Deadroads

by Robin Riopelle

The Sarrazins have always stood apart from the rest of their Bayou-born neighbors. Almost as far apart as they prefer to stand from each other. Blessed—or cursed—with the uncanny ability to see beyond the spectral plain, Aurie has raised his children, Sol, Baz, and Lutie, in the tradition of the traiteur, finding wayward spirits and using his special gift to release them along Deadroads into the afterworld. The family, however, fractured by their clashing egos, drifted apart, scattered high and low across the continent. But tragedy serves to bring them together. When Aurie, while investigating a series of ghastly (and ghostly) murders, is himself killed by a devil, Sol, EMT by day and traiteur by night, Baz, a travelling musician with a truly spiritual voice, and Lutie, combating her eerie visions with antipsychotics, are thrown headlong into a world of gory spirits, brilliant angels, and nefarious demons—small potatoes compared to reconciling their familial differences. From the Louisiana swamps to the snowfields of the north and everywhere in between, Deadroads summons you onto a mysterious trail of paranormal proportions.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Ghosts, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction, Speculative Fiction

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2013

About the author

I am a writer of scary novels (Dead Roads forthcoming from Skyhorse Publishing), although I am, myself, scared of ghosts, demons, witches, vampires, werewolves, and sasquatches. And any book about them.

However, I love to read broadly and especially like literary non-fiction (think John Valliant and Erik Larson), canlit (hello Elizabeth Hay!), and "adventure stories for boys" which might include Cormac McCarthy, Elmore Leonard and James Ellroy, God help us all. I have been known to Hoover up certain fantasy writers: Guy Gavriel Kay and Charles de Lint (cancon again?)

I am usually working in the museum field, where I get to indulge my love for old things and inventing new ways to have fun with them. I am also an illustrator of kids picture books and part owner of Little Witch Press.

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy/Dark Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of dark fantasy, horror, beautiful writing
Book Available: April 2, 2013 March 17, 2014 for Kindle
Trigger Warnings: murder

My Thoughts: The characters from this story are from Louisiana, and some of the dialogue is done in Cajun, French and Acadian, and/or in a proper Louisiana bayou dialect, which is really neat, even if I didn't necessarily understand everything the characters were saying in those sections. However, I did recognize the word pattern, and I have the Sookie Stackhouse books to thank for that. Funny, that.

Riopelle does a great job with characterization. Her characters are really vivid, created with broad strokes, but enough details to bring them to life for the reader. The writing was likewise vivid, beautiful. I sat with my eyes wide open, just drinking them in. A really talented author, and one whose upcoming works I will definitely be watching for. Yes, this amazing book is her debut novel, and what a debut! I literally forced myself to read it as slowly as possible, to absorb the words, the cadence, the whole thing.

I have this listed as dark fantasy, because it's not quite horror, but... without going into spoilers, don't expect a happy ending. This is dark fantasy, but so beautifully done. I highly recommend this book if you like dark fantasy. This book is scheduled for release on April 2, 2013 March 27, 2014 (Please note: obviously the release was delayed, much to my dismay, but finally you can read this amazing book yourself!) from Night Shade books, so definitely be on the lookout for it.

Disclosure: I received an e-galley from Night Shade Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Lutie always wanted a pet ghost—but the devil’s in the details.

The Sarrazins have always stood apart from the rest of their Bayou-born neighbors. Almost as far apart as they prefer to stand from each other. Blessed—or cursed—with the uncanny ability to see beyond the spectral plain, Aurie has raised his children, Sol, Baz, and Lutie, in the tradition of the traiteur, finding wayward spirits and using his special gift to release them along Deadroads into the afterworld. The family, however, fractured by their clashing egos, drifted apart, scattered high and low across the continent.

But tragedy serves to bring them together. When Aurie, while investigating a series of ghastly (and ghostly) murders, is himself killed by a devil, Sol, EMT by day and traiteur by night, Baz, a travelling musician with a truly spiritual voice, and Lutie, combating her eerie visions with antipsychotics, are thrown headlong into a world of gory spirits, brilliant angels, and nefarious demons—small potatoes compared to reconciling their familial differences.

From the Louisiana swamps to the snowfields of the north and everywhere in between, Deadroads summons you onto a mysterious trail of paranormal proportions.

[Linda Poitevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadroads is Riopelle's debut novel and it's a far cry from your usual fantasy/horror. I keep finding myself wanting to call it a slow read--not because of a lack of suspense, because there's plenty of that, but because of its richly nuanced language and tightly woven characters. You can't rush this one without missing out on both critical details and overall experience.

Centred around three main characters, all siblings, the story is as much about a coming to terms with personal demons and past ghosts as it is about dealing with the physical kinds. The story struggles a bit to get going, but once it finds its stride, you find yourself tugged along much as if you're caught in a deceptively gentle river current that keeps picking up speed, heading for rapids you know are there but can't quite see coming.

All in all, a vivid, languorous, chilling tale of the supernatural. Recommended for fans of dark fantasy and horror, especially if you enjoy a more literary approach to your fiction.

One note of caution to prospective readers: Riopelle employs a liberal use of French words and expressions, particularly in the opening of the book (the characters are from the Bayou). For the non-French speaker, this could be both distracting and off-putting, but if you're willing to give up actual meaning in favor of tone, you should be okay. And the story really will be worth the effort.

[April Steenburgh · Rating 4 out of 5]

They are, perhaps, not your typical family- Lutie, her brothers Baz and Sol, their ghost-hiding mother and ghost-catching traiteur father. But when Lutie decides she wants to catch herself a ghost, just like her mother, and enlists her brother Baz who can sing so that both the living and the dead pay attention to help her, she shatters the casual strangeness of their lives.

Taken away from home by her mother, it takes many years and the death of their father for Lutie to run into her brothers again. An angry ghost stalks the rail yards of the west, drawing the attention of Sol who has taken up at least part of his father’s ghost-catching and settling trade. As stubborn as he is to try and fight it out alone, it will take all three siblings, who have grown into three independent and alienated adults, working together to settle this ghost and the demon riding its back.

Dead Roads is rich is bayou lore- it swelters with the south even when the story is staggering its way through cold Colorado nights. It is much more than a ghost story, and far richer than the usual far horror fantasy/fiction has to offer. Even as it is doing its best to make you jump at every little creek of your house in the night it rings with a respect for the dead- we don’t have casual ghost hunters here. Sol is a reluctant doctor to the dead, a wonderful parallel to his day job as an EMT. The family trade of traiteur is a duty, not a hobby, and the author communicates that well to the reader.

It took a little to get moving, and there was some disjointed movement from POV to POV as the book started, but that did not take from my interest in the story or my desire to see what was going to happen next. I think my biggest concern was the sheer amount of French worked into the dialog- not just a word here and there but oft times full sentences. It did add to the atmosphere, but at the cost of comprehension. As a reader it pulled me from the story as I struggled to work out what was being said. Again, not enough to deter me from reading, but enough for me to notice and become frustrated now and again.

Overall, a fantastic, atmospheric read. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and watching them move through a wonderfully unique and delightfully creepy plot. Recommended.

[Horror DNA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dead Roads is a very flawed novel, but perhaps its biggest problem is how incredibly boring the story is. There is no momentum, no real rising action, and what should be a twist is so poorly executed that when the reader comes to it, their most likely reaction will be, "Oh."

You can read Lauren's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Mieneke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robin Riopelle's Deadroads was an inordinate amount of fun. There was plenty of creepiness and conflicted emotions and relationship difficulties between the characters, but on finishing the book what remained was the sheer enjoyment I got out of reading the book. Featuring a family of traiteurs – essentially ghost whisperers – the story is built upon its protagonists. They are what make this novel so enjoyable. Deadroads portrays the tension of being of two worlds in several different layers. There's the obvious one – being able to see ghosts or not – but there is also Lutie's being suddenly confronted with her birth family, while having been raised in a very different foster family. Lastly there is the difference between the Cajun heritage on their father's side and the Acadian heritage on their mother's side.

The first sibling we meet is the youngest, Lutie. First seen in a flashback in which she exposes her mother's secret bonding of a ghost, after which her mother takes her and leaves her husband and sons behind, Lutie is very much the outsider of the three. The only girl, raised away from her brothers up in Canada, she's a traumatised young woman when we next see her. Her struggle with her abilities to see ghosts and the attendant ramifications was fascinating. Her foster parents have her take anti-psychotics so she won't see the ghosts, yet Lutie feels that this is not the solution. She can't square the different schools of thought regarding ghosts her parents adhered to; her father finding the binding of ghosts amoral and dangerous and her mother seeing it as the only way to be safe from other ghosts. Lutie has a lot of anger due to feeling abandoned by her entire family and this unprocessed anger plays a large role in how her gift manifests.

The brother directly above her is the sunny Baz. Charming, musically gifted and a bit of a rolling stone, he's the only one of the three unable to see ghosts. Baz is the middle child turned baby brother and he's had a rough time growing up. There are secrets to him only revealed towards the ending of the story that made my heart bleed for him. Baz has a huge heart and as a true middle child is the peacemaker of the family. Baz grows a lot over the course of the novel, finally coming into his own and feeling as if he might become his brother's equal instead of his responsibility.

Sol is the eldest and my favourite of the three. His desperate sense of responsibility and duty, to Baz, to his job, and to the ghosts he sees wandering lost, gets in the way of his own happiness, as he's often AWOL without notice and with calling his girlfriend. Yet the fact that he loves her deeply is never in doubt. Sol is the proverbial still water that runs deep and he doesn't show his emotions very well nor does he ask and accept help very easily. He seems super put-together on the outside, yet from his internal dialogue the reader learns how much he doubts himself and how much his self-assurance is a sham. I loved the interactions between Sol and Baz – and later Lucy – there is a genuine bond there, but not an easy one and the sometimes (not so) gentle ribbing between the brothers conveyed their relationship beautifully. Like Baz, Sol grows a lot over the course of the novel, but he's very much from done.

Most of the story is set in the present day with several flashbacks interspersed throughout the narrative, showing us what exactly happened all those years ago when Lutie was seven. And what happened in between. The flashbacks are powerful passages, with especially Baz's main flashback wringing my heart and being really creepy as well. Riopelle's writing is assured and proved a smooth read. I especially liked the way she used language nuances to convey the differences between the siblings. First of all there is the Cajun element with Sol speaking it far better than Baz and Lutie not speaking it at all. Then there is the distinction being made between Cajun Franglish and Acadian French, not to mention the difference between American English and Canadian English. I love the fact that both boys talk about distances in miles, while Lutie thinks in kilometres. That sort of detail makes the narrative even better to me.

As I mentioned before, Deadroads was entertaining, its mystery compelling, but it was also far more emotionally complex than I'd expected. From the synopsis I'd expected an interesting setting and a cool supernatural mystery plot, what I got was a study of what it means to be between worlds, both literally and figuratively, and how hard it is to (re-)connect to those we love, when those we love can also hurt us the most. I loved the Sarrazin siblings and I truly hope Riopelle will return to them in the future, as their story doesn't feel over, even if this story arc is and I really want to spend more time with them. If you enjoy supernatural fantasy and a good ghost story then Robin Riopelle's debut Deadroads should suit you to a tee.

This book was provided for review by the author.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfyingly spooky. I liked this one. Exceptional audio narration, it felt authentic and drew me effortlessly into the story.

[Burgoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes a book can really surprise you. I expected Dead Roads to be a fairly straightforward urban fantasy story, with a bit of Cajun flair. What I got was so much more than that.

The story is centered on three siblings: brothers Sol and Baz, and their estranged sister Lutie. Sol, who has followed his father on the path of the traiteur, is investigating suspicious deaths along a railroad line in the Great Plains. We learn that a particularly vengeful ghost is responsible for the deaths, and that only by all three siblings working together will this ghost (and the small demon controlling it) be vanquished.

What follows is a gritty ghost hunt, as the siblings travel along the railways to investigate and battle with the ghost. It must be said that the ghosts of Dead Roads are not what you might expect. They are angry bitter badasses who can easily do physical damage to a person. Closely bound, as a fortune teller might do, they can cause insanity and death. Even proximity to a large number of ghosts can make someone physically ill.

What really makes Dead Roads work so well is the characters. Riopelle creates three strong central characters, and clearly establishes the relationships between them. The reunion of the siblings is at the emotional center of the book. I found this unexpected, and surprisingly moving. While the brothers have grown up together, their sister was taken from them at an early age, and only blurry memories remained.

Dead Roads is a strong assured first novel. Its emotional depth is quite surprising given how you may perceive the book in terms of how it fits in genre. I’m looking forward to reading future efforts by Riopelle.

[Sandy Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robin Riopelle artfully interwove suspense and the supernatural to create a compelling Southern Gothic tale that captures the complex dynamics of an alienated and damaged family. Quietly electrifying, this literary equivalent of counterpoint in music is alternately told in each of three siblings’ voice, offering psychological insights into their unique reactions to the fateful childhood incident that tore their family apart and how their subsequent stunted growth into adulthood forever marred their relationships with each other and with the world.

Haunting, atmospheric, and heartbreaking, Deadroads is as much about devils as The Road is about the apocalypse. Even though they struggle with actual ghosts, what the Sarrazin siblings are truly wrestling with are the metaphoric ghosts of their past. You will find the stoic, repressed, and precocious big brother Sol, the restless, charismatic and vivacious man-child Baz, and the stubborn, reticent yet resilient little sister Lutie equally irresistible. Readers of genre and literary fiction alike will be enticed and enthralled. Deadroads may also particularly appeal to fans of Supernatural and Six Feet Under.

[Eden Royce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Riopelle’s adept way of creating atmosphere and crafting broken, yet believable characters. I love when horror takes on settings that are atypical of the genre. The main characters of this story are from the Louisiana Bayou and I loved that milieu and that Riopelle has an amazing command of dialogue in several languages. Cajun, French and Acadian are featured in the tale and are not italicized or explained, which I found this refreshing and made me more involved in the story. However, I can see some readers not comfortable with Riopelle’s choice in doing so.

Also engaging was the matter-of-fact way many of the characters talk to and about ghosts. They are a part of their world, treated as fixtures instead of anomalies. Deadroads also has a slow reveal of the central mystery that I enjoyed. However, it’s the kind of book that takes a bit of time to get to the final conflict and that may be off-putting to some readers. But it is engrossing, mysterious, and, at times, heart-breaking.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully crafted, with imaginative descriptions that *almost* made me want to stop and re-read the sentences and savor the imagery. But the author has made me care too deeply about the fractured Sarrazin family to linger - the danger is so visceral, there is so much at stake, that I can't pause. I have to know what choices they will make, what they will learn, what will become of them.

I don't read a lot of dark fantasy/supernatural suspense, but this felt so believable that I was drawn completely in. The language, the settings, the mythology were all woven together perfectly. But above all, it was Sol and Baz and Lutie who dug their way into my heart and kept me spellbound.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book enormously. I had trouble putting it down--hence my late night the morning before I have to be on the road by six. The main characters are my new heroes, with all their strengths and defects, as real as anybody I know. The story is exciting, compelling, scary, and fun, and the writing is superb. I hope the author writes another book with these characters--I have to know what happens next.

[Ria Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complex and broken family. Ghosts, and different ways of dealing with them. Attempts to live a normal life despite being anything but normal. Combine this with a dark and nuanced writing style that reads very much like classic narrative mixed with a healthy dose of stream-of-consciousness, and what you come out with is a novel that is unique and stands out from a lot of urban fantasy and paranormal plots currently seen on the bookshelves today. It’s an understated novel, one that works its subtleties on you and pulls you in slowly, quietly, until you’re too entangled in the story and the brilliantly real characters to even want to pull yourself away.

It’s the characters that make the book come alive most of all. You’ve got Sol, trying to balance his EMT job with his ability and duty to banish ghosts, hard and bitter but still the epitome of the protective big brother. Baz, carefree and an amazing singer, the only one in his family who is incapable of seeing ghosts but instead has a connection to something even more incredible. And Lutie, separated from the male members of her family from a young age, adopted into another family after her mother’s death, able to bind spirits rather than banish them. The siblings haven’t been a family in years, have lived very different lives, and when the circumstances of their father’s death draw them to have to work together, it’s understandably tense and awkward. The narrative from the perspectives of each of the characters is unique, and the aspect of stream-of-consciousness observation that comes into it fits perfectly.

I’ll say this for nothing: Deadroads certainly gave my language skills a workout! I’m pleased to know that my French skills haven’t slipped as far as I suspected, because while all the French used in this book is appropriate, given the characters and places featured, a lot of the time the only clue to meaning was context. The context was clear the vast majority of the time, however, and even those without a working (or even semi-working) knowledge of French will still be able to enjoy the story and understand the subtleties of what’s going on, which is exactly the way secondary languages ought to be used in writing. Riopelle walked that fine line quite well.

(There was also some personal amusement at seeing mixed French and English in the same sentence, since here in New Brunswick, that’s not exactly uncommon to hear. The early line, “C’est trop chaud for singing,” made me grin, and the mix reminded me of a phrase an old French teacher mentioned to her class in high school once, overheard on the street; “J’aime ton skirt but je n’aime pas le way qu’il hang.” Parse that if you dare!)

The plot starts off fairly simple, a supernatural murder mystery that slowly draws the family back together. But the combination of all of their talents, Baz’s included, all works to turn things from, “We must destroy the ghost that killed our father” into “We need to stop getting between devils and angels!” Gradually the complexities get piled on, both mundane and supernatural, and we get to see Riopelle’s skill at subtle foreshadowing, too. None of the developments are particularly surprising, didn’t seem to come out of nowhere, but there were things that I didn’t figure out until the characters themselves did. The effect was much more impressive than forcing the reader’s perspective with first-person writing, as so many novels do; the fact that it was all written third-person but still close enough to make me feel like I was right in the thick of it myself was a real testament to the author’s abilities!

Robin Riopelle has been added to my personal list of authors to keep an eye on, because between her writing style and her ability to weave a good, dark, subtle story, I’m pretty much guaranteed some creepy entertainment. If you’re in the mood for a good horror/urban fantasy blend, then Deadroads is the novel you should be reaching for.

(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and can see the author writing more with the same characters. So I'm writing a summary of the book so I can look back and see what happened in this one.
M'man: the mother. I forgot her real name. From French-Canada. She is a fortune-teller. She ends up killing herself when Lutie is (about) 9.
Fortune-tellers usually capture a ghost in order to tell fortunes. Traiteurs think this is evil and drives fortune-tellers insane. However, M'man had told Aurie she didn't have a ghost, she just was faking it.
When she finds out Lutie knows (and Baz overhears), she deserts the family, taking Lutie with her.
Aurie: the father. A "traiteur", what Bayou people call someone who can see ghosts and guide them onto the deadroad and out of this world. He ends up getting killed by the malevolent ghost, Lewis.
When Aurie find the females gone, he tells his two boys M'man is evil, burns down the house, moves them to CO, and never speaks of the women again. He becomes a hard-drinker and ended up jailed for 4-5 years.
Sol: the oldest son. Trained by Aurie to be a traiteur. Works as an EMT. Dating & living with Robbie, but never tells her about his work/ability as a traiteur. Has a falling out with Aurie (before he dies), not sure why. Ended up having to essentially raise Baz when their dad was drinking and in jail. Ends with Robbie having left him.
Baz: the middle child. The only one that can't see ghosts (but does seem to be able to sense them when they're around). An amazing singer, but told by Aurie early in his life he should never sing, so he plays the fiddle. His singing attracts angels and demons, which are way worse than ghosts, cause humans cannot understand them. Baz drifts around from band to band and sugar mama to sugar mama. He ends up heading back up to Canada with Lutie.
When M'man took off with Lutie, she left Baz alone in the house (while Aurie & Sol were away for an unknown amount of time). When Aurie & Sol return, they find Baz hiding in the cupboard, having been there for days, as he could somewhat sense a presence, but unlike the rest of his family, cannot see ghosts.
Lutie: youngest. Her mom takes her up to Canada, when she leaves the rest of the family. After her mom kills herself, Lutie is placed with a loving foster family that she considers her family by the time she is an adult. Growing up, she is put on medication and in therapy to deal with the "things she sees". She ends up binding Lewis to her (without her brothers knowing) and going back to Canada to finish college (taking Baz with her).

The 3 siblings end up together, and there is a lot of family stuff to work through (some of it they deal with, some of it they don't). They start out looking into the malevolent ghost, Lewis, because he killed their dad. They find out he is bound to a demon. Possibly the same demon that Baz was hiding from as a child (although the other two don't know anything about that). The demon wants Baz to sing for an angel to come, cause the demon wants to fight the angel and has no way of calling it. The siblings need to get rid of Lewis and the demon. In trying to do so, Lutie realizes she can't do what Sol (and Aurie) do. She tries to send Lewis to the deadroad and somehow sends Sol on it too. In trying to bring him back, she wounds the demon by unbinding Lewis from him and binding Lewis to herself.
Baz also wants to bring Sol back. So he sings to call the attention of the angel to ask to get his brother back and is successful. There's something about the demon, too. There's actually 3 of them (Sol meets another one on the deadroad). I think the one that has been the main one in this book is killed at the end (I think).

[Meeker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant, slow, rich, tight read! It was sparse without being bleak. The characters were complex and damaged, yet not hopeless or desperate. The landscape was lonely, but not barren. I really appreciate characters that get completely beat up and still keep on their mission. The more they endure, the further past the point of no return they get. This is what I loved about Smilla (of Smilla’s Sense of Snow) and in some respects this book has a similar determined quality, but it is so much better! The author really knows how to tell a story without unnecessary frills, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful novel -- the language is gorgeous, the characters are all distinct, the story pulls you right in, the use of setting and history is breathtaking, and the ghosts bring in a supernatural element without pushing the story into the ridiculous. I believed in what the author was telling me, and I sincerely hope she's writing a second book!

[Cristin Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rush out and buy this one! Excellent page turner!!

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this paranormal/urban fantasy. It opens in Cajun country in Louisiana with siblings, Luetta “Lutie” and Basile “Baz” Sarrazin. Lutie wants to capture a ghost, like her mother Mirielle has. Her father, Aurie, and older brother, Beausoliel ‘Sol’, are le traiteurs, faith healers that can see and send ghosts along the deadroads to wherever it is ghosts go. (Well at this point, Sol is still just a young man so he’s not really doing it yet). Lutie can see ghosts too, but middle child, Baz cannot. However, when Baz sings, ghosts come from all over to hear him sing. Lutie tries to use this help catch a ghost, failing spectacularly. It seems to be the final straw, forever changing the family. Mirielle shuts Baz up in his room, even though Dad and Sol are gone with no e.t.a. for returning and she takes Lutie and flees.

The story fast forwards to Sol’s adulthood. (The story will use all three siblings’ povs but the first few chapters are all Sol and Baz, mostly Sol). After his mother abandoned them, their father burned down their house and they traveled the country, doing what they could to help send ghosts across. There was an ill-fated attempt to free a bound ghost. Fortunetellers, real ones, bind a ghost to use it for information and Aurie accidentally caused the woman’s death freeing the ghost. He went to jail, leaving teenaged Sol to raise his younger brother, and forbade Sol from ever trying to do that (which of course adult Sol isn’t going to listen to). He also forbade Baz from singing unless in a car (where ghosts couldn’t keep up). Sol knows that there is more to his father’s fears for Baz when he sings but doesn’t know what (It’s actually really cool but I won’t spoil that).

Sol is now a paramedic and in a crumbling relationship because he keeps going out to help the ghosts and isn’t good at keeping in touch with his girlfriend, Robbie. He’s excellent at his job, even using his traiteur powers to hold souls in until a patient can be stabilized and saved if possible. This world comes apart when he investigates a series of bludgeoning deaths on a rail line and finds his father’s corpse. Aurie’s ghost warns him away from this. It wasn’t just a ghost who killed him but a devil. Sol, of course, will not let this go.

He informs Baz about their father’s death. Unlike Sol who is intelligent and closed off, Baz is all openness and charm. He was never great in school but he lives for music. He is a professional musician floating from band to band to session work as a fiddler. He couch surfs with friends and lovers so not much on the stable home life. However, learning his father is dead, Baz tries to find their long lost sister in a way he knows Sol wouldn’t approve of (later we learn what he did and I’m with Sol on that one). He finds Lutie in Canada with an adoptive family. Their mother had suicided years before.

Baz finds Lutie to be hard and wary. She’s not ready to reconnect with her brothers but her family gives her a gentle push. Lutie agrees to drive Baz back to the Denver area where Sol is before going back to college. Lutie has ulterior motives. She still wants Baz’s help to catch a ghost. Soon all three of them are enmeshed in trying to avenge their father and stop the killer ghost and the devil controlling it.

The story slowly unfolds. I wish I could think of a better word than slow since it implies it was boring or plodding and it’s neither. This is more about dysfunctional family ties than anything else. All three siblings are interesting, faceted and flawed. I liked Baz the best but it’s easy to like the charming ones. I will say that there are a lot of French phrases in this (as Cajuns do speak French mixed with English and vice versa) and many of those phrases are not translated. That might bother some people (not me).

The ending is good. The twists in this were also good. I didn’t see them coming a mile away which often happens. The ending is also rather bittersweet. It wraps up the novel yet could lead to another story with the siblings. I did check and so far this is the author’s only book. I do hope she writes more.

One thing though is the cover seemed a bit off (and who knows how much input the author has). We have the villain ghost and Baz and Sol only. Lutie is nowhere around (which is a shame since she has a pivotal role in the end). For that matter Sol looks jowly and Baz is thick when he's described in the book time and again as tall, willowy, graceful. Ah well, it's a minor thing.

[Angélique (MapleBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

MapleBooks.ca: Speculative Fiction Book reviews

Like most couples, the Sarrazins have a few disagreements. As rarely seen though, they mainly argue about ghosts: Aurie, the father, sends ghost on their way to whatever is next, whereas his wife Mireille believes ghosts make good pets. Unfortunately, the conflict will escalate into the sudden departure of the mother and result in the separation of their three children.

Fast-forward thirteen years later: Aurie is found dead by a railroad, skull cracked open, hand frozen in a gesture that his eldest son, Sol, will interpret as an attempted incantation. The gruesome murder has a life-changing impact on Sol and his younger brother: while the former sets his mind on reconnecting with his father’s knowledge to make sense of his death, Baz decides to seek out their younger sister so he could share the sad news. One commits himself to a crime investigation, the other dives into the family past.

The investigation certainly draws some originality from the presence of ghosts: the Sarrazins can see ghosts and it is enough to make them look guilty. But actually, Sol has no clue of what he is after. An all too human serial killer or an actual ghost? Or maybe a devil? I found it particularly interesting that although the crime seemed clearly related to ghosts in some ways, Sol has no evidence of who/what he’s facing for a long time in the book. We slowly discover about “le p’tit diable” – as Sol calls him – as we explore the world of the drifters around the railroad and gather information from the fearful inhabitants of the area. Later, it gets even more interesting when the murderer turns to the children, bringing a sense of danger and urgency that is really exciting!

However, the most interesting aspect of Deadroads is the family story. In 1992, the three children were split between mother and father. Cut off from each other, they grew up convinced that the other were happier. Both side were persuaded that the missing parent was evil. As a result, when Sol, Baz and Lutie finally meet, they hold a lot of prejudices and resentment towards one another, even though they are curious to get acquainted and fill in the blanks from their family history. They also have one major issue in common: they suffer from seeing ghosts, legacy of their parents, the poisoned chalice that unites them despite themselves.

“There was only one reason to gather ghosts and lull them into a dream state: so you could catch one.
Mireille had had hers, tucked inside, only let out when her mother had loosened the bindings that kept it there. A kept ghost was enormously helpful in telling the fortunes of others, the very best of the psychics and fortunetellers always had one, but Lutie knew it was dangerous, her mother told her that repeatedly. It was why they had left Papa and the boys, because Aurie wouldn’t have approved.”

It’s quite pleasant that Deadroads solely focuses on the siblings. It becomes a fascinating portrait of how a family legacy can marginalize you. The separation made the siblings feel alone, different and hopeless, and the novel shows how reconnecting with your kin is a way to heal. Sol and Lutie also carry on their parents’ disagreement about how to deal with ghosts and both have to reflect on this all over again. I really enjoyed the idea that to overcome danger as a group, the siblings would overcome their parents’ discord.

Besides, I truly loved how the investigation and the reconnection fed and helped one another. For more than a decade, Sol and Baz lived together, their personality shaped to get on the best they could, like an old couple. Lutie comes and shatters this fragile balance: she challenges Sol’s authority and encourages Baz to speak for himself. She doesn’t follow orders and she takes initiatives. Actually, I found that Sol and Lutie looked like each other very much and it made me smile to see them puzzled at this. Doesn’t it happen in every family? It was great to see them slowly discover the hopes, fears and weaknesses behind the façade of the others.

Altogether, I fell in love with the Sarrazins. The investigation is surely engaging but the story of the siblings took all my interest: it was just so moving and Sol, Baz and Lutie felt really authentic (ghosts set aside). I loved reading about the siblings reuniting and healing themselves together, and how they found a way to do better and go further than their parents did, all the while carrying on the

[Andria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like Supernatural with a Louisiana touch. Not just because of the (heh) "supernatural" elements. There are plenty: ghosts, demons, angels. Warding symbols. Salt. Iron. But primarily because of the well-rounded relationship between the three siblings Sol, Lutie, and Baz. Each is a force in their own way. Their bond is nuanced, difficult, and affecting. I was just as absorbed in their story, and their history, as I was in the ghosts and devils.

I enjoyed the inclusion of the various French phrases, despite not understanding a lick of them. It brought the family history of the Sarrazans even more significance. It also gave the novel added cultural depth.

I really enjoyed Riopelle's writing style on the whole. Her sentences are like streams, flowing through words with commas. Sometimes, that type of prose can become a ramble of distractions. But there were only a few times where I felt the sentences meandered with unnecessary words. Riopelle creates some amazing images - one that's stuck with me is describing someone's eyes glittering like shattered glass. Gorgeous, and haunting.

I was surprised by the ending, but I realize now that I shouldn't have been. With a title like Deadroads, and with the novel's exploration of family lost and rebuilt, it makes sense that "going home again" could never be the ideal Sol wanted to be. I also liked that this scene was presented with so little commentary. Sol himself was a character who defied straightforward characterization. It's sad that Robbie gave up on him. It's sad that he could never be honest with her, he could never open himself up enough to truly be with her. But a part of me was happy Robbie didn't wait for him. She waited long enough. It was a quiet, solemn note to end the story on. I like the choice.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows the Sarrazin family. They live in the Bayou and have various abilities to interact with ghosts to get them to move on. But a situation years prior broke the family apart. Lutie is the daughter that was separated from her brothers Sol and Baz. Each has continued using their abilities in the mean time.

But Sol is on the hunt for a ghost killer that is targeting railroad lines. This ghost seems to be extra powerful and very determined to keep killing people. Thus all three siblings are going to have to work together, like they did as kids, to banish this ghost. But at the same time they have to get used to working with each other.

There is two parts to this book. The main part was what the siblings went through when they were younger. They have to learn to work together and get over the past. This is the heartwarming part of the story. The second part was the ghosts. I really liked these ghosts, they were very violent and not good for people to be around, especially if one is killing people. It was a refreshing take on ghosts since they seem to have become watered down in most stories.

I admit the beginning of the book is a little touch and go because the narration is a bit stilted between the siblings. Also the use of French, all though I understood why, made the book a bit challenging to get through. But everything smoothes out and starts flying from there.

This is a great ghost story or dark urban fantasy. I can’t wait for more books from Robin Riopelle
.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sarrazin family has a gift – or curse. They are connected to the dead…Aurie is a traiteur and sends spirits stuck on Earth to their rest along the Deadroads and Mireille is a psychic with a pet ghost. Their children are all gifted as well in different ways. Sol is being trained in the ways of the traiteur by Aurie, Baz is a musician with a voice which can tempt the living and the dead, and Lutie is the most like her mother. When Lutie was young, she wanted a pet ghost like her Maman, but her methods caused her mother to leave and take Lutie away with her. Now grown, Sol sees his father’s spirit which triggers a hunt for the devil who did him in. The three siblings are brought back together, but their pasts may keep them from defeating those who stalk them. DEADROADS is a tight paranormal thriller with outstanding characters and a chilling premise. I can see why DEADROADS has been described as dark fantasy, but to me it also dipped into the fringes of horror. I’m glad I remembered a lot of my high school/college French since there are pieces of dialogue in Louisiana French/Cajun. The conflicted relationships between the siblings along with their relationship to the spirit world made for an intriguing tale. Ms. Riopelle’s ability to weave each character’s story into the central plot and not slow down the story is admirable. DEADROADS is a intense and satisfying novel and I hope we see more of the Sarrazin family in the future.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my book club's books.
The opening sets the tone of suspense right away, when two young children try to conjure up some ghosts in a Louisiana graveyard. The plan is for Baz to lure them in with song, and then Lutie will snare one for herself. It doesn't go well.
Fast forward a dozen or so years, and we gradually catch up with the various family members, scattered around the country, all trying to deal with the consequences of that hot summer day and of their heritage.
The Deadroads are paths used to send the spirits of the dead on to the next world. Occasionally they are also a path for something to return to earth. That something is an evil presence that pulls this wandering and dysfunctional family back together to protect each other and fight a common enemy. They all keep secrets, to protect themselves and each other, but now these secrets become part of the problem.
We very much enjoyed the rich use of language, and the simple everyday images. To build on the Creole setting, there is a good use of French patois phrases blended skillfully throughout the story.
The ending resolved some issues but left a number of loose ends too. None of the characters seem ready yet to put down roots and all still have issues to deal with for themselves and with each other. And then there's those evils spirits still at large. We wondered if there was a sequel planned, and the author confirmed that there was. Yay. Our rating was 4/5.

[༺Kiki༻ · Rating 3 out of 5]

You might also enjoy:

✱ Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day
✱ Ghost Roads series
✱ Casting the Bones series
✱ Ghost Hedgehog
✱ Lowcountry Spirit and The Storycatcher

If you also enjoy literary fiction and magical-realism:

✱ Beloved
✱ Sing, Unburied, Sing

[Aryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadroads was one of the most enthralling, amazing books I've ever read, and I've read a lot of books. It was written so well, and it all added up and lead towards the finale in a very professional manner. And as for the paranormal stuff - my goodness, it was just perfect.

I'm so happy I had the opportunity to read this book thanks to winning a giveaway on here, and I had a personal message from Robin asking me to enjoy the book, and oh boy, did I! I'll definitely keep this book with me forever and will gladly read it again and again. One of my new favourite books. I'd love to read other works by Robin. The ending was sad for me to read, personally, but I still loved it nonetheless.

If you're interested in paranormal adventures and stories involving some crazed family issues, this is the book for you.

[Derek Newman-Stille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadroads is a novel about the interconnection between family responsibility and secrets, and the ability for secrets to pull a family apart and continue to haunt the lives of all of them with the absence of memory. Ghost hunting pulled the Sarazzins apart, but also brought their family back together, allowing them to begin the process of recovery through a shared notion of protection and discovery.

Angels and demons, the dead and the living, everything is a potential threat in this novel, inscribed with danger and needing to both be kept secret and to keep secrets from. Deadroads is a novel marked by uncertainty and characters coping with a deficit of knowledge and the danger that knowledge can bring to them.

To read a longer version of this review, visit my website at http://speculatingcanada.wordpress.co...

[Jen Stelzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the prequel and first eight pages, I went to bed and had the worst nightmare of my life. (Lesson learned: do not read scary books before bed.) But I liked the story and the setting so I resolved to try again during daylight hours to see what it was that made me so intrigued. The characters have so much life in them...which is ironic since they see ghosts. But there is much more to the story than that. Once I decided to be brave enough to join them for the next 300 or so pages, I truly loved reading about the different perceptions and unusual skills the characters faced the world with. A great book...even for a lily-livered soul like me.

[Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever hit a book that has wonderfully wrought characters and a plot that isn't cookie cutter--and it just doesn't click with you?

Deadroads is such a novel for me. The book is full of things to admire, a so-called urban fantasy with a higher-than-the-norm quality of writing . . . and I didn't like it. I grew bored while reading, wondering if I've been ruined by the spate of lower quality urban fantasies cranked out over the years.

I feel guilty admitting this, and I hope it's just a one time quirk.

[Stephanie Embry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, and all my comments mirror the other reviews. Riopelle's character building is outstanding. The three main characters are probably the most interesting cast I've read in a long time. I want to spend so much more time with each of them.

Very interesting urban fantasy plot, and very well done Cajun flavor, but it's really the characterization that made this book shine for me.

[Megan Hex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best ghost stories I have ever read. Largely this is because the ghost (and devil, and angel) story is tightly interwoven with the story of a family reuniting, not always willingly, and working together. The writing is beautiful and easily flows between a long, hot day in the bayou to the cutting cold of a mountain winter. Nothing was predictable and nothing was neat and clean, but messy like real life (and real-life ghost stories).

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrowing novel about a family that can remove ghosts from our world. Great characterizations, good plot, wonderful visual and tactile descriptions. If you read french, you are in for an extra treat, but if you don't you will still enjoy this book's clever turns. Will look forward to more from this author.