The Nudge cover art

The Nudge

A Psychological Thriller

Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Nudge

By: Joseph Fink
Narrated by: Kevin R. Free, Cecil Baldwin
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £8.28

Buy Now for £8.28

A new horror novella from the creator of Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn't Dead.

On the open road, evil doesn't chase you. It waits . . .

Late one night, a wounded man checks into a remote roadside hotel. He's running from something he can't explain or escape. And over the course of a night, he'll tell the hotel's proprietor how his life fell apart.

It started with his wife. Subtle changes. Smiles that didn't belong to her. Then violence—sudden, intimate, almost casual. Therapy offered hope. Recovery seemed possible. Until it wasn't. He believes a hidden influence has attached itself to him, one that never forces, never commands. It whispers. It suggests. Nudges people toward their worst impulses.

Now the man wanders the country as a fugitive, hoping to break free from the evil that's wormed its way into him. But as our narrator's story unfolds, he begins to question whether he's fled far enough . . .

Tense, atmospheric, and chilling, The Nudge is a slow-burn tale of suspense that will linger like a whisper in the dark, long after the story is over.

©2026 Joseph Fink (P)2026 Podium Audio
Horror Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

“A perfect little bite-sized horror. Some of these scenes are going to live in my head for a long, long time.” —T. Kingfisher, New York Times–bestselling author of the Sworn Soldier and Swordheart series

“A masterclass in slowly cranking up the dread until it feels as though the dial will snap right off. Clever and haunting. Joseph Fink has crafted a perfect little spring trap of hospitality horror.” —Chuck Tingle, USA Today–bestselling author of Lucky Day and Bury Your Gays

“Fans of bizarre supernatural fiction that evokes a sense of creeping terror, much as Fink’s Welcome to Night Vale podcast does, will be enthralled.” Booklist, starred review

“Fink’s writing style is reminiscent of his other works . . . unnerving readers just enough over the course of the work to truly horrify them by the end . . . The book could slot neatly onto a shelf next to a collection of H.P. Lovecraft’s or Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, but Hayworth’s grayscale graphite illustrations may make readers recall the feeling of first discovering a collection of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark—and then becoming too unsettled to sleep . . . Will resonate with classic horror fans as well as Night Vale devotees.” Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A brief and unsettling novella about a man trying to outrun some mysterious evil.” The Verge

All stars
Most relevant
What a ride! A wonderfully slow burn of a story, the tension and growing sense of unease build to an almost unbearable level before a shocking twist leaves you questioning if you ever knew what was happening at all. Perfectly captures the liminal space of hotels and life on the road. Beautifully written, words and sentences flow effortlessly and the performance by two very talented actors showcases this to perfection. I'll be nervously glancing at those around me for some time after finishing this...

Deliciously creepy, almost haunted house story...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

As a huge fan of Alice isn’t Dead I looked forward to this release. It didn’t disappoint. Macabre and scary and beautifully imaginative in the most creepy of ways. I can see the inside of that hotel in my dreams! Highly recommend tale that takes the reader in as many strange and unexpected ways as the hotel itself. I don’t often leave reviews but this absolutely deserves recognition.

Did I write this or did the Nudge make me do it?…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.