His first horror novel, The Amulet, relates the tragedies that befall various individuals who come in possession of a supernatural pendant in a small town.

He was born in Enterprise, Alabama, in 1950 and died of AIDS-related illness in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1999. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers, noted that McDowell's ability to Michael McDowell is a prolific horror writer who has distinguished himself with a varied body of work within the genre.

In McDowell's second novel, Cold Moon Over Babylon, a murdered woman's corpse is dispatched into a river, but her spirit roams the land, and in the evening hours it seeks revenge on her killer even as he plots the demise of her surviving relatives. 'One of the best writers of horror in this country.Michael McDowell is a prolific horror writer who has distinguished himself with a varied body of work within the genre. a novel of entirely human horror.' - Michael E. 'A big and impressive book, darkly Dickensian in its scope and complexity. Michael McDowell must now be regarded as the finest writer of paperback originals in America.' - Stephen King 'Riveting, terrifying, and just absolutely great. This first-ever republication of Michael McDowell's chilling classic of revenge features a new introduction by Christopher Fowler and cover art by Mike Mignola. Can even the wealth and power of the Stallworth family protect them from Lena's diabolical lust for vengeance? One Sunday, all the Stallworths receive invitations-to their own funerals. On a crusade to crush Lena's evil empire, the judge has sentenced three of her family members to death. Only a few blocks away, amidst the elegant mansions and lily-white reputations of Gramercy Park and Washington Square, lives Judge James Stallworth. The queen of this unsavory neighborhood is Black Lena Shanks, whose family leads a ring of female criminals-women skilled in the art of cruelty. Welcome to the Black Triangle, New York's decadent district of opium dens, gambling casinos, drunken sailors, gaudy hookers, and back room abortions.

Gilded needles by michael mcdowell