Where Dead Things Grow

Armed with a stolen sword and accompanied by Death himself, a young au pair ventures deep into the heart of a sentient swamp to rescue her children in this creeping botanical horror from Megan Bontrager.

Evangeline Faust is no stranger to Death. He’s always been a silent companion, connected through her ability to sense when he’ll come for someone. Now, Death has followed her to Thrasher House, where she cares for twins with similar strange and deathly magic. 

When people begin to whisper about a cult promising eternal life tied to the ever-growing swamp at the edge of town, Evangeline is inclined to ignore it. But then her twins are kidnapped and taken into the swamp and Evangeline doesn’t hesitate to rush after them. Ever her companion, Death follows.

Together they journey deep into the overgrowth—a world full of undead creatures and sentient, necrotic flora—and it becomes clear the cult’s power is not the stuff of rumor. A delicate balance has been broken somewhere at the heart of the swamp, and rescuing the twins will require great sacrifice, but nothing will stop Evangeline from saving her children. 

• "Dark, bone-chilling, and utterly twisted, The Sea Hides its Dead will drag you into its depths with only a flare to light your way. Bontrager’s gripping writing steals you from the very beginning and doesn’t let up until you’re gasping for more." 
  Deena Helm, author of Our Cut of Salt, on The Sea Hides Its Dead
• "Weird, wild, and unpredictable, Bontrager will guide you through the depths of your own personal drippy, salty seaside purgatory. You will feel the chill, the damp, the gloom, and, above all, the omniscient staring eyes of the Leviathan above!" 
  Bitter Karella, author of Moonflow, on The Sea Hides Its Dead
• "A captivating, Lovecraftian horror that examines friendships and love and the dark parts of ourselves." 
  Daisy Pearce, author of Something in the Walls, on The Sea Hides Its Dead
• "Narrow passageways, hellish trials, eldritch horrors and worst of all—terrible academic men. The Sea Hides its Dead sparks the kind of awe and panic that the best horror delivers. Bontrager doesn't pull any punches." 
  Hester Steel, author of The Faceless Thing We Adore, on The Sea Hides Its Dead
• “Cursed sea cults and vengeful angels come together in this blood and brine drenched tale. It’s probably ill-advised to descend into inexplicable caves seeking eldritch horrors, but Bontrager’s atmospheric writing makes the jaunt perilously twisty and terrifyingly entertaining.” 
  Tori Bovalino, author of My Throat an Open Grave, on The Sea Hides Its Dead
• "There are as many thrills and chills in this page-turning novel as there are bones in the Leviathan's sea cave." 
  Eman Quotah, author of The Night Is Not for You, on The Sea Hides Its Dead
• “Bontrager’s propulsive novel is a claustrophobic nightmare of wet, squelchy terrors and unflinching truths. Proof that no matter where you go, even in the cavernous depths of a mysterious sea monolith, there you are. You’ll be glad to read this on dry land and wrapped in a warm blanket.” 
  E.L. Chen, author of Slasher Summer, on The Sea Hides Its Dead
• "A thrilling cosmic horror adventure where the monsters are as much within us as without. All the joys of classic fiction are found in these pages, filtered through a modern lens that keeps it fresh and relatable. I was thoroughly obsessed with The Sea Hides Its Dead—consider me an acolyte!" 
  Jennifer Thorne, author of Diavola, on The Sea Hides Its Dead