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The Windowman
Not yet published
Expected 8 Dec 26An accused LA serial killer disappears after being released on appeal, triggering a nationwide manhunt and descent into obsession that will thrill fans of Elmore Leonard and James Ellroy.
With a series of occult slayings, a killer known as “the Windowman” terrorizes Southern California and sends the media into overdrive.
Damon Midnight goes down for the crimes, but a botched prosecution sets him free. As he starts a new life in an idyllic suburb, he vanishes—and three intertwining narratives explore his public and private faces.
Annabelle Picolini is the Orange County schoolteacher who loves him. Harlan Crumb is the tormented prosecutor who is hunting him. Blaire Belmont is the hapless method actor who wants to be him—at least long enough for his breakout movie role. As they orbit around the mystery of Damon Midnight, clues to his fate begin to emerge.
Blending suspense and gallows humor, The Windowman is a twisty psychological crime novel that casts a wry glance at the American fixation on killers and fame.
With a series of occult slayings, a killer known as “the Windowman” terrorizes Southern California and sends the media into overdrive.
Damon Midnight goes down for the crimes, but a botched prosecution sets him free. As he starts a new life in an idyllic suburb, he vanishes—and three intertwining narratives explore his public and private faces.
Annabelle Picolini is the Orange County schoolteacher who loves him. Harlan Crumb is the tormented prosecutor who is hunting him. Blaire Belmont is the hapless method actor who wants to be him—at least long enough for his breakout movie role. As they orbit around the mystery of Damon Midnight, clues to his fate begin to emerge.
Blending suspense and gallows humor, The Windowman is a twisty psychological crime novel that casts a wry glance at the American fixation on killers and fame.
304 pages, Paperback
Expected publication December 8, 2026
About the author
Christopher Goffard
6 books37 followersChristopher Goffard is one of America's most acclaimed literary journalists. He has written for the St. Petersburg Times and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of You Will See Fire: A Search for Justice in Kenya, based on his Los Angeles Times series; the novel Snitch Jacket, which was a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel; and Dirty John and Other True Stories of Outlaws and Outsiders. His work appears regularly in the Best American Newspaper Narratives series.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 6, 2026
Oh my. This book made me completely uncomfortable and I could not get enough! Wow.
First off, I loved the prose and the depth of the words the author used to convey the story. I had to Google some of the words and phrases because, damn, I have never seen or heard some of them before!
This is a story about a convicted serial killer, a loving wife who would do anything for her husband, a failing actor, a deputy district attorney, and a fierce detective. All of them connected. All of them tormented by a vile human being.
Annabelle — Oh, poor Annabelle. I felt so sorry for her. Although she’s the kind of character you either love or hate, her character development, inner thoughts, and darker side carried an enigmatic force that kept pulling me in.
Crumb — Ugh, I hated being inside his head. A lovestruck DDA who made me cringe the entire time. Yet, there was a certain depth to his character beneath all his clouded judgment.
Jagger — I love her. She’s tough. She’s fierce. YES!
Blaire — Disturbed and lost, but he eventually found peace in the end. He became one of my favourite characters in this book.
Damon Midnight — Let’s just say he deserved every bad thing in the world.
Overall, this is a thought-provoking novel with equally complex characters. I enjoyed this one, even when it made me uncomfortable.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC!
First off, I loved the prose and the depth of the words the author used to convey the story. I had to Google some of the words and phrases because, damn, I have never seen or heard some of them before!
This is a story about a convicted serial killer, a loving wife who would do anything for her husband, a failing actor, a deputy district attorney, and a fierce detective. All of them connected. All of them tormented by a vile human being.
Annabelle — Oh, poor Annabelle. I felt so sorry for her. Although she’s the kind of character you either love or hate, her character development, inner thoughts, and darker side carried an enigmatic force that kept pulling me in.
Crumb — Ugh, I hated being inside his head. A lovestruck DDA who made me cringe the entire time. Yet, there was a certain depth to his character beneath all his clouded judgment.
Jagger — I love her. She’s tough. She’s fierce. YES!
Blaire — Disturbed and lost, but he eventually found peace in the end. He became one of my favourite characters in this book.
Damon Midnight — Let’s just say he deserved every bad thing in the world.
Overall, this is a thought-provoking novel with equally complex characters. I enjoyed this one, even when it made me uncomfortable.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Thank you to Crooked Lane for a complimentary arc of The Windowman. All opinions expressed are my own.*
I remember reading the synopsis for this and thinking, ‘this could be interesting’. What I didn’t expect was to be so delightfully surprised by just how well the book delivered exactly what the synopsis had already promised.
Despite being a work of fiction, this story had me feeling like I was watching real events unfold through four different perspectives during the Golden Age of serial killers. There’s an uncomfortable familiarity to it, particularly if you’ve watched documentaries about cases like Richard Ramirez or Ted Bundy. The influence of Ramirez and the Night Stalker case is noticeable, but Goffard never makes the story feel like a copy of what came before it. Instead, he takes that familiar atmosphere and builds something distinctly his own.
At the centre of the story is Damon Midnight, a man facing life in prison. Annabelle Picolini is the woman he meets and marries while he’s incarcerated. Blaire Belmont is a method actor desperate to become Damon in the hope that the role will finally give him his breakout performance. And Harlan Crumb is the prosecutor determined to bring Damon down.
Each POV works incredibly well, offering a different angle on the same phenomenon: what happens when a killer becomes a fixation for the media, the public, and how it affects the people closest to the case. Together, these perspectives create an authenticity that makes the story feel uncomfortably believable.
The Windowman is thought-provoking and delivers exactly what it promises: a look at America’s fascination with killers, fame, and the blurred line between infamy and celebrity. If you’ve ever found yourself intrigued by documentaries following the hunt and prosecution of serial killers over the last several decades, you’ll find plenty of that same uncomfortable intrigue and suspense here. A fictional story that feels just real enough to make you uneasy - and I couldn’t recommend it more.
I remember reading the synopsis for this and thinking, ‘this could be interesting’. What I didn’t expect was to be so delightfully surprised by just how well the book delivered exactly what the synopsis had already promised.
Despite being a work of fiction, this story had me feeling like I was watching real events unfold through four different perspectives during the Golden Age of serial killers. There’s an uncomfortable familiarity to it, particularly if you’ve watched documentaries about cases like Richard Ramirez or Ted Bundy. The influence of Ramirez and the Night Stalker case is noticeable, but Goffard never makes the story feel like a copy of what came before it. Instead, he takes that familiar atmosphere and builds something distinctly his own.
At the centre of the story is Damon Midnight, a man facing life in prison. Annabelle Picolini is the woman he meets and marries while he’s incarcerated. Blaire Belmont is a method actor desperate to become Damon in the hope that the role will finally give him his breakout performance. And Harlan Crumb is the prosecutor determined to bring Damon down.
Each POV works incredibly well, offering a different angle on the same phenomenon: what happens when a killer becomes a fixation for the media, the public, and how it affects the people closest to the case. Together, these perspectives create an authenticity that makes the story feel uncomfortably believable.
The Windowman is thought-provoking and delivers exactly what it promises: a look at America’s fascination with killers, fame, and the blurred line between infamy and celebrity. If you’ve ever found yourself intrigued by documentaries following the hunt and prosecution of serial killers over the last several decades, you’ll find plenty of that same uncomfortable intrigue and suspense here. A fictional story that feels just real enough to make you uneasy - and I couldn’t recommend it more.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
**A copy was provided to me via Netgalley**
An interesting perspective in an alternative universe, inspired by Richard Ramirez' s story as the Nightstalker. The "Windowman" explores the seedy underbelly of LA juxtaposed with the suffocating constraints of suburbia, in what could have followed the nuptials of the convicted serial murderer, had he ever been released back into the world. Much like Ramirez, the book's main character Damon Midnight is facing life in prison when he becomes enthralled by a Christian, virginal, red-headed paramour, from a childhood and life worlds away from his own. Strangely echoing real life, they form an unlikely bond and marry in prison, between their Cerulean Blue walls. However, unlike in real life, in the Windowman they finally consummate and explore what such an unusual and likely ill-fated pairing would have brought to the world. Explored from the perspective of a failing marriage and a criminal investigation, this is a riveting and tongue in cheek homage to America's fascination with serial killers, their demystification and the unveiling of the actual depravity and commonality of murder. Far from being a revolutionary thinker or mastermind evil genius, Damon Midnight becomes almost caricature of himself as the man and the myth are dissected. Much more interesting are revealed to be the lives affected and fascinated by his deeds, in an exploration of our uncomfortably human curiosity for consuming and seeking out of the macabre.
An interesting perspective in an alternative universe, inspired by Richard Ramirez' s story as the Nightstalker. The "Windowman" explores the seedy underbelly of LA juxtaposed with the suffocating constraints of suburbia, in what could have followed the nuptials of the convicted serial murderer, had he ever been released back into the world. Much like Ramirez, the book's main character Damon Midnight is facing life in prison when he becomes enthralled by a Christian, virginal, red-headed paramour, from a childhood and life worlds away from his own. Strangely echoing real life, they form an unlikely bond and marry in prison, between their Cerulean Blue walls. However, unlike in real life, in the Windowman they finally consummate and explore what such an unusual and likely ill-fated pairing would have brought to the world. Explored from the perspective of a failing marriage and a criminal investigation, this is a riveting and tongue in cheek homage to America's fascination with serial killers, their demystification and the unveiling of the actual depravity and commonality of murder. Far from being a revolutionary thinker or mastermind evil genius, Damon Midnight becomes almost caricature of himself as the man and the myth are dissected. Much more interesting are revealed to be the lives affected and fascinated by his deeds, in an exploration of our uncomfortably human curiosity for consuming and seeking out of the macabre.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews