Whenever I read a Brian McAuley book, I know I am walking into a world of slasher goodness. The kills in this one were over-the-top disgusting, and I loved every second of it. The book read as a love letter to Scream, and I couldn't put it down.

Grab your popcorn, and prepare for a bloody ride of gnarly kills and laugh out loud one-liners.

My favorite of Brian's so far.

Perfect summer horror, absolutely loved this one. McAuley has smashed the slasher fiction formula! A great study on the aftermath of grief whilst not feeling preachy or trying to dance around the subject - grief is ugly and a wellness camp slasher is a perfect way to tackle this subject. Excited to read more of his work!

Breathe In, Bleed Out has everything that a slasher fiend needs… and more! McAuley has, once again, utilized the tropes and trappings of the slasher genre, while adapting them for contemporary life. Truly, my only real critique of the story is that it could have been longer, taking its time. However, for those who are looking for a quick and still very satisfying read, this story is killer!

"Breath In, Bleed Out" is a fun and quick read, perfect for slasher fans. I found the setting— a desert yoga retreat —to be unique and ideal for the story. I had fun guessing who the killer was until the final revelation, with an unexpected twist at the end! First Brian McAuley book, but certainly not my last!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | New Favorite Alert!

Breathe In, Bleed Out grabbed me by the throat from page one and never let go. This book is sharp, smart, and absolutely unrelenting—in the best way possible. If you’re a fan of dark Hollywood thrillers with a surreal, satirical edge and a gut-punch of emotional depth, you’re going to devour this.

Brian McAuley masterfully blends horror, noir, and psychological suspense in a way that feels both totally original and eerily familiar. The story pulses with anxiety, dread, and biting social commentary. I couldn’t look away—and I didn’t want to.

The narrative is slick, the pacing flawless, and the imagery unforgettable. There are moments that made me physically tense, and others that broke my heart. And the ending? Pitch-perfect.

New favorite. Easily. This is the kind of book you finish and immediately want to talk about. Highly recommended.

If you’re a fan of classic slashers with a modern twist, Breath in Bleed Out is an absolute treat. Brian McAuley masterfully respects the genre’s rules while adding fresh layers of suspense, misdirection, and gruesome kills that kept me hooked from start to finish. The setting—a creepy wellness retreat tucked away on a snowy mountainside—adds an eerie atmosphere that perfectly complements the story’s dark tone. And the Final Girl, Hannah, brings a raw, traumatic past that deepens the emotional stakes beyond the usual slasher fare.

What really sets this book apart is its blend of old-school horror vibes with sharp, playful writing. McAuley’s storytelling balances moments of dark humor with shocking, brutal scenes that hit hard without unnecessary fluff. The villain—a terrifying miner wielding a pickaxe and donning a haunting human face—is genuinely chilling and a fresh addition to the slasher villain lineup. Plus, the plot’s Scooby-Doo-style who-dun-it mystery element kept me guessing right up until the final reveal, making the read a thrilling page-turner.

Ultimately, Breath in Bleed Out is a fun, fast-paced horror ride that doesn’t take itself too seriously but delivers plenty of scares, gore, and nostalgia for fans of the genre. The creepy wellness retreat cult angle added an extra layer of real-world unease that stuck with me long after I finished. If you want a “don’t think too hard, just enjoy the bloody chaos” kind of slasher, this one’s a perfect pick—and I can’t wait to see what Brian McAuley comes up with next.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

If you’ve ever wanted to go to an off grid wellness retreat, you might want to read this book first.😂🔪

I’ve loved the books from Brian McAuley I’ve read so far, so of course I had to read this asap. In this story, we follow a group of estranged friends who come together to head to a mindfulness retreat in Joshua Tree. MC Hannah is riddled with guilt and grief after losing her “fiancé” to a tragic accident on a hiking trip, and is at a breaking point with her sanity and career. Realizing her despair, her best friend Tess invites the group to go, thinking that this is what they all need. But just as they they settle in and start to relax, friends start to disappear. Hannah senses something isn’t right and starts seeing things, but it isn’t clear if the visions are real or if her mind playing tricks on her. And as the signs of danger intensify, Hannah must figure out who to trust, especially when she is challenged with trusting herself.

This is a perfectly-paced story that blends horror and whodunnit with some major Scream influences and Agatha Christie vibes. I loved all the twists and turns and also not seeing that ending coming at all!

This is another great one from McAuley, who really transports you to that calm, relaxing space before pulling the blood-drenched yoga mat from under you. He really nailed this one and I loved every heart pumping moment.

Make sure you add this one to your #tbr and grab a copy when it’s released in September!

I heard 'spiritual retreat' paired with 'slasher', and I had a mighty need to read Breathe In, Bleed Out.

Hannah loses her fiancé, Ben, on some sort of outing on a mountain. His death has weighed heavy on her. It has been negatively impacting her work along with her non-existent social life. When her bff, whom she had been ducking, ambushed her with plans of a spiritual retreat along with three of their other friends, she is initially hesitant but decides it will be good for her.

I thought that this one was going to start out rough. You see, McAuley uses one of my most disliked plot devices in chapter one. Surprisingly, he handled it really well and delivered it in a way that I actually liked. I was hooked on this story from the very beginning. I cared about the characters, especially Hannah. Her backstory and struggles had me rooting for her throughout.

The kills in this were gruesome and didn't hold back. I enjoyed the ghost story that was tied to the setting and woven throughout the story. In true slasher form, this story has some excellent twists. It felt like I was watching a slasher while I read.

This one kept me guessing until the very end, and I'll gladly read whatever McAuley comes out with next.

I've historically been hesitant to do the ARC thing. I don't like when a book lets me down, but when that book is an ARC, I feel bad. Luckily, this one delivered on every level for me.

Really enjoyable, fast paced slasher novel, I loved how it kinda felt like you were watching a slasher movie. 4 stars

I have a soft spot for slashers and after loving "Candy Cain Kills" Brian is back with another killer (pun intended). Gory, twisty and blurring the lines between reality and madness. Not only did we get a fun slasher character that would be perfect on screen, we got a FMC with depth and a history of trauma that adds in to the current delusion.

As someone who has been in the yoga world as an instructor and then left that world because it was so gross, I felt SO seen by this book. It humorously and darkly points out the appropriation and weirdness in white American yoga culture. I really loved every slasher-y second of this yoga retreat gone wrong.

Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley

Brian McAuley fleshes out a grisly tale marred with consequences. For Hannah, saying no becomes a life-altering event. Fleshed out on a snowy mountainside, Hannah's existence plunges into the abyss. Her life, once full of friends, has derailed into a depressive state. Her work has suffered, and her relationships have ceased to exist. Ben, her now-deceased boyfriend, is gone, taking any piece of comfort with him. A mandated hiatus from work allows time for self-reflection, and she soon accepts an invitation from Tess, her best friend, for a little spiritual R&R that might just be what the doctor ordered. Pax, our self-made guru, is eccentric. Toiling under a torment of excessive rules, Pax has created a private utopia with assurances to help the group’s mindsets. Unfortunately for our cast, the town has a long-standing legend about vicious miners, who are led by Waylon Barlow, who wears a pitchfork and dons a large-brimmed hat. Is there truth to the stories from the townfolk? McAuley reminds me why I adored 80s-style horror, driving the pitchfork full force into the rock face and also readers' veins.

I am a sucker for that horror trope, Scooby-Doo-style who-dun-it ala Scream movies of yesteryear. I took a chance on the book cover. In all its glory, it spoke to me. Chewable, it said, follow me to the dark side, to that place where bad people reside. I gladly followed our characters to a secluded area, ripe for nefarious actions. Interesting characters in tow, I watched the book skitter its way along a cavern filled with treachery, mindful of a spiritual awakening. There is playfulness abound, as McAuley teases the reader with comedic prowess, only to unleash a morbid scene marked for death. McAuley sticks to a plan, reminiscent of so many movies I have previously loved in my younger years. There was no overthinking, no fluff for the sake of descriptive words or unneeded missteps, just straight to the point.

Appreciative. That is my feeling. Kudos to an author who maintained the integrity of what I love about this genre. Sometimes I want to kick back and revel in the simplicity of a chainsaw, Freddy Krueger's bladed fingers, or a red-headed doll with a slight anger management issue. It’s fun, and in this case, I was a detective throughout my read-through as I tried to remember any subtle hints and telltale signs of the killer’s identity. The book comes with the usual warnings of gore and excessive violence. I am giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars, solidly rounding up to 5 stars. Highly recommend!

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

really fun, well written, and a hair campy slasher. the characters were cool and well-written and i loved how all of them had some level of depth. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

literally yoga retreat meets full-blown horror movie, and I was all in. It starts off like your typical wellness escape (think crystals, hot springs, weird vibes) and then BAM—people start dying, and it gets dark fast.

Hannah is a total mess in the best way—haunted, unreliable, and trying so hard to keep it together while everything around her falls apart. You’re never sure if what she’s seeing is real or if she’s just losing it, which makes the whole thing super tense and creepy. And the desert setting? So atmospheric, you can practically feel the heat and dread closing in.

It’s bloody, trippy, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Definitely some “WTF is happening” moments, in the best way. I had no idea where it was going most of the time, and that made it such a fun, chaotic read.

Think Midsommar vibes but more unhinged. I tore through it.

Let’s talk about movies for a second. I’m a slasher hound, and so it’s no surprise to learn that one of my favourite horror films is Scream, the game-changing slasher whodunnit, much copied, never bested. Slasher fans know that it’s not so much legendary director Wes Craven but the scriptwriter Kevin Williamson who we have to thank. Scream has been much aped since for its wink wink meta which changed the horror landscape, but Williamson knew that a great slasher mystery thrives on three things: characters you care for, kills you remember and a mystery plot with more red herrings than a bloody fishing lake. You know who else likes Scream? Brian McAuley, because Breathe In, Bleed Out, his fourth slasher, out from Poisoned Pen Press September 2, is a love letter to all the elements above that make the perfect stabby whodunnit while driving the genre forward in new ways. The master of slasher is back, and my god is he here to slay.

The setting for Breathe In, Bleed Out is a remote spiritual healing retreat in Joshua Tree, the wilderness of Southern California being, it turns out, a perfect location, up there with the more traditional cabin in the woods or campsites in terms of isolation and sense of unease. Attending this retreat, which is headed by the marvellously named potential bullshitter Guru Pax, is a group of young friends, the ostensible aim being to help our protagonist Hannah heal her trauma—her trauma being losing her fiancé on a mountain hike a year before. Seems a good plan—get in touch with your inner self—but when a killer starts taking that a little too literally, this place of healing becomes a fight for survival in the best slasher traditions, with everyone from retreat staff to friends to out-of-towners a suspect.

The first thing to note is that McAuley, for all the fun he’s having with the setting and taking the mighty piss out of the cynical mash-up of cultures (sound baths! Yoga! desert hallucinogens!) that can compose these spiritual retreats, cares for his characters—and wants you too, as well. Hannah’s tragedy and trauma is established immediately in the book’s opening chapter through a genuinely poignant (and classically tricksy) opening that roots you to her cause. Then McAuley pulls a neat trick. Her friends seem frankly awful; subtler Gen Z takes on the old slasher stereotypes—there’s the cynical boorish finance guy in place of the jock; the yoga-loving, condescending “just want to help everyone” type in place of the dumb blonde, etc. But McAuley uses the concept of a spiritual retreat—where people come to terms with their own dickishness—in a genius way to put you in their heads as they decide to be better and then, well, kill them. It’s a brutal way to make you feel for initially unlikable twenty-somethings, and a narrative masterstroke, as well as a witty commentary on the falsity of convenient self-realization.

But this is slasher, and we’re also here for the kills and the thrills. And boy, is there a better death-scribe than McAuley in horror at the moment? The kills in Breathe Out, Bleed In are art. In his afterword, he notes how he wanted to emulate Final Destination-style deaths (the Final Destination films being slashers of course, with death as Ghostface) and I think it’s safe to say he achieved this; these deaths are carefully constructed assault courses of fatality, step-by-step grim montages which are creative, deeply awful, and also entirely fitting for the characters getting killed. A kill involving a healing crystal is worth your money alone.

And then there’s the final Scream ingredient to make the perfect slasher whodunnit: the mystery itself. Almost everyone is a suspect, with plausible motives; there’s more misleading clues here then the devil’s escape room, and the reveal feels satisfying in that “should have known but also wtf” feel that defined those final twisty Scream moments. And like the best of the genre, the reveal isn’t just for kicks—it’s all part of the Final Girl’s catharsis; it’s thematically relevant, baby.

Overall, Breathe In, Bleed Out is another hit from an author who knows how to keep us horror freaks guessing, wincing, and feeling all at once. Take a deep breath then take a deep bow, because Brian McAuley wears the slasher crown.

This book reminded me why I LOVE slashers, and once I started, I couldn't put it down!
The setup with Hannah's initial trauma was immediately engaging. The perfect amount of time to get to know her was taken without dragging. Her friends were introduced and given enough backstory to invest in them (even if I wanted to punch the majority, lol). Once the k1lls started, the action didn't stop until the very end. And the ways they went were so fun. There were multiple fun twists, and everything wrapped up in such an incredible way.
I really don't want to give anything away. So, if you're looking for a fun old school slasher filled with grief and given some modern twists, look no further. This one was 🤌🏻🤌🏻 for me.

Another twisty thriller from McAuley!

As a big fan of McAuley's "Reaper" novel as well as his "Candy Cane" series, I could not wait to see what kind of twisted slasher he would be delivering next and man, this did not disappoint!

Creepy setting? Check.
Damaged characters? Check
Exciting killer? Check Check Check

The novel moves fast and plays like a classic 80's film with cinematic kills, flawed but interesting characters, and an incredibly exciting villain. All of these elements combine to create a classic horror film in novel form, something McAuley has now proven multiple times he has an absolute knack for. I can't wait to see what he has coming for us horror fiends next.

A Brian McAuley slasher has never disappointed me, not once. This was such a fun novel. It reads just like you're watching a good slasher movie, keeping you hooked and turning the page to see what happens next.

It kept me guessing, every time I thought I figured it out, it proved me wrong. I didn't guess correctly until a few chapters before the reveal, and even then, it had me saying 'wait - maybe not?' a couple times in between. I do not like being wrong, but I will allow it, because it was a very fun time. Gorier than I usually like but I won't score that against it, it's to be expected so I knew what I was getting into. To some, that's probably a big plus. It certainly didn't stop me from loving this.

Hannah was a great narrator, mainly because she wasn't, at all. A lot of my guessing and second-guessing was because I wasn't sure how much of what she was telling us was one hundred percent or not. Sometimes that's a trope that can be frustrating, but I think it was well done here.

I genuinely love Brian's storytelling and writing. Becoming one of my favorite horror writers. Has a knack of writing his stories like a fun horror movie. One i would rewatch when I need a pick me up because horror is comforting.

Fast paced and gory as always. The characters are all kinds of messy and fun and hit all the best character tropes in a good slasher. It was a little slow at the start, not bad but just slow. It took a bit for the killing to start, but each kill was absolutely nasty and graphic. One in particular kind of reminded me of A Violent Nature.

Let's just say, i will never be doing yoga by myself. Or joining any weird retreats in the desert.

Thank you to Brian, netgalley and the publishers for the arc!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc. I loved loved loved this and not because it took place in my hometown. The kills were gnarly and I didn’t see the twist coming.