Fairly Bad Ways to Die

From USA Today bestselling author Brian McAuley comes a brutal new slasher set in the blood-soaked world of the Renaissance Faire.

Long live the Faire! If you can survive it…

For Chloe, the Southwest Renaissance Faire is home. It's where she performs with her folk-punk band, Chloe and the Well Met, where she feels closest to her late mother, and where she imagines a life on the road, far from the rules of ordinary life.

Until a fateful final joust, when a staged fight turns real—and someone dies.

One year later, the Faire returns under new corporate ownership, bigger and more profitable than ever. Chloe's band lands a coveted spot on the main stage, but the magic feels thinner, the stakes higher. Beloved performers have vanished and longtime traditions have been gutted. Then a masked figure begins stalking the grounds, turning spectacle into something far more dangerous. Weapons meant for show draw real blood, and no one can tell where performance ends and violence begins.

As fear spreads and her community begins to fracture, Chloe must confront what's being lost—and what's worth fighting for.

Because this time, the Faire isn't just an escape. It's a trap.