The Queen

this Halloween's most terrifying novel from TikTok's favourite horror writer!

By: Nick Cutter

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Paperback | 28 October 2025 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
384 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
19.7 x 12.9 x 3.0

Paperback

RRP $24.99

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Nick Cutter, author of #HorrorBookTok sensation The Troop, returns with a heart-pounding novel of terror about a young woman searching for her missing friend and uncovering a shocking truth.

On a sunny morning in June, Margaret Carpenter wakes up to find a new iPhone on her doorstep. She switches it on to find a text from her best friend, Charity Atwater. The problem is, Charity's been missing for over a month. Most people in town - even the police - think she's dead.

Margaret and Charity have been lifelong friends. They share everything, know the most intimate details about one another . . . except for the destructive secret hidden from them both. A secret that will trigger a chain of events ending in tragedy, bloodshed, and death. And now Charity wants Margaret to know her story - the real story. In a narrative that takes place over one feverish day, Margaret follows a series of increasingly disquieting breadcrumbs as she forges deeper into the mystery of her best friend - a person she never truly knew at all . . .

Industry Reviews

This book is a triumph. The Queen is gruesome, and Cutter knows how to get under your skin, which he does time and again in scenes of visceral body horror - New York Times

Nick Cutter is a spinner of nightmares and The Queen is his darkest magic trick yet. A nerve-shattering story of friendship and secrets, terror and revulsion, it's that rare gem of a horror novel that will touch your heart and then rip it right out of your chest, bloody and still beating. Don't miss this stunner! - Richard Chizmar, author of Memorials

You may think you know where this story is going, and you will be totally wrong - Nick Cutter is at the wheel, and he's one hell of a driver! One of the most original books I've ever read. Relatable, surprising, and frightening from the first moment, in more ways than one - CJ Leede, author of American Rapture and Maeve Fly

Nick Cutter writes some of the scariest . . . horror novels around - Variety

The Queen establishes Nick Cutter as the living master of maximalist horror writing in the English language. But that's not all! It's also gripping, relentlessly suspenseful, and surprisingly tender. A big, stomach-flipping joy ride of a book - Mason Coile, author of William

You're in for a wild, over-the-top, absolutely terrifying ride - Book Riot

Nick Cutter's new novel is a hideously beautiful hybrid born of trauma, obsession, weird insect fetishes, the painful intricacies of adolescence and childhood friendships, plus all-out body horror. Ambitious, imaginative and packing a brutal emotional gut-punch along with the page-turning suspense of a thriller, The Queen is a magnificent ride - Daniel Church, author of The Hollows and The Ravening

A harrowing body horror you won't be able to put down, The Queen is an unforgettable journey that captures the monstrosity of pubescence and the violent heartbreak of adolescent friendships. As soulful as it is sickening, Cutter's writing kept me utterly enthralled. I have never turned pages faster, but I'm certain my brain will be buzzing with this book for a long time to come - Ling Ling Huang, author of Natural Beauty

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