Kin Kealan Patrick Burke

Suntup Editions is pleased to present the definitive edition of Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke, featuring a new introduction and illustrations by the author, as well as a brand-new prequel novella, Cottonmouth.

First released in 2011, Kin was hailed as “one of the best Southern gothic novels in recent memory” (Dark Discoveries) and “a modern classic” (Fearnet), making an immediate impression upon readers as a violent departure from the author’s quiet ghost stories.

The novel opens on a scorching hot summer day in Elkwood, Alabama, as Claire Lambert staggers naked, wounded, and half-blind away from the scene of an atrocity. She is the sole survivor of a nightmare that claimed her friends; and even as she prays for rescue, the killers are closing in.

In the spirit of films like Deliverance and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Kin approaches its subject matter from a different angle, examining the aftermath of such horror. In Burke’s story of teens run afoul of religious zealots in the backwoods of Alabama, the focus is on what happens after the nightmare: the grief, the trauma, and ultimately, the thirst for vengeance. In Kin, the line that separates us from evil is fragile when revenge corrupts the innocent and turns good people into monsters.

Now, Kealan Patrick Burke returns to the world of Kin with a never before published prequel novella, Cottonmouth. Set in the aftermath of the Great Depression in Tennessee, it is a time of religious fervor and charlatanism, of thieves, murderers, and moonshiners.

Here you’ll meet Horseshoe Collins, a traveler on a vengeful search for the father who abandoned him; Billy Wray, a snake-handling Pentecostal preacher bringing the promise of salvation to rural communities paralyzed by fear of the devil; and Jonah Merrill, a child grieving the loss of his beloved father and tormented by his mother’s wrath.

With the threat of a second World War looming on the horizon, destiny will bring these three people together and set innocent young Jonah on the path to his eventual fate and a new name: Papa-In-Gray, the patriarch of the dreaded Merrill family whose horrific exploits were first introduced to the world in Kin.

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About the Editions

Our signed limited edition of Kin and Cottonmouth by Kealan Patrick Burke is presented in three states: Classic, Numbered and Lettered. The editions measure 6” x 9” and feature eight full color illustrations by the author. This is the first publication of Cottonmouth, the prequel to Kin. The text is set in W. A. Dwiggins’ New Caledonia with a 19th century revival, AT Sackers Roman Light for display. All states are signed by the author, and are printed offset on Mohawk Superfine.

The Classic edition is limited to 500 copies with a dust jacket illustrated by Kealan Patrick Burke. It is a full cloth, smyth-sewn binding with two-hits of foil blocking on the cover. It is the only edition of the three with the dust jacket, and is signed by artist and author Kealan Patrick Burke. The edition is housed in an embossed paper covered slipcase.

The Numbered edition of 250 copies is a Millimeter style binding covered in custom printed Dubletta cloth with the upper and lower edges capped in black goatskin. A leather cover label is foil blocked, head & tail bands are handmade with cloth and endsheets are Hahnemühle Bugra. The edition is housed in a Dubletta covered clamshell enclosure with velour-lined floors and is signed by artist and author Kealan Patrick Burke.

The Lettered edition is limited to 26 copies and is a full goatskin binding with a genuine water snake leather onlay turned over the upper and lower edges of the front cover. Endsheets are flocked velour and head & tail bands are handmade with leather. The edition is housed in a cloth covered clamshell enclosure with a foil blocked leather spine label and velour lined floors. It is signed by artist and author Kealan Patrick Burke.

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Matching Numbers & Letters

A Matching Pre-Order email is sent to owners of our previous publication (“Born of Man and Woman” ) at 9:00 A.M. PT on the day of announcement. If you did not receive the email, contact us here. If your order is not received before the deadline, your designated number or letter will be assigned to the new owner.

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Order Limits

Please be aware of the order limits for our editions. You can read more about this in the Order Limits article on our support site.

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Six of Eight Illustrations by Kealan Patrick Burke