Every instinct tells him to run. Every memory tells him he can’t.



Special Agent Daniel Stansfield is ready for a change. Burnt out and defeated by the job, it’s his last day with the FBI. But before he can turn in his badge, he’s summoned back to Denver, the city he ran from four years ago, with a chilling message: it's happening again.

Seemingly innocent people are waking up on the side of the highway, with no memory of how they got there, wearing the skin of victims they've allegedly never met. And they each share one haunting detail: a strand of a stranger’s hair is tied around their tongue.

Now Daniel is pulled back into the gruesome cycle, and every clue leads him deeper into the shadows of his own past. He will have to confront the ghosts of his traumatic childhood and face what’s been hunting him all along— before he and the people he loves become the next victims.

Perfect for fans of The Shining and Longlegs, bestselling author CJ Leede’s Headlights is a pulse-pounding hunt across the frozen wilderness of Colorado.

Also by CJ Leede:

American Rapture

Maeve Fly

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.



Praise for this book

Praise for CJ Leede:

“Gory and brutal and beautiful and painful and terrifying and a pure delight.”

—Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter

“A firecracker of a book that explodes in your hand before you realize you've lit it.”

—May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives

“Bold, fiercely sharp, and deeply unsettling.”

—Chuck Tingle, USA Today bestselling author of Lucky Day

“Blood-soaked, heart-wrenching, grim and glorious. CJ Leede is a singular talent.”

—Rachel Harrison, New York Times bestselling author of So Thirsty



“Sensual, brutal, sly, joyfully unnerving....It scared the hell out of me.”

—Keith Rosson, author of Fever House

“A blistering, feverish ride through a uniquely American apocalypse."

—Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of The Staircase in the Woods

“Plenty of page-turning suspense … hard to put down.”

—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

“An adrenaline rush of a novel.”

—Shelf Awareness, STARRED review

"Full of action, gore, and heartbreak."

—Booklist

“Leede blends heart and horror, taking readers on an utterly bonkers and horrific ride. Buckle up.”

—Jimmy Juliano, author of Dead Eleven

“Thoughtful, wild, frightening, and fun.”

—Rivka Galchen, author of Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch




About the AuthorCJ LEEDE is a horror writer, hiker, and Trekkie. She is the author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture. Her debut novel Maeve Fly won the Golden Poppy Octavia E. Butler Award and Splatterpunk Award, and earned a Bram Stoker Award nomination. When she is not driving around the country, CJ can be found in LA with her boyfriend and rescue dogs.
Title: Headlights
Author(s): CJ Leede
ISBN: 9781250857965
Copyright 2026
Release Date: June 09, 2026
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats
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