What do you think?
Rate this book
Pine Deep #1
Ghost Road Blues
The book that launched the Pine Deep trilogy
Thirty years ago, a blues musician called the Bone Man killed the devil at the crossroads, only to be beaten and hung like a scarecrow in a cornfield--or so the story goes. Today, the people of Pine Deep celebrate their town's grisly past by luring tourists to the famous haunted hayride, full of chills and scares. But this year, "The Spookiest Town in America" will learn the true meaning of fear. Its residents will see the real face of evil lurking behind the masks of ordinary people. They will feel it--in their hearts, in their bones, in their nightmares. Because evil never dies. It only grows stronger…
Thirty years ago, a blues musician called the Bone Man killed the devil at the crossroads, only to be beaten and hung like a scarecrow in a cornfield--or so the story goes. Today, the people of Pine Deep celebrate their town's grisly past by luring tourists to the famous haunted hayride, full of chills and scares. But this year, "The Spookiest Town in America" will learn the true meaning of fear. Its residents will see the real face of evil lurking behind the masks of ordinary people. They will feel it--in their hearts, in their bones, in their nightmares. Because evil never dies. It only grows stronger…
435 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2006
560 people are currently reading
10869 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Maberry
518 books7,774 followersJONATHAN MABERRY is a NYTimes bestselling author, #1 Audible bestseller, 5-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, 4-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, comic book writer, and producer. He is the author of more than 50 novels, 190 short stories, 16 short story collections, 30 graphic novels, 14 nonfiction books, and has edited 26 anthologies. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-WARS, was a Netflix original series starring Ian Somerhalder. His 2009-10 run as writer on the Black Panther comic formed a large chunk of the recent blockbuster film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. His bestselling YA zombie series, Rot & Ruin is in development for film at Alcon Entertainment; and John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, is developing Jonathan’s Joe Ledger Thrillers for TV. Jonathan writes in multiple genres including suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, and action; and he writes for adults, teens and middle grade. His works include The Pine Deep Trilogy, The Kagen the Damned Trilogy, NecroTek, Ink, Glimpse, the Rot & Ruin series, the Dead of Night series, The Wolfman, X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate, The Sleepers War (with Weston Ochse), Mars One, and many others. He is the editor of high-profile anthologies including Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird, The X-Files, Aliens: Bug Hunt, Out of Tune, Don’t Turn out the Lights: A Tribute to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Baker Street Irregulars, Nights of the Living Dead, Shadows & Verse, and others. His comics include Marvel Zombies Return, The Punisher: Naked Kills, Wolverine: Ghosts, Godzilla vs Cthulhu: Death May Die, Bad Blood and many others. Jonathan has written in many popular licensed worlds, including Hellboy, True Blood, The Wolfman, John Carter of Mars, Sherlock Holmes, C.H.U.D., Diablo IV, Deadlands, World of Warcraft, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Predator, Karl Kolchak, and many others. He the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales Magazine. He lives in San Diego, California. Find him online at www.jonathanmaberry.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 768 reviews
January 30, 2022
Thirty years ago, a Black Harvest came to Pine Deep. A Blues musician killed the devil at the crossroads and ended up murdered for his troubles. His body strung up in the cornfield like a scarecrow. Or so legend tells it...... Today, Pine Deep embraces its dark history and is hailed as, "The Spookiest Town in America". As Halloween nears, the residents start to feel different. Evil is on the wind and in the heart of many who call Pine Deep Home. The devil is back to collect his due. This time he won't be denied.
August 2, 2016
I am going to be the party pooper again. Many of my friends enjoyed this story but as much as I tried (and, boy, did I ever try) I could not fall into this book.
Part of the problem was the narrator. His voice was gravelly and deep and it suited some of the characters but it grated on me. Sorry but it’s true. It’s a personal thing and I know this. You may love his manly voice but it didn’t do it for me. His female voices were nothing short of atrocious and unnatural and I am not apologizing for that.
But the other part of my problem was the story itself. I can usually get past a not-so-fantastic narrator if the story grabs me but, try as I might, I could not stay focused on this story of violence (mainly) perpetrated by awful men. Spending time in the heads of these despicable fellows was not a fun time and I guess I just wasn’t in the mood for it because I found it slow and uninteresting and I didn’t find it even a wee bit scary. I enjoyed the small town setting but the awful things going on and around there just left me kind of numb and very bored. I didn’t care for any of the characters and that is always a big problem for me so I more than likely won’t be continuing on with the series.
2 1/2 Stars
Part of the problem was the narrator. His voice was gravelly and deep and it suited some of the characters but it grated on me. Sorry but it’s true. It’s a personal thing and I know this. You may love his manly voice but it didn’t do it for me. His female voices were nothing short of atrocious and unnatural and I am not apologizing for that.
But the other part of my problem was the story itself. I can usually get past a not-so-fantastic narrator if the story grabs me but, try as I might, I could not stay focused on this story of violence (mainly) perpetrated by awful men. Spending time in the heads of these despicable fellows was not a fun time and I guess I just wasn’t in the mood for it because I found it slow and uninteresting and I didn’t find it even a wee bit scary. I enjoyed the small town setting but the awful things going on and around there just left me kind of numb and very bored. I didn’t care for any of the characters and that is always a big problem for me so I more than likely won’t be continuing on with the series.
2 1/2 Stars
September 13, 2025
Ghost Road Blues
By Jonathan Maberry
Maberry is always good for a horror fest with plenty of gore to go with it! It has characters that made me really hate them and others to really love them! A town that has supernatural monsters and flesh and blood monsters!
A crazed supernatural being that took over a body until a brave black blues guitar player finally killed it. Then racists killed him. Now, decades later, it's back with a new host, the racists are still around, and a vicious band of thieves crashed their car in this unlucky town. But the ghost of the blues player is back too, to help even the field a little.
Suspenseful, gory in spots, has child abuse in it, an attempted rape (she was ok), and severe racism with a beating to death. What I am trying to say is that it's not for the faint of heart or disturbed by these things. I would want to know before going into a book. The book was good but I had to keep reminding myself, " this is not real!", as I read the gruesome parts.
By Jonathan Maberry
Maberry is always good for a horror fest with plenty of gore to go with it! It has characters that made me really hate them and others to really love them! A town that has supernatural monsters and flesh and blood monsters!
A crazed supernatural being that took over a body until a brave black blues guitar player finally killed it. Then racists killed him. Now, decades later, it's back with a new host, the racists are still around, and a vicious band of thieves crashed their car in this unlucky town. But the ghost of the blues player is back too, to help even the field a little.
Suspenseful, gory in spots, has child abuse in it, an attempted rape (she was ok), and severe racism with a beating to death. What I am trying to say is that it's not for the faint of heart or disturbed by these things. I would want to know before going into a book. The book was good but I had to keep reminding myself, " this is not real!", as I read the gruesome parts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2013
The last thing Billy said was, “Oh, come on…there’s nothing out there.”
And then two sets of bone-white hands arched over the slat rails on the wagon and seized him by the shoulders and the collar and dragged him screaming into the darkness.
These, the opening lines of Ghost Road Blues, more or less set the tone for the rest of the novel. It’s a bit of a doozy, actually. Maberry juggles a number of different horror conventions here, both supernatural and natural. All of these converge on a single town: Pine Deep. Needless to say, there is a lot of bad stuff going down tonight.
Maberry appears (intentionally or otherwise) to be paying homage to quite a few writers here:
The Bone Man killed the devil with a guitar.
This is clearly a nod to Who Fears the Devil by Manly Wade Wellman.
Also, Tow-Truck Eddie is a character that could have been nabbed from the pages of any number of Dean Koontz novels. There’s more: one of Malcolm Crow’s cats is named Koko, which could be a reference to the Peter Straub novel (Koko).
Anyway, all that aside, it really is pretty good. The pacing is flawless and the scares are real. The only real downside is the fact that, being the first in a trilogy, once the final page has come and gone the story is clearly far, far from over. I’ve already ordered the next instalment (Dead Man's Song), as this is gearing up to be a total whopper of a Horror story.
Hell’s acoming, little Scarecrow. Hell’s a-coming and we all gotta learn to play the blues.
And then two sets of bone-white hands arched over the slat rails on the wagon and seized him by the shoulders and the collar and dragged him screaming into the darkness.
These, the opening lines of Ghost Road Blues, more or less set the tone for the rest of the novel. It’s a bit of a doozy, actually. Maberry juggles a number of different horror conventions here, both supernatural and natural. All of these converge on a single town: Pine Deep. Needless to say, there is a lot of bad stuff going down tonight.
Maberry appears (intentionally or otherwise) to be paying homage to quite a few writers here:
The Bone Man killed the devil with a guitar.
This is clearly a nod to Who Fears the Devil by Manly Wade Wellman.
Also, Tow-Truck Eddie is a character that could have been nabbed from the pages of any number of Dean Koontz novels. There’s more: one of Malcolm Crow’s cats is named Koko, which could be a reference to the Peter Straub novel (Koko).
Anyway, all that aside, it really is pretty good. The pacing is flawless and the scares are real. The only real downside is the fact that, being the first in a trilogy, once the final page has come and gone the story is clearly far, far from over. I’ve already ordered the next instalment (Dead Man's Song), as this is gearing up to be a total whopper of a Horror story.
Hell’s acoming, little Scarecrow. Hell’s a-coming and we all gotta learn to play the blues.
October 29, 2018
Son of a biscuit eater!!! I love Jonathan Mayberry and his Rot & Ruin series but I didn't care for this book 😫 Sighhhhhhhhhh.......
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
April 8, 2018
Yeah, so this book really pissed me off. Why? Because I loved it, but I hate getting roped into reading a trilogy.
Given the epilogue, there is no question that this book solved absolutely none of the conflicts presented. It is the first part of a trilogy and cannot stand alone as its own book. So I am forced to purchase the others to read to gain even one iota of closure. This is a pet peeve of mine because a book's gotta be damn good for me to invest my time in its sequels.
Fortunately, this one makes the grade, and I've already bought the second installment. Maberry's gonna make three audiobook sales off me. The narrator is very good, almost comical but still enjoyable when he does the main villain's voice, and absolutely chilling as Karl Ruger and Tow Truck Eddie, and hateful as Vic Wingate. Crow and Val can be a little corny, and I hated Mike Sweeney at first, but eventually grew to love the little shite.
Anyway, the writing is superb. The only flaws would be some repetition and use of those words and phrases no one except writers use (even myself, though very sparingly), which always jar me from a scene.
I want to give this five stars, but to me it's like rating 1/3 of a book. The story could turn to absolute shit or become the greatest thing since the greatest thing since sliced bread. Or the greatest thing after that.
Anyway, despite pissing me off... five stars
Given the epilogue, there is no question that this book solved absolutely none of the conflicts presented. It is the first part of a trilogy and cannot stand alone as its own book. So I am forced to purchase the others to read to gain even one iota of closure. This is a pet peeve of mine because a book's gotta be damn good for me to invest my time in its sequels.
Fortunately, this one makes the grade, and I've already bought the second installment. Maberry's gonna make three audiobook sales off me. The narrator is very good, almost comical but still enjoyable when he does the main villain's voice, and absolutely chilling as Karl Ruger and Tow Truck Eddie, and hateful as Vic Wingate. Crow and Val can be a little corny, and I hated Mike Sweeney at first, but eventually grew to love the little shite.
Anyway, the writing is superb. The only flaws would be some repetition and use of those words and phrases no one except writers use (even myself, though very sparingly), which always jar me from a scene.
I want to give this five stars, but to me it's like rating 1/3 of a book. The story could turn to absolute shit or become the greatest thing since the greatest thing since sliced bread. Or the greatest thing after that.
Anyway, despite pissing me off... five stars
March 13, 2013
Three criminals arrive to Pine Deep, one of them is more sinister than the rest, a wanted Killer! Is that all the evil that lurks in Pine Deep? No!
This is a dark atmospheric supernatural thriller. I can see why Maberry was awarded the Bram Stoker award for this, he's a great writer really immerses you in the blood pulsing thrill, a real page-turner. The story plays out like an episode of Supernatural. I am hooked, line and sinker!
He's developed a really good protagonist and characters like The Bone Man, Tow-truck Eddie, and The Dark Man all written in a good prose.
"Evil don't die it just waits"
that's what the Boneman says in this story and it's more gripping thriller stuff than being a haunting or gory story. You feel we only get glimpse of a lot of his characters in this book due to it being a trilogy I am looking forward to reading Bad Moon Rising the second book of the PIne Deep series.
Over here also.
This is a dark atmospheric supernatural thriller. I can see why Maberry was awarded the Bram Stoker award for this, he's a great writer really immerses you in the blood pulsing thrill, a real page-turner. The story plays out like an episode of Supernatural. I am hooked, line and sinker!
He's developed a really good protagonist and characters like The Bone Man, Tow-truck Eddie, and The Dark Man all written in a good prose.
"Evil don't die it just waits"
that's what the Boneman says in this story and it's more gripping thriller stuff than being a haunting or gory story. You feel we only get glimpse of a lot of his characters in this book due to it being a trilogy I am looking forward to reading Bad Moon Rising the second book of the PIne Deep series.
"Hells a coming and we all gotta learn the blues"
"Dark Hollow was as dark as a tomb and as inviting as an open, beckoning grave; yet there were worse places in Pine Deep, places where the shadows were darker still and the air hummed with a malevolent tension. But these places were never named and they were never thought about by choice. Dark Hollow, a doorway to those other places, remained as the darkest place known consciously to the people of the town, and in its Way it was dark enough."
Over here also.
November 16, 2023
this is a throwback to the expansive novels of King & Koontz & McCammon that feature a large cast of characters, a looming supernatural threat, some explicit sexytimes, some shocking ultraviolence, and of course everyone's favorite trope, a magical black man. or in this case, a mournful ghost of a black man who is going to do his best to save people. the cast is fine, very sympathetic when need be, and the trio of human villains were certainly horrible beyond belief. I really could have done without the extensive abuse of the struggling adolescent who is going to play A Very Important Role in the upcoming battle, but that's just me being soft I think. the looming supernatural threat is still in looming mode, literally issuing his commands while buried in a swamp, so not much to say there. I did like the idea that the Mayor is eventually going to reveal himself as a werewolf, that was fun. the sex was often graphic but pretty sweet. the violent scenes were actually the best parts of the book - Maberry really knows how to write action! the ghost was fairly annoying with his moping about, and I'm not sure that injecting race into his murder by smalltown bigots at the start of the book was the right move - sort of a loaded topic, I think! - but it's clear that Maberry has a lot of affection and respect for this character, so I wasn't unduly irritated.
the writing was ok, very early King-Koontz-McCammon and all that implies, both good and not so good. nothing interesting in terms of style, but still effective. not as good as King as far as characterization goes, but the characters were real enough for me to either worry about or to crave their deaths. this is a long book that could have used some editing (what's new), but it was still pacey enough for me to turn those pages fast. overall, fine effort but not memorable.
2.5 stars, rounded down. I had initially planned on rounding up to 3 stars, but I just realized while writing this review that I have no intention of reading its sequels, and I think that says something?
the writing was ok, very early King-Koontz-McCammon and all that implies, both good and not so good. nothing interesting in terms of style, but still effective. not as good as King as far as characterization goes, but the characters were real enough for me to either worry about or to crave their deaths. this is a long book that could have used some editing (what's new), but it was still pacey enough for me to turn those pages fast. overall, fine effort but not memorable.
2.5 stars, rounded down. I had initially planned on rounding up to 3 stars, but I just realized while writing this review that I have no intention of reading its sequels, and I think that says something?
November 6, 2021
Wow! What a spooky and creepy story!
A small backstory:
The town of Pine Deep is just steeped in haunting lore of the Bone Man as something tragic happened thirty years before in Pine Deep. Now every year the town has a haunted hayride festival that commemorates the lore. Though this year something comes barreling through the small town in the way of three criminals and they are notorious for crimes they have committed in the past. Things are about to get interesting when the criminals show up as the haunting in the town slowly comes to life encompassing them all.
Thoughts:
There are quite a few characters to keep track of in this story so I didn't go into any great detail of each one of them - it was best to give a background on the story itself instead of going into character detail. Main characters that stand out in this story are: Terry Wolfe, Malcolm Crow, Valerie Guthrie (Crow's girlfriend), Iron Mike Sweeney, Tow Truck Eddie, and Vic Wingate, plus the criminals: Ruger, Boyd, and Tony.
The story itself seems slow at first and I did notice that there is up and down ratings/reviews on this book, but though it might seem to be a slow burn the book literally takes off about the half way point and when the criminals show up the story escalates. It almost seems to have a brooding terror just below the surface of the story as you can feel that something is going to be happening but you just do not know what is coming toward you.
SPOILER ALERT!!
Normally I do not put spoiler alerts in my reviews as I like to keep readers guessing but in this case I felt it was necessary as there is a twist that happens near the end that had me read the section twice to make sure my brain was computing the information.
So here are my spoiler thoughts:
So those are my thoughts on that interesting musing and now to the rest of my review. :)
This was my first time reading this author and I am so happy that I finally stepped into his books. This is the first book in a trilogy and I am looking forward to reading the next book which is "Dead Man's Song". Giving this one five "Bone Man Boo" stars!
For more thoughts on this review, please see my blog:
https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/...
A small backstory:
The town of Pine Deep is just steeped in haunting lore of the Bone Man as something tragic happened thirty years before in Pine Deep. Now every year the town has a haunted hayride festival that commemorates the lore. Though this year something comes barreling through the small town in the way of three criminals and they are notorious for crimes they have committed in the past. Things are about to get interesting when the criminals show up as the haunting in the town slowly comes to life encompassing them all.
Thoughts:
There are quite a few characters to keep track of in this story so I didn't go into any great detail of each one of them - it was best to give a background on the story itself instead of going into character detail. Main characters that stand out in this story are: Terry Wolfe, Malcolm Crow, Valerie Guthrie (Crow's girlfriend), Iron Mike Sweeney, Tow Truck Eddie, and Vic Wingate, plus the criminals: Ruger, Boyd, and Tony.
The story itself seems slow at first and I did notice that there is up and down ratings/reviews on this book, but though it might seem to be a slow burn the book literally takes off about the half way point and when the criminals show up the story escalates. It almost seems to have a brooding terror just below the surface of the story as you can feel that something is going to be happening but you just do not know what is coming toward you.
SPOILER ALERT!!
Normally I do not put spoiler alerts in my reviews as I like to keep readers guessing but in this case I felt it was necessary as there is a twist that happens near the end that had me read the section twice to make sure my brain was computing the information.
So here are my spoiler thoughts:
So those are my thoughts on that interesting musing and now to the rest of my review. :)
This was my first time reading this author and I am so happy that I finally stepped into his books. This is the first book in a trilogy and I am looking forward to reading the next book which is "Dead Man's Song". Giving this one five "Bone Man Boo" stars!
For more thoughts on this review, please see my blog:
https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/...
December 8, 2024
9/2024
Having just finished this reread via audio, I can't help but be reminded of the first time I read it back in 2011. I believe this was my first Jonathan Maberry book, and since that time I've read at least a dozen more. Ghost Road Blues has a special place in my heart.
Taking place in Pine Deep, PA, the history of the area runs deep. Featuring terrific characters you have to love and villains so villainous you can't help but hate them. It also features terrible murders, child abuse, a Halloween store and hayrides and a darkness that seeps into everything.
Small towns with an evil history are just my cuppa and I very much enjoyed revisiting Pine Deep!
*Completely aside from this particular book:
I've already purchased the audio of the second book, narrated by Tom Weiner, the same narrator as this one. At first, it was difficult to listen to, because I'm used to the incredible Ray Porter narrating Maberry's books. But once I accepted it, Weiner turned out to be pretty damn good. Lastly, for any fans of Maberry's Joe Ledger books, you already know a few of Pine Deep's characters have shown up and rumor has it that more of them will show up in future Ledger novels. This might be a good time to refresh your memory too, Joe Ledger fans!*
Having just finished this reread via audio, I can't help but be reminded of the first time I read it back in 2011. I believe this was my first Jonathan Maberry book, and since that time I've read at least a dozen more. Ghost Road Blues has a special place in my heart.
Taking place in Pine Deep, PA, the history of the area runs deep. Featuring terrific characters you have to love and villains so villainous you can't help but hate them. It also features terrible murders, child abuse, a Halloween store and hayrides and a darkness that seeps into everything.
Small towns with an evil history are just my cuppa and I very much enjoyed revisiting Pine Deep!
*Completely aside from this particular book:
I've already purchased the audio of the second book, narrated by Tom Weiner, the same narrator as this one. At first, it was difficult to listen to, because I'm used to the incredible Ray Porter narrating Maberry's books. But once I accepted it, Weiner turned out to be pretty damn good. Lastly, for any fans of Maberry's Joe Ledger books, you already know a few of Pine Deep's characters have shown up and rumor has it that more of them will show up in future Ledger novels. This might be a good time to refresh your memory too, Joe Ledger fans!*
October 12, 2017
I should begin by saying that I like horror movies. I'm usually too scared to watch them completely (at least when I'm alone which I usually am) so I hide my face behind a pillow or something, but I like them.
And I always liked October and Halloween and Friday 13ths. This year there even is a Friday 13th in October which makes me especially happy. I can't tell you exactly why. The day isn't any more special, as an atheist I don't really believe in magic (unless we're talking about the magic of reality). But I like the atmosphere and decorating the house, reading by candle light while listening to the noises the old (wooden) house makes.
Naturally, this means that I like to read horror novels too. Sadly, not one horror book has managed to actually scare me yet, but I think it's because of the medium because it can't be the writers. Hence, every year I like to pile up some spooky books for October. This particular book was a buddy-read with Brad who introduced me to it and its author.
The story is about a small rural town in the US. There are corn fields all around, scarecrows and night birds, hardworking folks and cops who usually spend their time giving out parking tickets, life is simple (not necessarily in a bad way). The "special" thing about Pine Deep, the town in question, is the hay ride which has become famous thanks to Crow, the main character, who is a goofball par excellence and loves to scare the shit out of anyone daring to go on the hay ride. He was endearing from the get-go.
However, as these stories go, there is a very dark secret in the past of this town, and probably not the one readers of this first volume already know about. And as it was said many times in this novel: evil never dies, it just goes away for a while or sleeps; but it always comes back.
Well, it's back alright and you can imagine how it works its way into the hearts and minds of people.
The problem I had with this book was that it's all over the place. The author also seems to try to channel his inner Stephen King what with the structure of the book and the kind of characterizations of the people. But he never quite manages. He's always a few sandwiches short of a picknick.
Like the scarecrows in the fields, the storm overhead at night, and the constant mentioning of night birds for the scenery. Or the bad guys not only being wife beaters (and kid beaters) but also white supremacist so everyone will understand that they are really BAD. Or Connie being an almost stupidly sweet woman who of course likes to cook and be the perfect little wife to the son of a farmer. The evil actually being German (apparently I don't need a costume for Halloween, I just celebrate in the US and let people know I'm German, that will suffice). Overly simplistic.
The supernatural element is also ... too much at once? Maybe it'll get explained better in the other two volumes but ?!
Even the narrator has this typically grovelly voice of a "real man" (though I liked his narration).
Nevertheless, like with many horror movies that could be categorized as mediocre, I still liked this story. Crow was an endearing goofball, like I said and he and Val were wonderful together. In fact, I'd make a case for the author changing or deliberately not going with his MO of overly simplistic characterization for Crow as he might have been the utter good guy but he has a semi-dark past what with his alcoholism and stuff. I didn't care much for anyone else, but I ended up caring for him and Val. And the action was solid. There was a lot happening all over town, many different characters that can only become more important in the future and a lot of forshadowing (have I mentioned that it read like a not-as-good copy of a Stephen King book?), but the pace was fast nevertheless. A bit too much exposition sometimes, maybe.
I was torn between giving this 3 or 4 stars but considering that I had indeed fun and will continue with the series, I'll be generous.
And I always liked October and Halloween and Friday 13ths. This year there even is a Friday 13th in October which makes me especially happy. I can't tell you exactly why. The day isn't any more special, as an atheist I don't really believe in magic (unless we're talking about the magic of reality). But I like the atmosphere and decorating the house, reading by candle light while listening to the noises the old (wooden) house makes.
Naturally, this means that I like to read horror novels too. Sadly, not one horror book has managed to actually scare me yet, but I think it's because of the medium because it can't be the writers. Hence, every year I like to pile up some spooky books for October. This particular book was a buddy-read with Brad who introduced me to it and its author.
The story is about a small rural town in the US. There are corn fields all around, scarecrows and night birds, hardworking folks and cops who usually spend their time giving out parking tickets, life is simple (not necessarily in a bad way). The "special" thing about Pine Deep, the town in question, is the hay ride which has become famous thanks to Crow, the main character, who is a goofball par excellence and loves to scare the shit out of anyone daring to go on the hay ride. He was endearing from the get-go.
However, as these stories go, there is a very dark secret in the past of this town, and probably not the one readers of this first volume already know about. And as it was said many times in this novel: evil never dies, it just goes away for a while or sleeps; but it always comes back.
Well, it's back alright and you can imagine how it works its way into the hearts and minds of people.
The problem I had with this book was that it's all over the place. The author also seems to try to channel his inner Stephen King what with the structure of the book and the kind of characterizations of the people. But he never quite manages. He's always a few sandwiches short of a picknick.
Like the scarecrows in the fields, the storm overhead at night, and the constant mentioning of night birds for the scenery. Or the bad guys not only being wife beaters (and kid beaters) but also white supremacist so everyone will understand that they are really BAD. Or Connie being an almost stupidly sweet woman who of course likes to cook and be the perfect little wife to the son of a farmer. The evil actually being German (apparently I don't need a costume for Halloween, I just celebrate in the US and let people know I'm German, that will suffice). Overly simplistic.
The supernatural element is also ... too much at once? Maybe it'll get explained better in the other two volumes but ?!
Even the narrator has this typically grovelly voice of a "real man" (though I liked his narration).
Nevertheless, like with many horror movies that could be categorized as mediocre, I still liked this story. Crow was an endearing goofball, like I said and he and Val were wonderful together. In fact, I'd make a case for the author changing or deliberately not going with his MO of overly simplistic characterization for Crow as he might have been the utter good guy but he has a semi-dark past what with his alcoholism and stuff. I didn't care much for anyone else, but I ended up caring for him and Val. And the action was solid. There was a lot happening all over town, many different characters that can only become more important in the future and a lot of forshadowing (have I mentioned that it read like a not-as-good copy of a Stephen King book?), but the pace was fast nevertheless. A bit too much exposition sometimes, maybe.
I was torn between giving this 3 or 4 stars but considering that I had indeed fun and will continue with the series, I'll be generous.
October 12, 2017
I managed my expectations pretty well for reading this one. I wanted regular horror and got it. It's October, after all, and isn't this the season to enjoy a run of scary?
Or is it simply the desire to see evil as plain as day, to root for the underdogs, to gather up all the misfits and see all the jerks and the ultraviolent assholes of the world get their comeuppance?
Maybe a bit of both.
Fortunately, there's a lot of bigger-than-life characters in this small town and the good guys are good pretty much all the way through. The bad, however, are really bad. :) And did I mention a recurring string of gruesome murders in a small town known for it's spectacular Halloween festivals meant to scare your pants off?
Yeah, well, aside from a few great scenes and pretty epic buildup, I'm gonna have to hold my horses to see the grand explosion because this is a trilogy!
That's fine, of course. Sometimes a tale is very long. I just have to wonder what it might have been like to have this as one gigantic tome like the good old days of epic horrors instead of the bite-sizes publishers think we want. *shrug*
So maybe I'll just pretend it's one book. That's the ticket! And people think that readers are without imagination! I'll show them!
Or is it simply the desire to see evil as plain as day, to root for the underdogs, to gather up all the misfits and see all the jerks and the ultraviolent assholes of the world get their comeuppance?
Maybe a bit of both.
Fortunately, there's a lot of bigger-than-life characters in this small town and the good guys are good pretty much all the way through. The bad, however, are really bad. :) And did I mention a recurring string of gruesome murders in a small town known for it's spectacular Halloween festivals meant to scare your pants off?
Yeah, well, aside from a few great scenes and pretty epic buildup, I'm gonna have to hold my horses to see the grand explosion because this is a trilogy!
That's fine, of course. Sometimes a tale is very long. I just have to wonder what it might have been like to have this as one gigantic tome like the good old days of epic horrors instead of the bite-sizes publishers think we want. *shrug*
So maybe I'll just pretend it's one book. That's the ticket! And people think that readers are without imagination! I'll show them!
June 15, 2022
At first I didn't think this would keep my interest to the end as i am not much of a horror fan but it surprised me. Nice buildup to the plot and just enough action to keep the story moving forward. I look forward to seeing how the writer ramps up the plot in book 2. Very recommended
October 18, 2011
Ghost Road Blues was a great book to read during the month of October, as part of my 4th Annual October Scare fest. I love that spooky mood that comes along with the fall, when the days get shorter, the nights longer, and the weather cooler (hopefully).
Although this novel was very good, and well-written, I have to put in in the 'liked fairly well' as opposed to 'loved or really liked' category.
Let's talk about the stuff that didn't quite work for me:
*I think that this story depends a bit too much on the human evil quotient for my tastes. That doesn't make it bad at all. However, I like supernatural horror, and inhuman monsters. I know all about the evil that men are capable of. Just turn on the news or check Yahoo's home page, and you will get your fill of that. For this reader, when I pick up a fiction novel in the horror category, I want to see some nasty, unreal, supernatural baddies who scare the heck out of me, but hopefully get thoroughly vanquished by the good guys. Yeah, whatever, the cynics will revile me for my hopelessly optimistic nature. That's okay. Life sucks. We all know that. But hope is what keeps us going. Hope makes the heart keep beating. Reading about horrible people and their horrible acts on others doesn't do it for me. In this case, Maberry takes the supernatural and wraps it around a whole lot of human darkness. He does it well, I can't deny. And he doesn't make this book overflowing with gore and gratuitous violence, which is a plus. However, reading about
*I had some trouble tying all the pieces of the puzzle together. I felt like the secondary characters were more like chess pieces waiting to be moved around in the following books. I'm not sure I liked that feeling. I still don't understand the roles that everyone is playing here. I know it's working out to be epic, but I don't know if I like all these unanswered questions.
*
Now the good:
*Something about small town life--the reading of it, not the living in it--that gets me every time. Fans of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot will likely enjoy the view of small town life on offer in this book. Maberry's approach to characterization does bring to mind Stephen King, but it's not a copy cat. It's more of a feeling that Mr. King was an influence for Mr. Maberry. He does enough of his own thing that it feels like Maberry's work, not a King Redux. That whole fishbowl effect, where the darker natures and acts of the town's inhabitants line the bowl like the scum that builds up over time, is very evident in this novel. The vagaries of the various folk in and around Pine Deep lay important groundwork to the story, although again I could have gotten more depth here. I did feel like I could drive down A-32 and spent a couple of hours in Pine Deep.
*Atmosphere in shades. Maberry writes description beautifully. He captures the ambience of living in the rural part of Pennsylvania, with forest, swamp, river, stream, fields ripe with crops, and mountains all around. He must have traveled to this area, because this book shows a tangible familiarity with this region.
*I admired Crow, Val, and Mike as main characters. I loved the Bone Man, and cried out because of the injustice he experienced. Terry seems like a lit fuse ready to set off a powder keg. He's sympathetic, but makes me worry for the future. I liked how Maberry built up Crow's character, giving him a well-rounded feel in his love of the macabre, blues music, his car, and his love for Val and his friends, not to mention his fundamentally good heart. I liked seeing both his strengths and weaknesses. He's a really good unlikely hero.
*The ghost aspect was great. I liked this a lot more than the crazy evil humans. I sort of wish this was played up a bit more.
*The evil folks/things are very evil. The menace isn't always clear-cut, but it's very apparent. That's definitely a plus in this novel.
Wrapping Things Up:
This is my first read by Jonathan Maberry. He's a good writer and I think he has some stories to tell. This one is an interesting story, although maybe not what I expected or wanted. It was a worthwhile read, and definitely a good one for reading in October. I have the next two books, and I will read them since I want to see what happens next (a good thing as Neil Gaiman has said). I'd also like to read other books by this author.
I'd recommend this if you don't mind reading about loathesome human beings and like the small time vibe.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.
Although this novel was very good, and well-written, I have to put in in the 'liked fairly well' as opposed to 'loved or really liked' category.
Let's talk about the stuff that didn't quite work for me:
*I think that this story depends a bit too much on the human evil quotient for my tastes. That doesn't make it bad at all. However, I like supernatural horror, and inhuman monsters. I know all about the evil that men are capable of. Just turn on the news or check Yahoo's home page, and you will get your fill of that. For this reader, when I pick up a fiction novel in the horror category, I want to see some nasty, unreal, supernatural baddies who scare the heck out of me, but hopefully get thoroughly vanquished by the good guys. Yeah, whatever, the cynics will revile me for my hopelessly optimistic nature. That's okay. Life sucks. We all know that. But hope is what keeps us going. Hope makes the heart keep beating. Reading about horrible people and their horrible acts on others doesn't do it for me. In this case, Maberry takes the supernatural and wraps it around a whole lot of human darkness. He does it well, I can't deny. And he doesn't make this book overflowing with gore and gratuitous violence, which is a plus. However, reading about
*I had some trouble tying all the pieces of the puzzle together. I felt like the secondary characters were more like chess pieces waiting to be moved around in the following books. I'm not sure I liked that feeling. I still don't understand the roles that everyone is playing here. I know it's working out to be epic, but I don't know if I like all these unanswered questions.
*
Now the good:
*Something about small town life--the reading of it, not the living in it--that gets me every time. Fans of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot will likely enjoy the view of small town life on offer in this book. Maberry's approach to characterization does bring to mind Stephen King, but it's not a copy cat. It's more of a feeling that Mr. King was an influence for Mr. Maberry. He does enough of his own thing that it feels like Maberry's work, not a King Redux. That whole fishbowl effect, where the darker natures and acts of the town's inhabitants line the bowl like the scum that builds up over time, is very evident in this novel. The vagaries of the various folk in and around Pine Deep lay important groundwork to the story, although again I could have gotten more depth here. I did feel like I could drive down A-32 and spent a couple of hours in Pine Deep.
*Atmosphere in shades. Maberry writes description beautifully. He captures the ambience of living in the rural part of Pennsylvania, with forest, swamp, river, stream, fields ripe with crops, and mountains all around. He must have traveled to this area, because this book shows a tangible familiarity with this region.
*I admired Crow, Val, and Mike as main characters. I loved the Bone Man, and cried out because of the injustice he experienced. Terry seems like a lit fuse ready to set off a powder keg. He's sympathetic, but makes me worry for the future. I liked how Maberry built up Crow's character, giving him a well-rounded feel in his love of the macabre, blues music, his car, and his love for Val and his friends, not to mention his fundamentally good heart. I liked seeing both his strengths and weaknesses. He's a really good unlikely hero.
*The ghost aspect was great. I liked this a lot more than the crazy evil humans. I sort of wish this was played up a bit more.
*The evil folks/things are very evil. The menace isn't always clear-cut, but it's very apparent. That's definitely a plus in this novel.
Wrapping Things Up:
This is my first read by Jonathan Maberry. He's a good writer and I think he has some stories to tell. This one is an interesting story, although maybe not what I expected or wanted. It was a worthwhile read, and definitely a good one for reading in October. I have the next two books, and I will read them since I want to see what happens next (a good thing as Neil Gaiman has said). I'd also like to read other books by this author.
I'd recommend this if you don't mind reading about loathesome human beings and like the small time vibe.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.
November 2, 2017
Vote: 3,5
Lots of things in this first book of the Pine Deep trilogy... maybe too many.
Reading this novel was like takin'Terry's Haunted Hayride for which Pine Deep town is famous for: an hell of a ride, a well written storyline and some nice (but stereotyped) characters, but in the end it was just a 500+ pages prologue to the main story, leaving the reader without a real ending and with lots of questions .
A more than decent october reading, but it was like reading something King or Koontz wrote in their starts and forgot it buried into a drawer.
Not sure starting book two soon. :/
January 2, 2021
I don’t write reviews.
This is another title I probably wouldn’t have purchased, but it was included in the Audible membership. I didn’t know anything about it except that I had read a few of Maberry’s short fiction in horror anthologies. And I definitely didn’t know that it was the first in a trilogy. After reading I’m very happy to know there are two more books.
This immediately reminded me of Cold Moon Over Babylon. Something about the way my mind created the world linked the two. Maberry fleshed out lovable protagonists and antagonists I loved to hate. Of course he included an underdog to beat all underdogs. This story is an example of the journey being more important than the destination.
Tom Weiner did an excellent job with the narration.
This is another title I probably wouldn’t have purchased, but it was included in the Audible membership. I didn’t know anything about it except that I had read a few of Maberry’s short fiction in horror anthologies. And I definitely didn’t know that it was the first in a trilogy. After reading I’m very happy to know there are two more books.
This immediately reminded me of Cold Moon Over Babylon. Something about the way my mind created the world linked the two. Maberry fleshed out lovable protagonists and antagonists I loved to hate. Of course he included an underdog to beat all underdogs. This story is an example of the journey being more important than the destination.
Tom Weiner did an excellent job with the narration.
October 31, 2025
A friend gave me a heads up with regard to the author. He was more interested in the Zombie novels and frankly those are wearing thin on me. This was my first Mayberry novel and I guess it was Mayberry's first too. Wow what a first novel. Mayberry's writing is so descriptive and illustrative - he paints quite the picture - almost too much. This guy can write. As an aspiring writer I would read paragraphs of his writing to my wife. I never do that and my point was - I am nowhere near this guys level. I will say that I am not a fan of books which are part of a series but I knew that going in ( update -it was the commitment issue and all that has changed in a big way, lol, give me a good series any day). I also know that for me the genre of horror is more or less a misnomer. To me most horrors are mysteries or thrillers with a little darkness on occasion so I never expect to get a great horror in and of itself - so if you think you have a true horror which will horrify me then please forward me the title. I have seen some negative reviews of this book and to each his own but this book was excellent. I was a little unsettled with the fact of evil disappearing for 30 years and coming back at the specific time it did but realistically with most fiction you have to buy into the premise. That's why fiction needs to be believable in my eyes, the closer to reality it seems the better from my point of view. So with regard to the premise I bought in and perhaps the sequels will better explain the reasons this evil works the way it does. A very different take on vampires and updated after reading the trilogy to say that this trilogy is one of a kind, so different, so original and so damn good. A one of a kind trilogy that delivers on so many levels and it all starts here!!
May 2, 2010
When I first picked this book up I had no clue that I was up for a sweet week or saucy reading full of believable characters, little town secrets and dark nasty things slithering in the dark. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that it also had some maniacs on the loose whose souls were blacker than that of the devil buried in the muddy pit and locals who grew up torturing each other under pretense of being holy. After sixty pages Jonathan Maberry became my new favorite author amongst masters of terror who grace my shelves and forever wedged himself into my memory. The things this man wrote were really good, he got into the minds of the bad characters the same way he worked the good souls, and the bad ones were truly evil, not afraid of death but like rock stars they were empowered by the rush walking the thin line between earth and the grave gave them.
The weeks leading to Halloween in Pine Deep were supposed to be filled with crisp weather, rich harvest of the golden fields and scary fun that was the main attraction for the tourists. Instead the crops went bad and terrors from the past came back to haunt our main characters; Malcolm Crow, Val Guthire and Terry Wolfe. Thirsty years ago they barely escaped with their lives, chased by a monstrous farmer, Ubel Griswold who seemed to be the devil himself covered in human flesh. He was stopped but even death didn't seem to hold him back because in present time their nightmares are coming back and his name is on the lips of three mad men who come crashing through the town. This time our friends are against something more than a mortal enemy but an entity whose powers are from another time and world and who will make sure that the whole town ceases to exist after Halloween. He will use his cronies, some who pretend to be friendly and wholesome and some who were freshly picked from the ground to do his bidding in the most gruesome way imaginable.
This is the first tale in the trilogy that has all ready enchanted me. Presently I am half way done reading the next book in the series and I can barely sit without jumping, this stuff gets very exciting. Maberry does a fantastic job creating characters that I care for and sadly, well excitingly I guess for me an even better job of destroying them one at a time. Luckily they are tough cookies and half the fun is reading how they fight evil, sometimes it takes one on one combat and other times it takes more of a mystical approach. "Ghost road blues" was so much more than pages filled with words, it was a tornado that sucks all my attention away and left me disheveled and hungry for more.
Great read and perfect for this time of year, happy Halloween!
The weeks leading to Halloween in Pine Deep were supposed to be filled with crisp weather, rich harvest of the golden fields and scary fun that was the main attraction for the tourists. Instead the crops went bad and terrors from the past came back to haunt our main characters; Malcolm Crow, Val Guthire and Terry Wolfe. Thirsty years ago they barely escaped with their lives, chased by a monstrous farmer, Ubel Griswold who seemed to be the devil himself covered in human flesh. He was stopped but even death didn't seem to hold him back because in present time their nightmares are coming back and his name is on the lips of three mad men who come crashing through the town. This time our friends are against something more than a mortal enemy but an entity whose powers are from another time and world and who will make sure that the whole town ceases to exist after Halloween. He will use his cronies, some who pretend to be friendly and wholesome and some who were freshly picked from the ground to do his bidding in the most gruesome way imaginable.
This is the first tale in the trilogy that has all ready enchanted me. Presently I am half way done reading the next book in the series and I can barely sit without jumping, this stuff gets very exciting. Maberry does a fantastic job creating characters that I care for and sadly, well excitingly I guess for me an even better job of destroying them one at a time. Luckily they are tough cookies and half the fun is reading how they fight evil, sometimes it takes one on one combat and other times it takes more of a mystical approach. "Ghost road blues" was so much more than pages filled with words, it was a tornado that sucks all my attention away and left me disheveled and hungry for more.
Great read and perfect for this time of year, happy Halloween!
November 13, 2012
This is the first Jonathan Maberry novel I've read, and judging from the ratings of his later novels, he gets better as he goes.
That's a really good thing, because Ghost Road Blues was pretty good.
In fact, through most of this novel, I was very jacked about this guy.
I had been looking over my to-read list in the hopes of finding something to satisfy my October horror cravings. Not only did it deliver, but it was also set around Halloween. Perfect!
For most of this novel, Maberry drives forth with a perfect balance of descriptive prose and action/dialogue. This made the story move along at a nice clip. And it genuinely creeped me out in parts. That's a tough accomplishment with a 50 year-old reader who has 'seen it all'.
The only thing that stops me from giving this five stars is a couple of issues I had: Firstly, I found the dialogue between Crow and Iron Mike to be a bit corny. Come to think of it, the corniness also spread to Crow and his girlfriend, Val, towards the end of the book.
Another thing was an editing gaffe.
This isn't a spoiler:
In one chapter, Val leaves her father, and then a couple of chapters later, she leaves her father again...huh?
All very minor quibbles. I'm very much looking forward to reading Maberry again, and the next time will be with the second in this series. It looks like I haven't read the best of him yet, so that's something to be excited about.
That's a really good thing, because Ghost Road Blues was pretty good.
In fact, through most of this novel, I was very jacked about this guy.
I had been looking over my to-read list in the hopes of finding something to satisfy my October horror cravings. Not only did it deliver, but it was also set around Halloween. Perfect!
For most of this novel, Maberry drives forth with a perfect balance of descriptive prose and action/dialogue. This made the story move along at a nice clip. And it genuinely creeped me out in parts. That's a tough accomplishment with a 50 year-old reader who has 'seen it all'.
The only thing that stops me from giving this five stars is a couple of issues I had: Firstly, I found the dialogue between Crow and Iron Mike to be a bit corny. Come to think of it, the corniness also spread to Crow and his girlfriend, Val, towards the end of the book.
Another thing was an editing gaffe.
This isn't a spoiler:
In one chapter, Val leaves her father, and then a couple of chapters later, she leaves her father again...huh?
All very minor quibbles. I'm very much looking forward to reading Maberry again, and the next time will be with the second in this series. It looks like I haven't read the best of him yet, so that's something to be excited about.
January 25, 2018
So that was a five hundred page beginning to a greater story that I will not be reading because I am NEVER impressed by a three hundred page book wrapped in five hundred pages.
This was 95% domestic/general violence and suspense with 5% supernatural Boo! That five percent is a promise that if you read the next eleven hundred pages there will be more good Boo!
I'm going to pass.
*Update* If you as well were disappointed in this book I would highly recommend Gilchrist: A Novel instead.
My review of Gilchrist: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This was 95% domestic/general violence and suspense with 5% supernatural Boo! That five percent is a promise that if you read the next eleven hundred pages there will be more good Boo!
I'm going to pass.
*Update* If you as well were disappointed in this book I would highly recommend Gilchrist: A Novel instead.
My review of Gilchrist: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
September 23, 2022
Every horror writer in the last 25 years more or less has been compared to Stephen King. He is the bench mark that publishers and reviewers like to use as a reference, and it has become so overused as to border on the point of being ludicrous. So I hate to do it myself but in the case of Jonathan Maberry and the first novel in his “Pine Deep Trilogy”, Ghost Road Blues I believe a valid argument can be made that he is the spirit child of Mr. King.
It is not that his writing style is so very similar, but reading the themes of this novel brought me back to Kings early writing, when he was hungry and his stories hinted at the terrible daemons the man was struggling with. Now I don’t want to belittle Mr. Mayberry’s writing because I am in no way accusing him of being some little “King Clone” as many writes are. His story of evil arriving at the town of Pine Deep is interesting and original; it’s just that while reading I saw hints of King’s influence on the man.
I read in an article by Larry Atkins on-line on Philadelphia Weekly (www.philadelphiaweekly.com/arts-and-c...), that Mr. Maberry does not necessarily like the comparisons. He said people compare his work because,
“…my first three novels were supernatural vampire stories set in small town America. So was [Stephen Kings] Salem’s Lot”
Well I hate to disappoint Mr. Maberry, but the novels that came to my mind after reading Ghost Road Blues were two other equally iconic King novels The Shining and The Stand. I must confess that until I read that interview, I had no idea I had even read a vampire novel. I’m guessing there will be more blood sucking in the future novels in the series.
Mr. Mayberry’s thematic use of the idea that evil done in a location can leave residue of that evil to linger and that if enough evil has been done a place it will become evil, is a theme Mr. King has used in several novels; specifically in The Shining and in his sequel Doctor Sleep with Danny’s ability to see the suicide in the tub and the child’s death at the Overlook play house. This theme was used again in Pet Sematary where the ground at the old Micmac burial ground was said to be “sour.” In that same vein, the idea that evil never dies, it just waits and grows stronger, is pretty much the basis of all Mr. Kings novels, specifically the character of “Randall Flagg” found in The Stand, The entire “Dark Towers” series, and In The Eyes of The Dragon. Now Stephen King does not have a copyright on these themes but he does them so well. And so does Mr. Maberry. Ghost Road Blues uses these themes to great effect, and builds the tension up throughout the novel by introducing character upon character that will be of great importance for good or evil in later novels.
And this would be my only negative about Ghost Road Blues. It did not feel like a stand-alone novel to me, but instead part one of a larger work. We are introduced to many characters whose value is not yet known. This unknown quantity is both a blessing and a curse. The reader knows they are important, but it is not always clear on the characters motivation, are they good or evil? This is not true with all the characters, but I’m thinking specifically of two characters, The Mayor, Terry Wolfe, and “Iron” Mike Sweeney. Because of this ambiguity, these two characters hold the most interest to me. Especially the mayor, who seems to be a man on the edge of snapping. When he does, will the shattered pieces fall to the light or the dark? I must admit I am anxious to find out.
Jonathan Maberry has a deft hand when it comes to the violence in the novel. And there is violence throughout this work; Violence so brutally written as to make a reader question whether it is wise to finish reading. I don’t know about everyone else but I am a visual reader. I see what I am reading in my mind, like my own personal movie. (I know I am not the only one, right Thom), and although the violence is intense, especially the scene where Mike Sweeney gets beaten, I never felt like I was reading “slasher porn,” violence just for violence sake.
In the end whether he likes it or not, Jonathan Maberry reminds me of “Young” Stephen King. That being said for better or worse, His writing was excellent and I very much enjoyed reading Ghost Road Blues.
2022 Update: This was just as god as a reread. On to the 2nd book in the series.
It is not that his writing style is so very similar, but reading the themes of this novel brought me back to Kings early writing, when he was hungry and his stories hinted at the terrible daemons the man was struggling with. Now I don’t want to belittle Mr. Mayberry’s writing because I am in no way accusing him of being some little “King Clone” as many writes are. His story of evil arriving at the town of Pine Deep is interesting and original; it’s just that while reading I saw hints of King’s influence on the man.
I read in an article by Larry Atkins on-line on Philadelphia Weekly (www.philadelphiaweekly.com/arts-and-c...), that Mr. Maberry does not necessarily like the comparisons. He said people compare his work because,
“…my first three novels were supernatural vampire stories set in small town America. So was [Stephen Kings] Salem’s Lot”
Well I hate to disappoint Mr. Maberry, but the novels that came to my mind after reading Ghost Road Blues were two other equally iconic King novels The Shining and The Stand. I must confess that until I read that interview, I had no idea I had even read a vampire novel. I’m guessing there will be more blood sucking in the future novels in the series.
Mr. Mayberry’s thematic use of the idea that evil done in a location can leave residue of that evil to linger and that if enough evil has been done a place it will become evil, is a theme Mr. King has used in several novels; specifically in The Shining and in his sequel Doctor Sleep with Danny’s ability to see the suicide in the tub and the child’s death at the Overlook play house. This theme was used again in Pet Sematary where the ground at the old Micmac burial ground was said to be “sour.” In that same vein, the idea that evil never dies, it just waits and grows stronger, is pretty much the basis of all Mr. Kings novels, specifically the character of “Randall Flagg” found in The Stand, The entire “Dark Towers” series, and In The Eyes of The Dragon. Now Stephen King does not have a copyright on these themes but he does them so well. And so does Mr. Maberry. Ghost Road Blues uses these themes to great effect, and builds the tension up throughout the novel by introducing character upon character that will be of great importance for good or evil in later novels.
And this would be my only negative about Ghost Road Blues. It did not feel like a stand-alone novel to me, but instead part one of a larger work. We are introduced to many characters whose value is not yet known. This unknown quantity is both a blessing and a curse. The reader knows they are important, but it is not always clear on the characters motivation, are they good or evil? This is not true with all the characters, but I’m thinking specifically of two characters, The Mayor, Terry Wolfe, and “Iron” Mike Sweeney. Because of this ambiguity, these two characters hold the most interest to me. Especially the mayor, who seems to be a man on the edge of snapping. When he does, will the shattered pieces fall to the light or the dark? I must admit I am anxious to find out.
Jonathan Maberry has a deft hand when it comes to the violence in the novel. And there is violence throughout this work; Violence so brutally written as to make a reader question whether it is wise to finish reading. I don’t know about everyone else but I am a visual reader. I see what I am reading in my mind, like my own personal movie. (I know I am not the only one, right Thom), and although the violence is intense, especially the scene where Mike Sweeney gets beaten, I never felt like I was reading “slasher porn,” violence just for violence sake.
In the end whether he likes it or not, Jonathan Maberry reminds me of “Young” Stephen King. That being said for better or worse, His writing was excellent and I very much enjoyed reading Ghost Road Blues.
2022 Update: This was just as god as a reread. On to the 2nd book in the series.
June 8, 2013
This book was kind of like Diet Stephen King: no calories, half the flavor. Jonathan Maberry apparently scripts comic books too, and that was apparent in the melodramatic prose and the prolonged fight scenes in Ghost Road Blues.
Thirty years ago, the small town of Pine Deep was victimized by a serial killer in what became known as the Black Harvest. A bunch of redneck cops killed the man they believed responsible, an itinerant black guitar-player known only as "the Bone Man," but in fact the Bone Man had already killed the real killer. Except he didn't because the real killer is a supernatural something-or-other who, of course, returns. As does the Bone Man, to give occasional dream-like warnings to the protagonists. Hello Magical Negro.
Now, Pine Deep is famous nationwide for its elaborate haunted hay rides, which basically turn the whole town into a horror amusement park every fall. A couple of survivors of the Black Harvest are still alive, but most of the town has forgotten or would like to forget about the origin of its highly profitable "scary" reputation.
So, besides the repetitious and melodramatic prose, the characters were flat archetypes. Malcolm Crow, a recovered alcoholic, is an ex-cop who runs a comic book store and has a black belt in jujutsu, and if the triumph-of-the-nerds point is missed, he befriends a fourteen-year-old boy who fantasizes about being a superhero while getting beaten at home by his stepdad. The main characters are likeable if cliche, but the villains, well, they're all not only evil, but Eeeeeeeevil! First we have a trio of thugs running from a drug deal gone bad; the alpha-thug is a hyper-violent psychopath who spends much of the book dwelling on just how violently and evilly he's going to hurt people. There is the crazy tow truck driver who hears voices in his head and who turns into a cannibalistic serial killer without a qualm. And there is that evil stepdad who also turns out to be a minion of the Big Bad, but just in case being the willing servant of a demonic serial killer and beating his wife and stepson black and blue on a regular basis doesn't make him evil enough, Maberry underlines how really, really evil he is by offhandedly having him also publish a white supremacist newsletter. You know, so we won't miss that he's really, really evil.
So here's what really torqued me about this book: it's the first in a trilogy and it was obviously written with the next two books in mind, meaning, there isn't even an attempt to make it self-contained. We're given hints of the supernatural Unspeakably Bad Thing that's about to happen all through the book, but the entire novel is just a build-up. The author is putting the pieces in place for the real shit to go down in the next volume. We meet the villains and the heroes, there is some intestine-chewing, and a few minor characters get kacked to jerk some tears, but oh boy, things are really gonna hit the fan in the next book! Umm, no thanks.
It's not bad, if you like completely mainstream horror novels, but Maberry really does seem to be trying too hard to be Stephen King. While he's certainly a more economical writer and he gets to the point waaaay faster than Evil Stevie does, his characters have none of the dimensionality and gruesomely interesting detail that even King's villains possess, and Ghost Road Blues uses violent evil goons and a few maggoty gross-outs like a hammer. A defter horror writer (like King — yes I'm a fan, for all his flaws) can convey spine-chilling dread with everyday objects or a half-remembered phrase from childhood. Maberry tries to do it by repeating ghoulish incantations over and over and over in the characters' heads.
Ultimately, there just wasn't anything original here and definitely nothing scary, so I don't care enough about what happens to read the next book.
Thirty years ago, the small town of Pine Deep was victimized by a serial killer in what became known as the Black Harvest. A bunch of redneck cops killed the man they believed responsible, an itinerant black guitar-player known only as "the Bone Man," but in fact the Bone Man had already killed the real killer. Except he didn't because the real killer is a supernatural something-or-other who, of course, returns. As does the Bone Man, to give occasional dream-like warnings to the protagonists. Hello Magical Negro.
Now, Pine Deep is famous nationwide for its elaborate haunted hay rides, which basically turn the whole town into a horror amusement park every fall. A couple of survivors of the Black Harvest are still alive, but most of the town has forgotten or would like to forget about the origin of its highly profitable "scary" reputation.
So, besides the repetitious and melodramatic prose, the characters were flat archetypes. Malcolm Crow, a recovered alcoholic, is an ex-cop who runs a comic book store and has a black belt in jujutsu, and if the triumph-of-the-nerds point is missed, he befriends a fourteen-year-old boy who fantasizes about being a superhero while getting beaten at home by his stepdad. The main characters are likeable if cliche, but the villains, well, they're all not only evil, but Eeeeeeeevil! First we have a trio of thugs running from a drug deal gone bad; the alpha-thug is a hyper-violent psychopath who spends much of the book dwelling on just how violently and evilly he's going to hurt people. There is the crazy tow truck driver who hears voices in his head and who turns into a cannibalistic serial killer without a qualm. And there is that evil stepdad who also turns out to be a minion of the Big Bad, but just in case being the willing servant of a demonic serial killer and beating his wife and stepson black and blue on a regular basis doesn't make him evil enough, Maberry underlines how really, really evil he is by offhandedly having him also publish a white supremacist newsletter. You know, so we won't miss that he's really, really evil.
So here's what really torqued me about this book: it's the first in a trilogy and it was obviously written with the next two books in mind, meaning, there isn't even an attempt to make it self-contained. We're given hints of the supernatural Unspeakably Bad Thing that's about to happen all through the book, but the entire novel is just a build-up. The author is putting the pieces in place for the real shit to go down in the next volume. We meet the villains and the heroes, there is some intestine-chewing, and a few minor characters get kacked to jerk some tears, but oh boy, things are really gonna hit the fan in the next book! Umm, no thanks.
It's not bad, if you like completely mainstream horror novels, but Maberry really does seem to be trying too hard to be Stephen King. While he's certainly a more economical writer and he gets to the point waaaay faster than Evil Stevie does, his characters have none of the dimensionality and gruesomely interesting detail that even King's villains possess, and Ghost Road Blues uses violent evil goons and a few maggoty gross-outs like a hammer. A defter horror writer (like King — yes I'm a fan, for all his flaws) can convey spine-chilling dread with everyday objects or a half-remembered phrase from childhood. Maberry tries to do it by repeating ghoulish incantations over and over and over in the characters' heads.
Ultimately, there just wasn't anything original here and definitely nothing scary, so I don't care enough about what happens to read the next book.
September 21, 2016
Oh My God! Yes, I just finished a moment ago. My blood is boiling, and I can't wait to start Book 2 - Dead Mans Song. It's still in the mail right now, so I gotta bide my time some how. Anyway, I really enjoyed this story. I'm into the series, and the whole Halloween spirit. Perfect time to read it, as it's 10 days away from October. This was my first read from Jonathan Maberry, and I can't wait to see more.
October 10, 2025
(Review is for the full trilogy, but is spoiler free)
OKAY. So the entire Pine Deep trilogy (Jonathan Mayberry) was a very fivey five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ For the first half of the first book there were some very familiar setups happening and I was worried it was going to be derivative of some of the big heavy hitters (IT, Swan Song, Boys Life, The Stand.. ) BUT my fears were all gone by the end of book 1. It totally ends up being its own thing. SO scary. Evil. Gory. F*cked up. The character work is 10/10. Definitely does that “the town is a character” thing. The human bad guys are SO bad. HEAVY light vs. dark (and every shade in between) themes, and I love that in my horror.
The monster/the lore and just the plot itself.. SO good! One thing that I thought was brilliantly executed is the fact that you get waaaaay into the story, like over half way, before you even start to know what the monster “is”… there IS a monster, but is it ghost? Vampire? Zombie? Haunted house? Werewolf? The foreboding and tension that came with that was just CHEFS KISS!!! But it also didn’t jerk you along with the “slow burn.” It stayed brutal, scary, and entertaining the whole time, with an underlying dread simmering all the while.
This is a trilogy, but I’m kinda glad that I essentially treated it like one long book. It was too intense, and too good to walk away!!! BIG recommend.
OKAY. So the entire Pine Deep trilogy (Jonathan Mayberry) was a very fivey five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ For the first half of the first book there were some very familiar setups happening and I was worried it was going to be derivative of some of the big heavy hitters (IT, Swan Song, Boys Life, The Stand.. ) BUT my fears were all gone by the end of book 1. It totally ends up being its own thing. SO scary. Evil. Gory. F*cked up. The character work is 10/10. Definitely does that “the town is a character” thing. The human bad guys are SO bad. HEAVY light vs. dark (and every shade in between) themes, and I love that in my horror.
The monster/the lore and just the plot itself.. SO good! One thing that I thought was brilliantly executed is the fact that you get waaaaay into the story, like over half way, before you even start to know what the monster “is”… there IS a monster, but is it ghost? Vampire? Zombie? Haunted house? Werewolf? The foreboding and tension that came with that was just CHEFS KISS!!! But it also didn’t jerk you along with the “slow burn.” It stayed brutal, scary, and entertaining the whole time, with an underlying dread simmering all the while.
This is a trilogy, but I’m kinda glad that I essentially treated it like one long book. It was too intense, and too good to walk away!!! BIG recommend.
November 30, 2020
This book is to the Horror genre, what 'Boys Life' and 'To Kill A Mockingbird' are to the Literature genres!! This is a beautiful, and classic Horror novel! Maberry's BEST book (and series) ever!
Don't pass this one up! Read it!
Welcome to Pine Deep; "The Spookiest Town In America" and "Home to the biggest and most terrifying Haunted Hayride ever!!" Yes, Pine Deep is a haunted and tormented town....and once you go there you will never leave.
With this being the first book in a trilogy, I originally read it when it first came out, and that was back in 2006, and it had just been awarded the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel....and it deserved it! The town of Pine Deep, Pennsylvania is where thirty years ago, The Bone Man killed the Devil at the town's crossroads.....but then he lost, and was strung up as a Scarecrow in the middle of a huge cornfield....only the Bone Man is out for his revenge, and he has come back to Pine Deep. That was the year of the Black Harvest; when all the fruits and crops of Pine Deep rotted and died on their vines. Yes, that was 30 years ago, and now the town celebrates every year by hosting the biggest Haunted Hayride in the U.S. and this year....blood will be poured! For this year, 3 psychopathic killers have come to hide out in Pine Deep and to get what is theirs, and the towns people have no idea of what is about to occur in their small and 'Spooky little town!'.
Ghost Road Blues opens with the local high school football jock and his girlfriend along with a trailer load of their friends enjoying a scary weekend night, along the trail at the hayride. Then, the sounds of a killer and screams of bloody terror erupt as they all witness one of their finest being yanked and dragged to his death right in front of their eyes!! This begins the story of Ghost Road Blues, and yes, though this does not end at the end of this book.....you are only just beginning to understand what pure darkness, and evil and the means of horror really are.
The writing of these characters is intense, it is beautiful and horrifying all at the same time. You will be able to feel the fall winds, and hear the rustle of the maple leaves as you hear the eerieness of the soul stirrings sounds of a string guitar, as it plays deaths song. Welcome to Pine Deep.
Since this is the beginning of a trilogy, it only gets a 👻🎃🔪🧟♀️ Haunts Rating.
Don't pass this one up! Read it!
Welcome to Pine Deep; "The Spookiest Town In America" and "Home to the biggest and most terrifying Haunted Hayride ever!!" Yes, Pine Deep is a haunted and tormented town....and once you go there you will never leave.
With this being the first book in a trilogy, I originally read it when it first came out, and that was back in 2006, and it had just been awarded the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel....and it deserved it! The town of Pine Deep, Pennsylvania is where thirty years ago, The Bone Man killed the Devil at the town's crossroads.....but then he lost, and was strung up as a Scarecrow in the middle of a huge cornfield....only the Bone Man is out for his revenge, and he has come back to Pine Deep. That was the year of the Black Harvest; when all the fruits and crops of Pine Deep rotted and died on their vines. Yes, that was 30 years ago, and now the town celebrates every year by hosting the biggest Haunted Hayride in the U.S. and this year....blood will be poured! For this year, 3 psychopathic killers have come to hide out in Pine Deep and to get what is theirs, and the towns people have no idea of what is about to occur in their small and 'Spooky little town!'.
Ghost Road Blues opens with the local high school football jock and his girlfriend along with a trailer load of their friends enjoying a scary weekend night, along the trail at the hayride. Then, the sounds of a killer and screams of bloody terror erupt as they all witness one of their finest being yanked and dragged to his death right in front of their eyes!! This begins the story of Ghost Road Blues, and yes, though this does not end at the end of this book.....you are only just beginning to understand what pure darkness, and evil and the means of horror really are.
The writing of these characters is intense, it is beautiful and horrifying all at the same time. You will be able to feel the fall winds, and hear the rustle of the maple leaves as you hear the eerieness of the soul stirrings sounds of a string guitar, as it plays deaths song. Welcome to Pine Deep.
Since this is the beginning of a trilogy, it only gets a 👻🎃🔪🧟♀️ Haunts Rating.
November 3, 2014
3.5. I'm ambivalent about the rest of the trilogy. This was like something Stephen King would have written before stashing it in a drawer so he could write something better. I enjoyed it but the Stoker win surprises me.
October 31, 2025
Creepy, and fun! More thoughts to come…
May 15, 2013
I started this book and some of my friends like it. When I was asked early on how I liked it I said it was okay so far but not great. When I said this other readers chimed in and said, "I loved this book, couldn't put down the series".
Well I can...sorry folks. If you like this I'm as always happy you found a book or books you like. For me this hit several of my hot buttons for dislike and finally pushed me completely away.
First this is for the majority of the book more a crime story with supernatural window dressing than it is a purely supernatural horror story. Also we spend a great deal of time inside the minds...that's plural "minds" of sadistic, homicidal, delusional, maniacs. I know that in many books that's a popular story telling device now, but I don't like it. It causes me to skip over whole sections of some books (I think I may have missed half of some of "Jack Daniels" books). Still it wasn't that which drove me to jump sections here. We also used the . Even that is not what pushed me to jumping forward. It was the scenes of Mike (14 year old Mike)being beaten...brutally beaten. I don't think that's a spoiler as it doesn't tell you anything you won't find out early on and it goes on and on and on....and on. The scene when the step dad hit Mike with his fist for the first time and then carried on with the beating is a long and lovingly detailed one.
Frankly I hate it and don't plan to follow this series. (At least not till I heal a bit from this one.)
Why does it get 2 stars instead of one? Because the writer did make me hate Vic the step dad...and frankly (that word again) I had no use for "mom" as she got drunk while her son was beaten into a pulp.
The story does go on and set up it's supernatural story and I am sure what really pushed my buttons won't others. The story ties up but leaves questions which will apparently be dealt with later.
But not by me. I don't care enough to follow this one up. If I ever do it will be because there are moments that are pretty good. For the moment I don't want anymore of the emotional abuse and cruelty that is so much a part of this story.
Enjoy if it's for you.
Well I can...sorry folks. If you like this I'm as always happy you found a book or books you like. For me this hit several of my hot buttons for dislike and finally pushed me completely away.
First this is for the majority of the book more a crime story with supernatural window dressing than it is a purely supernatural horror story. Also we spend a great deal of time inside the minds...that's plural "minds" of sadistic, homicidal, delusional, maniacs. I know that in many books that's a popular story telling device now, but I don't like it. It causes me to skip over whole sections of some books (I think I may have missed half of some of "Jack Daniels" books). Still it wasn't that which drove me to jump sections here. We also used the . Even that is not what pushed me to jumping forward. It was the scenes of Mike (14 year old Mike)being beaten...brutally beaten. I don't think that's a spoiler as it doesn't tell you anything you won't find out early on and it goes on and on and on....and on. The scene when the step dad hit Mike with his fist for the first time and then carried on with the beating is a long and lovingly detailed one.
Frankly I hate it and don't plan to follow this series. (At least not till I heal a bit from this one.)
Why does it get 2 stars instead of one? Because the writer did make me hate Vic the step dad...and frankly (that word again) I had no use for "mom" as she got drunk while her son was beaten into a pulp.
The story does go on and set up it's supernatural story and I am sure what really pushed my buttons won't others. The story ties up but leaves questions which will apparently be dealt with later.
But not by me. I don't care enough to follow this one up. If I ever do it will be because there are moments that are pretty good. For the moment I don't want anymore of the emotional abuse and cruelty that is so much a part of this story.
Enjoy if it's for you.
April 6, 2013
I recently came across an author I really like, Jonathan Maberry. The first book I read was Patient Zero (review & giveaway coming soon) and I was hooked. I decided to read his Pine Deep trilogy. The first book, Ghost Road Blues, introduces you to Pine Deep, Pennsylvania, which is known as "The Spookiest Town in America." Pine Deep seems like a quaint , tourist town which thrives on the Halloween season, but it has a dark, evil history.
Jonathan Maberry uses a vibrant cast of characters and amazing description to draw you into the secrets of Pine Deep and it's residents. Action packed and just enough gore makes Ghost Road Blues a page turner that will be impossible to put down. Here's the excerpt from the back cover of the book:
Evil Doesn't Die
Pine Deep buried the horrors of its past a long time ago.
Thirty years have passed since a serial killer sheared a bloody
swath through the quiet Pennsylvania village. Now residents
and tourists enjoy the country's largest Halloween celebration
in what is cheerfully called "The Spookiest Town in America".
It Grows Stronger
But a month before Halloween it begins again. Unspeakably desecrated
bodies. Inexplicable insanity. And an ancient evil walking the streets,
seeking to shred the very soul of this vulnerable community. Yes, the
people of Pine Deep have faced a killer before. But this time, evil has
many faces- and the lust and will to rule. This struggle will be epic.
And epic it was This series kept me guessing all the way to the end. Ghost Road Blues definitely deserved to win the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel!
Jonathan Maberry uses a vibrant cast of characters and amazing description to draw you into the secrets of Pine Deep and it's residents. Action packed and just enough gore makes Ghost Road Blues a page turner that will be impossible to put down. Here's the excerpt from the back cover of the book:
Evil Doesn't Die
Pine Deep buried the horrors of its past a long time ago.
Thirty years have passed since a serial killer sheared a bloody
swath through the quiet Pennsylvania village. Now residents
and tourists enjoy the country's largest Halloween celebration
in what is cheerfully called "The Spookiest Town in America".
It Grows Stronger
But a month before Halloween it begins again. Unspeakably desecrated
bodies. Inexplicable insanity. And an ancient evil walking the streets,
seeking to shred the very soul of this vulnerable community. Yes, the
people of Pine Deep have faced a killer before. But this time, evil has
many faces- and the lust and will to rule. This struggle will be epic.
And epic it was This series kept me guessing all the way to the end. Ghost Road Blues definitely deserved to win the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel!
December 1, 2021
Right from the beginning I noticed that the editing is the worst that I've ever encountered in a novel. There are verb tenses that are incorrect and even places that don't make sense like when they are using a digital camera and the author says they used it until the shutter wouldn't work because the film ran out. When the author tries to make a dramatic point he goes on and on to the point where I say to myself "OK, already, I got it." The story itself is so far OK. It is a supernatural thriller set in a small town. His character development is good but some of the towns people characters get away with things that would not be tolerated in the real world such as Vic's extreme domestic violence that everyone knows about.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 768 reviews