Every child in town wanted one of Henry Stauf’s handcrafted toys—so intricate, detailed, almost magically lifelike. After a terrible illness claimed the life of each child who cherished one of the toys, Stauf retired to the seclusion of his mansion on the hill—perhaps unspeakably saddened by the puzzling deaths. Perhaps not. Years pass, and the Stauf mansion, slowly deteriorating, stands as a macabre reminder of the horror that swept through the town. Within its walls, Henry Stauf plans his final outrage against an unsuspecting world. What evil will the madman unleash? What fearful secrets does his mansion hold? Six guests venture to the Stauf Mansion one desperate night, each with a private hell to escape, each certain Henry Stauf will be the instrument of salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Only the seventh guest stands between their greed and the world's damnation! MATTHEW J. COSTELLO wrote the game script forThe 7th Guestand its sequel,The 11th Hour, and is currently collaborating with a popular horror novelist on another multimedia game. Costello has written many novels, includingThe Time Warriornovels,Time of the FoxandHour of the Scorpion; theSeaquest DSVnovelization,Fire Below; and the novelsHomeandDarkborn. He lives in Ossining, New York. CRAIG SHAW GARDNER has written numerous novels, includingThe Other Sinbad,The Ebenezum Trilogy, andThe Cineverse Cycle. He also wrote the movie novelizations ofBatmanandBatman Returns, the former aNew York Timesbestseller. He lives just outside Boston, Massachusetts.