I liked Maeve Fly a lot, and despite not yet getting around to American Rapture (to my shame), I was quietly excited about picking up Headlights, despite not really knowing what to expect. What really surprised me is that I came out of it with the first horror novel of 2026 I can say I truly LOVED.

FBI Special Agent Daniel Stansfield, beaten, bloodied and bowed by his job and a series of blows in his personal life, has handed in his resignation and is preparing to go back to military life for one last tour. His plans, however, are scuppered when a serial killer he was chasing four years ago appears to have re-emerged — seemingly innocent people are being discovered wearing the flayed skin of a murder victim, claiming no memory of what happened or having any idea who the victim is. Evidence of cannibalism and a strand of hair tied around each of their tongues only serves to confound investigators. If Stansfield wants to solve this case, he'll need to face both his darkest fears and the past he's tried so hard to leave behind.

Playing out like a season of True Detective, with police procedural drama combining with bloody crimes and a spectre of the supernatural potentially hanging over proceedings, Headlights is a book that immediately sucked me in with its premise and refused to let me go until the last page. It's the kind of book some would refer to as a slow burn, perhaps, but in my eyes the character development and bursts of disorienting, brutal discoveries made it feel faster than it is.

This book feels like a love letter to Colorado, from mountains to woodland, from the city of Denver to John Denver; it's clearly an area that Leede has affinity for. This also ties into Headlight's references to The Shining, which is interwoven with the DNA of this story in so many ways, evoking as it does winter landscapes; isolation — not always literal; and the idea of seeing beyond the veil. The revelations come thick and fast, with Leede taking an almost maximalist approach at points, throwing many ideas at the wall and seeing them all stick.

I'm sure it won't be for everybody, but this is one of those rare books that I clicked with immediately and stayed locked into its wavelength for the duration. I'll be shocked if this doesn't end up high on my year-end list.

Wow! This is an absolutely incredible book from start to finish with equal parts horror and beauty.

First off, if you like The Shining, this should be a must for you. In some ways it reads like a love letter to King’s classic, and in others, like a sequel from a parallel world (where Doctor Sleep doesn’t exist).

I got strong Red Dragon / The Outsider vibes, but Leede still managed to sculpt a brilliantly unique story that draws on grief and fear.

This is an incredible story about the impact our actions and reactions have on those around us and the environment.

I’ll never listen to John Denver the same way again, and the wee nod to Orville Peck (going down to London to see him in a few months) was right up my street.

This was my first CJ Leede read, and I am compelled to grab copies of Maeve Fly and American Rapture.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the early access.

What did I just read? Wow!

C.J. Leede has written another fabulous book full of mystery, supernatural horror and psychological trauma.
Special agent Daniel Stansfield is brought back to his hometown after a series of bizarre and gruesome murders start again. Random people wake up in highways, no memory of what happened and covered in blood.
This book sucked me in fairly quickly. I was compelled to find out what was going on. What linked all these murders and what did it have to do with Daniel? There was a lot of memories incorporated into the story as Daniel relived his childhood trauma, but there was one that he could never seem to complete. This just added to the mystery and I was desperate for answers as well.
There were very strong themes of grief from both the main characters which only added to the emotional depth of Daniel and Hannah. I really enjoyed getting to know them both.
If anyone has read Maeve Fly you will remember the egg. Another sexualised food scenario here with gore mixed in. Not quite the same level of 🤢 but it did make me relive that moment, so all I could do was giggle.

An excellent horror thriller. This starts at a slow pace and build the tension and fear perfectly with a unique but detailed, rich writing style. The best thing about this book is it reminded me of Stephen King’s novels, never boring, always full of horror. Highly recommended.