Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jan 2024
304 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Paperback Original.
Publication Information
"If you love wilderness horror, This Wretched Valley is a must-read. But be forewarned: after reading this chilling debut, you may never want to set foot in the great outdoors again." —Alma Katsu, author of The Hunger and The Fervor
Take only pictures. Leave only bones.
This trip is going to be Dylan's big break. Her geologist friend Clay has discovered an untouched cliff face in the Kentucky wilderness, and she is going to be the first person to climb it. Together with Clay, his research assistant Sylvia, and Dylan's boyfriend Luke, Dylan is going to document her achievement on Instagram and finally cement her place as the next rising star in rock climbing.
Seven months later, three bodies are discovered in the trees just off the highway. All are in various states of decay: one a stark, white skeleton; the second emptied of its organs; and the third a mutilated corpse with the tongue, eyes, ears, and fingers removed.
But Dylan is still missing—and no trace of her, dead or alive, has been discovered.
Were the climbers murdered? Did they succumb to cannibalism? Or are their impossible bodies the work of an even more sinister force?
This dread-inducing debut builds to a bloodcurdling climax, and will leave you shocked by the final twist.
"Kiefer's debut heralds the arrival of a major new horror talent. Through vivid descriptions of the creepy setting and thoughtful character portraits, Kiefer maintains a feeling of unease and nail-biting tension throughout. Devotees of daylight horror will be entranced." —Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
"A terrifying debut, rendered with the intensity and skill of Scott Smith's cult favorite The Ruins and touches of The Hunger by Alma Katsu and Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. The novel announces Kiefer's intentions to boldly begin her climb to the top of the genre."
—Library Journal (starred review)
"Kiefer's gory and intense debut centers on a doomed rock-climbing expedition beset by horrors both human and supernatural. Kiefer, a climber herself, utilizes her knowledge of the sport to deliver an evocative and pulse-pounding survival horror novel inspired by the Dyatlov Pass incident. This disturbing outing marks her as a writer to watch and will appeal to fans of Scott Smith's The Ruins (2006) and the Showtime series Yellowjackets." —Booklist
"This propulsive, hair-raising read will have you jumping at shadows and second-guessing your next trek into the woods. With nimble pacing, scream-worthy scares, and an ever-present sense of dread, a trip to This Wretched Valley is one you'll never forget. A standout debut." —Rachel Harrison, national best-selling author of Cackle and Such Sharp Teeth
"Twisty and brutal, Jenny Kiefer's debut unfolds like your favorite creepy new horror flick. Welcome to This Wretched Valley, where everything bleeds." —Christopher Golden, New York Times best-selling author of All Hallows and Road of Bones
"A dread-inducing Kentucky spin on the Dyatlov Pass incident, This Wretched Valley drops its readers right into uncharted territory without a compass and demands we navigate our way out alive and in one piece. Not since Scott Smith's The Ruins has a novel imbued a region with such desperate horror." —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Ghost Eaters and What Kind of Mother
This information about This Wretched Valley was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jenny Kiefer is a Kentucky native and an avid rock climber. Together with her mother, she is the owner and manager of Butcher Cabin Books, an all-horror bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky. This Wretched Valley is her debut novel.
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