From the award-winning, Stoker Award-nominated author of Hannahwhere and Inflictions, John McIlveen offers his latest collection A Variable Darkness, thirteen tales of his trademark blend of heartache, humor, horror, and a ton of humanity. Inside these pages, you will meet a captivating girl who is the embodiment of all female youth and the registrar of broken hearts. You will travel to 1693 Massachusetts, where a suspected witch mentors a teenager. You will meet Ricky Briggs, who wakes up without a spine, join in on the craziest Yankee Swap imaginable, and ride along with a cantankerous old spirit in a 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis. Including an introduction by Tony Tremblay and an afterword by Izzy Lee. and "John McIlveen has a gift for the sinister - for the chilling, the thought-provoking, and the double and triple twist. These stories are the mesmerizing work of a master of suspense, and they will haunt you long after you close the final mind-blowing page. The writing is so elegant - I can almost hear Rod Serling narrating! and " - Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of THE FIRST TO LIE