The Nudge

A Psychological Thriller

By: Joseph Fink

Narrated by: Kevin R. Free, Cecil Baldwin

A new horror novella from the creator of Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn't Dead.

On the open road, evil doesn't chase you. It waits . . .

Late one night, a wounded man checks into a remote roadside hotel. He's running from something he can't explain or escape. And over the course of a night, he'll tell the hotel's proprietor how his life fell apart.

It started with his wife. Subtle changes. Smiles that didn't belong to her. Then violence—sudden, intimate, almost casual. Therapy offered hope. Recovery seemed possible. Until it wasn't. He believes a hidden influence has attached itself to him, one that never forces, never commands. It whispers. It suggests. Nudges people toward their worst impulses.

Now the man wanders the country as a fugitive, hoping to break free from the evil that's wormed its way into him. But as our narrator's story unfolds, he begins to question whether he's fled far enough . . .

Tense, atmospheric, and chilling, The Nudge is a slow-burn tale of suspense that will linger like a whisper in the dark, long after the story is over.

©2026 Joseph Fink (P)2026 Podium Audio

Critic reviews

“A perfect little bite-sized horror. Some of these scenes are going to live in my head for a long, long time.” —T. Kingfisher, New York Times–bestselling author of the Sworn Soldier and Swordheart series

“A masterclass in slowly cranking up the dread until it feels as though the dial will snap right off. Clever and haunting. Joseph Fink has crafted a perfect little spring trap of hospitality horror.” —Chuck Tingle, USA Today–bestselling author of Lucky Day and Bury Your Gays

“Fans of bizarre supernatural fiction that evokes a sense of creeping terror, much as Fink’s Welcome to Night Vale podcast does, will be enthralled.” — Booklist, starred review

“Fink’s writing style is reminiscent of his other works . . . unnerving readers just enough over the course of the work to truly horrify them by the end . . . The book could slot neatly onto a shelf next to a collection of H.P. Lovecraft’s or Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, but Hayworth’s grayscale graphite illustrations may make readers recall the feeling of first discovering a collection of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark—and then becoming too unsettled to sleep . . . Will resonate with classic horror fans as well as Night Vale devotees.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review