The 7th Guest: A Novel

Every child in town wanted one of Henry Stauf’s handcrafted toys—so intricate, detailed, almost magically lifelike. After a terrible illness claimed the life of each child who cherished one of the toys, Stauf retired to the seclusion of his mansion on the hill—perhaps unspeakably saddened by the puzzling deaths. Perhaps not.

Years pass, and the Stauf mansion, slowly deteriorating, stands as a macabre reminder of the horror that swept through the town. Within its walls, Henry Stauf plans his final outrage against an unsuspecting world. What evil will the madman unleash? What fearful secrets does his mansion hold?

Six guests venture to the Stauf Mansion one desperate night, each with a private hell to escape, each certain Henry Stauf will be the instrument of salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Only the seventh guest stands between their greed and the world's damnation!

MATTHEW J. COSTELLO wrote the game script for The 7th Guest and its sequel, The 11th Hour, and is currently collaborating with a popular horror novelist on another multimedia game. Costello has written many novels, including The Time Warrior novels, Time of the Fox and Hour of the Scorpion; the Seaquest DSV novelization, Fire Below; and the novels Home and Darkborn. He lives in Ossining, New York.

CRAIG SHAW GARDNER has written numerous novels, including The Other Sinbad, The Ebenezum Trilogy, and The Cineverse Cycle. He also wrote the movie novelizations of Batman and Batman Returns, the former a New York Times bestseller. He lives just outside Boston, Massachusetts.