American author CJ Leede blasted into the literary horror spotlight in 2024 when her first novel, 2023’s Maeve Fly, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Since her early success, she’s released two more novels, American Rapture and her newest crime-horror story, Headlights.
Headlights follows FBI Special Agent Daniel Stansfield, who, one day before resigning, receives word from his former boss that a serial killer case that Stansfield was the lead agent on years before, has been opened again after a string of new, but similar murders.
This isn’t a normal case, though, as the supposed killers seemingly remember nothing, absent-mindedly walking down the road wearing the skin of their victims draped over them, and hair from the same person tied around their tongues. This time, though, the person orchestrating the murders seems to be sending a message to Stansfield, bringing up traumatic moments from his past that only a select few know about. Stansfield decides to stay on the case, ready to find out who is behind these gruesome murders and how they connect with his past.
Headlights gets its hooks into you early. Leede’s character introduction is fantastic, giving the reader just enough tidbits about Dan’s life to understand his distant personality, yet wary of his psychological setbacks. He’s a perfect example of a self-destructive, gritty protagonist.
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In the first half, the story settles in like a cozy true-crime case with an unexplainable mystery at its core. Leede channels crime favorites like The X-Files, Longlegs, and The Silence of the Lambs as layers start to peel back from the case. The first two acts dabble in the supernatural against the backdrop of the gorgeously-described Colorado countryside, which Leede seems expertly familiar with.
I especially appreciated the connections that Leede made between Headlights and Stephen King’s The Shining, a classic that obviously played a large part in this book’s inspiration, and a plot piece used brilliantly throughout the story. I was especially giddy when the story took a turn to Estes Park and the Stanley Hotel, where King was famously inspired to write The Shining.
Unfortunately, around the 60-70% mark, Headlights starts to drift away from the ideas and path it laid out in the first half, and the story starts to become a bit convoluted, grasping at different subgenres and plots, seemingly trying to go with whatever one would hold the book’s weight.
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Mysteries in the story (and the case) are dropped by the wayside, and instead of revealing solutions in the final act, even the main character essentially throws up his hands and says, “I don’t know either, man.” The story works itself out in the end, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of the twists and turns that Leede took to get there.
Regardless, I still enjoyed Headlights more than I disliked some of its eventual direction. Leede’s descriptive writing and her ability to capture the darkness and fear caused by trauma in her characters are incredible. Leede is an intelligent, gifted writer, and Headlights is absolutely worth the read, despite the final act not vibing with me. I recommend giving this one a go.
Headlights by CJ Leede is available at all major book retailers on June 10th, 2026.
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