Gray Lake

by David Bain

Is it really possible for best friends Brian and Iggy to have witnessed a sleek black classic car cruising across the choppy surface of the water tonight?A hundred ghost stories swirl around the waters of Gray Lake and the strange, abandoned haunted house that looms on the swampy northern shore…But those aren’t the only mysteries digging under the skin of Green River…Like how did half of rage-fueled small-time crime boss Mike Menger’s face get so horribly burned?And why is his ragged crew of crank-head drug dealers rebelling?And who is the seductive, demonic Queen figure appearing in both Brian and Iggy’s dreams lately?And – perhaps most importantly – who is Maya, the gorgeous, enigmatic girl on the edge of psychosis who just moved to the lake’s ritzy, exclusive southern shore, a girl for whom Brian feels immediate, unbearable longing?These and other turbulent secrets will send Menger, Maya, Brian, Iggy and others hurtling headlong toward a deadly clash, a brutal showdown on the spectral shores of Gray Lake.Readers have described Bain’s novel as dark, gorgeous, challenging and chilling.David Bain is the author of the Will Castleton psychic detective and Riders of the Weird West series, plus many more books, series and stories. His work has appeared in Weird Tales and Strange Horizons and in collections alongside everyone from Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene and Ray Bradbury to Charles Bukowski and Allen Ginsberg.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Audiobook

415 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 28, 2011

Reviews

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good 70's or 80's ghost story, about drugs and alcohol. The Queen of the lake and how everyone related to her was very interesting.

[Samb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot twists and turns as well as the back and forth between the supernatural and reality kept me reading from start to finish. A really good book for a dark and stormy night.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Supernatural Crime Story

A surreal story. Love, hate, drugs, crime at it's worst and the possible consequences. Well written depth characters with an amazing plot.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian and Iggy, best friends, have heard of all the ghost stories and urban legends surrounding Gray Lake but they never believed they would witness it firsthand. The ghosts infect their lives and others in the community, leading the reader on a spine tingling journey.

"Gray Lake" is a true ghost story that has something for everyone. Romance,thriller,crime,and fantasy are covered to some extent. You would expect a mixture of genres like that to be convoluted but Bain's writing style combines the mixture perfectly leaving a great read. Another facet of the story is the amount of intriguing characters and how their stories play out. If you are a fan of the supernatural, then read this book now; you won't be disappointed.

[Jonna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to review this. I found myself getting caught up in the story during certain chapters. I felt like I spent the first 150 pages asking myself "what is going on here? who is this talking about again?" So I felt a little disconnected from the story until half way through the book. I felt like I was on that upward chug of a roller coaster, looking over the side going, where am I? What's going to happen?

But by then the story really shifted shapes and that's where you felt like you were coming down the big hill, soaring into the story but still being slung left and right off and on the track. Some very unexpectedness happened all over the book.

For 749 (I think) pages, it seemed to fly by.

[Debbie Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Bain’s supernatural horror novel, teenage friends, Brian and Iggy, find themselves seeking out ghost stories and urban legends as they watch mystified as a car drives across the moonlit surface of Gray Lake. Simultaneously, a gang of meth dealers battle for dominance to the north.

For Iggy, the car sighting heralds a series of dreams; while Brian enters into a dark relationship with a beautiful girl he meets on the lakeshore named Maya.

Soon these events will hurtle Brian, Iggy and others toward a fatal showdown on the spectral shores of Gray Lake.

Romance, thriller, crime, paranormal and fantasy all rolled up into one story.

[Gilbert Baron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quote from reviewer Samb "The plot twists and turns as well as the back and forth between the supernatural and reality kept me reading from start to finish. A really good book for a dark and stormy night. "

Well perhaps he liked it. I could not finish. I read 75% of it and still have no idea of what is the point. The first book I simply gave up on. Twists and turns and back and forth and nothing to get hooked on and scary it is not.

Luckily I got this on a free special.

May just be me but it just is not even close to what I had expected.

I will stick to Stephen King and the like.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this one had some slow spots, and the Menger character was one of the few which I felt was well defined. There were also numerous editing issues on my Kindle edition which is never a plus. Overall, it was a fanciful tale though and combined several urban legend scenarios with an ethereal realm in a fashion that held my interest. I would gladly read more from this author.

[Robbi Leah Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read scary novels all the time then Steven King and Dean Koontz seemed to lose their chill. This was a great book that will keep you up at night. Very impressed. The story will keep you wondering and guessing all the way through. A new author for me to bring the scary back to reading.

[Heather McBride · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange book... The story line was good but I think it could have used a few more scary ghosts and left out the "queen"... Jumpy , slow, and confusing in some places, like you had to be hallucinating to understand it... I gave it three stars because most of the main characters were likable...

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different

Definitely not a typical ghost story type read or horror story but not the type of book I normally read either. It wasn't a bad story and the storyline was a good plot. It keeps the readers attention and has you definitely glued to your seat.

[Kimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable ...finished in a day...kept me interested

[Ken Weinert]

False

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crap