The Summer Fun Massacre (The Slasher Season, Book 1)

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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 killer: real or fictional. But the murderer could be closer to home than anyone expects.

The Hare is coming and is so, so hungry…

GET READY FOR THE GRISLY SEQUEL, THE YULE DAY SLAUGHTER, COMING TO YOUR FAVORITE BOOKSTORE, LIBRARY, OR ONLINE RETAILER NOVEMBER 17, 2026!

“DiLouie (My Ex, the Antichrist) lends substance and style to a familiar slasher plot in this duology-launching horror novel… Through confident, atmospheric prose, DiLouie adds tone and texture to a story that might otherwise have wallowed in splatter and gore. The arresting result raises high expectations for the sequel.” — Publishers Weekly, complete review here

“The key point-of-view switch puts readers on immediate notice, and DiLouie rewards their attention with an exciting and original slasher featuring a terrifying folk horror twist that will drive fans to sign up for the promised second session of Summer Fun Camp in droves.” – Booklist, starred review

“A horror revelation… In a delightful twist of POV, DiLouie manages the almost insurmountable, not just handily flipping tropes on their head but playing them deadly straight—only filled with new life and energy. He manages to hit all the beats of the classic slasher while skillfully making old chestnuts shine. With its sharp prose and likable main character, the novel is difficult to put down, especially as it races toward a climax that will leave readers anxious for the second Slasher Season book.” – Library Journal, starred review, complete review here

Listed by B&N as one of the best paperbacks of June 2026

“The Summer Fun Massacre swings back and forth like a bladed, unstoppable pendulum, gory slasher tale to eerie mystery and back again.” — New York Times bestselling author Peter Clines

“There are some great twists, misleads and surprising reveals, making the mystery part of the story even more exciting. DiLouie knows how to tell a good tale, no matter the genre, and I’m so glad that Tom Bailey’s story isn’t over yet. The thrilling finale resolves most things, but obviously leaves parts of the mystery unsolved, to be continued in the second book, The Yule Day Slaughter (releasing this November). And I’ll be first in line to read it!” – Books, Bones & Buffy, complete review here

“It is safe to say in this point in his writing career, Craig DiLouie is one of Canada’s top horror writers… I enjoyed this novel for everything it was, for DiLouie’s fantastic characterization, his ability to drive a brisk plot, and the smart twisting of tropes … a fantastic thrill ride of a novel that brings something inventive, smart, and refreshing to the slasher genre.” – SFF World, complete review here

“Urban legends, a summer camp, teens in peril, and a seemingly unstoppable killer, Craig DiLouie’s latest is a brutal exercise in nostalgic horror from an author at the top of his game. Fans of the camp-bound slashers of yesteryear will lose their goddamn minds.” — Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Sour Candy and Kin

“This is an intense murder thriller, with twists and turns, lots of bodies, and a great character in Tom Bailey. There is a sequel coming that I cannot wait to read. A perfect summer beach read.” – Red Carpet Crash, complete review here

“The Summer Fun Massacre is another entertaining, blood-soaked hit from Craig DiLouie. It reads like a loving homage to classic slashers while still blazing a path of its own, blending horror with an engaging detective mystery.” – The BiblioSanctum, complete review here

“Amongst the splatter and ruptured corpses, DiLouie finds horror’s heart still beating beneath the cabin floor. An invigorating reminder that nothing ever really ends … unless you break the cycle.” — Andrew F. Sullivan, author of The Handyman Method

“The pacing in this book is so good. I read it in almost one sitting, just sinking into the small town atmosphere and going along for the ride. There’s lots of different characters and plot threads and little pieces of the puzzle that slowly come into play or fall into place, keeping the pages turning, and there’s also some quite gruesome kills and crime scenes that are horrific enough for any 80’s VHS horror. It’s quite a cinematic read, on the whole. This book is such a good time, for classic horror lovers, and I for one, can’t wait to read the next book when it comes out.” – Cravenwild, complete review here

“I’ll tell you a secret: some of the best slasher films and stories are whodunits… This is a fun one, a guaranteed darker beach read. I read it all in one sitting, and you’re sure to do it, too.” – Southern Bookseller Review

“An enthralling, fast-paced take on the slasher genre that reminds us why we love these stories and makes everything familiar feel fresh, new, and exciting. The Summer Fun Massacre is simply the best slasher novel I’ve ever read.” –James Chambers, Bram Stoker Award winning author of A Bright and Beautiful Eternal World

“The Summer Fun Massacre is a great addition to Craig DiLouie’s books which take familiar horror tropes and find a fresh angle to make them feel fresh. Shifting the focus from the usual final girl perspective to law enforcement offers trying to unravel this murder mystery, makes this story feel equally slasher horror and detective thriller. The Summer Fun Massacre is a clever reinvention of the summer camp slasher that had me guessing until the very end.” – Capes & Tights, complete review here

“It captivated my attention and I couldn’t stop reading… Overall, this was a great story, and I’m definitely going to be looking into more books by the author. I was impressed with the balance between spooky and eerie… I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series, and how everything turns out because it definitely left the ending open to future books.” – Leah’s Books, complete review here

“The Summer Fun Massacre was a blast. A slasher tale twisted into a folklore-tinged police procedural, this one had me second guessing every few chapters!” – Steve Stred, author of Mastodon