The Monster Underneath

Reality can be the difference between a dream and a nightmare…

Max Crawford isn’t a typical prison therapist. He uses his unusual psychic ability to walk with convicts through their dreams, reliving their unspeakable crimes alongside them to show them the error of their ways.

Max always has to be on his toes to keep himself grounded, but the FBI agent waiting for him in his private office immediately puts him on edge. The bureau wants Max to go way outside his comfort zone to enter the dreams of suspected serial killer William Knox.

To get a confession and secure the future of his prison program, Max must gain Knox’s trust by any means necessary—and survive the minefield of secrets waiting inside a murderer’s mind. Secrets that could turn Max’s reality into a living nightmare.

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"THE MONSTER UNDERNEATH is an intense and clever debut in which reality is more terrifying than the nightmares and twisted dreamscapes of a madman. Author Matthew Franks is a name to remember, his stories you won't soon forget." —Rena Mason, Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of THE EVOLUTIONIST and EAST END GIRLS

"THE MONSTER UNDERNEATH is a real nail-biter - one of those ever-spiraling stories that you just can't put down until you reach the surprising end!" —John Everson, Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of COVENANT and THE FAMILY TREE

"An assured, gripping, totally engaging debut, Matthew Franks will have you burning through the pages of this taut supernatural thriller at breakneck speed. If Christopher Nolan and Stephen King ever teamed up to write a novel, this would be it. Highly recommended!" —Ronald Malfi, author of LITTLE GIRLS

"Matthew Franks' debut novel takes you through the darkest, twisted alleys of a killer's mind and then drags you several steps further, beyond the status of observer and into the disturbing realm of accomplice. A harrowing tale of murder and delusion and moral ambiguity." —Hank Schwaeble, Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of DAMNABLE, DIABOLICAL, and the dark thriller collection AMERICAN NOCTURNE

"THE MONSTER UNDERNEATH is quite thought provoking and at times terrifying. To say it was a page turner is an understatement. This is an outstanding debut novel." —Castle Macabre Book Reviews