It’s been some time since Stephen King brought out a proper horror novel, but fans of Kings’ macabre fiction will be pleased with the latest offering from the maestro of horror. Duma Key tells the story of Edger Freemantle, a happily married, successful businessman whose life is changed when he is seriously injured in a construction accident. The difficulties caused following the accident leave Edgar a broken and bitter man and adding insult to injury his wife eventually leaves him. In his damaged state Edger is forced to pursue more practical activities and under advice from his doctor he turns his hand to painting, a hobby he once enjoyed. He relocates to Florida, and rents a house on the tranquil island of Duma Key with the desire to become an artist. This picturesque area is perfect for a man who wants to leave his previous life behind and recreate himself anew. He begins to paint and starts to heal.

Life begins to take on a new positive shape for Edgar as he makes new friends, reconnects with his daughter and strangely his paintings start to attract attention. But, as one would expect from a Stephen King novel, things begin to take a sinister turn as his new found gift becomes a curse. Bad things start to happen, from haunting dreams and visions to actual evil physical presences.
This isn’t the first time King has written about a character who uses his craft to help rehabilitate after a devastating accident. In his brilliant 1987 novel Misery the hero was a writer who is involved in a near fatal car crash at the beginning. This time round the theme of a recovering artist has more intensity, which must certainly be drawn from Kings own experiences when he himself suffered from catastrophic injuries several years ago. Now the main sources of fear come from the psychological horror surrounding the breakdown of health and sanity.

The book is an interesting look at how the creative process works and how location influences an artist. The descriptions of the island are striking; the reader is invited to a stunningly beautiful, eerily remote stretch of the Florida coast. King captures these images as well as his fictional artist depicts the alluring sunsets. Duma Key is ultimately a chilling tale about the desperation of illness, the cost of artistic ability and the darkness that can hide behind the most beautiful of places.