This is a dark and exciting revenge story set in the 1970s.

Duane Minor is a Vietnam vet home from his tour and trying to pick up he pieces. He is working in his mother-in-law’s bar, trying to repair his marriage to Heidi, and helping to raise Heidi’s niece Julia, who they now have custody of.

John Varney, a vampire with a lust for blood and mayhem strolls through town, entering the bar during the nights. There is something about him that Minor doesn’t like and learns very quick that he shouldn’t have messed with Varney. In retaliation for crossing him, Varney brutally murders Heidi, leaving Minor and Julia lost without her.

With their despair bringing them closer together, Julia and Duane set off on a revenge path that will alter their lives forever. Uncovering beings and other people they never knew existed, they find themselves part of a world unrecognizable to them previously.

This was full of suspense and bloody madness. This was part suspenseful thriller, part paranormal horror. And the two go so well together. I adored the unlikely duo of Minor and Julia and how they grow as family. This is dark and gory… and so much fun.

This is my first book from Rosson and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I plan to check out some of his previous works. I’ve only read a handful of books with vampires in and this one felt a bit different and that was refreshing.

Set in the time of the Vietnam War, which impacted the setting and the mental health of the characters. It created a setting that felt bleak and despairing. The characters had so much depth with flaws yet still maintained the importance of family. This book was emotional and unsettling at the same time. The chapters are short, which kept me reading “just one more” until I flew through a large portion in a short time.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read this book. I am writing this review based on my own opinion.

An absolute adrenaline rush!

Intense and horrible (in the best way), Rosson solidifies his place as a horror rock star with this one! Vampires are back in a big way and this is not one to miss!

A haunting masterpiece; a vampire story that feels deeply human. Coffin Moon covers morality, redemption, loss, and rage with a masterful subtlety. The writing is cinematic, heavy with atmosphere and evoking a sense of stillness and dread all the way through. This is a beautiful story of violence, love, restraint, loneliness, and survival. An absolutely unforgettable, devastating read.

After reading Fever House and The Devil By Name I was excited that Keith Rosson had a new book out. The Coffin Moon is really good and pretty fucked up take on vampires but also Vietnam War and that period of time. All the characters were flawed by something which I liked a lot cause it's real but all had something to keep them going. The short chapters made it easy to read but packed alot in. Keith has become one of my new favorites to read. Thanks to Madison Dettlinger from Random House Marketing for sending me a free copy to read before it came out and Netgalley.

Coffin Moon is a wonderfully crafted story that really digs into the meat of what family means, and the lengths that MC Duane will go to in order to keep his close. Deeply atmospheric, with echoes of both Interview with the Vampire and Let the Right One in, I was rapt and tense throughout, wondering how the tragic protagonists would ever reach a satisfactory resolution. Descriptions of carnage wrought by the Big Bad are visceral and stomach churning, a real delight to read!

If you're a fan of vampire stories layered with historical fiction and emotional depth, Coffin Moon is not to be missed. Keith Rosson delivers a haunting, beautifully written novel that manages to be both eerie and unexpectedly heartwarming.

The character work is outstanding. Our narrator is richly developed. He is deeply flawed, yet achingly human in his tenderness and vulnerability. His internal conflict adds a compelling emotional thread that elevates the horror beyond blood and shadows. And the villain? John is one of the most chilling antagonists I've read in a while. Complex, despicable, and disturbingly charismatic! He's the kind of character you’ll love to hate!

Rosson strikes a perfect balance between horror and humanity. This isn't just a story about vampires, it's a story about grief, memory, identity, and the messy intersections of love and pain. It’s terrifying in moments, but also strangely comforting, like being wrapped in a dark fairytale.

I couldn't put this book down, it’s just that good. If you’re looking for a vampire novel that’s as emotionally resonant as it is chilling, Coffin Moon delivers on every level.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Keith Rosson, and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I won't say that Keith Rosson is the next Stephen King. Not because he isn't talented(he is very talented) is just that saying is becoming very tired and not really fair to anyone. But as for the future of horror I hope there will a lot more of Keith Rosson.
When I heard about his new book was 70's era vampire novel I jumped on Netgalley and found it and Netgalley was kind enough to give me an early copy. Keith Rosson took the vampire novel and didn't exactly do anything new to the genre but definitely made it his own. There is everything in this book. Mr. Rosson did more with 320 pages than some authors do 700 plus pages

This book was the perfect mix of gruesome and poetic. Duane is a Vietnam vet trying to get his life back together while being hunted by and hunting vampires. I loved every minute of it.

Newly retired, newly sober, and haunted by his past, Vietnam vet Duane Minor returns to Oregon to help his mother-in-law run her inherited bar. But when he crosses paths with John Varley—a man as dangerous as they come—Duane’s fragile new beginning spirals into chaos.

Coffin Moon delivers gritty, revenge-soaked horror with heart. Duane and Julia are flawed, lovable leads fighting for something better despite the wreckage behind them. And then there’s Varley—the kind of villain you love to hate, committing the kind of monstrous acts you can’t look away from.

This vampire tale is a brutal, bloody ride—dark, intense, and seriously hard to put down.
Thank you to Random House for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

After getting me hooked on his writing with powerful, deadly, and revolting artifacts in his earlier books, Rosson gets me once again with this new and wonderful entry into vampire lit. With Stephen Graham Jones's The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, this is the summer for revisiting everything you know about bloodsuckers and revel in new interpretations and points of view. In Coffin Moon, Duane, a Vietnam vet, unknowingly insults a vampire, leading to almost everyone in his family being slaughtered. Only his niece Julia survives, and she has no intentions of letting the killings go unpunished. Thus begins a journey full of fear and horror and transformation and testing relationships. It's fast-paced, full of beautiful and startling language, and a joy for horror readers.

Coffin Moon is the distorted reflection of The Last of Us, but the killer here really sucks.

He’s a vampire, after all.

It’s like Quentin Tarantino got his hands on the script, and he sprinkled a bit of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Let the Right One In into the mix.

I’d say it was the perfect recipe.

I was addicted to this novel from the first page, craving more of it whenever I wasn’t able to sit and read it.

Rosson’s character development was absolutely phenomenal. The three main players in this story have all been indelibly changed by some traumatic force. John Varley is a vampire, and there is certainly no coming back from that, but he was haunted by his own baggage before being irrevocably altered. Duane and Julia’s backstories were so fiercely tragic, and it was difficult to digest the additional pain they were forced to endure. It’s all beautifully done, drawing upon the psychology of how trauma changes a person, and how that person may cope in ways that terrify and confound.

The story is incredibly gruesome, which is not something (despite being a horror lover) I knowingly gravitate toward. I’ve no complaints, though. I think Rosson is offering a variety of readers something to feed upon, whether it’s gritty, emotional drama they’re looking for, or action packaged sequences, or screen splattering gore.

I feel like I’ve been emptied out now that I am finished. I loved bearing witness to Duane and Julia’s vulnerability in this story. They felt real, and I hurt with them.

I am immensely grateful to Random House and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

After more than half a century of unchecked, depraved violence, a vampire who believes there’s no reason to keep his temper in check finally crosses someone who will truly do anything to see that he pays for his crimes.

Coffin Moon follows three primary characters: Duane Minor, a vietnam war vet trying to keep his head above water, his niece Julia, trying to keep her own demons at bay after her mother is given a life sentence for the murder of her abusive stepdad, and John Varley, the sadistic vampire that killed basically everyone Duane and Julia loved.

That’s probably the most that I can say about the plot of this book without giving away any of its manifold surprising turns. It’s a fast-paced, dark, incredibly violent supernatural thriller that still makes room for its characters to breathe. It accomplishes this by taking a little bit of time to set the scene, but then really hitting the ground running. It then lets up on the gas just enough to pepper in some well-paced flashbacks (always a tricky thing to pull off in a thriller) that flesh out all three primary characters.

In the first third-to-half of the book, I found the villain, John Varley, to be somewhat one-note, but that drastically changed after another character was added to the cast who shifted Varley’s character arc to an entirely new direction. Add that to an interesting backstory told through a few flashbacks and, by the end of the story, I knew Varley would stick with me for long after I closed the book.

The protagonists are no slouches, either. Minor is well-developed and the way he thinks through the many difficult choices he faces throughout the book feel very real. Julia’s character arc is incredibly inventive and not at all what I expected. There is one particular image of her near the end of the book that I can’t get out of my head. It’s one of the most badass things I’ve ever read.

The ending as a whole was incredibly satisfying. It’s a book that leaves you feeling exhausted from the intensity of the journey that it takes you on, but also very glad you took the plunge.

Much of Rosson’s writing reminds me of early Stephen King, but with a welcome quicker pace. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the uniquely American take on vampires found in Sinners and Salem’s Lot, and the relentless, violent, driving force of No Country for Old Men.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advance review copy.

This book was an absolute blast. The only real problems I had that knocked the rating down for me a bit is that I didn't particular like Duane and it loses steam a bit in the last section. Everything else is so good, that I wasn't especially bothered by those issues. I was just ready for it to end a bit before it did. I'm also not really sure why it took place in the 70s because a lot of it felt very contemporary. I kept having to remind myself that it wasn't taking place in modern times. Still, I really liked it. Even though it takes place nowhere near the desert, it reminded me a lot of Near Dark. I think it's because of the grimy nature of the vampires and the whole thing being a big road trip that just really gave me that vibe. There is a bit of Let the Right One In as well, but it's definitely it's own thing. It was very fun and action packed, so I could really see it being turned into a movie or a miniseries. Thanks for the ARC!

Loved this new book from Keith Rosson! A surprisingly original vampire story that held me from the start and didn't let go until I got to the end of this demented road trip. It has all the action, suspense and gore that you expect from a Rosson novel, but I also loved the characters. He writes with a level of compassion and vulnerability that really makes this horror novel sing and transcend the usual genre tropes. And the monster,,,, Yikes! It has been a while since I've read a monster so delightfully heinous and multifaceted. A great read!

(Thank you to Mr Rosson and NetGalley for providing me with this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.)

In the winter of 1975, Duane Minor, back home in Portland Oregon after his tour in Vietnam, is struggling with newly potent anger and drinking problems, trying to keep his marriage afloat, and PTSD from the war. Things only get more complicated when his niece Julia, is shipped from across the country to live with them after her mom shoots her abusive husband-dead in an apparent case of self defense. With his wife Heidi’s help and encouragement, Duane tries to be a good father figure for Julia and for a while, they become a happy and healthy family…..

Until Duane crosses paths with the epitome of evil, John Varley; a man with a bloody past and one no-one should mess with. Varley, a tall and powerful presence, is more than meets the eye. He’s a vampire. After a confrontation with Duane, In an act of brutal defiance, Varley kills Heidi and her parents, leaving Minor broken with unbearable guilt and Julia hell bent on revenge. The two become united in their seemingly impossible quest.

Will they get their revenge or become two more victims in the long line brought by John Varley?

Read “Coffin Moon”(coming out everywhere September 9th!) to find out.

This novel had me gripped from the first page to the end, it truly transcends the “Vampire” genre, that is otherwise filled with formulaic and overly sexual content. “Coffin Moon” is a unique, brutal, and emotionally resonant vampire novel that is well worth reading for any horror fan looking for a terrific novel to sink their teeth into.

With this new novel and his Fever House duology, Keith Rosson has cemented himself as one of my favorite horror authors of all time.

Really looking forward to the next Rosson book I check out, he hasn’t disappointed yet.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This was my first time reading Keith Rosson, and I'd be willing to check out his books in the future.

A post-Vietnam vampire thriller, which follows our traumatized lead Duane Minor and his adopted niece Julia on a quest for vengeance. Duane is struggling with his experience in Vietnam, the terror and barely controlled rage which lurks below the surface at all times -- attempting to do his best by his wife, and his niece who they have taken in. This obviously goes sideways when we meet John Varley, a force of nature more than a man (or vampire).

Rosson does a good job of establishing a sense of dread, of feeling of being outside of the world, once you have experienced an intense trauma. Duane and Julia both have their crosses to bear, and Rosson isn't afraid to continue to pile on misfortune.

I expected this book to be a straight up vampire story, but it turned out to be so much more. At its heart, I found it to be a story of trauma, revenge, redemption and ultimately perhaps forgiveness. I initially felt the story might be dragging at a certain point during what felt like a protracted search for a certain character, but I changed my mind after finishing the book. Upon reflection, the seemingly endless search and elusive nature of that character suitably reflected the core theme of looking for something you may never find. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and would definitely recommend it, especially to horror fans who appreciate a good story along with some gore!

Oh, Keith Rosson. You have done it again, sir. I was bummed when I requested an ARC via Net Galley several months ago and it was still only available in Europe. Then, I got the notification I was receiving one when it opened to the US and I was over the moon.

If punk rock were a horror story, it would be this one.

Minor has seen some sh*t. That's putting it mildly. He and his wife are co-parenting their niece after her mother went to jail for murdering her step-father, all while dealing with obvious PTSD from his time in Vietnam. Minor is working as a bar tender in his family's bar while Heidi finishes school and her Great American Novel. They've got big dreams of moving on, but it all changes when John Varley sends his crew to start selling drugs out of Minor's family bar. Minor's not taking it, and despite repeated warnings from his mother in law who is allowing them to traffic there, roughs the guys up. The problem? Varley is a centuries old vampire who likes to scream and shout and kill everyone you love when you tell him, "No."

When Varley murders Minor's entire family--wife, in-laws, everyone except Julia who was at a sleepover--his world falls apart, but not as much as Julia's. She's already lost her mother, now she's lost Heidi, her mother's sister and last tie to her. The only adult who's ever made Julia kind of feel safe. Minor is devastated, but Julia is out for vengeance. Upon hearing about the Children's Museum--a place where Julia can go in as herself and come out as something capable of hunting down Varley--she decides she's choosing revenge, even if it costs her humanity.

The two set out on a cross-country whirlwind, hunting Varley down to take from him the same thing he took from them, and then take his life.

This is a great take on a vampire story, really engaging plot, broken yet relatable characters you can't help but love (except Varley and Johan), and perfectly paced. Just finished it today and I already can't wait for the next book by Rosson.

My first Rosson novel, and not my last! Character development was cut and clear, you got to know the vibe of each person quickly. I love a good vampire story, and this had such a haunting yet fresh vibe. You could feel the despair driving the characters. Rosson is impeccable at storytelling and you will feel drawn into this supernatural world!