Library Journal - Audio
12/01/2021
After Aaron Decker's wife, Allison, is killed in a random act of violence while out shopping one morning, he finds that she had files on numerous, seemingly unrelated murders of young women around the country—a considerable amount of research she had never mentioned to him. He also finds a receipt for a motel several states away, a trip taken while he was traveling for work that she kept secret. Grieving and confused, he goes to the motel to learn more about what she was doing. Aaron finds that almost everything Allison had told him about her past and family was heavily edited or invented completely. Haunted by her ghost and an entity he refers to as "the other Aaron," he works to uncover the dark secrets his wife was keeping from him. Joe Hempel's narration capably conveys Aaron's grief and the purpose he begins to find in the pursuit of answers. An author's note from Malfi (Bone White) is a touching tribute to the friend whose death inspired the book. VERDICT Both an effective work of suspense and a touching meditation on whether we can ever truly know the people we love, this will appeal to fans of literary dark fiction and horror.—Stephanie Klose, Library Journal
Publishers Weekly
04/26/2021
Malfi (Bone White) impresses in this taut, supernaturally tinged mystery, an intriguing variation on the well-worn serial killer plot. Translator Aaron Decker’s life is upended by tragedy when his wife Allison, a columnist for a Maryland newspaper, is killed in a mass shooting at a mall. His grief is complicated by survivor’s guilt, having turned down Allison’s request that he accompany her that fateful day. Decker’s turmoil is further exacerbated by his discovery that Allison kept secrets from him, starting with a two-night stay at a North Carolina motel he’d never known about. His initial worry that she was having an affair is soon allayed, only to be replaced by concern after learning that she’d been conducting a private investigation into the deaths of six young women in different states that had not been linked by the authorities. As Decker follows the clues in the files Allison left behind, he begins to suspect that her spirit is manifesting itself to him. The supernatural elements are fairly minimal, but Malfi makes his lead’s shifting emotions plausible and sticks the landing with a powerful denouement. There’s plenty here to enjoy. (July)
From the Publisher
"A stunning and heart-clenching novel... A perfect fit for fans of Stephen King and modern true crime classics like Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Come with Me both awes and terrifies from beginning to end." - BookPage, Starred Review
"One of the most binge-worthy page turners I have read. Malfi’s compelling writing style sparks an insatiable hunger, lasting until it is finally satisfied at the end of the book. A gripping mystery and a likeable narrator; unputdownable." LitReactor, Best Books of 2021
"Malfi impresses in this taut, supernaturally tinged mystery... and sticks the landing with a powerful denouement. There’s plenty here to enjoy."
Publishers Weekly
"This is what it is to be transported: you might think you're on solid ground, but Come with Me is a story that will carry you, inescapably, into the uncanny, the horrific."
Andrew Pyper, author of The Residence
“An exploration into grief, and into the dark secrets within a seemingly perfect marriage. Part mystery, part ghost story, Come with Me chimes with rare beauty and page-turning brilliance. I surrendered to it completely.”
Rio Youers, author of Lola on Fire
"A must-read for fans of Stephen King. Come with Me is so damn good, truly chilling and suspenseful, yet also hauntingly nuanced"
Christopher Golden, author of Ararat
"Come with Me is Malfi's masterwork – a haunting, heartbreaking novel about grief and secrets. Utterly engrossing and terrifying. Highly recommended!"
Brian Keene, author of The Rising
“Shines as both a nightmare journey of shadows and secrets, and a poignant testimony to love and loss. I read it in a single day because I had no other choice: it’s that damn good.”
Richard Chizmar, author of Gwendy's Button Box
“Deserves to stand alongside Stephen King or Dean Koontz at their best."
New York Journal of Books
“An unsettling world filled with the kind of detail and insight that evoke early Stephen King. . . an elegant, twisted, gripping slow-burn of a novel.”
RT Book Reviews, 4.5 Stars Top Pick
“Creepy prose . . . with plentiful hair-raising enigmas and copious gore.”
Publishers Weekly
Malfi artfully fits the reader’s head in a noose and s-l-o-w-l-y begins to take out the slack. Take a deep breath. You’ll need the oxygen
The Day
“Ronald Malfi masterfully blends psychological terror and traditional gothic horror into dark delight.”
Dark Realms
“A compelling, literary killer-thriller that grips to the end.” SFX
