Jason Savio signing copies of Artie's Bark

Curses can be broken.

Brighton Falls is like any other safe, ho-hum town in America with a bad baseball team, clean sidewalks, and nosy neighbors. That all changes, however, when a pet is brutally killed and other animals begin to go missing, one by one.

Then Artie, the dog of middle-schooler Tommy Watson, suddenly falls gravely ill. Tommy's search to help his beloved animal friend unravels an evil, small-town secret that goes back centuries and binds everyone together.

Neighborhood savior Carl Crocker pledges to bring the guilty party to justice. But what does the despised recluse Old Man Rooney know about Crocker that no one else does?

With a community on edge and time running out, it's up to Tommy-and his dog-to finally put to rest what no one else can ... and make the hardest decision of his life. It will test both his courage and love.

Jason Savio's first novel blends horror with heart into a coming-of-age story that shows how far people will go to prevent the inevitable, the ways we deal with grief, and the importance of friendship when all seems lost.