The Maroon Candle is officially Michael Evanichko’s strongest debut yet — a breakout launch that’s surpassed every one of his previous releases. In its first week, the novel surged into the Top 205 on Amazon’s Horror Fiction charts and climbed to #14 in IngramSpark’s Psychological Thriller category, marking a career‑best performance across platforms.
A locked‑room mystery wrapped in gothic atmosphere and psychological tension, The Maroon Candle is resonating with readers who crave dread, dark humor, and a story that tightens its grip with every chapter. Early buzz, ARC excitement, great reviews, and strong retail momentum are positioning it as Evanichko’s most talked‑about thriller to date — a storm‑lit, candle‑flickering success that’s only just getting started.
The castle doors are open! The Maroon Candle is now available HERE or autographed versions HERE.
Read the full reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Booklife Reviews. Visit the Goodreads page for ARC reviews.
Amber’s dream wedding at Mayguard Manor—a renovated castle on Lake Superior—unravels when a notorious pyromaniac killer reappears, leaving maroon candles as a chilling signature. A brutal storm isolates the island, and the castle’s tragic history resurfaces with unsettling force. As suspicion spreads and alliances fracture, Amber must confront the manor's violent past and its connection to the killer before the next candle appears.
If you like thrillers and suspense from authors Freida McFadden, Riley Sager, Agatha Christie, and Stephen King, you will love The Maroon Candle. A classic throwback to the thrillers and horrors of the eighties with modern day sensibilities.
UPCOMING EVENTS/APPEARANCES
Good morning, Cookeville Podcast appearance with Laura Holloway, and Jennifer Welch to promote the play The Garage. Watch HERE.
Night at the Museum, celebrating the 250th birthday of America at Cookeville Performing Arts Center, has been filmed and will be televised on WCTE, a PBS station in Cookeville. Link and time forthcoming. Click HERE for more information on WCTE.
Michael will be sitting down with Mark Creter for an author interview on The Scene, 95.9 Radio, on August 10th at 10am. Program will be recorded and aired over the weekend, but link will be provided here when available. Facebook page HERE.
Michael Evanichko is an author, playwright, screenwriter, and actor whose work mixes psychological tension with quirky, dark‑edged humor. He writes stories set in liminal spaces—castles, supermarkets, landfills, and knapsacks. He loves to highlight the odd and unsettling in ordinary moments.
He created The Trilogy of Life, including Life in a Supermarket Basket—praised by Kirkus Reviews and a 2023 American Fiction Awards finalist—plus Life in a Savage Landfill and Life in a Neon Knapsack. His newest novel is the psychological thriller The Maroon Candle, praised by Kirkus Reviews as, "A fast, fun, and fiery mystery-thriller to be consumed in one sitting."