I’ve been doing mostly novels for the past couple of years, but I enjoy writing novellas too. I got an idea for one and decided to write it. Here’s the (unedited) description:

Chicago is gripped by terror. Someone is brutally murdering sixteen-year-old girls, and the authorities are baffled. Dubbed “The Sweet Sixteen Killer,” the depraved madman is about to strike again.

Jason Crowder, a young priest, is visited in the middle of the night by one of his parishioners, a policeman named Danny Hartman. Danny tells Jason a shocking story. Earlier that evening, Danny and his partner received a call from Danny’s brother, who is panic-stricken by the sudden violent behavior of his fourteen-year-old son. For no apparent reason, the boy attacked his family and had to be chained to his bed. After seeing his nephew, Danny is convinced the boy is possessed by a demon.

Danny’s partner is Jack Bittner. Full of terrible brute strength and rage toward his ex-wife, Jack’s hardened heart has one soft spot: his teenage daughter, whose sixteenth birthday happens to be next week. Jack has been sent to awaken another priest—Peter Sutherland—Jason Crowder’s mentor. Who happens to be the only man in Chicago who has ever performed an exorcism.

But Jack Bittner has other plans tonight. He believes the boy isn’t possessed by a demon, but instead by an insatiable homicidal urge. Jack believes the boy is none other than the Sweet Sixteen Killer. And he aims to end the reign of terror before another teenage girl dies.

Two priests. Two cops. One terrified family. An adolescent boy who just might be host to an ancient evil. They will all collide one stormy night in suburban Chicago on a street that will soon be known as Exorcist Road.

And now, the cover:

Huge thanks to Angie Waters, a cover artist who never ceases to dazzle me. And, of course to Louise Fury (my agent) and Don D’Auria (my editor) for supporting the project.

This one looks like a September release, folks, so the wait shouldn’t be long. And while you wait for it, why not check out my brand-new beast of a novel CASTLE OF SORROWS?