The Grin of the Dark

A former professor offers film critic Simon the chance of a lifetime – to write a book on one of the greatest long-lost comedians of the silent-film era, Tubby Thackeray. Simon is determined to find out the truth behind the jolly fat man's disappearance from film – and from the world.

Tubby's work carries the unmistakable stamp of the macabre. People literally laughed themselves to death during his performances. Soon, wherever Simon goes, laughter – and a clown's wide, threatening grin – follow. Is Simon losing his mind? Or is Tubby Thackeray waiting for him to open the door back to the world?

Ramsey Campbell has won a dozen British Fantasy and World Fantasy Awards and three Bram Stoker Awards. A new Campbell novel is an opportunity to delight in the craftsmanship of an extraordinary writer.