Splasher: A haunted swimming pool slasher novel, perfect for Summerween.

by Billie Host

Drown your ghosts… or die trying?

Autumn 2006. Low-rise jeans are in, grunge is out, and all Spencer Brown should be worrying about is his new job as Assistant Swim Coach at Richardson University. It’s been 10 years since that fateful night in the university’s wellness centre, but Spencer is determined to sink his skeletons and focus on a winning season for his team.

Until two swimmers are found dead in the pool the first night of training. While everyone assumes it was an accidentally tragedy, Spencer is overcome with an ominous sense of déjà vu – this isn’t the first-time blood was spilt in the wellness centre. As freak accidents turn into something more sinister, the pool echoes with the ghosts of Spencer’s past, this time demanding to be heard.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 16, 2026

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Advanced Reader Copy

I’ll start off by saying the cover of this book is incredible. So stunning, so nostalgic, and it brought back all those vibes… I absolutely loved it.

But unfortunately, the book just wasn’t for me. I went in expecting a gory slasher, and one set around a pool? Such an unreal setting for horror. But it ended up being nothing like I expected, which was a little disappointing.

I honestly think this would have worked much better as a novella. If you stripped away a lot of the swimming talk and filler, there’s a really eerie story underneath. There would be moments of murder and tension, then long stretches focused on swimming, careers, and people’s personal lives a bit too heavily. The stuff surrounding Danny and that mystery was interesting, but there was too much in between, and it lost momentum because of it.

The pacing felt very uneven throughout. One moment it seemed to be building toward horror, then the next it drifted somewhere completely different. I understood the atmosphere and what the story was trying to do, and honestly, it had so much potential to be a genuinely great horror novel if it had leaned harder into those darker elements.

But overall, it just fell a little flat for me. The prologue was incredible. Gory, eerie, unsettling, graphic, it set the tone perfectly. Unfortunately, the rest of the book never fully lived up to that opening.

I also struggled to connect with the characters. With such a diverse cast, I expected at least one character to really stand out to me emotionally, but none of them fully clicked.

I can absolutely see where the story was trying to go, but for me, it just never quite got there. I kept pushing through in case it picked up toward the end, but sadly it didn’t.

I’d still recommend this to readers who prefer more story and character focus over heavy horror elements.

Just because it wasn’t a 5-star read for me doesn’t mean it won’t be for you.

Thanks to 3AM for the early copy. All thoughts are my own.

[TheseHauntedPages · Rating 4 out of 5]

The year is 2006, flip phones and MP3 players are all the rage, Facebook is slowly killing off MySpace and the Richardson University swim team may or may not be cursed...

The story follows Spencer Ward, a former swim star who's heading into his new role as Assistant Swim Coach when tragedy strikes and two bodies are found in the pool before his first day even starts...

Freak accidents, murder or is the swimming team cursed?

This is quite a slow paced horror which has you questioning what happened in the pool and who's next?

It really amps up in the latter half but I do wish it was a bit shorter in places and less of a slow burn.

The cover is immaculate, I absolutely love the retro vibes and the heading graphics for each chapter was a nice touch

The book feels like a mixture of the films Urban Legend meets Night Swim.

Big thank you to 3am Books, Bantam Books and InstaBook Tours for sending me a gifted copy.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this. The concept is fantastic and I was expecting a campy, traditional slasher. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The main thing that drew me to this book was seeing how the kills would play out, and I would have liked more of that creativity throughout. I think it would have helped the pacing, which felt a bit off to me. For most of the book it was slower than I would have liked, and because of that I struggled to stay interested and never really became invested in the characters.

I still think this was a worthwhile read, and I would recommend it for the strength of the concept alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Joshua Strank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Safe to say I had a blast reading this ! The nostalgia for it being set in the early 2000s was wonderful ! It felt like a proper cult classic slasher movie with the setting and the tone of the book! I would say if you loved the fear street movies then I feel like this book would be right up your street ! There were some pop culture references as well as slasher tropes that worked well and I absolutely loved the mix media elements! Overall this was a blast and I absolutely am in the mood for summerween

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the authors for the ARC.

Actual rating - 3.5

I enjoyed this overall, but it was a bit lackluster in parts for me unfortunately.

It was quite slow paced, and kind of felt like it lacked the punch of horror slightly. This may have just been a "me" thing though, as I can definitely see a lot of people loving it and I agree that it's perfect for summerween!

I did love the era it was set in though, even if a few things made me feel a bit old. (How has it been 20 years since 2006, and where did the time even go?!)

[Gregor Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the body count and unexplained accidents begin to mount for the Richardson University swim team, more questions than answers seem to reveal themselves in this horror/thriller.

A hint of 00’s nostalgia and camp, Scream-esque shenanigans ensue, but this didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

While I’d say it’s still worth a read, and there will be a definite audience for it, I didn’t feel particularly connected to the characters.

A decent read and I really hope the right people find it. Even though it wasn’t for me, there was still enough to keep me interested.

[Robynne Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC received from publisher, via Netgalley

I went into this book with such high hopes, but ultimately left feeling a little deflated. It had its strong moments, and I particularly enjoyed reading the first 'reveal' scene which came about later on in the book. However, the pacing for me felt a little varied which effected my engagement. I also felt that it came off very YA, and I didn't feel so connected to the characters.

The cover itself is beautiful, and gave off some very nostalgic horror/humour vibes. There where some elements of this within the book, and there where the odd moments of campy humour that reminded me of 90s shows such as Buffy.

However, although this book wasn't my cup of tea, I would recommend it to someone who is possibly new to the horror genre, and wants to start dipping their toes in. This could be a good entry way.

[Kayleighreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

NO SPOILERS HERE!!! Thankyou NetGalley for allowing me to read this early.
Splasher had me hooked from the very beginning.i knew this was going to be something that I’d really enjoy, It was such a fun, addictive read. If you like slasher horror this is going to be a great read for you. The swimming pool setting really added to the unease. And I loved the whole 2000s nostalgia.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this but feel like the beginning was a bit long? I really enjoyed it from around 70% onwards so could have done with the start being shorter and a longer ending
A quick little splasher/slasher book - I'd love to see this made into a film for Halloween

[Amy]

Review coming at a later date

Thank you to Netgalley for the E-ARC.

[Sophie Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review coming soon