There are those books that I am highly anticipating and those which I stumble across when searching for my next read. The Windowman by Christopher Goffard falls into the latter category and I am all the more happy for it. The Windowman was an unsettling, yet intriguing read where the characters shined in each and every chapter.
With a series of occult slayings, a killer known as “the Windowman” terrorizes Southern California and sends the media into overdrive.
Damon Midnight goes down for the crimes, but a botched prosecution sets him free. As he starts a new life in an idyllic suburb, he vanishes—and three intertwining narratives explore his public and private faces.
Annabelle Picolini is the Orange County schoolteacher who loves him. Harlan Crumb is the tormented prosecutor who is hunting him. Blaire Belmont is the hapless method actor who wants to be him—at least long enough for his breakout movie role. As they orbit around the mystery of Damon Midnight, clues to his fate begin to emerge.
Goffard crafts a story that takes nods from the Night Stalker case featuring Richard Ramirez, but definitely stands on its own. What is, in the end, a fascinating manhunt for a serial killer is also a wonderful character study of those surrounding the killer himself, including his wife (who he married after the killings), a district attorney, a detective, an actor, and a detective all on the search for something. With each chapter unfolding part of their story which also is really Damon Midnight’s (the killer) story.
Each character is carry some sort of weight due to the actions of Midnight over the years. Annabelle, his wife, would do anything for him, even if things have been different since he was set free. You can feel her pain, but also the grief that builds as the days pass with him missing. Blaire, the actor, is studding for a role as the serial killer, but is also not all there himself. So diving deep into the mind of a killer is likely not the best for him. Not to mention those in law enforcement and the lawyer’s who fought for his conviction, only to have him set free and the torment this must cause them.
Typically I am not one for a story with a ton of different characters, but Goffard chooses a variety of characters that are distinctively different and carry their own stories along with the center story. It’s one of those books that I can connect with the characters, not fully on a personal level as I don’t know any serial killers (that I know of), but in a way as I feel for their struggles.
The Windowman is a gripping character-driven thriller that carries a lot of weight. Author Christopher Goffard crafts a story with multiple points-of-view during a difficult time with a serial killer at the center. The Windowman isn’t just as casual read as it might torment even you after putting it down. More proof to not put your blinders on when looking for a new read.
The Windowman hits bookstores everywhere on December 8, 2026 from Crooked Lane Books.
