Vengeance Child

Orphan Jay doesn't want to hurt anyone, and nurse Laura Parris is determined to protect him. When she meets Victor Brodman, a widower, she wonders if she can finally reveal Jay's disturbing past.From BooklistStarred Review The first reaction of some readers upon finishing the first several pages of this novel might be: “Hey, didn’t The Twilight Zone already do this story?” It’s true, there are similarities between Clark’s story of a little boy with a terrifying mental power and “It’s a Good Life,” the famous Twilight Zone episode based on a Jerome Bixby short story about a little boy with a terrifying mental power. But the similarities between the two are only thematic. In execution, the two tales are very different. Clark, author of such stellar horror thrillers as London under Midnight (2006) and Lucifer’s Ark (2008), proves again that he has a real knack for working unique variations on time-tested themes. His little boy is the sole survivor of a shipwreck, now living in an orphan asylum, and he’s the sweetest boy you could ever want to meet—until his eyes glaze over, and he begins to repeat your name. Then it’s time to take cover. But is the boy evil himself, or is he merely the innocent vessel of a much greater, darker evil? Clark will tell you, but in his own good time, and only after the knot in the pit of your stomach is the size of a boulder. Another clever, original, and beguiling thriller from this very talented storyteller. --David Pitt Review"Another clever, original, and beguiling thriller from this very talented storyteller" Booklist starred review of Vengeance Child "Clark, familiar to some fans of horror fiction but largely unknown by everybody else, deserves a much wider audience. This thrilling, terrifying, and deeply affecting story might just be the one that captures it for him" Booklist on London Under Midnight"