The Blackwater Saga

Blackwater V: The Fortune

MICHAEL MCDOWELL was born in 1950 in Alabama. His notable books include the gothic novels Gilded Needles, The Elementals, Katie, and the gothic horror saga, Blackwater, which has become a phenomenal bestseller across Europe and elsewhere. He was also a successful screenwriter for film and TV, including his scripts for Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, Tales from the Crypt and The Nightmare Before Christmas. McDowell died in 1999. Tabitha King, wife of author Stephen King, completed his unfinished novel, Candles Burning.

The fifth book in the gothic horror phenomenon that is sweeping across Europe, with over 2 million copies sold worldwide 
 
'RIVETING, TERRIFYING...JUST ABSOLUTELY GREAT' STEPHEN KING 
 
In Perdido, Alabama, the Caskey family have endured; some face death whilst others welcome new life. Unexpected alliances have formed, bitter conflict divides former friends. Hardened by years of experience, Miriam, now head of the family business, is relentless in her pursuit of wealth. And when she makes a surprising discovery beneath their lands, it is not just the Caskey family that benefits, but the whole town. 
 
But will this sudden fortune be enough to lay to rest the ghosts of the past? And how long before nature comes to reclaim its debt?

Blackwater IV: The War

Discover the gothic horror phenomenon that is sweeping across Europe, with over 2 million copies sold worldwide 
 
'RIVETING, TERRIFYING...JUST ABSOLUTELY GREAT' STEPHEN KING 
 
A new era has begun for the Caskey family. 
 
Elinor’s relentless determination and the years of struggle are finally beginning to bear fruit: old hostilities have faded and the town is ripe for change. The conflict in Europe has brought new blood to Perdido, men arriving from far afield wanting to ingratiate themselves with the powerful family. 
 
But tangling with the Caskeys comes at a cost, and soon they must ask themselves how close is too close…

Blackwater III: The House

The third book in the gothic horror phenomenon that is sweeping across Europe, with over 2 million copies sold worldwide 
 
'RIVETING, TERRIFYING...JUST ABSOLUTELY GREAT' STEPHEN KING 
 
Perdido, 1928. Torn apart by the continuing tensions between Mary-Love and her daughter-in-law Elinor, the Caskey family must also confront other crises. As the economy plummets and relationships sour, something sinister is prowling the darkest recesses of the Caskey household. Patient, implacable, waiting to catch its next victim in its deadly web… 
 
 
The Blackwater Series titles have sold over one million copies, The Bookseller, July 2024

Blackwater II: The Levee

The second book in the gothic horror phenomenon that is sweeping across Europe, with over 2 million copies sold worldwide 
 
'RIVETING, TERRIFYING...JUST ABSOLUTELY GREAT' STEPHEN KING 
 
Perdido, Alabama, has scarcely recovered from the floods that devasted the community. Now a scheme to build a levee is dogged by a series of mysterious events: unpredictable currents in the river, worrying disappearances. Meanwhile in the Caskey family, Marie-Love, the matriarch, continues her machinations against Elinor, her strange daughter in law. Plots, unholy alliances, sacrifices - in the struggle between them, nothing is off limits. In Perdido, the changes will be profound; the consequences irreversible. 
 
 
The Blackwater Series titles have sold over one million copies, The Bookseller, July 2024

Blackwater I: The Flood

THE DARK GOTHIC HORROR PHENOMENON, PERFECT FOR FANS OF GRADY HENDRIX, STEPHEN KING, AND SHIRLEY JACKSON 
 
OVER 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD 
 
'RIVETING, TERRIFYING...JUST ABSOLUTELY GREAT' STEPHEN KING 
 
You are now entering Perdido, Alabama. In this small southern town, the dark, menacing waters of the local river have risen, submerging buildings and causing the inhabitants to seek higher ground. And as those waters recede, something terrifying will emerge. 
 
The town is ruled by the Caskey clan, a family of rich local landowners dominated by the fierce matriarch, Mary-Love. When her son meets Elinor Dammert - a compelling but ambiguous young woman with a troubling past - a toxic power struggle ensues. 
 
But perhaps the biggest threat to the family lies in what they cannot see, in the swamps beyond the boundaries of their fine mansion and the sawmills and lumberyards of the town. 
 
The first to disappear is a child. He won't be the last... 
 
_______ 
 
'Beyond any trace of a doubt, one of the absolutely best writers of horror' Peter Straub 
 
What readers say: 
 
‘It's one of those books that doesn't just make you want to turn the page, it makes you utterly desperate to find out what happens next, as if your life depends upon it.’ 
 
‘5 Bajillion Stars!! I can’t even fathom how to write a review at this moment. What I need to do at this time is sit back and soak it all in.’ 
 
‘A powerful water-based beasty… The supernatural is never the focus, merely a spice. The family is the meat. Sometimes literally.’ 
 
‘I didn’t feel like I was reading a book. I felt like I was living in Perdido and the lives of the Caskeys felt like a part of my life.’ 
 
‘Came for the monster suspense, stayed for the family drama’ 
 
‘Reminded me of Game of Thrones, only played out in an Alabama river town over the course of three generations.’ 
 
‘This is going in my top ten books of all time’ 
 
'One Hundred Years of Solitude for horror fans' 
 
‘A bloody masterpiece of Southern Gothic historical fiction. From intricate family dramas that span decades, beautiful slice of life, brilliant characters, masterfully crafted character dynamics and so much more.’

Riveting, terrifying, and just absolutely great ... Michael McDowell must now be regarded as the finest writer of paperback originals in America.

One of the best writers of horror in this or any other country.

One of the genre’s most underrated writers.

[McDowell's] wonderful six volume 'Blackwater' saga chronicles a fifty year period in the lives of the Caskey family, whose women bear a strange affinity for running water, and whose vengeance knows no bounds…constructed for maximum page-turning efficiency.

Leaves you questioning exactly who, or what, could be living amongst us

THE DARK GOTHIC HORROR PHENOMENON, PERFECT FOR FANS OF GRADY HENDRIX, STEPHEN KING, AND SHIRLEY JACKSON 
 
OVER 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE 
 
'RIVETING, TERRIFYING...JUST ABSOLUTELY GREAT' STEPHEN KING 
 
You are now entering Perdido, Alabama. In this small southern town, the dark, menacing waters of the local river have risen, submerging buildings and causing the inhabitants to seek higher ground. And as those waters recede, something terrifying will emerge. 
 
The town is ruled by the Caskey clan, a family of rich local landowners dominated by the fierce, morally grey matriarch, Mary-Love. When her son meets Elinor Dammert - a compelling but ambiguous young woman with a troubling past - a power struggle ensues. 
 
But perhaps the biggest threat to the family lies in what they cannot see, what lies in the swamps beyond the boundaries of their fine mansion and the sawmills and lumberyards of the town. 
 
The first to disappear is a child. He won't be the last... 
 
_______ 
 
'Beyond any trace of a doubt, one of the absolutely best writers of horror' Peter Straub 
 
What readers say: 
 
‘It's one of those books that doesn't just make you want to turn the page, it makes you utterly desperate to find out what happens next, as if your life depends upon it.’ 
 
‘5 Bajillion Stars!! I can’t even fathom how to write a review at this moment. What I need to do at this time is sit back and soak it all in.’ 
 
‘A powerful water-based beasty… The supernatural is never the focus, merely a spice. The family is the meat. Sometimes literally.’ 
 
‘I didn’t feel like I was reading a book. I felt like I was living in Perdido and the lives of the Caskeys felt like a part of my life.’ 
 
‘Came for the monster suspense, stayed for the family drama’ 
 
‘Reminded me of Game of Thrones, only played out in an Alabama river town over the course of three generations.’ 
 
‘This is going in my top ten books of all time’ 
 
'One Hundred Years of Solitude for horror fans' 
 
‘A bloody masterpiece of Southern Gothic historical fiction. From intricate family dramas that span decades, beautiful slice of life, brilliant characters, masterfully crafted character dynamics and so much more.’

Michael McDowell

The electrifying finale in the gothic horror saga that is sweeping across Europe, with over 2 million copies sold worldwide 
 
'RIVETING, TERRIFYING...JUST ABSOLUTELY GREAT' STEPHEN KING 
 
Even if the years weigh heavily on their shoulders, the Caskey family now enjoy wealth way beyond their wildest dreams. Parties, lavish receptions and social gatherings give a rhythm to their existence, their days spent in carefree abandonment. But the past is not forgotten and a dark presence looms over Perdido, its inhabitants and its rivers. 
 
The time of reckoning has come.

Michael McDowell

Books by Michael McDowell

Series by Michael McDowell

The Blackwater Saga

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