Book Review: The Dead Path

 The Dead Path by Stephen M. Irwin.

A haunting visage peering out from the trees sends Nicholas Close tumbling from his motorcycle--setting in motion a series of terrible events that leave him a widower surrounded by startling hallucinations.  There is no other way to say it:  he sees ghosts.  They don't say a word, but they are seemingly forced to repeat their final, harrowing moments in an endless loop before his eyes.  Fearing for his sanity, and with nowhere else to go, Nicholas returns to his childhood home.  Tallong is a sleepy suburb filled with an eccentric cast of characters and a host of memories from his past...all leading to the overgrown woods on Carmichael Road.  As Nicholas attempts to reconnect with his estranged family, he becomes entangled in a disturbing series of disappearances and murders.  He is now both a police suspect and the target of a malignant force that draws him to an old secret waiting in the heart of the woods.  To stop the town's violent history from repeating itself, Nicholas will have to face his greatest fears and discover what lies at the end of the path.


Intelligently written paranormal suspense.  The Dead Path is a haunting tale of tragedy, loss and all consuming evil.  Filled with deftly written prose that will march you steadily along the path of madness into a world of horror that is at once believable and terrifying. Irwin's imagery is vivid and visceral.  This is an author not afraid to thrust the reader into a living nightmare.  Nicholas Close is a realistic character facing the guilt and sorrow of his wife's recent death, the terror of his new ability to see the dead, and the pull to set his feet on the path to the woods where his lost his childhood innocence and first learned the meaning of true fear.  The Dead Path is a beautifully written novel with an intriguing series of grisly murders, a realistic combination of magic and ghostly visions, and a place of darkness that will leave you looking over your shoulder when next you venture into the woods.

I highly recommend The Dead Path to readers of ghost stories, horror, mystery thrillers, urban fantasy, and especially to fans of haunting paranormal suspense.

Don't miss our interview with Stephen M. Irwin, author of The Dead Path, Wednesday November 3rd here at From the Shadows.  Visit the interview and enter The Dead Path International Giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a hardcover copy of The Dead Path by Stephen M. Irwin!

Source: This book was provided by the author or publisher for honest review.


The Dead Path on Amazon.
The Dead Path on Goodreads.