OUT OF PRINT (available in audio)
Novel; released September 20, 2022 from Polis Books/Agora
art by Mimi Bark
Locus Award Finalist 2022
Dragon Award Finalist 2022
IN THE BEGINNING, MAN WAS PREY.
WITHOUT THE GODS, THEY’LL BE PREY AGAIN.
The old gods have fled, and the monsters they had kept at bay for centuries now threaten to drown the city of Valentine, hunting mankind as in ancient times. In the midst of the chaos, a serial killer has begun ritually sacrificing victims, their bodies strewn throughout the city.
Lilac Antonis wants to stop the impending destruction of her city by summoning her mother, a blood god—even if she has to slit a few throats to do it. But evading her lover Arcadia and her friends means sneaking, lying, and even spilling the blood of people she loves.
Alex and Cecil of Ace Investigations have been tasked with hunting down the killer, but as they close in—not knowing they’re hunting their close friend Lilac—the detectives realize the gods may not have left willingly.
As flooding drags this city of cars and neon screaming into the jaws of sea demons and Arcadia struggles to save the people as captain of the evacuation team, Lilac’s ritual killings at last bear fruit, only to reveal her as a small piece in a larger plan. The gods’ protection costs far more than anyone has ever known, and Alex and Cecil are running out of time to discover the true culprit behind the gods’ disappearance before an ancient divine murder plot destroys them all.
NO GODS FOR DROWNING is part hunt for a serial killer, part noir detective story, and unlike anything you’ve ever read before.
audiobook narrated by Jodie Harris
“Glorious and visceral, No Gods For Drowning drips with evocative prose and proves Hailey Piper to be a storyteller with wonderfully sharp teeth. This book sang to me, and if you let it, it will sing to you, too.” – Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents
“Wrathful gods, drowning cities, and an ancient, bloody mystery—Piper’s novel had me from the jump. No Gods For Drowning is a superior offering.” – Laird Barron, author of Swift to Chase
“Piper, a rising star in horror, is announcing her intentions to break through onto a larger stage with this confident and compelling tale that is as fun as it is thought-provoking.” – Library Journal
“A roller coaster of tension! I was desperate to read on, yet terrified. A truly addictive read.” – Hannah Lynn, award-winning author of Athena’s Child
“Incredibly atmospheric detective horror. This mythology is now resident in my brain.” – Maya Deane, author of Wrath Goddess Sing
“Strange and wonderful … Look, if I have to put on a ceremonial robe and make a sacrifice to Hailey Piper to get more books like this, so be it.” – Dea Poirier, author of The Girls in the Fire
“an audacious novel, a mind-bending blend of noir, mythology, urban fantasy, apocalypse story, and murder mystery … Fans of the unclassifiable and the weird should not skip this one.” – Vulture
“a genre-blending story that’s unlike anything you’ve read.” – The Lineup