All the Houses Went Dark

by Ken Hastings

This is a slasher/thriller set in Florida circa 2005.



Dani Butler is a drug-addled drifter who, at thirty years old, is still targeting Jim, her Vietnam-vet father, stealing and pawning right under his nose to feed her chemical appetite. When Jim is admitted to a VA hospital in the final stages of lung cancer, Dani sees an irresistible opportunity-swipe his keys and ride out the incoming hurricane in the comfort of his abandoned house in Holy Hell, Florida. And maybe ransack the place for opioids while she's at it.



Venturing out during the eye, Dani unwittingly rescues a serial killer's captive from a rundown home on the outskirts of the neighborhood. The next twelve hours tell a story she'd never heard. What really happened in Jim's final days in Vietnam that left a madman on a decades-long journey to settle a score.

314 pages, Hardcover

Published July 14, 2026

About the author

Born and raised in New Jersey. Molded and shaped in Florida. Married and fine-tuned in California. Ken is a twice-produced screenwriter and a retired disc jockey and pub trivia host, who recently decided to convert his dusty old spec scripts into novels. All the Houses Went Dark is the first of hopefully many. He now lives in Colorado with his wife, two sons, two Bengal cats and one uh-mazing mutt.

Reviews

[Ari ☠︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, Dani fucking SUCKS. I think I might hate her more than Ursula in Incidents Around the House which, iykfk. This book was definitely a slow burn, so if that’s not your jam, this one won’t be for you. But the descriptions and storyline kept me hooked and locked in throughout. There was a good amount of depth and background that really helped to set the groundwork before our story really gets crazy. I mean, hurricanes are already such a terrifying ordeal, but throw in a severely unstable and unhinged serial killer? You really can’t get much scarier than that 😅

Lastly, I would like to send a big thank you to Ken for sending me an arc of All the Houses Went Dark!

[Crystal · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

In Florida in 2005, Dani Butler takes refuge in her estranged father's house while he lies dying in the hospital and a hurricane approaches. But when she ventures out during the storm and stumbles across a captive woman, she finds herself caught up in a nightmare connected to a dark chapter of her father's past in Vietnam.

Well, this one was a ride! There are a lot of moving parts to this plot, but they click together well and create a gripping, high-tension nightmare.

Dani is quite... interesting. She's struggling with addiction, making questionable choices, and generally not making life easy for herself. She's not necessarily someone you immediately warm to, but I found her complicated nature made her all the more interesting to follow.

The setting really adds to the experience. A hurricane in full swing, an isolated neighbourhood, and a killer with a very personal reason for what he's doing. There's already a sense of dread hanging over everything, and it only gets worse as the story unfolds.

The horror is unapologetically brutal and graphic, too. There are some seriously disturbing moments, and the kills are inventive enough to make this one stand out.

I enjoyed was how the different threads eventually come together. There's more going on here than a simple killer-on-the-loose story, and the connection to Vietnam gives the violence and revenge a much longer history. It was a thoroughly entertaining, bloody, storm-soaked ride!


Thank you so much to Ken Hastings, I was so lucky to win a copy in a giveaway! All opinions are my own.

[Lauren DeLeonardis · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

My local Barnes and Noble hosted Hastings and I’m so glad they did! This was a great debut and I can’t wait to see what he puts out next.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

“All the Houses Went Dark,” is an out-of-the-box slasher that features brutal and creative kills. Its setting in the midst of a hurricane adds a claustrophobic element to this already terrifying slow-burn. Creating an unlikable main character is always a risk, but Dani is interesting to follow as she navigates the dangers of withdrawal, a hurricane, and a killer. It’s a fascinating combination, and one that Hastings executes effectively, right up until the explosive finale.


❗️Content warnings: drug use and addiction, PTSD, graphic violence, gore, murder, self-harm, animal cruelty, domestic abuse, suicide, alcohol / tobacco use.


Thank you to Ken Hastings for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Meagan Dover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is so much more than just the typical slasher! All the Houses Went Dark has real substance. The backstory and the character development were phenomenal, and I was hooked from the first page to the last. Hastings' characters are multifaceted and intriguing, and I was genuinely interested in what happened to them. Also, his ability to craft a scene that is just as vivid in my mind as any movie is a true gift. If you are a thriller or horror fan, you will love All the Houses Went Dark!

[Melissa Manikoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think what lost me the most was the killer. The further along in the book the less I liked him. (Not that you like the bad guy but you know what I mean). I just thought this guy has a vengeance. He has specific targets and then in the end he's just like killing everyone and just like fuck it and that's what irritated me. And to be fair this is my first slasher book that I've read so maybe that's just kind of like a common thing that happens. It is a serial killer but for me that character arc was not for me

[Rissa Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ken Hastings’ All the Houses Went Dark jumps straight into the action and never lets up. If you are squeamish, consider this your warning—it does not hold back. Packed with revenge, murder, drugs, and plenty of gruesome details in between, this fast-paced novel will leave you wanting more. Honestly, the best part is the complete absence of a forced romance; instead, you get a vulnerable and damaged protagonist battling demons of her own making.

[Jen Self · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is such a wild ride! What starts as a slow burn builds to absolutely fever pitch levels of tension when the story crescendos and the sh*t hits the fan! Hastings does an awesome job of character and world building in this one and it's a brutal, yet fun read!

[Lauren E Stover · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was brutal (graphic descriptions), I definitely enjoyed it. Spot on ending. I got to meet the author and get a signed copy before the official release!

[Rebecca Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars. No notes. Loved the whole entire book and keeps you engaged from the first to the last page. I am so glad I read it.

[Beth Gruenhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fantastic! Definitely not my typical genre so I couldn’t read at night because it was scary but I looooove the writing style!! Will be on the lookout for Ken’s books to come!