When I love a book, I want to tell it to the world. I will sing its praises to anyone who will listen (and even folks who won’t, as long as they don’t protest too loudly).

Most of the time.

There are, however, books that I love, and I mean really love, that I have to consider carefully before sharing my enthusiasm. Why? Glad you asked! Some books are extreme enough, transgressive enough, that I have to think twice before making a recommendation. Do I know my fellow reader well enough to suggest a book that for some people would be too much to handle? I’m talking about books like Exquisite Corpse, Tender Is the Flesh, Santa Steps Out, A Feast Unknown, books that I love but which don’t just push the envelope but shred it into confetti.

I’m talking about Eric LaRocca’s books. In a few short years, LaRocca has become a must-read author for me. They’re redefining what horror can be, and they’re doing it in the most uncompromising way possible. Book after book, LaRocca has gleefully served up a big fuck you to horror conventions, and I’m there for it.

They’re forthcoming We Are Always Tender With Our Dead is book one of the Burnt Sparrow trilogy, and it is their biggest, baddest fuck you yet.

Burnt Sparrow is a small New Hampshire town where a brutal, senseless act of mass murder transforms the lives of everyone involved. For a teenage boy named Rupert, the violence forces him to confront a family consumed by trauma and brutality. It forces the rest of the town to test the limits of vengeance, cruelty, and perversion. At what point does retribution cross the line and become just as evil as the event that ignites it?

LaRocca writes with visceral, lyrical intensity. We Are Always Tender With Our Dead is harrowing from first page to last, a portrait of cruelty and overwhelming grief. There are scenes here that will stay with you for a long time. Honestly, LaRocca has outdone themself. For me, this is their best, most fully realized work yet.

One final note…LaRocca has included a heartfelt content warning. Please take it seriously. This book may not be for everyone, but if you like your horror deep, dark, and devastating, with no holds barred, We Are Always Tender With Our Dead is made for you. It releases September 9th, 2025, and is available for preorder now.