Hailing from ­Australia, Darcy Coates is the author of a number of USA Today best-selling horror ebooks, though none have previously been available through library ebook vendors. Her legions of fans worldwide have clamored for her books to be available in print, and while Coates once had a print-on-demand contract with a small publisher, her work has not been easily accessible to libraries—until now.

Poisoned Pen Press recently acquired the rights to produce 17 of Coates’s novels in sturdy paperback volumes, beginning with Voices in the Snow (Jan. 2020).

The author’s work is in such high demand owing to her unique blend of character-centered, intense, psychological suspense laced with supernatural elements and little gore. A typical story invites readers into a claustrophobic setting, such as a crumbling old house or a crippling snow storm, and allows them to get to know the characters intimately, then hooks them for the duration of the tale with terrifying action. The gore may be on the lighter side, but the pace is brisk and the fear palpable.

Coates’s horror is for a wide audience, transporting readers to a world more menacing and anxiety producing than the current news cycle. Readers will cover their eyes in fear while still wanting, desperately, to turn the page to see what comes next. From teens to adults, and even those who don’t consider themselves horror fans but enjoy authors such as Sarah Pinborough, Jennifer McMahon, and Alma Katsu will be excited to discover this exemplary author at their local library.

Becky Spratford is a Readers’ Advisory (RA)specialist in northern Illinois and the author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror (2d ed., ALA). She runs the popular blogs raforall.blogspot.com and raforallhorror.blogspot.com. Readers can connect with her on Twitter @RAforAll