Suicide Flats

by Johnny B. Truant

Hell waits for one man.

There have always been rumors about the dead place in the city of a vast circle where nothing grows known as Suicide Flats. It’s a place where people go to die. Where dark shadows emerge at night, denied by the government that pretends it has no presence in Fortune. Where you can feel the pull of something not-quite-right, drawing lost souls to once-beautiful Cecret Lake at its center — a lake that one day eight years ago turned black as ink.

Officially, Fortune is an anomaly. Yet scientist Eldon Porter knows what the secretive agency GEN knows but hasn’t divulged to the Suicide Flats is a thin spot between our plane of existence and another. That other plane is a realm of heat and sulfur — a place without an official name, though even the scientists call it by its unofficial Hell .

Minister Callum MacReady has run out of faith. His son is dying, and every week he stands in front of his congregation and tells them lies so that they — not he — can feel better. He tells the people of Fortune that God has a plan. That life is joyous. But as young Nathan worsens, Callum knows the There is no plan. There is only grief and pain.

But one day, when Callum finds himself in Suicide Flats at the shore of the ochre lake, he suddenly finds that he feels no pain at all. His worst thoughts and feelings have inexplicably left him … siphoned away, it seems, by a hungry and malevolent being waiting on the other side of a rift between worlds — a rift that’s been lurking beneath Cecret’s black water for centuries, just waiting for a reason to open.

As Hell opens wide and demons rise, Eldon and Callum find themselves in a race against time. Fortune is the world’s canary … but soon enough, under the onslaught of unholy creatures, Fortune is destined to fall.

Suicide Flats is a stand-alone novel in the world of Gore Point by artisan author Johnny B. a terrifying and unsettlingly beautiful ride into the mouth of chaos.

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 13, 2024

About the author

Johnny B. Truant is an author, blogger, and podcaster who, like the Ramones, was long denied induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite having a large cult following. He makes his online home at JohnnyBTruant.com and is the author of the Unicorn Western series, the Fat Vampire series, The Bialy Pimps, and a handful of other properties and growing every week.

You can connect with Johnny on Twitter at @JohnnyBTruant, and you should totally send him an email from JohnnyBTruant.com if the mood strikes you.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This started life as a short story, offered during a Kickstarter event, that grew into a larger work. I'm so glad that it did, as this is a cracking piece of work.

A standalone novel in the same world as the Zen Element Chronicles, this tells the story of Eldon Porter, the father of Ray and Adrian in the two other Zen Element books. Also included is the Reverend Callum MacReady, father of a young son dying with cancer, who is struggling with his faith.

This is so atmospheric and chilling, and will unsettle you intensely. There's a part in the book where the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, it is so well-written and thought out. Excellent!

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suicide Flats

If you love Johnny’s earlier books you can’t miss this one. As he says (sort of) he’s got his mojo back. Great story, characters to care for and lots of dangerous action. Beautiful ending too. What’s not to love.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was amazing. So well written. Felt like I was reading a Stephen King novel, with the way the characters were portrayed. The plot moved forward effortlessly, so well done, no stupid areas (like so many books). Recommend!