The Blade Between

“Supernatural and uncomfortably human forces threaten to rip a failing town apart…. An unsettling and visceral journey: powerful, twisted, and grim but ultimately uplifting.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

My dark thriller The Blade Between dropped on 12/1/2020 – and you can click here to purchase it from the indie bookstore or behemoth of your choice!! It’s a ghost story about a damaged gay guy who goes home to try to save the town he hated (and the people he loves) from the destructive plans of corporate interests… but he’s manipulated by dark forces both human and monstrous, and his scheme swiftly spirals into supernatural violence.

Also? It’s a #2 Bestseller in the Horror category, according to Library Journal.

One reviewer called it “James Baldwin meets Stephen King,” and honestly nothing has ever done a better job of capturing who I aspire to be as a writer. And NPR wrote an incredibly generous review, which says (among other amazing things) “The creepy atmosphere and ghosts make it horror, but the drug abuse, evictions, cheating, and destroyed lives make it noir… Miller’s writing and vivid imagery, especially when describing dreams, make it poetry.”

You can read the first two chapters for free, thanks to Tor.com!

And here’s a really fun interview about the book that I did with The Big Thrill.

“The Blade Between is as addictive and brutal as it is smart and challenging. Miller unflinchingly confronts the sins of our past and present. The horrors here are rooted in there being no easy answers despite our individual and collective souls being ultimately at stake. Plus whales!” – Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World and Survivor Song

“Miller takes on cosmic horror with chillingly realistic results…. Filled with intense dread and unease…. This is a great example of how a century-old subgenre can still speak directly to today’s readers.” – Library Journal

Here’s the full video of our dynamic book launch event, conducted via Zoom with the incredible Andrea Hairston and hosted by Boston’s Brookline Booksmith!!

“[A] gripping mashup of psychological suspense and horror….The novel lifts off toward an exciting conclusion. Insightful social commentary is a bonus. Thriller fans will welcome Miller as a fresh new voice.” – Publishers Weekly

“Miller’s sprawling novel encapsulates the complex web of feelings brought on by witnessing the destruction of a town that made adolescence hell for a gay or trans teen…. Raw and volatile…. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a queer-themed, sea salt–laced dark fantasy.” – Booklist (starred review)

“One of the best books I’ve read in 2020. Miller’s prose is phenomenal… but it’s more than just handsome writing. Through fantastical elements, Miller offers a gripping portrait of how the personal connects to the political.” – Tor.com

“The book is full of moments of slowly rising dread that end in shocking revelations, all of them building to a nightmarish town festival where the growing horror finally reveals its true face and intent.” – Nightmare Magazine

“A fast-paced, blood-soaked, supernatural thriller with plenty of madness, sex, socioeconomic commentary and even romance. Miller gives readers plenty to ponder: cultural ills, chilling scenes, the power of love and friends, lessons from the past and hope for a better future.” – bookreporter

“Like Clive Barker, Miller has a great talent for creating interesting characters and building up quiet dread. . . . Miller is a talent worth keeping an eye on.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“Storytelling that is both unorthodox and highly effective.” – AudioFile Magazine

“With its sympathetic characters, rich atmosphere, and tense pacing, it winds itself up tightly, a series of highs and lows that never lets up until the final plunge into total chaos at the climax. It’s an urban gothic novel with the perfect amount of dread and horror, and it’s the perfect read for these cold winter nights.” – Tor Nightfire

“A heady, addictive mix of realism and wild creativity…. Though it occasionally flirts with chaos, THE BLADE BETWEEN maintains an exhilarating balance between verisimilitude and unshackled imagination. Gentrification’s interlinked consequences —evictions, displacement, loss of community, homelessness, poverty, and drug use—are drawn in clear, bright lines, effortlessly illustrating the facets of a complex social problem playing out in communities all across America…. [Hurtles] us towards a breathless and breathtaking conclusion…. Exhilarating.” – Chicago Review of Books