In the Valley of the Sun

Finalist of the This Is Horror Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, Grand Prix de l`Imaginaire, Prix Bob Morane.

Haunted by his past, Travis Stuart spends his nights searching for women in West Texas bars. What he does with them afterwards doesn’t make him proud — it simply calms his inner demons for a while.
After one night when Travis encounters a mysterious pale girl on his path, he wakes up in his van weak and bloodied — with no sign of the girl, and no memories of the night spent.
When the motel owner Annabelle Gaskin offers the cowboy a job to pay for his stay, he accepts her offer. During the day, he fixes up the old motel, gradually becoming part of Annabelle's life and that of her ten-year-old son. At night, in the cave of his trailer, he wrestles with an unspeakable hunger. Soon Annabelle begins to understand that Travis is not who he seems.
On the other side of the state, a gray-haired Texas ranger hunts a serial killer, and this will lead him to a revelation far more monstrous. As a man of the law, he will have to decide how deep he will delve into darkness for the sake of justice.
And one dusty autumn night, an old evil will gain new life — and new blood.


«It is more "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN" than "BLOOD MERIDIAN" on the McCarthy spectrum — there’s Texas and brutality, but more detective than western». — GOODREADS

«It turns out there’s space between "TENDER MERCIES", "THE PREACHER" and "HENRY, PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER". It’s called "IN THE VALLEY OF THE SUN". It burned right through me. And it has fangs on every page». — Stephen Graham Jones

«A novel — solid as flint, a beautifully written nightmare». — Laird Barron

«An exhilarating blend of vampire horror, serial killer tale, and police procedural. The monsters of Andy Davidson — both supernatural and too human — are so well thought out that they evoke sympathy for the demons we usually run from. This is a first-class story that grabs our attention and makes us anticipate what comes next». — Dana Cameron

«A beautiful nightmare. A book that haunts, teases, and compels. It grips you and pulls you in, making you want to read every page as if it’s the last you’ll ever read. Davidson’s love and command of language heighten the beauty of the narrative and the horror that’s unavoidable once you start reading. This, combined with perfectly crafted characters that make us empathize with them, makes this novel a must-read for any brave horror fan». — Eric Story

«A novel — like a knife blade, a work of art — sharp, frightening, and elegant. I admired Davidson’s prose, even as it scared me to death. What a wild ride. I loved it». — Nicholas Mainieri

«At first glance, it’s a beautifully crafted thriller, hellishly interesting to read, but Davidson’s prose transcends the genre, much like a new Cormac McCarthy piece. He connects the reader with these characters, who are desperately searching for their lost innocence. We recoil at what they do and what is done to them, and as we travel with them through the soul-rending darkness underscoring the brilliant thin threads of joy, we are overwhelmed by equal parts horror and compassion. Read it!» — Dana Chamblee Carpenter

«Davidson’s rich prose immerses the reader in hell, even more horrifying in its banality — behind the dusty motel in the wilderness (overgrown pool and all) an atmosphere of unspeakable evil gradually builds. Psychological horror, procedural thriller, and good old-fashioned western grab you by the throat and drag you down the winding road to a horrifying bloody finale». — E. Z. Rynski

«In this bold, confident debut, Davidson transports the vampire myth to West Texas in the 1980s, beautifully conveying the atmosphere of the era and place. Davidson successfully breaks down boundaries between genres in this complex horror novel». — Publishers Weekly