Written In Malice
Desperate to cure a fourteen-month bout of writer's block and save his career, author Daniel Park retreats to a completely isolated cabin in the foggy woods of Kentucky. On his second night without cell service or an easy way home, he finds a mysterious, unusually warm journal in the attic. Despite a nagging instinct to leave it alone, he begins writing in its pages. Almost immediately, his block is cured, his sleep returns, and his novel starts to flow effortlessly - a sudden stroke of luck that feels dangerously ominous.
- Daniel - Writer, 39
- Matthew - Daniel’s agent
- Sabrina - Daniel’s sister
- Boyd - Owner of the cabin where Daniel is staying, James’s brother
- James - Man killed by Daniel in hit and run
- Daniel is struggling to write his novel so he goes to stay in an isolated cabin hoping to cure his writer’s block.
- In the attic, Daniel finds a blank journal.
- Daniel writes in the journal about Matthew: how he talks terribly about his clients behind their backs, his suspicion that Matthew is stealing royalties and the inappropriate jokes Matthew has made about other clients.
- The next day, Daniel sees a press release stating that Matthew’s emails have leaked, exposing all the behavior Daniel complained about in the journal.
- Daniel burns the pages he wrote about Matthew.
- Later, when he opens the journal, he sees the words, ‘The pages will burn. The deed will not.’
- Daniel hears the neighbor’s generator kick on and writes in the journal that it causes a massive fire. Later, the fire happens exactly as he described.
- Daniel writes in the journal about the cost of his mother’s care facility bills, Sabrina’s years of belittling him and her finally getting what she deserves.
- Sabrina calls and tells Daniel that her apartment was broken into but the only thing missing is their cat.
- Boyd tells Daniel that the previous owner of the cabin was Elias, a newspaper correspondent who lived there with his wife and two children.
- The main house burned down and the writing cabin where Daniel is staying is all that was left.
- Daniel finds a newspaper article claiming that Elias set the fire that burned down his house and killed his entire family.
- Sabrina arrives at the cabin and sees the journal entries.
- Daniel tells Sabrina that three years ago, he killed a man in a drunk hit-and-run and learned two days later from a news article that the victim was James Reeves.
- Daniel has been unable to write since the accident.
- Daniel finds a trail camera mounted on a tree and aimed through a cabin window.
- Daniel and Sabrina find James’s obituary, which states that he was survived by his brother, Boyd.
- Boyd comes to the cabin and tells Daniel he needs to go confess to the police.
- Sabrina accompanies Daniel to the police station and Boyd follows.
- Daniel tells the police about his role in James’s death.
- Daniel is arrested for second-degree manslaughter.
- Boyd turns himself in on charges of arson-for-hire, evidence tampering, forgery and unlawful surveillance.
- Boyd confesses to writing the journal entries Daniel didn’t write, leaking Matthew’s emails, setting fire to the neighbor’s generator and inventing the story that Elias killed his family in a fire.
Written In Malice starts strong and wastes no time dropping you into an eerie, mysterious atmosphere. The creepy cabin vibes are perfectly executed, building an immediate tension that hangs over the entire story. The medium-length chapters keep the suspense building, letting the dread mount steadily.
The pacing stays strong as the plot unfolds, leading to a solid twist that caught me off guard. It shifts the perspective on everything that happens in the cabin just enough to elevate the final act. The ending is decent, wrapping up the narrative in a satisfying way that stays true to the spooky groundwork laid in the beginning. If you like the isolated cabin in the woods trope, you will enjoy this book.
- Car accident
- Death
- Stalking
ASIN: B0GYW3TJG1
Publication Date: July 3, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
