Stephen King is never shy about lifting up the authors and books he loves, but one of his most praised novelists over the last few years has definitely been Keith Rosson, author of Fever House, The Devil by Name, and last year’s hit, Coffin Moon.
Like many of King’s stories, Rosson prides himself on writing a brilliant blend of the crime and horror genres, and creating fast-paced, foot-to-the-pedal, intense and unpredictable tales. His newest release, Crone, follows suit in his style, but this time, Rosson tackles the witchy side of horror, a subgenre that doesn’t get a lot of space in darker and more brutal modern storytelling.
Crone Perfectly Nails the Gritty Nature of Crime-Horror
Crone follows ex-detective, ex-addict Eli Lamp, whose life turned to hell after his only daughter was abducted more than 10 years ago. Now, under the thumb of the local drug gang, the Crooked Wheel, Eli is tasked with using his connections and expertise to track down the killer of the gang boss’ son. The issue is, Eli has never seen such brutality in a killing before and, along with the help of his daughter’s childhood friend, must solve the murder to secure his freedom from the gang.
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Rosson absolutely nails the crime genre in his books, and in Crone, he establishes a gritty, hard-boiled, detective-adjacent story first and brings the supernatural horror in as a support throughout the second half. Once the titular crone is introduced, all hell breaks loose, and the blood truly begins to fly.
One of the most fun things about Rosson’s writing is his indiscriminate choices of which characters live and which die. He’ll introduce characters and develop them as if they’re part of the main cast, just long enough to get the reader invested in them, and then prove to the reader that no one is safe, while still making sure the characters are integral to the story. It’s nasty work, but it does its job of keeping the suspense high.
Crone May be Rosson’s Darkest Novel Yet
Needless to say, Rosson doesn’t write feel-good stories or happy endings. While the finales are often satisfying, they also tend to be more of a reprieve from an emotionally exhausting and frenetic thrill ride. That isn’t a bad thing. It’s more of a notice that if you’re looking for everything to work out for every character, Rosson may not be the right author for you.
In fact, since starting with Fever House a few years ago, I’ve felt that his books have gotten increasingly darker, with Crone outmatching even last year’s Coffin Moon, a book with a vibe I struggled to believe could get much darker. Coffin Moon touched heavily on PTSD and trauma, but Crone’s deep dive into addiction, revenge, and child abduction brings an even bleaker turnout.
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Crone still kept Rosson’s signature punk/heavy metal vibe, as well; honestly, it could have been a horror spinoff to Sons of Anarchy with a taste of The Blair Witch Project or The Witch. Outside the grimness of his writing, I feel like Rosson’s prose and smooth, flowing descriptive style have become stronger with every book. With Crone, it feels like he’s truly in the prime of his writing talent.
I’ve rated every one of Rosson’s books at five stars since reading Fever House, and at this point, it’s like splitting hairs in terms of quality, and it really comes down to personal taste in the story. Although Coffin Moon’s setting and time period resonated more with my tastes, it can’t be argued that Crone is quite possibly Keith Rosson’s best work. I totally recommend this one to all fans of brutal crime and horror stories.
Crone is published by Random House and is now available at all major book retailers.
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