The Summer Fun Massacre

by Craig DiLouie

Surviving the massacre is just the beginning in this razor-sharp take on the summer camp slasher from horror master Craig DiLouie.

SUMMER 1983. A blood-soaked summer camp counselor is found staggering down a country road. The sole survivor of a horrific massacre, Mary tells a nightmare of a masked maniac wielding an old skinning knife. Arriving too late to help, her boyfriend Tom Bailey is plagued by guilt.  
SUMMER 1992. The camp reopens as Camp Summer Fun. Now a sheriff’s deputy, Tom doubts this is a good idea, but the camp has been refurbished, the counselors hired, and the little campers are on the way. Responding to reports of a blood-curdling howl near the camp, he again arrives too late to save anyone except a single brutalized teen. The killer nowhere to be found.
 
Hoping to catch the killer and finally right his mistakes, Tom reconnects with Mary. She's convinced that the killer is not human but instead a rural legend known as the Hungry Hare.
 
The sheriff wants the case closed, but refuses to believe in folklore. Mary dreams of revenge for her friends. And Tom hunts for any traces of the real or fictional. But the murderer could be closer to home than anyone expects.
 
The Hare is coming and is so, so hungry…
 

Genres: Horror, Adult, Summer Reads, Summer, Horror Thriller

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication June 16, 2026

About the author

Craig DiLouie is an author of popular thriller, apocalyptic/horror, and sci-fi/fantasy fiction.

In hundreds of reviews, Craig’s novels have been praised for their strong characters, action, and gritty realism. Each book promises an exciting experience with people you’ll care about in a world that feels real.

These works have been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film. He is a member of the HWA, International Thriller Writers, and IFWA.

Reviews

[Becky Spratford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading for review in a future issue of Booklist

Three Words That Describe This Book: slasher w/new perspective, folk horror, duology

Honors the tradition and everything that is good about the summer camp slasher of the 90s (it is set in 1992 with flashbacks to 1983) but adds an important twist-- instead of being from the POV of the final girl (girls here because we have Mary from the 1983 massacre and Laura from 1992) it is from the deputy's point of view.

Let's examine this-- I loved what DiLouie did here. His last two books were with a similar idea. He took the cursed film and the cursed band tropes (in back to back books) and tried to make them fresh and new. He succeeded to a point. I liked them. But I did not love them. They were solid entries into the subgenres but they did not move the subgenre forward as a whole.

Here I am happy to report, DiLouie does just that. By taking the well trod summer camp/folk horror final girl slasher of the 80s and 90s and telling ti all from the perspective of the bumbling deputy-- the guy who always doesn't believe the girl, the guy who ignores the warnings and causes the disaster, etc... and gives him the voice and makes him involved in both the 1983 (as Mary's boyfriend) and 1992 (as the cop who finds the massacre victims and Laura), DiLouie has broadened the subgenre.

By having this book be about 2 massacres att he same camp it is also paying homage to the fact that this subgenre is ruled by sequels.

And, there is a folk horror reason here-- The Hungry Hare-- and rules behind how the massacres happen that enhance the story as well.

Finally, readers are promised that this is a dualogy and the second book is coming later this year!

I was very impressed and entertained like with Final Girl Support Group by Hendrix or I Was a Teenaged Slasher by SGJ-- books that honor what is best about the slasher trope but alter the perspective and to add something new and exciting that enhances every book in the subgenre. All three of these titles are written by people who know this subgenre backwards and forward, the stories are written with expertise and love with a commitment to giving readers something entertaining and new.

The SGJ comp is the best one because there are some supernatural things at work here, things that have rules, rules that make sense to fans of the slasher. But also, if you are new to the subgenre, this books is enjoyable and full on its own.

Also Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Fracassi

The nods to Scream and Friday the 13th are clear here as well.

[Nick Eisengruber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love a good slasher! And this book certainly fit the bill. There was enough ambiguity that even though you think you know what’s happening & who did it, the rug is pulled right out from under you. I appreciated that the story didn’t go where I expected. Having a narrator that’s trying to solve the crime alongside the reader means that the case does have a long, winding, unpredictable streak.

What I liked too is that every character, including the protagonist Tom, have flaws. Big, contradicting flaws & that helps humanize each character & hides their true motivations until the end. And even with Tom investigating, he too has blinders on sometimes & only sees what he wants to see.

The violence in this book is not for the squeamish but that’s typical for a slasher tale. Can’t wait to see what comes next!

Thank you to Edelweiss & the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

after enjoying Suffer the Children i had high hopes for The Summer Fun Massacre. i was ready for a classic 80's/90's slasher with a bit of a urban legend twist...

the first half is definitely the better portion of the book, it started out pretty strong & it gets straight to the action in chapter one. there were things i liked & things i didn't. i liked the Texan small town vibes, trying to connect the past massacre to the current events & figuring out if it's a copy cat killer or the same person. it was delivering that summer camp slasher i was looking for in the first half.

somewhere around the 45-50% mark it took a turn. it goes from slasher to a heavy political police procedural. everything suddenly turned into "oh i'm up for re-election for sheriff so i have to hurry & fix this mess so i get re-elected" instead of actually trying to solve who the murderer is for the purpose of actually doing their job as cops? the horror & "slasher" elements really take a backseat from this point on & the pacing starts to drag.. Buddy, the sheriff, was giving slight Sheriff Hoyt vibes from the standpoint of doing whatever it took to remain sheriff to hide his families past & current dirty secrets. he just had a dirty cop vibe surrounding him the entire time.

there's so many characters, police to be more specific, that it started getting harder & harder to keep track of who everyone was. i could not tell who was who between the sheriff, the mc Tom & the chief for a few chapters in the beginning & to be honest i still can't tell you who the other three or four cops were. they all mesh together & sound too similar for me to differentiate.

one of my biggest icks in a book is when there's an unnecessary romance/relationship or sex scene & for whatever reason that's also included somewhere towards the end. literally out of nowhere...one second they're burning a house down & the next Mary is suddenly naked in the woods & "screaming her climax straight to the moon, like a primal banshee" im sorry what??? why is this happening, what is it adding to the story?? excuse me while i delete this from my memory.

there's definitely potential but the execution just missed the mark for me. i know there's a second book coming but i'm left a little too underwhelmed to decide if i'm going to continue the duology.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review

[Willie Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ode to summer camp slashers, but from law enforcement POV.
🤘 Love this twist.
We even pay homage to the final girl trope. Again, with a twist.

🎬 This is very ‘Friday the 13th’, but not like you remember.
The gore is more detailed, IMO, the main perspective is from Deputy Tom Bailey, and it almost feels more like a murder mystery than a slasher novel. And topped with a touch of the supernatural.

I would call this a Police Procedural Slasher. 😁It’s a thing now.

😲 The whodunit suspense and red herrings hooked me like a bait worm.
I absolutely loved the thrill of the chase.
It wasn’t exactly the Slasher Novel I went in expecting, but I’m not mad at it.
-There’re multiple mass murders over the decades, a slow unraveling of secrets and connections that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat with speculation, and a constant back-and-forth of your loyalty to certain characters.
This was such a fun, tropey read and I enjoyed it the entire time!

And any good serial killer worth its salt is due a sequel. Which we will get in November. 😜
The ending is satisfying but definitely leaves you 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 for more.



🆂🆈🅽🅾🅿🆂🅸🆂

*Summer of ‘83. Mass murder at summer camp. Lone survivor-Mary. Tom’s girlfriend. Tom arrived too late to help. He’s plagued by guilt.
Summer of ‘92. The camp reopens and another mass murder takes place.
Now a sheriff’s deputy, Tom responds to reports of a blood-curdling howl near the camp. Again, he arrives too late. Lone survivor-Laura, 17yr old counselor.
Hoping to catch the killer and finally right his mistakes, Tom reconnects with Mary. She's convinced that the killer is not human but instead a rural legend known as the Hungry Hare.
The sheriff wants the case closed but refuses to believe in folklore. Mary dreams of revenge for her friends. And Tom hunts for any traces of the real or fictional. But the murderer could be closer to home than anyone expects.

The Hare is coming and is so, so hungry…



🙏 Thank you so much NetGalley and Orbit Books for the gifted eARC!

[RavenReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went in expecting a classic summer camp slasher. Something tense, atmospheric, gory, and character driven with that nostalgic slasher edge. Instead, what I got felt much closer to a politically tinged police procedural. That shift in focus isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it does make the book feel mis-marketed, and it definitely wasn’t what I was hoping for.

The novel is also extremely ambitious, juggling a large cast of characters and multiple perspectives. Unfortunately, that ambition doesn’t fully pay off. Many of the characters (especially the numerous police officers) blend together, lacking distinct voices or meaningful development. Without strong characterization, it becomes difficult to stay invested or even keep track of who’s who.

There is a survivor POV woven throughout, revealing pieces of what happened at the camp, and those sections come closest to delivering on the "slasher" premise. But even then, the actual horror elements feel distant, more reported than experienced. The result is a story that talks around the massacre rather than immersing you in it. Since this will be a duology, the novel begins laying the groundwork for the next installment.

Ultimately, I think my disappointment comes down to expectations. I was ready for a gripping slasher, and instead found a procedural with vague horror elements at the edges. There are interesting ideas here, but for me, it didn’t deliver on the promise of its premise.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Craig DiLouie, and Orbit books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Nikki Kossaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you go into Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DiLouie expecting a straight-up slasher, you’ll get that… but it comes at you sideways.

It drops you right in the middle of everything, which honestly I loved. There’s no easing in, no slow build. Just chaos already in motion. Seeing it unfold from the perspective of the officer who shows up too late to the massacre adds this extra layer of dread. You already know how bad it is, and now you’re just walking through the aftermath piece by piece.

It’s bloody, gory, and intense in a way that doesn’t let up. The kind where you feel like you need to pause for a second but don’t want to because you need to know how much worse it gets.

The characters are messy, make terrible decisions, and feel real enough that it makes everything hit harder. I wasn’t rooting for everyone, but I was definitely invested in how it all went down.

My only thing is I wanted either a little more depth in spots or for it to just fully go off the rails. It kind of hovers in between at times. But overall, I had a lot of fun with it in that dark, “this is a disaster and I can’t look away” way.

3.75 ⭐️ rounded up to 4.

[Angel (Bookn.All.Night) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming June 2026! The Summer Fun Massacre is just that for those who enjoy slasher-type horror books .. fun! This gave all the feels of an 80s horror script in book form but without a lot of the gore. So this is also perfect for those who enjoy or want to try out horror books without descriptive gory bloodiness.

This also a small town setting which is my fave, plus good ole boy vibes. The way this story plays out though....nice. The ending is great and makes way for a follow up which I am looking forward to.

Put this on your radar and grab when it comes out in June. Absolutely perfect for Spooktober or anytime you want a quick and fun spooky-ish read.

Thank you, thank you Run For It, and Hatchette Book Group for the review copy.

[Horror Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good slasher book is always a treat to read and this one is that but with a decidedly human component.

Tom is a sheriff's deputy in a small town and a slaughter a decade prior at a summer camp haunts his memories. When it reopens, there's another massacre just as horrifying as the first. There's always one survivor and this book deals with not only Tom in his quest to find the truth but the survivors themselves. And there will be dark secrets to uncover along with small town corruption and politics and and hauntingly gruesome scenes.

This all adds up to a banging must read slasher novel that'll have you turning the pages well into the night. I highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.

[Melly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4★

The Summer Fun Massacre was such a fun, chaotic read for me. I went in expecting a basic slasher but ended up getting something way more layered—gory, weird, and surprisingly smart.

I loved the campy vibe and how over-the-top it got, while still giving me characters I could actually keep track of and care about. It’s fast, bloody, and had me hooked pretty much the whole time.

Definitely one I’d recommend if you like your horror a little chaotic and a lot entertaining.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

[Jine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author and I absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel! This felt like a different type of slasher for me yes it had the essential elements of your good slasher but it had a supernatural element to it too! It wasn’t just your run of the mill killer it was some demonic entity and it added so much more creepiness to the overall story!

[Katie Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

A summer camp massacre? Sign me up!

First few chapters were very intense and even gory, which is exactly what I wanted. But somewhere along the line this book just fell flat for me.

I loved the connections between the previous massacres as well.


Overall this book is a 3 for me. I just wanted MORE.


Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley!

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving me some books with 80s/90s slasher vides.. and here is another great one.

A summer camp is closed in the 80's do to bloodshed.. only to be reopened in the 90s... and you guessed it... it happens again..

Why and who... we you gotta read to find out...

[Jeremiah Paddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading for a future review in Library Journal.

[Aisha Lauber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and edelweiss for the ARC!!

I love this take on the classic slasher story! I couldn’t put this book down I can’t wait for book 2