Alice Isn't Dead

August 20, 2018
Based on the podcast of the same name, Fink’s thrilling first solo novel follows a woman thrown into the middle of a secret war that takes place in the vast, empty stretches of America. Keisha Taylor believed her wife, Alice, dead after she disappeared without a trace. Then, six months after the funeral, Keisha sees Alice in the background of a news report. Thus begins her search, crisscrossing America after getting a job as a long-distance trucker, following up leads culled from Alice’s notes and papers. Along the way, she’s threatened by monsters called Thistle Men and discovers a vast conspiracy that protects them as they prey upon people along the highways. Creator of the popular Welcome to Nightvale podcast, Fink (It Devours! with Jeffrey Cranor) fills his world with fully realized characters, from Keisha, who uses her grief and anxiety to give herself strength, to Sylvia, the runaway teenager who fights against the Thistle Men who killed her mom. Fans of eerie suspense will find much to like. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

Even if you've never listened to the podcast on which this gripping production is based, fear not: Fink's audiobook is so effectively scary that it's easy to binge-listen to on its own. Throughout, Jasika Nicole's narration is effectively subtle. Keisha is searching for her wife, Alice, who is presumed dead. Her search requires scouring a landscape of dark highways, empty parking lots, dusty motel rooms, and untrustworthy law enforcement. Along her journey, she encounters a murderous entity that seems to know where she is at every turn. Fans of horror will appreciate the simplicity of the story's premise and the skill with which the suspense builds. Nicole's performance is tense, even chilling when appropriate--but with an underlying suggestion of hope. S.P.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine