The Supernatural Enhancements - Hardcover

Cantero, Edgar

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385538154 ISBN 13: 9780385538152

Publisher: Doubleday, 2014

Synopsis

A mesmerizing novel...what begins as a gothic ghost story soon evolves into a wickedly twisted treasure hunt in The Supernatural Enhancements, Edgar Cantero's wholly original, modern-day adventure.

When twentysomething A., the European relative of the Wells family, inherits a beautiful, yet eerie, estate set deep in the woods of Point Bless, Virginia, it comes as a surprise to everyone—including A. himself. After all, he never knew he had a "second cousin, twice removed" in America, much less that his eccentric relative had recently committed suicide by jumping out of the third floor bedroom window—at the same age and in the same way as his father had before him . . .

Together with A.’s companion, Niamh, a mute teenage punk girl from Ireland, they arrive in Virginia and quickly come to feel as if they have inherited much more than just a rambling home and an opulent lifestyle. Axton House is haunted... they know it...but the presence of a ghost is just the first of a series of disturbing secrets they slowly uncover. What led to the suicides? What became of the Axton House butler who fled shortly after his master died? What lurks in the garden maze – and what does the basement vault keep? Even more troubling, what of the rumors in town about a mysterious yearly gathering at Axton House on the night of the winter solstice?

Told vividly through a series of journal entries, cryptic ciphers, recovered security footage, and letters to a distant Aunt Liza, Edgar Cantero has written an absorbing, kinetic and highly original supernatural adventure with classic horror elements that introduces readers to a deviously sly and powerful new voice.

About this title

About the Author

EDGAR CANTERO is a writer and cartoonist from Barcelona working in Catalan, Spanish and English. He was born in 1981.

Review

"A wonderful, enthralling book. The Supernatural Enhancements is one of those rare literary creations that shortens the long hours of night. You emerge from its pages at sunrise, suddenly aware that you've spent the whole night reading. Few authors create such books. Edgar Cantero does it gracefully."
—Jason Mott, bestselling author of The Returned

“Eerie, puckish, and full of surprises...Cantero pays homage to Bram Stoker and H.P. Lovecraft and The Shining, but he’s no less enamored of The X-Files, fax machines, and punk girls with dreads. The result is a propulsive, beguiling novel that is as easy to get swept up in as it is hard to describe.”
--Justin Taylor, author of Flings

"Southern gothic meets Euro hipness in Catalan novelist Cantero’s inventive, enjoyable outing in postmodern mystery writing...Quirky in presentation and good fun throughout, Cantero’s yarn pleases at every turn."
--Kirkus

"Cantero's fresh, original prose style and the steady flow of twists, turns, and code breaking will have mystery, thriller, and supernatural fans glued to their seats until they reach the electrifying conclusion."
--Library Journal (Starred Review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0385538154
• ISBN 13: 9780385538152
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368