The Wanting

Overview: Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Campbell Armstrong got a degree in philosophy before taking a position teaching creating writing. After his excellent series about counterterrorism expert Frank Pagan, Mr. Armstrong has written several compelling novels of crime and life in his native Glasgow. A California vacation town holds a terrifying secret in this novel from the international bestselling author who “writes much better than King or Straub” (Village Voice). When Max and Louise Untermeyer rent a house in the remote pine forests of Northern California, they figure it’ll be a perfect escape from the city, especially for their twelve-year-old son, Denny. Their neighbors, Dick and Charlotte Summer, are an elderly couple who certainly seem nice enough. And while they positively dote on the boy, plying him with sweets and gifts, it’s a shame there are no other children Denny’s age to play with. Louise is beginning to wonder why, but no one in town likes to talk about it. But that’s not the only thing troubling Louise. A parent expects a boy of Denny’s age to go through changes—just not like this. Day by day, his innocence seems to be draining away, replaced by something unhealthy, even perverse. Now, the closer Denny gets to Mr. and Mrs. Summer, the closer he is to being lost forever in their dark secret. And anyone who comes looking for him hasn’t got a prayer. The international bestselling author of the Glasgow novels and the Frank Pagan series, Campbell Armstrong has won a Scottish Arts Council Award and a nomination for the Prix du Polar. Any one of his novels “belongs in the permanent collection of horror/thriller fans” (Kirkus Reviews). A California vacation town holds a terrifying secret in this novel from the international bestselling author who “writes much better than King or Straub” ( Village Voice ). When Max and Louise Untermeyer rent a house in the remote pine forests of Northern California, they figure it’ll be a perfect escape from the city, especially for their twelve-year-old son, Denny. Their neighbors, Dick and Charlotte Summer, are an elderly couple who certainly seem nice enough. And while they positively dote on the boy, plying him with sweets and gifts, it’s a shame there are no other children Denny’s age to play with. Louise is beginning to wonder why, but no one in town likes to talk about it. But that’s not the only thing troubling Louise. A parent expects a boy of Denny’s age to go through changes—just not like this. Day by day, his innocence seems to be draining away, replaced by something unhealthy, even perverse. Now, the closer Denny gets to Mr. and Mrs. Summer, the closer he is to being lost forever in their dark secret. And anyone who comes looking for him hasn’t got a prayer. The international bestselling author of the Glasgow novels and the Frank Pagan series, Campbell Armstrong has won a Scottish Arts Council Award and a nomination for the Prix du Polar. Any one of his novels “belongs in the permanent collection of horror/thriller fans” ( Kirkus Reviews ). In master of the macabre Campbell Armstrong & rsquo;s chilling novel, a dark force feeds on children in the sprawling California woods, Max and Louise Untermeyer are looking forward to spending time with their twelve-year-old son, Denny, at their vacation house in a magnificent California pine forest. Their only neighbors are an old hippie and a kindly yet reclusive elderly couple. But something is bothering Louise. Her son is changing. Some sort of evil darkness has infected him and is distorting his personality, draining away his innocence with every passing moment. If Louise and her family are to escape from this horrific nightmare, she and her husband must not only rescue their son and save his life, but save their own, as well