Heart-Shaped Box

Aging rock star Judas Coyne mostly keeps to himself nowadays on his farm with his young girlfriend and macabre artifacts collection, courtesy of doting fans. When his assistant learns of an online auction for a Sunday suit that's haunted by its former inhabitant, Judas bids on it and wins. The suit arrives and he's surprised when he sees the ghost, but is even more surprised when it tries to make him kill himself.

Although the premise of the novel seems a bit silly, it turns out to be convincingly scary. Craddock, the ghost, seems to be like almost any other old man but his scribbled-out eye sockets and hypnotizing razor pendulum creates a chilling image that make readers also expect an encounter with him in a dimly lit hallway of their house.

The cultural elements Hill incorporates also make Judas's musical career convincing, whether it be that he met a former girlfriend backstage at a Nine Inch Nails concert or that the overwhelming shade of his father's kitchen makes him think of Coldplay's 'Yellow.' A more fleshed-out account of his career would hold up to most real rock stars' memoirs.

'Heart-Shaped Box' won't be remembered as one of the great horror novels, but fans of Hill's father, Stephen King, will not be disappointed.