Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel

Joe Hill

Oct 2000 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

A pulse-pounding, terrifying rollercoaster ride of a supernatural thriller—a remarkable debut novel from a blazing talent that will keep readers spellbound

Sooner or later, the dead catch up. . . .

Judas Coyne was a collector. The bizarre, the unusual, the grotesque: A cookbook for cannibals. A used hangman’s noose. A snuff film. Usually the objects were sent by the black-clad fans who made his metal band a legend and made him rich.

But this time, when his personal assistant told him there was a ghost for sale on the Internet, Jude didn’t think twice. But he should have. Of all the ghosts around him—the abusive father, the battered, resentful child Jude once was, the bandmates he betrayed, Anna, the suicidal girl he loved and dumped—this new one means to haunt him all the way to hell.

His new acquisition—delivered to his doorstep in a black heart-shaped box—is Anna’s vengeful stepdaddy. Martin Craddock swears he’s going to settle up with Jude for ruining his daughter’s life. Craddock is everywhere: on the other side of the bedroom door; in Jude’s restored vintage Mustang; outside his window, on his television screen. In his hand , a gleaming razorblade swinging from a chain.

And now the jaded rock star who’s seen it all, done it all, has never been so afraid. . . .

Ratings and reviews

Creepy. The story itself is well told; however, there's just something about it that is familiar to me. I loved the characters more than the story. Mr. Hill definitely has his own voice, and It can't be easy writing when Stephen King is your father. I am impressed enough by this book to want to read more of Mr. Hill's work.

First I've read of this author, was absolutely good enough that I'll read his other stuff... I can admit that I may be a bit more critical since I'm such a fan of his father's, but the kid does seem to hold his own in that large shadow. Excited to see what's "down the road" in the future ;)

This book was nowhere near the "scarey. .sleep depriving "story described by readers. Disappointing and gives me reason to doubt his other books. I enjoyed NOS4A2 much better and was the reason, plus reviews why I bought HSB. It woould have to be a good sale for me to buy a 3rd.

About the author

Joe Hill is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Fireman, NOS4A2, Horns, and Heart-Shaped Box; Strange Weather, a collection of novellas; and the acclaimed story collections Full Throttle and 20th Century Ghosts. He is also the Eisner Award–winning writer of a seven-volume comic book series, Locke & Key. Much of his work has been adapted for film and TV, including NOS4A2 (AMC), Locke & Key (Netflix), In the Tall Grass (Netflix), and The Black Phone (Blumhouse).