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The House That Eats the Dead
- Author
- Max Doty
- Narrator
- Lauryn Allman
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date
- 13 August 2026
- Run Time
- 10 hours 24 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
*A BBC RADIO 2 BOOKCLUB PICK!*
' Nasty, smart, satisfying, and enormously fun'
– Scott Hawkins, author of The Library at Mount Char and Blacktail
A family moves into their dream home – only to discover that it hides an insatiable hunger – in this dread-laced and darkly outrageous domestic horror novel.
The new house is a fresh start for Claire and her family. It’s a move towards the quiet suburban life she has craved since her turbulent childhood; a step up the corporate ladder for her husband, Tom; and a safe haven for their two children.
Yet, as they unpack their boxes, she senses something is wrong . . .
Fresh flowers dry up, store-bought eggs are inexplicably hollow and her daughter’s favourite toy disappears. Claire soon confronts a series of impossible truths: the house is hungry. It’s devouring anything that was once alive. And only Claire and Tom, the owners of the house, will remember that this ‘food’ ever existed.
When Claire exploits the house’s power in a moment of weakness, she and the house forge a fragile bond. But as its hunger intensifies and Claire starts to lose control, she fears who else might be drawn to her home – and what sinister appetites they’ll bring.
‘Doty’s devilishly voracious novel ended up devouring me’
– Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Devil Inside
'Deliciously unhinged'
- Leigh Radford, author of One Yellow Eye
Critics Review
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Here I am, thinking I’m the one devouring The House That Eats The Dead, only to learn - too late - that Max Doty’s devilishly voracious novel ended up devouring me. Better put your fear in escrow before opening this book. Your heart's going to need it
Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Devil Inside
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The House that Eats the Dead rips . . . Max Doty peers straight into the blacker corners of the human soul and reports back without blinking. It’s nasty, smart, satisfying, and enormously fun. I had a great time with it
Scott Hawkins, author of The Library at Mount Char and Blacktail
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A dark, domestic fairytale that edges closer to madness with every chapter . . . Thrilling and haunting in equal measure, The House that Eats the Dead makes a banquet of everyday horrors and leaves no crumbs
Cameron Sullivan, author of The Red Winter
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An ingenious take on haunted houses, The House That Eats The Dead is a delightfully bloody story about the sacrifices people make for stability . . . With a clever premise and a tightly paced escalation, I was hooked up until the deeply satisfying conclusion
Bonnie Quinn, author of the How to Survive Camping series
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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An all-consuming horror, Max Doty's fast-paced and deliciously unhinged debut The House That Eats The Dead gives a fun twist to the haunted house novel
Leigh Radford, author of One Yellow Eye
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A wonderful exploration of love, loss, pain, memory, and the nature of good and evil - as well as a fun read and absolute page turner
Kelly Dwyer, author of Ghost Mother
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Max Doty subverts the idea of home-as-sanctuary in this tense domestic horror. A darkly thrilling delight; I devoured it in great gulps
Charlotte Cross, author of The Brides
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I was totally hooked on this book, so much so that during my break at work I was asked what the book was about because I was so absorbed by it
FanFiAddict
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Max Doty
- Narrator
- Lauryn Allman
- Duration
- 10 hours 24 minutes
- Release Date
- 13 August 2026
- ISBN
- 9781035061846
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Genre
- Contemporary horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Psychological thriller, Contemporary fantasy / Low fantasy
Synopsis
*A BBC RADIO 2 BOOKCLUB PICK!*' Nasty, smart, satisfying, and enormously fun'– Scott Hawkins, author of The Library at Mount Char and BlacktailA family moves into their dream home – only to discover that it hides an insatiable hunger – in this dread-laced and darkly outrageous domestic horror novel.The new house is a fresh start for Claire and her family. It’s a move towards the quiet suburban life she has craved since her turbulent childhood; a step up the corporate ladder for her husband, Tom; and a safe haven for their two children.Yet, as they unpack their boxes, she senses something is wrong . . .Fresh flowers dry up, store-bought eggs are inexplicably hollow and her daughter’s favourite toy disappears. Claire soon confronts a series of impossible truths: the house is hungry. It’s devouring anything that was once alive. And only Claire and Tom, the owners of the house, will remember that this ‘food’ ever existed.When Claire exploits the house’s power in a moment of weakness, she and the house forge a fragile bond. But as its hunger intensifies and Claire starts to lose control, she fears who else might be drawn to her home – and what sinister appetites they’ll bring.‘Doty’s devilishly voracious novel ended up devouring me’– Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Devil Inside'Deliciously unhinged'- Leigh Radford, author of One Yellow Eye
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