Cruel Summer

***WINNER OF THE 2022 IMADJINN AWARD FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL*** Melissa Braun is a broken woman. Only wanting what's best for her family, she's willing to do whatever it takes to mend her fractured relationship with her abusive boyfriend. In a last ditch effort, she hopes the sun and sand of a much-needed Florida vacation will bring them and her son closer together. Patrick Braun is a demoralized kid. Quiet and sullen, he only wants his mother to see her boyfriend's torment as it cripples everything he loves. After years of silence, he refuses to stand by and let the abuse continue to tear them apart. Hoyt Rainey is a vile man. Unable to keep his hands to himself, he finally takes his anger one step too far. Only this time he finds himself on the receiving end of his own punishment. Down and down he goes, plunging deeper into the dark blue abyss of the sea. Melissa and Patrick finally believe they are safe, the trouble now behind them for good. They are wrong. Gods never really stay dead - they only lie in wait. And when a beast as old as time discovers Hoyt...he, too, won't stay gone for long. The nights grow darker, the water flows colder, and the cruelty of summer lives on