Lester

by Kimberly Wheelock

Finalist for the 2025 KBR Best of Indie Book Award. Talia Michaels was only eight when a lost day in the woods led her to Lester, a ghost town with a violent and tragic history, and she escaped. Twenty years later, the Dark Dimensions paranormal team plans to investigate Lester for their vlog, and Talia is asked to guide them. When the team uncovers the town’s century-old secret, to survive, Talia must overcome her own troubled past and face Lester’s terrifying power.

Genres: Fiction

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2024

About the author

Growing up in the shadow of Mount Rainier inspired Wheelock to write her debut novel “Wonderland,” featured on the By Its Cover Podcast. “Wonderland” has received accolades as runner up for the Eric Hoffer Book Award and shortlisted for the First Horizon Award. Her 2009 short story, “The Impression of Leaves” won the Elizabeth Breen Prose Award for literary fiction. Her second novel “Lester” released October 2024 and follows the real and fictional history of the PNW ghost town by the same name.

Kimberly’s best ideas are found in the middle of the forest. She is an avid hiker and lover of the wilderness. She find it impossible to limit herself to only one genre as a fan of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Instead, she has chosen to follow in the footsteps of her favorite author, Stephen King, by writing stories that place ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

Her third novel “Beartooth” is planned for release in 2026.

Reviews

[Meilee Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who reads 200 to 300 books a year, it takes a lot to keep me hooked. Kimberly Wheelock’s Lester did just that—and then some. This story stayed with me long after I finished, almost haunting me, but in the best way possible.

From the first page, I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one sitting, completely caught up in the eerie atmosphere and gripping mystery. The real-life ghost town of Lester, Washington, adds a fascinating layer to the story, grounding the supernatural elements in reality. That connection gave the book an edge, making it stand out from other ghost stories.

Wheelock’s writing brings the abandoned town to life. The vivid descriptions and sense of place pulled me right into the Cascade Mountains, where the remnants of Lester seemed to breathe and whisper. Talia Michaels, the protagonist, is both relatable and brave, and her journey into the town’s secrets kept me turning the pages.

This book is more than just a ghost story—it’s a mix of suspense, history, and humanity that works beautifully. If you’re a fan of atmospheric, character-driven tales, Lester is a must-read. For a book to capture my attention so completely, it has to be something special. And this one absolutely is.

[Christi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant story from author Kimberly Wheelock! Set in the restricted town of Lester, WA this story is an engaging blend of horror and history.

[Rebecca Talty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. I dont usually go for scarier books, but the characters drew me in.

It was well written and an easy read.

[Kimberly Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Lester by Kimberly Wheelock is many stories contained in one novel. I was hooked by the blurb that described this book as a paranormal team setting out to investigate a ghost town with a violent history in the PNW. I am a big fan of paranormal horror and found footage/ghost hunting is a theme I really love.

This book is not what I expected. First, I will say that the last 25% of this book was great and I really enjoyed it. There was some action, suspense, and some short sections of body horror that were very well done.

What didn’t work for me was the pacing, the lack of flow, and the number of different stories being told. The primary story of Talia, the main character, would have been much better without all the background and side stories. Every chapter changed timelines and POV’s. The book starts in current day with Talia, and adult woman in dead-end job with an absolutely horrible boss. Talia has an eating disorder, trigger warning for bulimia. That seemed to be the focus. Then we move into Talia as a child, living with her single mother and three brothers in the home of their horribly abuse grandfather. This appears to be the source of her eating disorder, which was a big focus in the beginning of the book. Then we move into chapters that explore the history of Lester from different events including early mine workers, a train accident, and a serial killing “doctor” (based on a true story that I was familiar with). These asides made it hard to follow the main narrative. Also, the ghost hunting/paranormal show didn’t really show up until about 50% into the story. It was definitely not the main storyline and honestly played almost no role in the story itself, which was disappointing for me.

Overall, this book felt much longer than its page count and was a bit of a struggle to get through. The last quarter of the book made finishing the book worthwhile and it is clear this author can write horror with action and suspense, I just wish those elements had been present sooner.

[Julia Levesque · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not normally a horror reader, but this one had me interested. It’s based in the PNW, which is where I currently reside. And let me tell you, it’s the perfect setting for a spooky book. Evergreen trees covered in moss that you can just barely see through the rolling fog that blankets each hillside. Dark, misty fall days. Quiet forests that you could easily get lost in.

In case you were wondering, Lester is a real town that is now completely abandoned, and a good number of the tragic events in this book actually occurred in different places in Washington. It’s fascinating to read and terrifying.

Lester caught my attention right away with stories from our main character’s upbringing mixed in with Lester’s bloody past. It is truly a well-crafted story that all comes together toward the very end. Let me tell you, the last 100 pages flew by for me. If you are a horror lover or just someone who wants to get into the Halloween spirit, this one is for you!

[Ericka Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talia has had a tough life. Living in poverty, losing parents, living with an abusive grandfather then growing up to work for a maniacal abusive person. Her side hustle, guided hikes, dried up during the recession. She gets an opportunity to guide a group to an old abandoned town called Lester. Reminiscent of a Stephen King story, Talia and her group of hikers end up in a nightmare.

I like the pace of the book chapters alternate with present day and past. The past chapters about the town of Lester are creepy and eerie. I thought this was a well thought out piece of horror with some paranormal. What I didn’t like was the about ending. Will there be a second book to tie up loose ends? I don’t know. I do know I really enjoyed reading Lester.

[Erica Kibler-Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this… I love the PNW and was excited to read a story about a spooky little town nestled in the wilderness. Unfortunately I found Talia tedious and most of the other ghost hunters shallow and uninteresting. It felt like it took forever to get going and then the ending felt unsatisfying. The flashback scenes of the history of the town were the best part, way more engaging than the overarching story.

[Katelyn Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

As another reviewer mentioned, this book is such a good blend of horror and history. A resident of the PNW myself, I loved reading about the troubled history of real PNW ghost town, Lester, and having a spooky fiction storyline to go with it. I read it in one day because I couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for another book from Kimberly Wheelock. Great writer!

[Alison Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Very unique story line and relatable main character. So much fun to read about the history of a ghost town. It was definitely unpredictable which I loved. Can't wait to read more from this author.

[Tim Shepard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but...

The characters and storyline of this were well done. I especially liked the way the story was told, jumping between the present and the past. I just didn't care for the ending.

[Kathy Kolbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read. Once I started I couldn’t put it down. Her writing style had the perfect amount of a Steven King flare to it. She left the ending with interpretation, so hopefully a sequel is in the works.