Horror and crime mashup author Keith Rosson — known for “Coffin Moon” and the “Fever House” duology — recently discussed his latest novel “Crone” with us and stuck around to take the Book Pages Q&A.
Q. Can you recall a book that felt like it was written with you in mind (or conversely, one that most definitely wasn’t)?
You know, I put off reading “The Exorcist” (by William Peter Blatty) for years, but when I finally did, it absolutely devastated me. It’s as much a detective novel as it is a horror one, and apart from some, uh, very of-its-era dialogue, the thing absolutely zipped off the page, with the possession scenes remaining truly captivating. Just a fantastic novel all around, and I don’t know if I’d have appreciated it as much if I’d read it when I was younger.
Q. What’s something — a fact, a bit of dialogue or something else — that has stayed with you from a recent reading?
It’s not out for a few more months, but let me shout this from the rooftops: Andy Marino’s “Cold Empty Rooms” is very likely the most dread-suffused piece of horror fiction I’ve ever read in my life, and the anxiety I felt in the last hundred pages of that book is something I’ve never experienced before in my life. Marino’s voice is unlike anything else out there, and that book, if there’s any justice, should make everyone’s list.
Sign up for our free newsletter about books, authors, reading and more
Q. Is there a genre or type of book you read the most — and what would you like to read more of?
I generally vacillate between horror, crime fiction, and literary stuff. I guess what I write is kind of an amalgam of all three, so I’m also drawn to it as a reader.
Q. What are you currently reading? How do you pick which book to read next?
I’m currently reading Mike Bockoven’s “Your Best Chance of Survival,” which is fantastic, and Blair Braverman’s “Small Game,” which is also great. She does a podcast called “What to Carry, What to Burn,” and when a new episode comes out, our entire family gathers around like we’re circling a fire, seeking warmth.
Stephen King-praised horror novelist Keith Rosson returns with ‘Crone’
Q. Do you have a favorite character or quote from a book?
Mary Pat Fennessy from Dennis Lehane’s “Small Mercies” is a phenomenal character. How resolute she is, and yet how Lehane has her change over the course of the book. Now that I think of it, I’m due for a reread.
Q. Is there a person who made an impact on your reading life – a teacher, a parent, a librarian or someone else?
Yeah, in high school, I had a humanities teacher and an art teacher, both of them tremendously important to fostering a sense that there was an entire world of creativity out there. Literature, art, all of it. I come from a small town on the Oregon coast, and those two folks in particular helped facilitate a tremendous amount of creative kids that came out [of] that town. Renowned dancers, theater folks, playwrights, writers, painters, all coming out of this tiny town over this period of four or five years; it was pretty amazing.
Map: 100 Southern California independent bookstores to visit in 2026
Q. Do you have a favorite bookstore or bookstore experience?
I love bookstores in general, but particularly indie bookstores. Some of my most powerful reading experiences as a young kid came from haunting the used sections of bookstores and taking a risk on cheap horror paperbacks. But really, anywhere readers and books congregate, those are my favorites.