The Burn Palace

The Burn Palace from Stephen Dobyns is a darkly funny, twisted portrait of chaos and paranoia in small town America.

The sleepy community of Brewster, Rhode Island, is just like any other small American town. It''s a place where most of the population will likely die blocks from where they were born; where gossip spreads like wildfire, and the big entertainment on weekends is the inevitable fight at the local bar.

But recently, something out of the ordinary - perhaps even supernatural - has been stirring in Brewster. While packs of coyotes gather on back roads and the news spreads that a baby has been stolen from Memorial Hospital (and replaced in its bassinet by a snake), a series of inexplicably violent acts begins to confound Detective Woody Potter and the local police - and inspire terror in the hearts and minds of the locals.

Chillingly suspenseful, with a whole host of richly rendered and larger-than-life characters, The Burn Palace from Stephen Dobyns is a masterful thriller, which fans of Stephen King and Susan Hill will devour with pleasure.

Praise for The Burn Palace:
''I''ve read some very good novels this year, but this one is the best of the best'' Stephen King

Stephen J. Dobyns (born February 19, 1941) is an American poet and novelist born in Orange, New Jersey, and residing in Westerly, RI.