Dark Channel

by Ray Garton

People from across the country and around the globe are coming to the mountain retreat of Hester Thorne, the enthralling leader of the Universal Enlightened Alliance. They are coming to hear the comforting wisdom and messages of peace offered by Orrin, the centuries-old entity that Hester channels. They are coming to donate their money and time to Hester, the Alliance, and Orrin. And some are chosen to make a more significant contribution . . . a greater sacrifice.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1992

About the author

Ray Garton is the author of several books, including horror novels such as LIVE GIRLS (which has a movie in the works), CRUCIFAX, E4 AUTUMN, and THE FOLKS; thrillers like TRADE SECRETS and SHACKLED; and numerous short stories and novellas. He's also written a number of movie and television tie-ins for young readers. He lives with his wife, Dawn, in California.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ray Garton's work I have always enjoyed, some novels more than others, however. Crucifax and Live Girls knocked it out of the park while Dark Channel finished more of a double. Still, an intriguing read featuring a New Age cult in California, the Universal Enlightened Alliance, that preaches love and rainbows but has some evil in its core.

Our main protagonist, Jordan Cross, now works as a PI in San Francisco and one day gets a call from a big shot entrepreneur to check out the cult. It seems a reporter that works on a tabloid he owns was looking for dirt on the cult, but simply disappeared, but managed to FedEx some documents back to base if you will before vanishing from the face of the Earth. So, Jordan, along with a kinda partner resolve to head out to Grover, CA, where the cult runs a resort/spa type deal to do some digging of their own.

Garton takes his time getting into this story, giving us some background via a few prologues, and then slowly building up the tension. I normally dig 'quiet horror', but this to me felt more like a pacing issue, as it really picked up about the midway point and just kept going. Before even being introduced to Jordan Cross, Garton presented several other characters in detail, such as a family with one young boy who come to feature later in the story. The husband, a coke addict, finally gave up the 'habit' only to find a new meaning in life with the cult. Via the Schroeder family (Mark and Lauren), we get our 'inside' member of the cult (Mark) and the estranged wife who only wants her child back as Mark took little Nathen with him (and all their money of course). We also get extensive backgrounds on Jordan and his 'partner', maybe too extensive, among others.

Garton did a nice job with the cult and yes, it is really creepy, especially the founder, Hester, who claims to 'channel' one Orrin, some kind of god or master. This really comes down to a classic good versus evil tale and once it got going, Garton built the tension nicely all the way to the denouement (which, in the end, was not that much of a surprise). I might have bumped this to 4 stars, but the slow start and the denouement made me decide on 3 stars. Still, if you like creepy cults and good old God versus evil stuff, you might want to give this a go.

[Debra]

Stephen King recommended book. He says: "Scary...involving...mature and thoughtful."

[DJMikeG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was yet another good novel by Ray Garton. It wasn't perfect, and I felt like a solid trim job could have made it a tighter read, but it was well written with some decent characters and a suspenseful climax. I disagree with Stephen King, who called it Garton's best novel, but it was enjoyable for the most part.

[Julie Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book! It kept me interested the whole time. It would make a good mini-series, I think! I recommend this for summertime reading.

[Johann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Good!!

Hestor Thorne is a woman with a mission. She is the leader of a New Age group called the Alliance and is a medium for a being called Orrin to speak through.
As any belief system there are believers and naysayers but with Orrin, predictions are actually coming true.
Jordan is a private eye who is skeptical of almost everything. He gets a tip from and some evidence that Hestor is crooked as they come so he investigates. But will the evidence lead him to a very charismatic charlatan or is Hestor the real deal? And if she is for real, will Jordan be able to continue to be the skeptic he's always been?

I wanted to give this 5 stars but, without spoilers, I was hoping for certain questions to be answered.
However it is still a great story and enjoyed it tremendously!!

[Michael P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well-done horror novel revolves around a new age cult led by a woman who claims to be channeling an ascended being with a message of peace and love for the world. However, a private investigator looking into the case finds that something far more sinister is going on. Garton is a good writer and does well at keeping the reader's interest and crafting interesting characters. However, the first half of the book is somewhat slow, with most of the horror not kicking in until the second half. While not his best work, this is still well worth a read.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good Christianity vs. Cult book by a man who knows how to keep you reading. This has a lot of sub plots that work around the main story. Detectives. Megalomaniac religious leader. Deformed killer. The one thing I wanted a little more of was the horror element to come out. Other than that, this was a great read.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Well written. Reminded me of old school horror (of the 1980s). It was a fun ride and I recommend it to those who love King and McCammon and Jonathon Maberry.

[Brett Grossmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always kept me reading. Kept me engaged. The big finish was expected. Not a lot of surprises

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. An absorbing and frightening gem. Possibly Gartons best!

[Egghead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reaching for darkness,
False prophet, transcend through death-
Eighties God will save.

[A.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always thought a religious cult would be a great subject for a horror story, and this book proves that mightily. It is Ray Garton's epic work, and this novel has it all: chilling scares, multiple POVs and a message of hope in good overcoming evil that I never thought I'd get from Garton.