J. Kent Messum is an author & creative writing instructor who always bets on the underdog. His first novel BAIT (August 2013, Penguin Books) won the 2014 Arthur Ellis Award for ‘Best First Novel.’ His second novel HUSK (July 2015, Penguin Books) was optioned for an international TV series by Warp Films in the UK.



Messum lives in Toronto with his wife, dog, and a pair of cats. He is currently worki

J. Kent Messum is an author & creative writing instructor who always bets on the underdog. His first novel BAIT (August 2013, Penguin Books) won the 2014 Arthur Ellis Award for ‘Best First Novel.’ His second novel HUSK (July 2015, Penguin Books) was optioned for an international TV series by Warp Films in the UK.



Messum lives in Toronto with his wife, dog, and a pair of cats. He is currently working on his third and fourth novels. He teaches Creative Writing at the University Of Toronto, and is also a book critic for the New York Journal Of Books.



PRAISE FOR 'BAIT'



“Reading J. Kent Messum’s Bait is like taking a high dive into black water. What you find in its murky depths is disturbing, pulse-pounding and utterly surprising. An exhilarating debut.” –Megan Abbott, Edgar-Award-winning author of 'Dare Me' and 'The Fever'



“The stakes could be no higher in this crisply written, fast-paced novel that examines the shifting line between right and wrong, good and evil. Bait will keep readers turning pages late into the night.”

Lori Roy, Edgar-Award-winning author of 'Bent Road' and 'Until She Comes Home'



"Jaws meets Lord of the Flies meets Drugstore Cowboy! A powerhouse debut. The horror dawns on the reader as it dawns on the characters, making for a mesmerizing, one-sitting read." - Steve Ulfelder, Edgar-Award finalist author of 'Purgatory Chasm' and 'The Whole Lie'



"Bait reads faster than a feeding frenzy - I was hooked from the very first page. A terrific debut from a talented new writer!" - Daniel Palmer, author of 'Stolen' and 'Desperate'



"A brilliantly written novel. Bait makes Jaws look like a frolic in the pool." - DJ McIntosh, bestselling author of 'The Witch Of Babylon'



PRAISE FOR 'HUSK'



"Raw, visceral, powerful... may just make you question what it is to be human." - Nick Cutter, author of 'The Troop' & 'The Deep'



"Addictive and thrilling yet laced with such terrifying menace, J. Kent Messum’s HUSK is an absolute must-read! (5-Stars)" - Horror Cult Films



"Pacy and surprising, Husk is a showcase for a wild and frightening imagination." - Andrew Pyper, author of 'The Demonologist' & 'The Damned