TO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN

A town ruled by evil. A man ruled by darkness. Only one can survive.

Curtis Quinn is a Chicago mob legend with a particular set of skills and a price on his head. When the woman he loves disappears, Curtis follows her trail to the occult town of Harlow, where no one is allowed to leave, and an enigmatic, sinister overlord known only as “the Mayor” rules by an autocratic regime. 

Beth Jarvis is a plucky teenager unwrapping the secrets of her hometown—Harlow—and the mysterious ceremony that awaits her on her eighteenth birthday. What Beth doesn’t know is the truth about her sister Kate, who escaped their strange town over a decade ago and has evaded the Mayor and his disciples ever since. 

What Curtis doesn’t know is that Kate is the woman he’s fallen in love with, and she’s running from a threat far greater than the mobsters who want to kill him. His fate collides with Beth’s as she tries to escape Harlow and the disgusting fate that awaits her, and Curtis finds himself unraveling a mystery that leads to an impossible and terrifying conclusion―that the Mayor of Harlow is more than just a man, and the hardest target he’s ever tried to kill.

Wilder Tate just wants a normal life with a normal face...

Burns have disfigured him, his father has passed away, and his mother now works so many jobs, he feels like he's living alone. He expects more of that same loneliness as he starts at a new high school, but Wilder surprises even himself as he finds a new best friend, discovers a knack for basketball, and catches the eye of the coolest girl in school. All the cruelty and bullying seems reserved for the enigmatic Lane McKenzie, and Wilder is all too happy to let her take the heat. But sometimes Wilder is his own worst enemy, and his scars run far deeper than just physical damage. He's haunted by a secret he thinks he can erase with a bold and risky plan to fix his disfigurement for good--a plan that may cost him far more than he ever imagined.

Filled with twists, heart, and humor, The Escape of Light is a bold and unexpected story of resilience, love, and basketball from the acclaimed author of The Heart Does Not Grow Back.

PRIASE FOR THE ESCAPE OF LIGHT & FRED VINTURINI

"...a stunning read." 

-Kirkus Reviews

"The Escape of Light is a compulsively-readable marvel that demands to be read in one sitting."

-Dan Loflin, screenwriter, the CW's Supernatural and This is Jane

"Fred Venturini is an awesomely talented writer, and he proves it on every page...."

― Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff and The Devil All the Time

"No one captures the life of a teenager in small-town America with as much empathy, humor, and complexity as Fred Venturini.The Escape of Light contains the powerful voices of grief told through the eyes of a young man filled, against all odds, with hope."

-Michael Nye, author of All The Castles Burned

"Smart and tough and willing to look death in the eyes...This books comes from a real place- that's what hits you right away, and that's what matters to young adults most of all." 

- Josh Woods, author of O Monstrous World! And The Black Palace

"If you couldn't tear yourself away from The Fault in Our Stars, open your heart, slap on a basketball jersey and lose yourself in The Escape of Light."

- Taylor Zajonc, author of The Maw

"Intriguing, intense, and--dare I say it--visceral. Keep your eye on this guy. He's going to cause trouble." 

― Isaac Marion, author of Warm Bodies

"Fred Venturini is an awesomely talented writer, and he proves it on every page...."

― Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff and The Devil All the Time

"Smart and tough and willing to look death in the eyes...This books comes from a real place- that's what hits you right away, and that's what matters to young adults most of all." 

- Josh Woods, author of O Monstrous World! And The Black Palace

"If you couldn't tear yourself away from The Fault in Our Stars, open your heart, slap on a basketball jersey and lose yourself in The Escape of Light."

- Taylor Zajonc, author of The Maw