Deadroads: A Novel of Supernatural Suspense

Every family has ghosts in its past, some more than others. Baz can call ghosts with his singing, Sol tries to send them into the afterlife, and Lutie wants to catch one and keep it for herself. And when a ghost murdering innocents along the railway reunites these siblings after years apart, they’ll have to put the past behind them and use their particular gifts to save themselves… and each other. Something even darker is lurking along the railroads, and it has plans for one of them.

Deadroads is a tough book to review, because it has a lot to recommend, but some serious frustrations as well. The book has tons of atmosphere and a very intriguing family dynamic; it’s obvious the author knows who the protagonists are and why they do what they do, and that breeds confidence for the reader.

But the novel takes a long time to get going, and the rules regarding ghosts are so ill-defined that when a major twist in the story arrives, you can’t really be surprised, because you don’t understand the rules enough to register surprise.

Deadroads has its problems, but for atmosphere alone, give it a shot.