Heart-Shaped Box

“Wild, mesmerizing, perversely witty….A Valentine from hell.”
 —Janet Maslin, New York Times

The publication of Joe Hill’s beautifully textured, deliciously scary debut novel Heart-Shaped Box was greeted with the sort of overwhelming critical acclaim that is rare for a work of skin-crawling supernatural terror. It was cited as a Best Book of the Year by Atlanta magazine, the Tampa Tribune, the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and the Village Voice, to name but a few. Award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling Neil Gaiman of The Sandman, The Graveyard Book, and Anansi Boys fame calls Joe Hill’s story of a jaded rock star haunted by a ghost he purchased on the internet, “relentless, gripping, powerful.” Open this Heart-Shaped Box from two-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Hill if you dare and see what all the well-deserved hoopla is about.

Aging death-metal rock legend Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals...a used hangman's noose...a snuff film. But nothing he possesses is as unique or as dreadful as his latest purchase in this chilling gothic horror novel: a one-of-a-kind curiosity bought off the Internet that arrives at his door in a black heart-shaped box...a musty dead man's suit still inhabited by the spirit of its late owner. And now everywhere Judas Coyne goes, the old man is there—watching, waiting, dangling a razor blade on a chain from his bony hand.

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Published Dec 22, 2009

400 pages

Average rating: 6.98

117 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Mat_Sterner
Feb 12, 2026
3/10 stars
It had a lot of potential, but fell short for me in exploring the topics it used as it's main themes and ended up feeling shallow and forgettable. Pacing was too slow to excuse this lack of depth on the metal and schtick music-scenes and the character arc felt like it both betrayed those subcultures without committing to any substantial change for the characters either. The ghost was genuinely creepy, but not enough was made of it all for anything to really stand out besides the inclusion of a bunch of shock-factor items that merely stayed as shock-factor alone...
Happy_Nat
Aug 19, 2024
9/10 stars
My first Joe Hill’s novel and didn’t disappoint. If you have a great imagination, that book can be scary at times. I really enjoyed it, easy read and very interesting storyline. The author clearly inherited his father’s writing skills. The only negative I have is that story is lacking refined details and ending was a bit flat for me. Otherwise, it’s a must-read story 👍
ColtsFanJQ
Aug 19, 2024
1/10 star
This book did not work for me on any level.
Lb0013
Aug 18, 2024
3/10 stars
Liked it more towards the middle/end than right from the beginning, but even still the plot felt short for me. There was a lot of material I felt that could have been cut out (snuff film included) to make it 50-100 pages shorter.
KBenoit
May 17, 2024
6/10 stars
3.5 stars

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