Rio Youers is the kind of writer I aspire to become. His ideas are original and ambitious, his sentences smooth, yet razor sharp, and his stories are all so emotionally powerful they can raise the price of Kleenex stock.

I am both honored, and grateful, that Rio took the time to read my latest novel, and offer the following kind words.

“The writing has a guitar-like rhythm—a cool, choppy riff—that hooked me in, and all but had me tapping my foot as I whirled through the pages. But rest assured, this is no breezy melody. It’s a dark arrangement, a terror chorus. It will sink into your bones and shake you. With Will Haunt You, Brian Kirk stands tall in the dark fiction arena, and affirms that horror—like rock and roll—will never die.”

–Rio Youers, author of The Forgotten Girl and Halcyon

Most people learn about Rio Youers by way of his seminal novel Westlake Soul. It’s the kind of book you’ll never forget, and one that will make you a fan of his for life. That’s what it did to me. And while Rio might have set the bar high with that single novel, I’ve been equally delighted with everything he’s written since.

Rio’s novels are as enlightening as they are entertaining, as life-affirming as they are, at times, horrific. Hell, I get done with a Rio Youers novel, and I feel like I’ve spent some time on a therapist’s couch. Not bad for the price of a paperback, and a lot more fun.

Don’t just take my word for it. Read what horror icon Peter Straub says about Rio Youers, “Rio Youers is one of the most vital, most exciting young talents to come along in this decade. . . . [He] writes beautiful phrases and sentences, and he has an instinctive feel for horror’s flash points, those moments in a novel when its author must demonstrate that he can keep his head while his readers are cheerfully losing theirs.” ―Peter Straub

That’s a blurb a less skilled author might sell his soul for, whereas Rio earned it with heaps of talent and years of hard work. Read his books and you’ll agree with Mr. Straub’s glowing sentiments. Pick at random. You can’t go wrong.

      

And if Rio’s endorsement intrigues you, you can order my novel Will Haunt You here.