KAMP KROMWELL

In Grea’s horror novel, a summer camp with a haunted history opens its doors to a new cohort of unsuspecting teens.

Joey Carpenter is an insular, gay teenager navigating life in a homophobic town. After a friend’s uncle grooms him, leading him into a creeping relationship that culminates in sexual assault, Joey is eager to escape the explosive aftermath that hangs over him at school and home. As an attendee of the summer getaway Kamp Kromwell, Joey comes out of his shell to defend twins DJ and Lily Foster from bullies alongside newfound friends Kenny Louve and brothers Paul and Asia Demarco. The six misfits form the Kromwell Krew, “bound together, joined like links in a chain.” But as the burgeoning friendships solidify, a frightening local legend surfaces on Folklore Night: The murderous John Tate, “who had butchered countless women” in the 1960s, buried his unfortunate victims on the grounds of the then under-construction Kamp Kromwell. When “bodies began to spring up like dandelions” and a mistrial set Tate free, the townsfolk of Jasper Mill took justice into their own hands, bringing the story to a horrifying conclusion. The arrival of Jasper Mill exile Floppy Mossy (accompanied by “a flood of ravens”) interrupts a talent show performance; her prophetic dreams signify the return of a terrible spirit that the Kromwell Krew must confront before the night is over.  The chapters alternate between third- and first-person perspectives, with Joey’s narrative unfolding alongside the dark history of Jasper Mill and its inhabitants. Grea crafts a twisty page-turner populated with characters that feel well drawn, no matter how small their parts in the overall plot. (Even those who tip the story’s delicate balance of good and evil toward darkness are given detailed biographies contextualizing their actions.) While summer camp-themed slashers are familiar territory to horror readers, Grea’s twist on the typical tropes and LGBTQ+ characters refresh the genre with compelling ease.

A compelling thriller that effortlessly balances horror with humor and heart.