I'm looking for recent comp titles for a WIP novel I'm writing, specifically thriller/mystery stories set in the modern day, that feature a supernatural element or monster that remains an off-the-page enigma for most of the story. I'll give a vague summary of my story to help give an idea of the direction I'm leaning:
In my story, we have a small-ish town where certain types of individuals are turning up in similar locations and are brutally mauled. Evidence isn't leading to a suspect and would seem to indicate animal attacks. Problem is, the bodies are found near/in populated areas, and the wounds are too extreme for any animal. A series of coincidental events surrounding an odd individual seems to indicate that person is involved, but it's clear they couldn't have committed these crimes, and they can't be located for questioning. It's not until this person is reportedly seen again, and the person who reports the sighting is found mauled hours later, that one of our protagonists starts to put two and two together with prior knowledge he has of a certain type of shapeshifting monster. He then begins to try and convince the detective on the case that they are dealing with something supernatural. The detective (other protagonist) doesn't really believe him, but agrees that the information he has uncovered supports the theory very well. They eventually do track down their quarry and confirm it is a monster, before killing it. I say it's character-driven because the novel primarily deals with the interactions of our characters while they try to figure out what is happening in their town, and the monster gets very little screen time. These plot elements are similar to Stephen King's "The Outsider" but it isn't wise to use King for comp titles, so I'm looking for something different and recent.
Thanks in advance!
by elfritobandito9