I picked up Mongrels, Stephen Graham Jones’ white trash coming-of-age werewolf novel, without knowing anything about it or him. I was immediately hooked. Jones has a writing style and voice that are utterly original—propulsive, chaotic, violent, equal parts mayhem and heart. When I read The Only Good Indians, I thought, damn, I’ll read anything this guy writes.

Then came My Heart Is a Chainsaw, the first novel in what would become The Indian Lake Trilogy, and the introduction of Jade Daniels, the trauma-damaged, slasher-obsessed, and ultimately final girl for the ages. When Don’t Fear the Reaper followed, I realized that Jones was doing something truly special, an epic yet intimate, ultra violent yet heartfelt love letter to slashers and final girls.

When The Angel of Indian Lake begins, Jade has returned to Proofrock, Idaho, after four years in prison. She’s different. Prison, and the events of the past, have taken their toll. Unfortunately, Proofrock, and the Lake Witch, aren’t quite done with her, and Jade finds herself once again pulled into a nightmare that threatens everyone she loves.

I mentioned above that Jones’ writing style was propulsive and chaotic. With The Angel of Indian Lake, he cranks it up to 11, delivering a non-stop, tension-filled tour de force. This novel reads like Jones wrote it with his ass on fire and he had to finish it before the flames reached his fingertips. The body count here is greater than the first two novels combined, the violence is downright operatic, and the story moves like an runaway freight train. The story is told mostly in first person, from Jade’s point of view, and her voice is pitch-perfect. She has taken so much physical and emotional damage, but her heart and humor have somehow survived.

I read the last hundred pages of The Angel of Indian Lake in one sitting, my heart rate spiking. The final chapter is some of the best writing Jones has ever done, a fitting culmination of everything that has led up to it, the perfect ending to one of my favorite trilogies ever. Jade Daniels is, and will always be, my final girl.

The Angel of Indian Lake will be released on March 26, 2024. It’s available for pre-order now, and it’s a must.