From beloved horror author Jonathan Janz, Marla is a horror novel about the families we inherit, the guilt we carry, and the terrible gravity of a gaze you can't forget.
The hardcover edition includes a foiled cover, sprayed edges, and an exclusive never-before-published prequel story.
Turn the page—if you dare.
Release: 08/18/2026 Pages: 320
Hardcover, Paperback, E-book and Audiobook available for Preorder Now
Every small town has ghosts. King's Branch has Marla.
A reclusive young woman who lives with her mother in a creepy Gothic house, Marla Gorman is the stuff of urban legends. Some believe she's a prisoner. Others claim she's a witch.
The evening of the first murder, Detective Carl Lancaster sees Marla leering at him from her bedroom window. He sees her again at the exact moment a second man is killed. And though Marla was nowhere near either murder site, Carl is convinced she's connected to the crimes.
To Carl, Marla is a menace. To social worker Annie Frost, Marla bears a bizarre connection to her past. To Dylan Ellison, a struggling college student, Marla might be the companion for whom he's been longing.
But none of them understands Marla's true nature. She's about to plunge them--and everyone in King's Branch--into an unspeakable nightmare. And teach them the true meaning of terror.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Janz is the author of more than a dozen novels and numerous short stories. His novels Children of the Dark and The Dark Game were both selected as Top Ten Horror Books of the Year by Booklist and Library Journal
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Years ago, a thread appeared on Reddit: someone was looking for a terrifying book with a purple cover. The commenters had never heard of it. Some said it didn't exist. Then one person replied. They had read it , it was genuinely frightening, and it had only ever been printed in a limited run of a few hundred copies.
That book was Marla. Weird Tales tracked down Jonathan Janz, signed him to a three-book deal, and are proud to bring this lost masterpiece to the audience it always deserved.
Praise for Marla
"Don't get too attached to anyone...there is no holding back on who dies, which is hard because Janz has a talent for endearing us to the characters."
-- "Castle Macabre blog"
"Marla was limited to five hundred copies in 2022, selling out a month before release and garnering critical acclaim. Ever since, [Janz] has waited for a big publisher to give him and Marla a full chance."
-- "Lafayette Journal & Courier"
"Marla was worth the wait...There's few horror contemporaries that plumb the depths of gothic horror half as well as Janz."
-- "FanFiAddict"
"Marla is brutal, eerie, and compelling. Janz has created a work that feels like modern and classic horror all wrapped into one. Just make sure you open the first page early enough in the day, because once you start reading, you're not going to be able to stop, and you don't want to be all alone in the dark, late at night, with Marla."
-- "Brian Freeman, New York Times bestselling author of the Jonathan Stride series"
"Marla charges hard out of the gate and never stops moving until its final pages. Janz's tale is propulsive and sometimes gut-wrenching, yet ultimately shot through with a strain of tenderness and heart that I didn't see coming."
-- "Nick Cutter, author of The Troop"
"A dynamic, heartbreaking, heroic, and terrifying horror thriller!...Highly recommended!"
-- "Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author, on Veil"
"A profound sense of supernatural creepiness permeates this superb, blood-chilling horror novel from Janz. Fans of Stephen King's Castle Rock books will be hooked."
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
"An instantly compelling, instantly unshakable nightmare."
-- "Nat Cassidy, USA Today bestselling author of Mary, on Veil"
"I loved Marla. It's a novel about fear, about what scares us as individuals, in our hearts, as well as what scares us collectively, in a community. Jonathan Janz is so scary I have to read him during the day."
-- "Caroline Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of You"
"Janz is an elite writer...This book was achingly perfect."
-- "Steve Stred, author of Churn the Soil and Mastodon, on Veil"
"Jonathan Janz is one of the few horror writers working today who can truly unnerve his readers. Marla is a grippingly suspenseful story, full of brutality, tantalizing mystery, and sacrifice. From the very first sentence, Janz puts us on edge, and it doesn't let up until the final page, where I was a quivering wreck and struggling for breath. There is an unsettling eeriness that permeates each line, ensuring that every page is bleached in torment and beguiling prose. Marla showcases one of the genre's most chilling voices. Janz has crafted a nightmare of a book!"
-- "Ross Jeffery, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Only the Stains Remain"
"Pitch-perfect tension and suspense. This is a real Halloween story that is best enjoyed during the spooky season."
-- "Sadie Hartmann (Mother Horror), Bram Stoker Award-winning author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered"