What Digs Itself Free

by Stoney Brooks

Zap Rogers has made a career out of exploiting others, most of whom are dead. With one of the most successful, longest running ghost hunting shows on the market, he and his team have raked in the cash. But with market trends shifting, Zap and his crew are no longer relevant, and are losing market share to younger, more hip trends.

Scrambling to remain in the spotlight, Zap and his crew order new gear in an attempt to give the show a facelift. But when a mysterious package arrives from a secret admirer, things begin to take a sour turn. Investigations are seemingly sabotaged, weird sightings around the house have everyone on edge, Zap’s plagued with nightmares of a mysterious old hag, and the manifestations are not only haunting, but starting to get physical.

With the help of an old colleague Zap begins investigating the occurrences, following the trail right back to his own selfish behavior. Now Zap must do everything in his power to stop the malevolent entity before this investigation turns into his last.

Genres: Horror

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 1, 2026

About the author

Stoney Brooks is a good old fashioned SoCal boy, with a healthy touch of Gypsy blood. After multiple moves, he’s landed back in his childhood stomping grounds of San Bernardino County, dragging along his wife, two kids, and smattering of barnyard critters.

A finance professional by day, he holds multiple distinguishing titles. By night, he crafts dark stories tinged with just a touch of humor to cut the tension. Stoney is an active member of the Horror Writers Association and the Horror Authors Guild.

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Zap, although an unlikeable character due to his egotistical nature and womanizing ways, showed a softer side through his love and devotion to his niece. The book was well-written, with a spooky atmosphere, particularly in regards to Zap's interest in all things cursed. In the end, his lies caught up to him. I am eager to read more books from this author and recommend checking this one out.

Thanks to Book Sirens for sending me an advanced copy to read and review

[⠀ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so the story's cool with pretty good imagery, one can totally feel the creepiness!

But I just couldn't get past the really, really obnoxious writing...It came off as if a try-hard edgy teen wrote this, yikes.



|| My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC :) ||

[Tegan · Rating 2 out of 5]

<- this is an auto warning from Goodreads, just FYI

I'm so disappointed with this book. Heads up, this review will be filled with spoilers and my anger.

I went in blind (which I do recommend IF you decide to read this) and the first half was great! One of the spookiest books I had read in a long time and I have read a LOT of them. Then the second half came around and killed all of that. You should see all my notes where I'm yelling at the main character (spoiler - there's a LOT of them). I'll try to keep this review as short as I can.

A lot of nonsensical events happened, my fave character Rose was reduced to a damsel in distress and her character building screeched to a halt, and they didn't explain how the enemy was killed! The girl clearly didn't die (or die and was revived) so saying 'death was the answer' doesn't make any sense.

The MC should of died from his wounds within minutes but I guess Rose threw her plot armour on him. They don't say anything about their friend that was killed (and apparently the detective doesn't know about that??) or the fact that the girl, who was non verbal, is suddenly able to speak. I guess being possessed by a demon and stabbed by her uncle cured her of that? Somehow??

I *really* didn't like how the MC decided to be a white knight in the second half. It came out of nowhere too. One second he's so resentful of her despite her trying to save his life and the next second he's basically in love with her and she's reduced to a nodding, compliant, and unquestioning piece of furniture.

The MC was a raging asshole throughout the whole book, including when he was dying, and didn't deserve that redemption ending. It's implied that he married Rose within a few months after having his femoral artery slashed open (which is a 6 - 8 week recover time btw) and has a new show that he's already filming??

Number one - Rose, you can do so much better! I know she's naught but an agreeable husk of her former character but still, she can do better. Secondly, how he managed to pitch a new show, have it picked up, signed the contracts, organised the team to film, researched the locations, flew to location, and THEN start filming in the same time span as he was recovering and getting married is beyond me. It clearly isn't with his previous manager as they dumped the show for having the exact same content. Ugh!

I have more issues with the book but I'll save them for my screaming pillow. This review is already long enough.

I'm so mad at everything that undid the first half. It really feels like it was rushed and not edited properly (I found NUMEROUS errors and nonsensical sentences) which is really disappointing.

If you do still want to read it, read up until he burns the box and close the book immediately. Pretend that was the ending because what follows is just awful writing and characterisation.

[Abigail Grimm · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Digs Itself Freeby Stoney Brooks is a clear representation of the phrase “Fuck around and find out.” In this ARC that I received from NetGalley, I followed the story of famed ghost hunter Zap Rogers and his crew as they flew from location to location, unearthing hauntings. That is, until a mysterious box shows up on Zap’s doorstep.

Zap Rogers is an utterly unlikeable character, his love for his niece hardly enough to save him from this harsh judgment. Whether he’s meant to be a parody of a certain someone or not is beside the point: he is a user and a manipulator, willing to sink to any low to get what he wants. Usually, that’s in someone’s pants. He lives a surprisingly lonely life outside of work, holed up in a mansion with his niece and housekeeper when he’s not on the road with his crew. The co-stars in this book, Adam, Ryan, and Rose, are far more likeable.

A large portion of the book takes place without Rose, who is never mentioned by name but alluded to up until her entrance in the book. She seems to be the brains of the operation when she returns to the crew, claiming Zap’s left a mess in his wake and that she’s cleaned up every investigation he’s done. This prowess toward helping the deceased is highlighted at one of the locations.

Unfortunately, bringing Rose back isn’t enough to save the falling ratings and the show becomes part of the background after Zap receives a creepy box in the mail. Coinciding with the arrival and opening of the box, (which you’ve probably figured out what kind of box it is by now; however, I’m not one to spoil), an entity arrives that pulls the crews attention away from their show and into a supernatural fight against it.

I really can’t say a lot more about the plot without ruining it, but overall, I loved the fast-paced storytelling. The flow of the story was smooth, and the descriptions were delightfully gross. In fact, at one of them I almost gagged out loud and lovingly shared the line with my boyfriend, who was equally grossed out.

What I didn’t like was an element of the ending that was unexpected and felt a little forced, as the action seemed out of character. After all, the entire novel focused on Zap’s promiscuity heavily and that outcome didn’t fit with his habits.

I definitely look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.

[Hannah Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if it was the author's intention to poke fun at a certain someone, but I can tell you that if it wasn't, that's too bad, because that's how I read it, anyway. Entirely too many similarities. Also, I've never requested an ARC faster.

The main character was... the main character. I spent the entire time rolling my eyes, laughing and pointing out passages to my wife. This may sound like a bad thing in a horror book, but for me, it really wasn't. HE wasn't supposed to be the scary part of the story, after all. He was such an *** whose only redeeming quality was his care of his niece. I was disappointed at what happened to one of the team members, who I liked. I was also disappointed at how Zap's story ended, because I was cheering for... things... the entire time. I found him just as ridiculous and unlikeable at the end as I did at the beginning, although I really hope that their new set up works out for them, as it may help shrink his head.

Now, onto the entity - loved it. I could not think of a more fitting entity to go after Za---Zap. I wish she had been after him only, because then she would have been my favourite character. ... you know, she might be my favourite character, anyway. She was eerie, determined and the sheer spirit of FAFO. Finding out her backstory, I know the characters and probably a lot of readers were very EW, SICK, but honestly... I just felt really bad for her. What happened to her, regardless of what she was doing, was undeserved.

As far as the writing went, I enjoyed it. It was easy to read and follow along with and I finished this book in one day. I don't know if it was a problem with my Kindle app or not, but the formatting was way off for this ARC, being entirely justified right and it took me a bit to be able to read it because I kept being thrown by lines that only had one or two words on it. After I got used to that, though, it was easy and fun reading and I will be happy to add this book to my collection when it comes out.

[Thallia Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was unfortunately pretty disappointed with this one. I had high hopes after reading the prologue, it honestly feels like it’s from a different book all together, but it does introduce the main haunted artifact. I was looking forward to learning more about it, but that never really happened.

I thought the plot was a pretty fun idea, ghost hunters are always a fun topic. Unfortunately they were just lightly covered and it was mainly to mention that their show might be cancelled. There was one really fun scene during a shoot and I wish there was more of that. It was the scariest part in the book.

The characters were just ok, they were pretty flat other than the main character, Zap. He was super unlikable, but that was the point and I do think he was done well. My biggest disappointment was with Rose, she seemed so absolutely cool when she was introduced, but her character completely changed into a sobbing mess that needed comforting. She did do a couple of neat things, but I wish her personality hadn’t changed so much. I also wasn’t fond of Zoey, the main characters niece. She felt thrown in for an easy target of the haunting. It also felt like Zap kept forgetting she existed at parts.

The pacing was quick which I appreciated. I was able to easily read this in a couple of days. One of my biggest issues was with plausibility. There were so many minor things that just didn’t make sense. The dialog was also simple and lacking. The emotions felt a bit forced there.

Overall I did want to finish this to see what ended up happening. It was goofier than I was expecting, but I think that worked really well with the main character. I just wish things were explained more with the haunting and I just really didn’t care for the human bad guy. I wish he wasn’t added in at all.

[The Hateful Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I like Stoney Brooks - and I’m absolutely open to reading more from him.

This is a fast-paced horror novel that plays out like a movie in your head. You don’t need to be into ghost-hunting shows to enjoy it; the story stands on its own. The opening comes in swinging, with believable, flawed characters, well-placed humor, and gore that does not hold back. Early on, this felt like a solid five-star read. The writing flows effortlessly, the plot is intriguing, and I was fully invested in seeing where it would go.
Unfortunately… it mostly just went.

The core entity worked for me, but the additional danger introduced toward the end felt like over-seasoning an already flavorful dish… salt on top of salt. It didn’t add depth so much as dilute the impact of what was already effective.

I will say this: Brooks is unafraid to make readers uncomfortable. Some of the sexual content gave me the ick, but I respect the willingness to tackle unsettling territory without apology. That boldness is clearly part of his voice and I’m here for it!

My biggest issue, though, is the ending. While it technically concludes the story, it doesn’t resolve it. The prologue (set in Poland, 1944) was an absolute banger! But by the end, I was left wondering how that opening truly connected to the present-day story. Instead of circling back to that initial “WTF” moment in a satisfying way, the ending left me with a more confused “wait… what?”

That said, despite my frustrations, I did enjoy this book overall. I’d still recommend it to horror readers, and I’ll likely be sharing it in a horror lit group I’m part of. It didn’t stick the landing for me… but the ride was compelling enough that I’d gladly take another one.

As a final thought, I’d happily volunteer Brooks for a horror Bigfoot novel. It’s been a while since the genre has had a truly standout entry (Devolution still holds that crown), and after reading this, I think he has the right instincts to pull it off.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Cynthia Kiesling · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4!

Zap Rodgers is a well known and famous ghost hunter. He emerged as one of the leading showrunners and has been in the business the longest. However, despite this his show is at risk and his team has to make some last ditch efforts to save it. This results in Zap biting off more than he can chew and finding a way to succeed over what continues to dig itself free.

I ate this up and flew through the book. I watched many ghost hunting shows in my younger years. I could easily see the similarities and references to Zac Bagans and team from Ghost Adventures. I don't recall having read a horror story with this plot line so it was refreshing to get something different.

Even though I liked the book, I couldn't stand Zap as the main character. He only had minor redeeming qualities towards the end. There were other minor things that were lacking that would have eased my mind. For example, did Zap shower after? When you read it you'll know what I mean. The stories resolution was well done as well. I didn't have but one question.

All in all, would recommend to fans of the genre!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kiana Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The horror elements of this book were gritty, gorey, and superbly spooky. I really enjoyed how dark this book was. The characters felt a bit surface-level, and I wish we had gotten to know them better.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as an ARC from NetGalley and it was absolutely amazing from beginning to end! It has just the right amount of horror and and it grips you from the beginning. I look for to other reading other books from Stoney Brooks!

[John Bitsko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and the premise of the story. Definitely recommended.