"Omar Hussain's A Thousand Natural Shocks is the most fun reading experience I've had in years. It's a Tarantino movie in book form. And that doesn't mean it skimps on the 'book' part of the equation: it's smart, lyrical, penetrating, and literary as hell. But it also comes with eight thousand volts of sizzle. You'll want to read this before everyone else starts talking about it. Just prepare to have your hair singed."

-- "Darin Strauss, internationally bestselling author of Half a Life"

"An engrossing Northern California noir that balances its pulp instincts with haunting atmospherics and a patiently ticking mystery."

-- "Stephen Markley, author of Ohio and The Deluge"

"Hussain boxes with heavyweights here, going round for round. He has so many ways to get you: the crackling, staccato prose rhythm of Palahniuk's Fight Club, as well as that book's frazzled, immersive psychic energy; a ferociously ticking clock careening toward a cataclysmic plot resolution in the manner of Amis's London Fields; and a captivating mixture of philosophical ambivalence, indignation, and heartbreak around questions of identity that calls Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist to mind. After tangling with the greats, Hussain comes up standing. This is a major debut by a formidable talent."

-- "Matthew Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of We Are Not Ourselves"

"A Thousand Natural Shocks, an investigation into the lasting impact of violence and trauma, is another 'lyrical and literary' debut thriller that you need to be on the lookout for this year."

-- "Murder & Mayhem"

"An unconventional thriller that powerfully probes questions of family, death, and memory...Hussain effectively channels the surreal paranoia of Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly and the dark absurdity of Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice to craft a wholly original serial killer tale."

-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

"Psychological suspense at its finest, tingling with unsettling paranoia and fear...A brilliant debut that slowly builds a momentum capitalizing on the emotional pain, paranoia, and unpredictability of the protagonist to engage all your senses as you dive into a dark and disturbing world of darkness where we run away from our emotions instead of facing them. It'll leave you doing some soul searching."

-- "The Best Thriller Books"

"In Omar Hussain's brilliant thriller, reporter Dash is chasing two stories in Monterey, California: one about a serial killer who has resurfaced, the other about a cult offering a pill to erase traumatic memories."

-- "BookBub"

"Part noir, part existential trip, this is an incisive thriller that asks: If you could forget everything, would you? Should you?"

-- "The Seattle Times"

"A story filled with suspense and introspection."

-- "The Strand Magazine's Mystery Center"

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Pub date: 2025-05-06

Length: 336 pages