Daphne: A Novel

Josh Malerman

Sep 2022 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Patricia Santomasso

About this audiobook

Horror has a new name: Daphne. A brutal, enigmatic woman stalks a high school basketball team in a reimagining of the slasher genre by the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box.

“A superb serial killer novel and a great coming-of-age story.”—Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Paste

It’s the last summer for Kit Lamb: The last summer before college. The last summer with her high school basketball team, and with Dana, her best friend. The last summer before her life begins.

But the night before the big game, one of the players tells a ghost story about Daphne, a girl who went to their school many years ago and died under mysterious circumstances. Some say she was murdered, others that she died by her own hand. And some say that Daphne is a murderer herself. They also say that Daphne is still out there, obsessed with revenge, and will appear to kill again anytime someone thinks about her.

After Kit hears the story, her teammates vanish, one by one, and Kit begins to suspect that the stories about Daphne are real . . . and to fear that her own mind is conjuring the killer. Now it’s a race against time as Kit searches for the truth behind the legend and learns to face her own fears—before the summer of her lifetime becomes the last summer of her life.

Mixing a nostalgic coming-of-age story and an instantly iconic female villain with an innovative new vision of classic horror, Daphne is an unforgettable thriller as only Josh Malerman could imagine it.

Ratings and reviews

I wish this had been two separate stories. It feels like the author wanted to write both an introspective story about trauma and mental illness AND a classic horror story but couldn't quite get those aspects to congeal into something cohesive. I hate the rogue cop who's framed as a good guy despite her "little problem" with police brutality! Having that said, there is a lot I love about this book, most of all the gorgeous renderings of Daphne. The strong visuals of each description of her sent chills down my spine, her iconic presence and the story of her death making her feel as huge and terrifying as the author intended. I only wish she resided within a story that was tighter and more succinct in its message. I like how the main character Kit and her parents are written, the rest could have been less stereotypical. I wish there had been more of a deep dive into the concept of community trauma as it is a great one to explore! I also liked the mostly-female cast, that was neat!