Kemberton

by David Moody

Gangs of London meets Pet Sematary in a brutal new body horror novel from David Moody–hardback edition with bonus content. Personally signed by the author. Includes free eBook version (details to follow prior to release).

Kemberton is a lovely lad, but he’s misunderstood. He’s eight years old, and those eight years haven’t been easy. He’s had to deal with more than his fair share of grief, and it has taken its toll. Life moves on, but Kemberton’s struggling to keep up. The gulf between him and everyone else is widening. He’s in danger of falling through the gap.

Aiden–Kemberton’s step-dad–is playing with fire. He’s way out of his league, getting involved with people he really has no business messing with. If things go wrong, they’re going to go really wrong. Aiden can’t afford for there to be any complications, and Kemberton’s increasing unpredictability is proving to be a concern.

The connections in this family are being stretched to breaking point, and it’s only a matter of time before someone snaps. Who will it be? What will be the cost? And how far will they have to go to put things right again?

309 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 28, 2026

About the author

David Moody first released Hater in 2006, and without an agent, succeeded in selling the film rights for the novel to Mark Johnson (producer, Breaking Bad) and Guillermo Del Toro (director, The Shape of Water, Pan's Labyrinth). Moody's seminal zombie novel Autumn was made into a movie starring Dexter Fletcher and David Carradine. He has an unhealthy fascination with the end of the world and likes to write books about ordinary folks going through absolute hell. With the publication of continuing Hater and Autumn stories, Moody has cemented his reputation as a writer of suspense-laced SF/horror, and "farther out" genre books of all description.

Find out more about his work at www.davidmoody.net and www.infectedbooks.co.uk, and join Moody's mailing list to keep up with new releases.

Reviews

[Corrina Morse]

Holy shit!! What a powerful opening!
When you're left reeling and needing to pause for a bit, from just the first chapter you know you're in for a treat. Moody's narrative is so intense and immersive, I was completely in that world with Eddie and his family, and felt every emotion.. Wow! Wow, Wow, Wow!
An opening chapter like this one immediately sets a high standard for the rest of the book, but not to worry, it lives up to it, and then some. Boy does it!!

Kemberton got his name in a unique way, and for a unique reason, there will only ever be one Kemberton! And after a terrible accident with his dad, it has a devastating effect on Kemberton, and changes his whole little life. Of course, this then attracts the more unsavoury types towards Kemberton..
He recedes into himself and learns to fight back the only way he can, though his coping mechanisms just serve to make him even more of an outcast.
He hasn't chosen to be this way, he wants more than anything to be "normal”.

Another incident later on, sees Kemberton's life change once again, flips his whole world, and that of those around him.
A young boy, traumatised and abused, who now just wants to look out for his mum, do anything in his power to protect her. He's not about to keep things bottled up anymore, he's about to let loose the only way he can, and it feels empowering, if a little confusing.

This has to be the most invested I've been in a character for a long time. Kemberton is screaming out for love and affection, but of course he's unable to express that and getting ignored and abused from all angles. It's absolutely heart wrenching. It makes you feel so helpless and broken for him.

A completely shocking, horrifying and gripping storyline that went in a completely unexpected direction.
Kemberton isn't like other people, he really (and thankfully) is one of a kind...
And when that penny dropped, so did my jaw!

I don't think there was a single time in this whole heartbreaking, horrific story that my heart didn't go out to Kemberton. I feel like I know this kid, and his story is going to stick with me for quite a while.

I'm pretty sure I read the last 20% or so at the speed of light. I burnt through those pages, could not get enough! But was inevitably left with a huge book hangover.

As utterly heartbreaking as it is horrifying, this one's gonna leave mental scars!!!!
Again….WOW!! 🖤

[Lit Wizard]

I went into this totally blind, having always been a fan of David Moody and was not disappointed. I devoured it in one day. Devoured is a great word here.

For the first 60% of this book I had no idea where it was going but was very much enjoying the ride. When shit hits the fan, it really hits the fan. I did not see any of that coming.

The perfect build up and horrifying, gut-wrenching payoff. This is gonna stick with me for a while.

Book releases July 28th and if you’re a fan of extreme horror, this one’s for you.

[Gatorman]

What an odd book. It's rather all over the place. Starts out one way and then, after a significant event, goes in another direction entirely. That's not a bad thing in general but here it just doesn't work. A major thing happens with literally no explanation behind it when one was really necessary. The reader is left scratching their head. The young boy protagonist is really annoying and never finds any focus. Plus, did he really need to vomit like thirty times? He just becomes gross without any interesting aspect to him. None of the characters are likable and they are portrayed rather simply. In the end, the book just becomes gore porn. Rather disappointing considering how much I've loved Moody's previous work. This is definitely my least favorite of his books. It's written well, but there's not a whole lot else I really liked here.

[Torie]

This book was absolutely devastating. Every stage of anger, confusion, heartbreak, and grief has been invoked. You think you're prepared for what is going to happen, I promise you are not. I am left heartbroken, yet relieved. Very profound, excellent read.

[Colton]

As a baseball coach of someone with selective mutism, I really felt for Kemberton. Moody does well building the momentum and suspense without dragging the story along. This book pushed the limits of human animosity and human compassion (shoutout Nanna). Based on based books by Moody I felt like I should have expected the ending but I was still left with my mouth open. Shit, that was good.

[Norm]

What a bleak, dark story. I couldn’t put it down. I loved Davids writing since the autumn series. Keep up the amazing work.

[Sue and her books]

Thank you to the author for this copy, I really appreciate it! I have become a big fan of David Moody’s work ever since I came across the Hater trilogy and Shadowlocked, both of which blew me away and have stayed with me all this time.

Kemberton is a dark and heartbreaking story about a boy whose life changes forever after witnessing something horrifying at just four years old. Once a regular child, full of wonder and joy, he now endures a terrible existence, almost catatonic, riddled with anxiety and fear of everything and everyone. There is no relief or comfort to be found at home either. He lives with his mother and his stepfather, Aiden - a volatile low-level criminal caught up in shady dealings, who seems to enjoy punishing Kemberton whenever his schemes get out of hand.

This was a tense and disturbing read, growing in discomfort around Kemberton’s silence, his isolation, and the pressure slowly rising inside an already damaged household. There is something deeply sad and unsettling about watching a vulnerable person being neglected and pushed around by the ones who should protect them. It is definitely a strong reminder that some people should never be allowed to become parents.

After the halfway mark, the story explodes as it reaches an impossible and irreversible situation, and all hell breaks loose. The dark thriller turns into a fully realised gory nightmare, soaked in blood and guts, wrapping up a snowball of events that could no longer be avoided.

[Becca Moody]

I’ve just finished reading Kemberton and I’m stressed out and grossed out in equal measure.

Kemberton witnessed something horrific when he was four, and since then he’s been unable to speak, debilitated by an anxiety so fierce that he’s become cut off from the rest of the world. Now a few years have passed, and with his stepdad involved in some really dodgy dealings, things are rapidly spiralling out of control. And what happens to a child when they can’t tell you what’s really going on at home? In this case, not what you might think.

Full disclosure, David Moody is my dad and this copy was gifted (I should bloody hope so, as my bookshelf serves as his own personal library!). He instilled a love of horror in me from a young (probably too young) age, and I’ll always shout about what an inspiration he is to me, both personally and creatively.

Moody presents trauma and conflict in a matter-of-fact, punch-in-the-gut kind of way. Both in life and in his writing, he never minces his words. Straight to the point, straight to the action. This is horror that you don’t realise is horror until you’re past the halfway point, and then there’s no turning back.

If you like books that rack up the tension and don’t give your nerves a break, crescendoing into truly disgusting body horror, add this to your TBR. Also if you’re a Brummie, you’ll enjoy the references to the city in this one, and you’ll be supporting one of our finest exports!

[Tom Cullen]

Kemberton in three words: horrifying, relatable, pathos.

[David]

It's an odd thing leaving a 5 star rating and a review for your own book, but please indulge me. I've seen other authors do the same thing to help spread the word about their new releases.

This is my 20th novel, and I think I enjoyed writing it more than any of the others. It's a very personal story, inspired (to a point) by what my youngest daughter Zoe went through. She had selective mutism (also called situational mutism or elective mutism) which rendered her silent outside the family home for around 6 years. As a family, we were fortunate to have superb support for Zoe from her school and others, but I've often wondered what might have happened if that support hadn't been there.

In the novel, young Kemberton witnesses something horrific that takes away his voice. His stepdad Aiden (who thinks he's Tony Soprano) is messing with the kind of people you really shouldn't mess with, and trouble is coming. Aiden's right on the edge, Kemberton's behaviour is increasingly unpredictable, and one of them is going to take a fall.

It's a horrible, twisted story, and I guarantee it'll take you by surprise. I hope you enjoy it. These folks did:

“Kemberton is a tale of domestic decay for fans of We Need to Talk About Kevin that transforms into a bloodbath of chaos and brutality echoing Shelley’s Frankenstein and Fargeat’s The Substance. The best book I’ve read in 2026 so far.” —Michael David Wilson, This Is Horror

“We see a family tragedy morph into a mobster storyline in the span of a few years. When the horror kicks in, you are so invested in these characters that good guys and bad guys have blurred into a bloodbath. To say anymore might rob you of the experience of twists, turns, and shocks.” —Anthony Servante, Dark Entertainment Trends

“The perfect build up and horrifying, gut-wrenching payoff. This is gonna stick with me for a while.” —The Lit Wizard (@@thelitwizzler)

[Mandy]

I'm not sure what to make of this. I remember reading all of Moody’s Autumn books way back when they were coming out, and I think I enjoyed the first Hater novel, although I don't remember if I got any further with that series; I have a vague recollection of a second book in the series. And that was, what, about twenty years ago, something like that.

I suspect what's happened is that my tastes have changed, and the more-or-less splatterpunk-adjacent part of my reading has dwindled, replaced with more of a slow-burn cosmic-horror leaning. The book's not badly-written, or anything, although there's no depth to the prose, and the vocabulary's totally straightforward, delivered in a third person omniscient present tense near-documentary style, which I found strange, perhaps only because it's a little unusual, a little unfamiliar. It seems odd to complain that it's somewhat unbelievable, given how the story unfolds, but when I say that I'm focusing more on how the characters act; the extreme behaviour they seem to put up with, totally unrelated to the main, Kemberton-related revelations.

So, yes… not a bad book, really, but perhaps just not really what I'm into nowadays. A good excuse to use one of Goodreads’ new half stars, I think…

[Steve]

David Moody’s Kemberton is absolute, pure chaos in the best way possible. If you came for bloody violence and sheer grit, this one delivers without holding back.

The Verdict

​It’s a brutal, dirty, fun-as-hell horror ride that gives splatterpunk and creature-feature fans exactly what they want.


Top class horror.

[David Healey]

Jiminy Christmas. Most, if not all of his books, are depressing, but, good Lord....
Good book, well written. A page turner like always, but now I want to go hug my kids.

[Gerald Simpkins]

Excellent

No one writes a zombie book better than David Moody. Adding criminals and their hierarchy to a horror story was pure genius.

[Dawn]

This book is so shocking with gasp out loud moments. Brutal, emotionally draining, heart felt gut wrenching it's also full of sadness too. Wow, what a rollercoaster of emotions I went through whilst reading this book!!!

In Weoley Castle 5 mins away from Birmingham there is a place called Wooley Castle Square. We have Eddie and Sarah who live above the shops in the square also with their 5 year old Kemberton. They are quite poor, Eddie tried looking for work but too many people know about his history. He was supposed to do a job for Dalton and ends up forgetting about it because Sarah has pains and is heavily pregnant, this is the biggest mistake he has done. He doesn't realise the consequences of his actions. So Daltons crew end up beating him up. Kemberton is watching all of this happening across from the square. Eddie tries, to get home across the square but he cant, Sarah realises what is happening, so Nanna Joan to comes to help her to. But Kemberton is trying to speak but no words are coming out.

Further along in the story we meet Aidan who works for the local mafia, you could say they have their fingers in all sorts of pies even the local police are in their hands. Sarah ends up living with him, he doesn't care too much about Kemberton. Kemberton is getting bullied at school due to him being mute from seeing his dad die. But Aidan ends up being the worst monster to Kemberton, he is cruel with mental and physical abuse to him. But his mum is just as bad because she is too frightened to stand up to Aidan, when she finally does .... you'll have to read the book!!

Cracking read loved it looking forward to more by this author well written it flowed brilliantly!!