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Daphne

A Novel

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Daphne

Written by: Josh Malerman
Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso
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About this listen

 Horror has a new name: Daphne. A brutal, enigmatic woman stalks a high school basketball team in a reimagining of the slasher genre by the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box.

“A superb serial killer novel and a great coming-of-age story.”—Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Paste

It’s the last summer for Kit Lamb: The last summer before college. The last summer with her high school basketball team, and with Dana, her best friend. The last summer before her life begins.

But the night before the big game, one of the players tells a ghost story about Daphne, a girl who went to their school many years ago and died under mysterious circumstances. Some say she was murdered, others that she died by her own hand. And some say that Daphne is a murderer herself. They also say that Daphne is still out there, obsessed with revenge, and will appear to kill again anytime someone thinks about her.

After Kit hears the story, her teammates vanish, one by one, and Kit begins to suspect that the stories about Daphne are real . . . and to fear that her own mind is conjuring the killer. Now it’s a race against time as Kit searches for the truth behind the legend and learns to face her own fears—before the summer of her lifetime becomes the last summer of her life.

Mixing a nostalgic coming-of-age story and an instantly iconic female villain with an innovative new vision of classic horror, Daphne is an unforgettable thriller as only Josh Malerman could imagine it. Coming of Age Genre Fiction Horror Psychological Thriller & Suspense Scary Crime Fiction Murder Sports High School
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I simply loved it!!!! creepy and a fast paced read, and I really thought the twist was great

excellent ghost story

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I'm a sucker for a supernatural/slasher horror story, and this one ticked those boxes for me. The writing, though, was pretty mediocre, and the narration did little to make up for that.

There was no subtlety, with every metaphor broken down and explained in careful and redundant detail. Certain phrases were overused (like the author almost exclusively uses the term "ballers" to refer to the members of a girls' high school basketball team, which feels a little silly, especially when it comes out of the mouth of a seasoned detective), and a lot of the writing/narration came across as more than a little overwrought.

Basically, it was good enough that I finished it in a few days, but I won't be seeking out more audiobooks written by this author or read by this narrator.

Concept is original; execution is so-so

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I've read a few books by Josh Malerman and I have had the same issue with all of them. He creates an excellent premise, situates it into a world that seems plausible if slightly off-beat, and then fails to deliver on any of the things he sets up. The man can't write an ending to save his life. This entire book was about a ghost named Daphne haunting a basketball team. Who is Daphne? Why did she do the things she did? How is she returning as a ghost? The answers to those questions exist. They aren't satisfying and you don't really get to spend any time digging into them. Even the murders the ghost commits are oddly described. He also drops references to his other works in a way that is equally unsatisfying. The lead detective spent some time in Goblin? The setting of another novel? What did she think of that experience? We never learn, we just keep getting reference to the town name and nothing else.

Frankly there are other writers out there doing small town horror better and with less recognition. Don't waste your time on this one.

An Excellent Premise That Misses The Mark

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