BRAM STOKER AWARD WINNER * The acclaimed thriller of supernatural horror from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Story, Koko, and The Talisman.

"Ghastly, hide-your-eyes horror; when Peter Straub turns on all jets, no one in the scream factory can equal him."--Stephen King
 
BRITISH FANTASY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST NOVEL

Every year on his birthday, Ned Dunstan has a paralyzing seizure in which he is forced to witness scenes of ruthless slaughter perpetrated by a mysterious figure in black whom he calls Mr. X.
 
Now, with his birthday fast approaching, Ned has been drawn back to his hometown of Edgerton, Illinois, by a premonition that his mother is dying. On her deathbed, she imparts to him the name of his long-absent father and warns him that he is in grave danger. Despite her foreboding, he embarks on a search through Edgerton's past for the truth behind his own identity and that of his entirely fantastic family.
 
But when Ned becomes the lead suspect in three violent deaths, he begins to realize that he is not the only one who has come home. . . .