchen, author of <i>Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch</i> on <i>Maeve Fly</i></b> Leede blends heart and horror, taking readers on an utterly bonkers and horrific ride. Buckle up -- <b>Jimmy Juliano, author of <i>Dead Eleven </i>on <i>American Rapture</i></b> Sensual, brutal, sly, joyfully unnerving . . . It scared the hell out of me -- <b>Keith Rosson, author of <i>Fever House</i> on <i>Maeve Fly</i></b> Full of action, gore, and heartbreak -- <b><i>Booklist </i>on <i>American Rapture</i></b> Plenty of page-turning suspense . . . hard to put down -- <b><i>Publishers Weekly</i>, STARRED review</b>More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
File size
4,42 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-0374-1015-4 (9781037410154)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
CJ Leede is a horror writer, hiker and Trekkie. She is the author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture. Her debut novel Maeve Fly won the Golden Poppy Octavia E. Butler Award and Splatterpunk Award, and earned a Bram Stoker Award nomination. When she is not driving around the country, CJ can be found in LA with her boyfriend and rescue dogs.
