When the Wolf Comes Home

De: Nat Cassidy

Narrado por: Helen Laser, Nat Cassidy

Nat Cassidy, author of the acclaimed horror Mary, returns with When the Wolf Comes Home, an unabashed, adrenaline-fueled pop horror thriller where the darkest fears can become reality.

“This is the kind of great, big, epic horror novel we got back in the '80s that came out swinging for the fences and left everything on the field. Welcome back, you shaggy, bloody monster of a book!”—Grady Hendrix

"The Stephen King of TikTok"—The Lineup

The 25 Best and Most Anticipated Horror Books of 2025—Men's Health
Most Anticipated Horror of 2025—Paste Magazine, LitHub

One night, Jess, a struggling actress, finds a five-year-old runaway hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. After a violent, bloody encounter with the boy's father, she and the boy find themselves running for their lives.

As they attempt to evade the boy's increasingly desperate father, Jess slowly comes to a horrifying understanding of the butchery that follows them—the boy can turn his every fear into reality.

And when the wolf finally comes home, no one will be spared.

Other Books by Nat Cassidy
Mary, an Awakening of Terror
Nestlings

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.

Interesting take on fathers/trauma

I actually related quite a bit and enjoyed the analogy of shape shifting fathers/fear from rage. It was weird but I liked it well enough and really love Nat's writing. Can't wait for the next book!

read it now!

Exciting, interesting, thrilling, and crazy. I had a great time with this book. The less you know going in, the better. I had no idea where this story was going.

A wildly imaginative, horrific, wonderful read

What an exquisite, unexpected journey of a novel. I thought I knew what I was in for, but I have never been so delighted and terrified to be dead wrong. It is astonishing how the author manages to rock us back and forth between intimate, all-too-human interactions and the unrelenting violence that explodes across the page. Wildly imaginative. Horrifying. Utterly heartbreaking.

As with all Nat Cassidy books, do not skip the forward and afterword - especially if you are listening to the outstanding audiobook version of this novel.

It’s rare for me to re-read books, but as with some of my favorite Stephen King novels over the years, I know that I will revisit this one again and again

WOW!!

Fantastic concept - fantastic execution - great reading - fear is an interesting thing - multi directional - safety is also a strange concept

Unexpected!

I think I quickly skimmed over the description of this book and decided to just jump right in! I had a loose idea of what this was about but NEVER did i expect it to unfold the way it did! A good mix of humor, gore, thriller, and twisty twist! loved it! Narration was spot on!

Fathers and Shapeshifters

Such a tremendous story. It brought so many memories of my late Father that I immediately identified with both the fearful heroine and the deeply troubled antagonist. Bravo!

First Nat Cassidy book, and it won't be my last.

This was one of my favorite books of 2025, hell, it's one of my favorites I've read in the last decade.

Horror, suspense, comedy, snarky comebacks... It's all within the pages. It felt like something new but old at the same time. Hooked right from the start. Part One title to be specific.

Loved Helen Laser's narration, in addition to Nat's intro and afterword.

A Must Read for Horror Lovers!

Sure wish I could bump this one up to SIX stars! Absolutely spectacular. I can't speak too specifically about the plot without spoiling anything, but I will say that that this book isn't what you think it's going to be...it's MUCH more than that. I'll just be enigmatic by pointing out that it pushed the same terror buttons as my favorite episode of <i>The Twilight Zone</i> and leave it at that. I've read Nat Cassidy's previous two novels and loved those as well, but I really feel like this one has reached a new level of mastery. I finally was able to pinpoint what it is about Cassidy's style that I find so appealing--it is his focus on the character's inner life, and specifically his use of free indirect speech (a technique also utilized extensively by his role model Stephen King) that really sucks you in. The fear and anxiety in this story are PALPABLE because you are experiencing it from deep within each character's psyche. It's impossible to be angry at any of the characters for behaving in irrational and reactionary ways because you really can feel how they are spiraling out of control. As a person who struggles with an anxiety disorder, some scenes in this book rang so freaking true...you cannot just <i>control</i> the fear once it has taken over...you just have to let it run its course. This novel takes that unfortunate truth and makes it tangible. So good. So incredibly good. Thanks, Nat, for another delightful read. I haven't been this scared reading a book in a long minute. I also want to thank Helen Laser for her remarkable narration...this may be one of the best read audiobooks I've ever listened to. Bravo!

Nat Cassidy nailed it AGAIN

I absolutely loved this! The narrator was SO good, and her performance as Jessa and Kiddo especially was just so. well. done! Darkly witty, and surprisingly hilarious at moments. Watching these characters process their various griefs was beautifully articulated, and if you have Daddy Shoes, oh boy this ones gonna hurt, but it's gonna hurt good. When the crazy was turned on, it was up to 11. The premise overall was also just such a cool idea. This is definitely a top read of 2025 for me, but the audio book just takes it to the next level - highly recommend!!

4.5⭐️

This was my first read by Nat Cassidy and it definitely won’t be my last! When the Wolf Comes Home kept me on the edge of my seat, I was constantly trying to piece things together, only for the story to twist in ways I never saw coming. This book is about fear and the power it can have over you, and Cassidy delivers that in such a chilling, unforgettable way. I went in completely blind (and I’m glad I did!), it was fast paced, crazy good, and full of surprises.
Even though the ending left me with a few questions about the FMC, it didn’t take away from how much I loved this book. Honestly, it blew my mind, an amazing story.