by Matthew R. Davis, winner of two 2019 Australian Shadows Awards, follows the well-received release of his first horror collection If Only Tonight We Could Sleep with the publication of his first novel, Midnight in the Chapel of Love, by JournalStone on January 29, 2021. The book is available for preorders through the publisher’s website at https://journalstone.com/bookstore/midnight-in-the-chapel-of-love with more options available soon.
Jonny Trotter has spent the last fifteen years running from tragic memories of the country town where he grew up – but now that his father has died, he can run no more. Returning to Waterwich for the funeral with his partner Sloane, Jonny must confront old resentments, his estranged best friends, a strange, veiled woman the locals call the White Widow… and the mystery surrounding the fate of his first love.
A morbid and reckless city girl, Jessica Grzelak lived to push the limits and explore the shadows – and no-one has seen her since the night she and Jonny went looking for the Chapel. Rumoured to be found in the woods outside Waterwich, mentioned in playground rhymes about local lovebirds Billy and Poppy and their killing spree in 1964, the Chapel is said to be an ancient, sacred place that can only be entered by lovers – a test that can only be passed if their bond is pure and true.
Before he can move on to a future with Sloane, Jonny must first face the terrible truth of his past – and if he can’t bring it out into the light at last, it might just pull him and everything he loves down into the dark, forever.
“Davis is an exceptional writer. His attention to detail—no matter how terrifying that detail is—from description to word flow is evident in his excellent body of work.” – Aurealis Magazine #133
“If Only Tonight We Could Sleep is a carefully executed, high-concept journey… a deeply impressive accomplishment, and one that clearly demonstrates Davis’ natural skill as a horror writer… I can strongly recommend this to anyone interested in engaging, thoughtful, and sophisticated horror.” – Sci Fi and Fantasy Reviewer
