WILLOW ROSE

Hayden offers a contemporary horror yarn set in rural Minnesota.

Dr. Alder Peony works as an emergency care physician at Morningstar Falls Medical Center. It is a small hospital in a small town—quite the change of scenery for Alder, who hails from the South Side of Chicago. But Alder, aged 39, is in debt and needs the gig, so he dutifully drives his old Honda to work regular 24-hour shifts. It is in the depths of winter when the comet Goodwin appears in the sky and strange things start to happen, most notably the sudden appearance of a young girl outside Alder’s cabin. Her name is Willow Rose, and she arrives in the middle of the night with a woman named Clara. Later, Willow winds up in the emergency room covered in blood. Who is she, and what happened to the woman she was with? Alder and a kindly nurse named Faith do their best to watch out for Willow while Child Protective Services works out where to place her, but no one is prepared for what is lurking in the woods. The novel boasts an altogether finely-crafted, enticing set-up. Alder is a true fish-out-of-water in this little town, which includes some kindly folk and some downright crooks, such as a man who greatly overcharges the cash-strapped Alder to repair a car windshield. A compelling uncertainty surrounds Alder’s experiences—is he merely sleep-deprived, or is the comet creating uncontrollable chaos? The suspense lags occasionally; a trip to a restaurant includes the description, “The aroma of comforting goodness lingers in the air, wrapping the diner in warmth.” —not a particularly thrilling statement in a not very exciting scene, but the world outside the diner has much to threaten that comforting goodness.

A well-executed tale of terrifying possibilities set in the freezing middle of nowhere.