Burn The Negative
One of Goodreads' biggest horror books for summer
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3 Months Free
Burn The Negative
Buy Now for £12.06
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Narrated by:
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Stephanie Cannon
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By:
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Josh Winning
Brought to you by Penguin.
A chilling slasher from a razor-sharp new horror voice, perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix and the Scream franchise
Journalist Laura Warren arrives in L.A. to report on a remake of a '90s horror flick.
A cursed one, which she happened to star in as a child.
When eight of the cast and crew died in ways that eerily mirrored the movie's on-screen deaths, a traumatised Laura left and changed her entire identity.
But just as she reaches the set, a man falls from a building right in front of her. It's happening again.
This time, Laura is determined to end the curse once and for all.
If it doesn't come for her first . . .
‘A creepy, twisty, compulsively readable haunted house of a book built from horror movies and our obsessive response to them. Be sure to make the popcorn and dim the lights’ Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts
© Josh Winning 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
Critic reviews
Bodies are piling up and the whole time we’re questioning everything and everyone. Is something supernatural going on? Is it all an elaborate Scooby Doo-style ruse? Is Laura’s ex banging her sister?
No one is above suspicion, even the main character.
The story kept me gripped throughout, and the journey really shines. My only gripe is the ending/epilogue. It’s bold, but it felt a bit jarring and out of character after everything Laura’s been through.
The book avoids a lot of horror tropes while still winking at them. Sometimes it’s a bit on the nose - characters will literally call out how dumb it would be to do X, then go and do it anyway. It almost feels like the author’s apologizing for it in advance, but it didn’t kill the tension for me.
Laura is a great lead: layered, messy, and nothing like a tired “final girl.” Most of the supporting cast felt “real” too, particularly the overall ineffective psychic medium who is layered and involved enough to feel like more than an exposition dumper.
Although I can’t justify a full 5/5 rating I did enjoy the story. It’s a strong 4.5 but the ending just felt like it didn’t quite stick the landing. Still though, it’s worth your time.
A non-stop rollercoaster tour of childhood trauma and the harsh realities of Hollywood
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