Did I just read the best book of 2025? I think perhaps I have.
This horror story centered around Duane and his family, gives me everything I love in a book. Fast paced action, deep characters to absolutely love (and love to hate!) and vampires with an agenda that just means death to everyone.
The first part of the story introduces us to Duane, his wife and niece along with his in-laws. While flawed, Duane is trying to be a good husband, navigate being a surrogate dad to a teenage Julia, and battle his past. I love them all and the writing is just so good, it made me love them.
One night, things go wrong in the bar they own and it sets them all on a path of incredible loss and destruction. Meeting John Varley will change their lives forever. Hate fueled actions and insanely brutal violence ensues.
The journey that Duane and Julia go on is fraught with danger, often of their own making. There are more characters that enter the story, some who help and some who hurt. The twists were just stunning!
I can't say enough about this book...I plan to read it again soon because I know I flew through it so fast I missed some. Easy 5 stars. Please let there be a book #2 coming (I feel like there is more to this story!)

I was honoured to receive this story as an ARC so thank you to #blackcrowpr and #NetGalley for the opportunity!

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Black Crow Books for the opportunity to read this fantastic eARC.

It's 1975, and Duane Minor is doing his best to get his life back together upon his return from serving in Vietnam. Battling with anger issues and PTSD, Duane is pulled into alcohol as a coping mechanism upon his initial return to the States. Working for his in-laws at the bar they own doesn't make this any easier until an incident occurs that forces Duane away from the bottle, but doesn't end the nightmares or the pent-up anger.

Now, enter into this mix Duane's wife's teenage niece, Julia. Julia has moved in with her aunt Heidi and Duane because her own mother is in prison for killing Julia's abusive step-father. Julia has anger and attitude for days on end, but this "dysfunctional" second family is slowly managing to soften Julia. However, this all comes to an end on a fateful night when Duane, in trying to do the right thing for his family and in-laws, pushes out John Varley and his biker gang tuffs who are selling heroin in the back room of the family bar. Suddenly, our already emotional drama takes a spin into the supernatural as John Varley is no mere drug dealer, but rather a powerful vampire with anger issues who doesn't take "no" for an answer...ever...from anyone, living or undead.

Rosson has made a quintessential vampire tale, filled with all the blood and gore expected from a modern vampire story, but without relying on the vampire tropes to do all the heavy lifting. The story is much more about Duane's and Julia's battles against internal demons than the external demon of Varley. The book is masterfully written about the characters, not merely the events. My only negative would be that the story ended too quickly. I would have rather had another 100 pages to more fully explore the conclusion. My only hope is Rosson will some day revisit Duane and/or Julia or even a tale about the over half-century development of the fiend John Varley.

Thank you to Black Crow Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you to Keith Rosson for this gritty, dark, moving, gory vampire story about tragedy, loss, grief and revenge.

You'll find yourself immersed in both Duane Minor's shell shocked world as well as John Varley's blood soaked history as an impulsive vampire.

Coffin Moon is a heartfelt, post-Vietnam War vampire noire tale that pulls you in and doesn't let up. More than few moments had me squeamish yet I couldn't look away.

It's out on September 9th, 2025.

Just finished Coffin Moon and can someone please check if I still have a soul? Or did Keith Robson rip it out, dust it in grave dirt, and hand it to John Varley as a snack?

It’s 1975. There’s booze. There’s trauma. There’s a walking corpse with bite. And somehow, amidst all the bloodletting and moonlight and nightmare-fueled vengeance, there's heart. Ugh. Rude.

Duane Minor is just trying to stay sober and keep his demons leashed (spoiler: they bark loud), but then a literal nightmare with fangs and dirt under his nails rolls in and tears everything apart. Cue Julia: 13, angry, grieving, and ready to go full final girl energy. Together they become the most cursed buddy road trip duo this side of hell.

Somewhere along the way, a choice was made, and a choice was stolen, and the weight of both lingers like blood on snow.

Think: grief-soaked Western meets vampire-noir fever dream, with Vietnam ghosts, undead children, and enough silver to bankrupt Tiffany & Co.

Robson doesn’t write horror. He summons it. The prose is a slow bleed, moody, mythic, weirdly tender and just when you think you’re safe? Bang. It bites.

If you like your horror soaked in sorrow, wrapped in vengeance, and gnawing at your psyche for days... dig your grave and lie in, Coffin Moon is calling. 🪦

I really, REALLY liked this book. Even though it's written in semi-modern times (just after Vietnam), it reads like a gritty, bloody, old-school vampire novel, and I am 100% here for that!

You won't find any sparkly, glittery, or lovesick vamps in this novel. Instead, you'll find all the guts, gore, and glory you could possibly want.

It's dark and a little hopeless, which -- let's be honest -- is exactly how I like my horror to be. The only thing that knocked it down a star was the ending. I didn't hate it by any means, but I would have liked a bit more closure. I know ambiguous endings are a thing, and I understand them. Sometimes, I even love them. But I was totally invested in these characters, so I wanted a bit more finality.

Still, a freaking EXCELLENT read. I highly recommend it.

A dark, intense, and horrific conclusion. Although I felt the first book was more unhinged and surprising, this volume did an excellent job with character progression and tying off most of the plot threads. New POVs are thrust into the spotlight which helped make the story richer while giving the reader new perspectives on past events.

Rosson is an author of whom I’m going to stay current. His books toe the line between elevated terror and pure fun that feels cinematic in nature.

"The great surprise of death, how it strides through the door, takes a seat at your table."

Keith Rosson's new novel is about Duane, a Vietnam war veteran who is trying to balance his life at home with his wife, in-laws, niece and his struggles with PTSD and addiction. He work's with his in-laws at their bar until one night a killer named Varley comes in and changes Duane's life forever. After a disagreement, Varley brutally takes the lives of Duane's wife and parents leaving Julia further traumatised. In the name of vengeance, both Duane and Julia set to track down Varley, how are these two humans going to fare against a vampire?

As vampire novels go there is a sense of you know what to expect, in this book there is blood and gore however it's also driven by character back stories. In a unique way, the author for each of these characters provides a snippet into their pasts setting a better understanding of why they are in the position they find themselves in.

It did feel like a slow burn where a lot happens towards the end. It does feel like an uneasy journey from start to finish due to the nature of the events and the way you feel about the characters of Duane, Julia and Varley.

I enjoyed reading this book. If you are a fan of vampire stories then you will enjoy exploring this one.

DNF - but let's be clear I am not DNF'ing for the story I'm DNF'ing for the quality of the upload file.

As a user with eye issues I find it hard to read from backlit screen. So having a file that is not optimised for kindle is not ideal. Having the page numbers appear midway thought a paragraph pulled me out of the story repeatedly. By chapter four it was becoming so irritating I decided I would try the Net Galley shelf app, while this file was beautifully set up for print it's not set up for use on a digital screen and was causing me severe eye pain.

Please consider optimising your ARC files for users with visual impairments, it's basic accessibility at this point.

On a more positive note I was really enjoying what I read and will more than likely purchase this when a paperback is available.

Thank you to NetGalley for approving me to be ARC reader.

Coffin moon is a story based around revenge, trauma & addiction. There are moments of vivid horror & plus vampires are involved!

Duane Minor is trying to keep his life together after experiencing a trouble past and take care of his adopted niece who also has a traumatic troubled past whilst both are experiencing grief and rage. Both of them go on a journey to seek revenge until Julia makes a promise she’ll never be able to turn back on which weakens their relationship but still keeps them on the path of seeking revenge towards John Varley who has an terrifying history.

1970’s culture with added vampire lore & supernatural lore.

This is a slow burn story of revenge and I do feel the ending was a little rushed. I also feel the story was a little chaotic at times and felt it really hard to keep up with what was going on. I feel the second half of the book was much better than the first and the second half displayed ‘horror’. The premise sounded so good but the story lacked something for me.

Duane is a Vietnam veteran who has managed to recover part of his life by finding a precarious balance: working at his in-laws' bar, living with his wife, and taking care of Julia, his niece who has no one else. But when John Varley crosses his path, everything that was keeping him sane falls apart. After the brutal murder of his in-laws and his wife, Duane and Julia are driven exclusively by their thirst for revenge, guilt, and rage.

But their enemy is not of this world: he sleeps during the day, feeds at night, and butchers indiscriminately while spreading terror even among his peers.

This modern vampire novel is everything you’d hope for in a book about blood-drinkers. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the classic vampire archetype played with such mastery, drawing from familiar lore without falling into clichés or making you feel like you've read the same story before.
John Varley is a striking and memorable antagonist driven by bloodlust, but just when you think he’s nothing more than a brainless predator following his animal instincts, we’re given his backstory, something that justifies, or at least explains, how he came to be like this in a way that’s deeply satisfying for the reader. Duane, one of our two protagonists, has just the right balance of tortured and a torturer, making him a compelling character you want to follow, lost in grief but still able to move forward and keep the plot flowing at a solid pace. I also appreciated that we’re dealing with a veteran who’s in conflict with what he did and why he had to do it, rather than a glorification of yet another American invasion. This really went a long way in making him someone likable, his suffering is laid bare without ever trying to justify the unjustifiable. But the real gem is Julia, an endearing child character you’ll want to protect at all costs, even though she’s perfectly capable of handling herself. Together, they form a duo I loved following.

I get the sense that Rosson has managed to create an entire urban universe in a single book, one that brings blood-drinkers into the modern age. He strikes the perfect balance between present-day action, rich backstory, and creature lore, making you feel like the world extends beyond the book itself while it all remains self-contained and cohesive.

Finding horror novels that balance plot, emotional depth, and delightfully gritty gore is always exciting, but for all vampire lovers, this one is bound to become essential reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC, I had a blast.

Bloody, revenge-fuelled carnage, “Coffin Moon,” is an action-packed and gritty take upon the vampire, and I adored it. With the pulpy soul of a tattered 70s paperback or a Tarantino film, Rosson’s latest is a messy tangle of love, rage and grief (and vampires) all wrapped up in grime and crime. I found myself stuck in that awful reader’s paradox of wanting to literally inhale this book, whilst not wanting it to end. In “Coffin Moon,” John Ajvide Lindqvist’s “Let The Right One In,” meets Cosby’s “Razorblade Tears,” meets the addictive, brutal prose and pacing signature to Rosson’s work, and I could probably wrap this up here because how could that not be a hit? You’re sold right? It’s out September 9th, a very good day indeed, from Penguin Random House in the US and Black Crow in the UK.

We follow Duane Minor, a war veteran, bartender and recovering alcoholic, who is adjusting to his new life as a family man. His life with his wife Heidi is a pleasant one, albeit one that changed completely when her niece Julia started living with them. It’s not perfect- Julia frequently finds herself in the principal’s office, Heidi’s dad is sick, Minor can’t seem to exorcise his friend Lyle’s death from his head. But it’s good. Flawed but peaceful. Fulfilling. Until it’s dismantled. John Varley and the Crooked Wheel gang want to peddle heroin out the back door of the bar Minor works at -something he refuses to let happen in spite of what his boss (his mother in law) has to say about it. He puts a stop to it, but when he finds his home broken into, Heidi and her parents slaughtered, Minor realises that Varley is not a man who is denied, or indeed a man at all.

The message central to “Coffin Moon,” is similar to that of “Fever House.” It is as old as humanity and as current as today’s headlines. It is that power, and the pursuit of it, corrupts. There are instances of greed over territory, status, money, and when explored alongside immortality, we learn that these are pretty eternally warred over. People hurt people. In the 70s, when the bulk of the novel is set, during the Vietnam war, where Minor saw things he can’t unsee, in the 30s, where the then human John Varley worked to protect the reputation of a bar-owner, and certainly before that… and ever since too. It’s pride and power and its pursuit that can be held responsible for the deaths of Minor’s wife and her parents, along with most things that are wrong with the world frankly, and that’s something Rosson continues to explore with his work.

In “Coffin Moon,” power and rage is the fuel that drives nearly every character forward- it is endlessly destructive. As a counter-weight to all that carnage and bloodshed though Rosson gives us the bond between Minor and Julia. Their relationship is strained, born of pain even, but fiercely genuine, even more so when set against Varley and his long, loveless existence. Yes, we are capable of atrocities fuelled by greed and power and retribution, yet we are equally capable of kindness and care, offering safety, looking out for our friends, standing by our convictions. People hurt people, but, I’d like to think more frequently, people love people.

All of this is presented in a bloody, raucous, action-packed, cross-country, high-speed chase. As I mentioned earlier, “Coffin Moon,” is practically addictive. Propulsive, beautifully written and easy to read, readers will absolutely tear through this one, and can’t be blamed for it. Rosson’s pacing is a relentless, unbroken current that I for one was happy to let carry me away. The character work is equally admirable. Minor is flawed, sure, a man shaped by his trauma and a recovering alcoholic who falls back into old habits when he is probably needed most by the child he’s now responsible for. Julia is only under Duane’s guardianship via a bittersweet, truly violent end to life as she knew it. She is (rightfully) angry and compulsive. They are both driven by retribution, and yet they are both unwaveringly decent people who we feel incredibly deeply for. Their bond, forged mostly in bloodshed and anguish, is the beating heart of “Coffin Moon.”

If you’re already a fan of Keith Rosson, it’s as simple as this… it’s exactly as kick-ass as you think it is. An unrelentingly, explosively, carotid-burstingly violent continuation of his signature high octane gritty, pulpy, grimy, crime-y writing, but this time with vampires. If you’ve yet to read any Rosson, you’re in for something special. A novel that speaks to power and rage and trauma and love and war and immortality, what it means to be human, and what it’s like to lose that… I suppose the word to summarise “Coffin Moon,” would be epic.

A compelling blend of survival and crime which is set in a vivid 1970s setting that pairs surprisingly well with vampire trope that is used. I will say this is a very slow book until it gets to about 75% in and it feels slightly rushed.

Overall I did enjoy this novel for it's unique narrative on the vampire trope, it's inclusion of revenge and prose.

Perfect for fans of slow-burn crime books.

3-3.5 stars from me

When Duane comes home to find his wife and parents-in-law brutally murdered, he and his niece embark on an epic quest to find the man that did it. But John Varley is much more than a man, and revenge will not be easy…

Coffin Moon is a well-written story of revenge, trauma, survival, and blood. Combining 1970s culture with vampire lore works really well to make a unique take on the tale. Duane’s past as a troubled Vietnam veteran combined with Julia’s troubled past at home make for some of the more complex characters around. As a villain, Varley is mean, unstoppable, yet vulnerable: he really kept me reading.

I found the relationship between Duane and Julia a little weak: considering their bond and everything they had been through, there is a disconnect there that didn’t quite fit for me. I questioned motivations and interactions more than I thought I should have. While this disconnect could easily be chalked up to their respective PTSD, words and actions/tone didn’t match up.
This is a slow burn story of revenge, I did feel the ending was a little rushed because of that, but if nothing else it was explosive!

I can see how well this will do, and it is deserving of praise, for the elegant prose, sweeping story arc, and the complexity of the lore. It is a new take on the vampire story, and one which works well.

Ultimately, this was a good story written very well, but there were a few elements that I wished were different. I did also struggle with the formatting of my copy, so I would read this again when released to see if I gel with the book a bit more.

Gruesome murders of violence and moments of beauty to extremely tender and heartbreaking events, lots to like about this book.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I can't explain it, but I just could not get into it. I just couldn't care about anything that was happening. The writing was good, but I just couldn't get into the story!

Coffin Moon doesn’t just sink its teeth into you — it rips. This is a viscerally brutal novel, soaked in blood, grief, and raw fury. Keith Rosson delivers a vengeance odyssey that barrels through the backroads of 1970s America like a muscle car on fire, driven by two unforgettable characters: Duane, a broken Vietnam vet with nothing left to lose, and Julia, his fierce, complex 13 year old niece.

Their dynamic is the heart of the book - two wounded souls bound by bloody vengeance and shared loss. Rosson handles Julia with remarkable care, portraying her on the precipice of adolescence with sharp realism and never once falling into the traps of infantilisation or exploitation. She’s not there to be pitied or protected - she's there to choose, to act, and to reckon.

And then there's John Varley. A monstrous, magnetic villain — savage, unrepentant, fascinating. Every glimpse into his bloody past only makes him more despicable and more riveting. The flashbacks to his story are among the most haunting, feral parts of the novel. He's the kind of villain you can't stop reading about even as you hope he gets exactly what's coming.

The opening is a slow burn. Rosson takes his time, building the emotional scaffolding behind the slaughter. It adds weight but we know what’s coming from the blurb. Rosson also uses the space to delve into more than just carnage: is vengeance hollow? or does it become the forge that remakes you? is it ruin or rebirth?

But personally I was a little impatient to get to the reckoning. That said, once the story hits the gas, it doesn’t let up. Gritty, emotionally loaded, and steeped in darkness, Coffin Moon is horror with a pulse. More than just another bloody vampire novel it's about family, about finding the place you belong, about the terrible, beautiful things we do in love's name - and what we lose in the process.

My thanks to Black Crow Books for the ARC.

“Everything hurts. Is that rude of me? Everything hurts, always. Sorrow, vengeance, even joy. Everything’s got teeth on it.”

Portland, Oregon, 1975. Duane Minor, a Vietnam vet recently home with a head full of nightmares, a boozy monkey on his back, and a bartending job. His wife Heidi's niece, 13-year-old Joanna, is living with them; he hasn't had a drink in 18 months, and he's finally starting to feel like a future is forming for him and his family. Then John Varley walks into the bar and pulls the rug out from underneath Duane's dreams—permanently.

This is my first time reading Keith Rosson, although I have heard a lot of hype around the Fever House duology, and I can now understand why so many are high on him. Rosson writes in a rather stark, occasionally brutal prose but manages to find beauty within it. Equally at home writing a gore-soaked crime scene or a moment of quiet internal introspection from a broken man, there's an energy and propulsion to his style that kept me turning pages, even during slower moments.

The story itself isn't overly complicated, but it is compelling. The idea of a vampiric figure infiltrating the organised crime world makes perfect sense—after all, they're strong, they're ruthless, and they would much rather be working in the darkest hours of night—and Rosson seems to be having fun exploring this idea. With the other side of this story taking inspiration from the likes of Let The Right One In, there's much to love for fans of this subgenre.

I did find the book slowed down a little in the back half of the middle section, never boring as the character development is so gripping, but it felt like the pacing was slightly off. Some readers may struggle to deal with having main characters that aren't necessarily easy to root for—I personally loved it but understand why others may not—and I'd argue it doesn't feel like it's doing anything necessarily new with the vampire as a monster. These are minor quibbles, though, that wouldn't stop me from wholeheartedly recommending it to anyone interested. A fantastically fun, pulpy thriller, with some wince-inducing horror and emotional story beats that may just melt even the blackest of hearts.

The idea of vampirism intertwined with organized crime is a match made in heaven. Add Rosson's organic sensibility for writing gritty, immoral characters that revel in crime, as well as morally ambiguous and flawed protagonists, and you've got one hell of a recipe.
Coffin Moon is just that. One hell of a recipe. Pacing that prevents you from putting the book down, gore in just the right amounts, guilt and grief as pitch-perfect seasonings, and two main characters whose emotional beats hit like machine gun fire. It's a smaller, more intimate story than Fever House, without sacrificing any of the larger lore building, and contains one of the creepier things I've read this year in the children's museum.
Vampire stories can get real old, real quick, so any time a writer can put a fresh and exciting spin on it, sign me up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Vampire stories are long since well trodden ground in the modern era. It’s tough to find something that does something new, but ‘Coffin Moon’ succeeds on thay front. Driven by interesting characters who have more than their share of flaws, it makes for an interesting ride.

As protagonists, Duane and Julia are well-developed, even if they are a little out of time in their setting. Varley is a nasty piece of work, and it results in a very solid sense of menace throughout the book. Without spoiling too much, the action moves at a fantastic pace, with every situation feeling more high stakes than the last.

There is a certain level of pacing that could have been a bit better, but with that said, the book as a whole is fantastic. Definitely a voice in horror to keep an eye out for!

Thanks to Black Crow Books for providing me the chance to review.
Coffin Moon is a gritty story with punchy prose and violent scenes. At some points it felt like Quentin Tarantino and Stephen King (in his 80s era) both had a hand in this story.
Duane Minor returned from the Vietnam War a year ago, and, on the outside, appears to have settled into family life. But when a gang of bikers shows up at his in-laws bar, selling drugs and starting trouble, Minor can't help but get involved. When the bikers return and murder his wife, Julie, Minor begins a road trip for revenge.
I enjoyed this story, which, like I said above, had a Stephen King is his prime type feel about it. But there was something about the characters that I just couldn't connect with. Minor in particular, which is a shame as he is the main character, his dialogue just felt to mechanical, like a B-grade film script. A great idea for the plot, though, and I was impressed by the finale.