The Night Parade
Page 38
Many thanks to my agent, Cameron McClure, whose finger rested firmly on the pulse of this novel from the very beginning and whose guidance helped me shape it. Thanks to my editor, Peter Senftleben, whose suggestions raised this tale to the next level. My undying gratitude to my own personal savior, Dr. Charles J. Sailey, MD, MS, for his input on all things medical, and for the generosity of his valuable time and even more valuable knowledge. A tip of the hat to Jim Braswell, my brother in words, for his insight and faith, and to the inimitable Kristopher Rufty for his friendship, input, and at least one late-night phone call when I thought all was lost and he showed me how to find it again. Thank you to my wife, Debra, who remains my strongest critic (as all wives are) and my most reliable sounding board (as all wives should be), and to my dad, who’s got a good sense of story and an even better sense for telling me when I’ve gone off the rails. Lastly, thanks to my daughters, Madison and Hayden, without whom this book would not exist. You rock Dad’s world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RONALD MALFI is an award-winning author of several horror novels, mysteries, and thrillers. He is the recipient of two Independent Publisher Book Awards, the Beverly Hills Book Award, the Vincent Preis Horror Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award for Popular Fiction, and he is a Bram Stoker Award nominee. Most recognized for his haunting, literary style and memorable characters, Malfi’s dark fiction has gained acceptance among readers of all genres. He currently lives in Maryland with his wife, Debra, and their two daughters. Readers can learn more about his work at www.ronmalfi.com.
If you liked The Night Parade, be sure to read Little Girls, available now!
From Bram Stoker Award nominee Ronald Malfi comes a brilliantly chilling novel of childhood revisited, memories resurrected, and fears reborn . . .
When Laurie was a little girl, she was forbidden to enter the room at the top of the stairs. It was one of many rules imposed by her cold, distant father. Now, in a final act of desperation, her father has exorcised his demons. But when Laurie returns to claim the estate with her husband and ten-year-old daughter, it’s as if the past refuses to die. She feels it lurking in the broken moldings, sees it staring from an empty picture frame, hears it laughing in the moldy greenhouse deep in the woods . . .
At first, Laurie thinks she’s imagining things. But when she meets her daughter’s new playmate, Abigail, she can’t help but notice her uncanny resemblance to another little girl who used to live next door. Who died next door. With each passing day, Laurie’s uneasiness grows stronger, her thoughts more disturbing. Like her father, is she slowly losing her mind? Or is something truly unspeakable happening to those sweet little girls?