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Phantom Ranch: The canyon keeps secrets. Some are buried in it.
This killer is all too real...
Polar opposites Ben and Todd Brady have been estranged for twenty-five years. But when tragedy strikes their family, they're faced with their father's dying for both brothers to fulfill his lifelong dream of hiking the Grand Canyon.
Together. For five days in the wilderness.
Accompanied by some friends who agree to be a buffer for the tension, Ben and Todd reach the bottom of the Canyon relatively unscathed. But at the remote Phantom Ranch, a dangerous loner is lying in wait for unsuspecting visitors...
Forced to escape into the backcountry, the group finds themselves ruthlessly tracked by a madman. Now, the brothers must overcome their internal demons and find a way to get past their long history of hatred for each other if they want to make it out alive.
Inspired by true events, Phantom Ranch is a high-tension thriller that explores challenging relationships amid life-threatening events.
Polar opposites Ben and Todd Brady have been estranged for twenty-five years. But when tragedy strikes their family, they're faced with their father's dying for both brothers to fulfill his lifelong dream of hiking the Grand Canyon.
Together. For five days in the wilderness.
Accompanied by some friends who agree to be a buffer for the tension, Ben and Todd reach the bottom of the Canyon relatively unscathed. But at the remote Phantom Ranch, a dangerous loner is lying in wait for unsuspecting visitors...
Forced to escape into the backcountry, the group finds themselves ruthlessly tracked by a madman. Now, the brothers must overcome their internal demons and find a way to get past their long history of hatred for each other if they want to make it out alive.
Inspired by true events, Phantom Ranch is a high-tension thriller that explores challenging relationships amid life-threatening events.
280 pages, Paperback
Published September 22, 2026
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September 22, 2026A Joyfully Jay review.
3.25 stars
I picked up this story by a new-to-me author, as I loved the idea of a thriller set in the Grand Canyon. Not to mention the gorgeous cover that drew me in right away (and is even more perfect for the book in retrospect). But while I really loved the idea of this story in theory, in execution it unfortunately fell short for me.
What worked the best here is the wonderful setting of the Grand Canyon. Wells truly brings it to life, both the majestic beauty and the natural dangers that come when hiking, particularly in the some of the more remote areas. There are some nice moments where the group stops to take in the jaw-dropping vistas or appreciate the rugged beauty of the canyon that translate really well through the page.
Unfortunately, there was a lot I struggled with here in terms of the rest of the story. As our central character, Ben faces two main conflicts, one personal and one external.
I really wanted to like this one more that I did, as the premise really appealed to me and the high-level storyline was intriguing. But the execution just didn’t work for me and, while I was curious enough about where the book would go that I kept reading, I did struggle with this one.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
3.25 stars
I picked up this story by a new-to-me author, as I loved the idea of a thriller set in the Grand Canyon. Not to mention the gorgeous cover that drew me in right away (and is even more perfect for the book in retrospect). But while I really loved the idea of this story in theory, in execution it unfortunately fell short for me.
What worked the best here is the wonderful setting of the Grand Canyon. Wells truly brings it to life, both the majestic beauty and the natural dangers that come when hiking, particularly in the some of the more remote areas. There are some nice moments where the group stops to take in the jaw-dropping vistas or appreciate the rugged beauty of the canyon that translate really well through the page.
Unfortunately, there was a lot I struggled with here in terms of the rest of the story. As our central character, Ben faces two main conflicts, one personal and one external.
I really wanted to like this one more that I did, as the premise really appealed to me and the high-level storyline was intriguing. But the execution just didn’t work for me and, while I was curious enough about where the book would go that I kept reading, I did struggle with this one.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Ben & Todd Brady are brothers who have been at odds ever since Ben was born. When their father becomes ill & is dying he talks about his regrets, & asks them to hike the Grand Canyon together. Even when their father dies neither son is keen, but Ben eventually arranges to go for five days over the Christmas period with hiking buddies Robert & Christy. He's not sure if Todd will turn up - but surprisingly he does.
Amid the tension, the group hike down to the remote Phantom Ranch for Christmas dinner but their journey through the canyon & out the other side is dogged by a dangerous psychopath who is waiting for lone travellers or small groups. Can the brothers put the past behind them & work together? They'll have to if they want to make it out alive.
Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I love books set in inhospitable places like the Grand Canyon whether nonfiction or thrillers like this one. I enjoyed reading it as it's a thriller that also covers the complexities of family dynamics alongside grief & loss. I thought the characters were nuanced, although I felt we never really got to the bottom of Todd's childhood treatment of Ben. The creepy tone of the trip was conveyed nicely by the two stops at the eerie gas stations en route to the canyon, but I couldn't understand why (apart from the plot necessity obvs) they would continue hiking into an area where they would be completely alone with a creepy weirdo. Overall though, it was a highly enjoyable read & I'd definitely pick up other books by the author.
SUMMARY:
Plot: 4/5 - Mostly good with the two gas station stops nicely conveying the creepiness to come on the rest of the trip.
Writing Style: 4/5 - Enjoyable with nuanced characters although I felt we never really got to the bottom of Todd’s childhood treatment of Ben.
Enjoyment: 4/5 - A really good thriller that also covers the complexities of family dynamics & loss.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Twisted Tales, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
TWs:
Amid the tension, the group hike down to the remote Phantom Ranch for Christmas dinner but their journey through the canyon & out the other side is dogged by a dangerous psychopath who is waiting for lone travellers or small groups. Can the brothers put the past behind them & work together? They'll have to if they want to make it out alive.
Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I love books set in inhospitable places like the Grand Canyon whether nonfiction or thrillers like this one. I enjoyed reading it as it's a thriller that also covers the complexities of family dynamics alongside grief & loss. I thought the characters were nuanced, although I felt we never really got to the bottom of Todd's childhood treatment of Ben. The creepy tone of the trip was conveyed nicely by the two stops at the eerie gas stations en route to the canyon, but I couldn't understand why (apart from the plot necessity obvs) they would continue hiking into an area where they would be completely alone with a creepy weirdo. Overall though, it was a highly enjoyable read & I'd definitely pick up other books by the author.
SUMMARY:
Plot: 4/5 - Mostly good with the two gas station stops nicely conveying the creepiness to come on the rest of the trip.
Writing Style: 4/5 - Enjoyable with nuanced characters although I felt we never really got to the bottom of Todd’s childhood treatment of Ben.
Enjoyment: 4/5 - A really good thriller that also covers the complexities of family dynamics & loss.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Twisted Tales, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
TWs:
September 30, 2026
This book mixes adventure, fright, complicated relationships, found family and humor. Who wouldn’t giggle at the retelling of being chased by wild turkeys while hiking the Grand Canyon. I relate to parts of Scott’s story (not the hiking part 😉) and a strong take away for me is unconditional love. I had the pleasure of attending a book launch event with this author. He shared that 95% of the events really happened. To my book friends… pick this one up! You won’t be disappointed.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Scott Wells’s Phantom Ranch is a psychological survival thriller built around two kinds of danger: the physical threat of the Grand Canyon and the damage people carry into it. The novel follows Ben Brady as he undertakes a Christmas hike with his estranged brother Todd and close friends Robert and Christy, fulfilling his late father Sonny’s wish that the brothers make the trip together. Running alongside their journey is the story of a violent fugitive who calls himself Mark, a predator hiding deep in the canyon and gradually moving into their path. Wells establishes early that the landscape will do more than provide scenery. The canyon watches, conceals, echoes, and preserves secrets, giving the book an almost supernatural sense of menace even when the danger is entirely human. That combination gives Phantom Ranch its identity: part wilderness thriller, part family drama, and part story about what people do with the things that have hurt them.
The emotional center is Ben, and his complicated relationship with Todd gives the suspense more weight than a straightforward stalk-and-survive story would have. Their history includes cruelty, homophobia, violence, and childhood trauma, so the hike carries years of unresolved anger down the trail with them. Sonny’s death gives them a reason to be together, but the canyon becomes the place where they’re finally forced to see one another without the familiar family roles surrounding them. One of the book’s strongest choices is allowing that change to happen through small experiences as well as dramatic ones: a near fall, shared memories of their father, jokes that only brothers understand, and the scattering of Sonny’s ashes over the canyon. By the time Todd begins to recognize that Ben has never asked him to change his beliefs, only to treat him with the same dignity Todd expects for himself, the trip has become as much about emotional survival as physical survival. That makes Todd’s arc the novel’s boldest element because Wells asks readers to hold the seriousness of his past behavior alongside his capacity to change.
There are echoes here of Stephen King, particularly The Shining, in the way Wells uses an isolated place to put pressure on damaged relationships. King’s Overlook Hotel seems to absorb and amplify what a family brings into it, and Wells gives the Grand Canyon a similar presence. The difference in setting produces a very different kind of energy. Here, exposure replaces confinement: cliffs, ice, darkness, distance, exhaustion, and the knowledge that help may be hours away. Wells also embraces a broader tonal mix than pure horror. There are turkey chases, road-trip insults, Christmas presents, crude jokes, friendship, sex, grief, family memories, and sudden eruptions of graphic violence. That range makes the characters feel as though they had lives before the thriller machinery reached them. Mark, meanwhile, becomes increasingly disturbing through his fixation on condors, stalking, trophies, and control. His obsession eventually turns the bird imagery back on him in a particularly fitting piece of narrative symmetry when the creatures he admires become the ones that find what remains of him.
What I liked most wasn’t the serial-killer plot by itself, but the way Wells connects survival to belonging. Ben enters the canyon carrying grief, fear, memories of abuse, and a lifetime of having parts of himself judged by people he loves. He leaves having survived something almost unimaginably violent, but the book keeps going long enough to show why surviving matters. The final family gathering and Ben and Kent’s wedding give the story a destination beyond escape, with Todd standing beside his brother as best man and Sonny represented by a photograph saved for the ceremony. Wells makes his purpose especially clear in the author’s note, where he describes the story as growing from his own journey through silence, shame, acceptance, and survival. That personal investment comes through on the page. Phantom Ranch is a raw and cinematic thriller with a surprisingly earnest heart, one that treats the climb out of the canyon as both a feat of endurance and a metaphor for finally finding your way home.
The emotional center is Ben, and his complicated relationship with Todd gives the suspense more weight than a straightforward stalk-and-survive story would have. Their history includes cruelty, homophobia, violence, and childhood trauma, so the hike carries years of unresolved anger down the trail with them. Sonny’s death gives them a reason to be together, but the canyon becomes the place where they’re finally forced to see one another without the familiar family roles surrounding them. One of the book’s strongest choices is allowing that change to happen through small experiences as well as dramatic ones: a near fall, shared memories of their father, jokes that only brothers understand, and the scattering of Sonny’s ashes over the canyon. By the time Todd begins to recognize that Ben has never asked him to change his beliefs, only to treat him with the same dignity Todd expects for himself, the trip has become as much about emotional survival as physical survival. That makes Todd’s arc the novel’s boldest element because Wells asks readers to hold the seriousness of his past behavior alongside his capacity to change.
There are echoes here of Stephen King, particularly The Shining, in the way Wells uses an isolated place to put pressure on damaged relationships. King’s Overlook Hotel seems to absorb and amplify what a family brings into it, and Wells gives the Grand Canyon a similar presence. The difference in setting produces a very different kind of energy. Here, exposure replaces confinement: cliffs, ice, darkness, distance, exhaustion, and the knowledge that help may be hours away. Wells also embraces a broader tonal mix than pure horror. There are turkey chases, road-trip insults, Christmas presents, crude jokes, friendship, sex, grief, family memories, and sudden eruptions of graphic violence. That range makes the characters feel as though they had lives before the thriller machinery reached them. Mark, meanwhile, becomes increasingly disturbing through his fixation on condors, stalking, trophies, and control. His obsession eventually turns the bird imagery back on him in a particularly fitting piece of narrative symmetry when the creatures he admires become the ones that find what remains of him.
What I liked most wasn’t the serial-killer plot by itself, but the way Wells connects survival to belonging. Ben enters the canyon carrying grief, fear, memories of abuse, and a lifetime of having parts of himself judged by people he loves. He leaves having survived something almost unimaginably violent, but the book keeps going long enough to show why surviving matters. The final family gathering and Ben and Kent’s wedding give the story a destination beyond escape, with Todd standing beside his brother as best man and Sonny represented by a photograph saved for the ceremony. Wells makes his purpose especially clear in the author’s note, where he describes the story as growing from his own journey through silence, shame, acceptance, and survival. That personal investment comes through on the page. Phantom Ranch is a raw and cinematic thriller with a surprisingly earnest heart, one that treats the climb out of the canyon as both a feat of endurance and a metaphor for finally finding your way home.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews