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Spruce Road #1
Spruce Road
The Little Maple Cabin on Spruce Road is the perfect place for an escape from city life. Hidden away in the middle of nowhere, in a forest, along winding roads, it's beautiful, pristine, and quiet. Almost too quiet.
When a group of young friends decides to get away for a birthday celebration, they expect a weekend of drinking, partying, and relaxing by the fire. They don't even have to be careful with their volume, as their closest neighbour—the Cottage's mysterious owner—is two miles down the road. Their closest living neighbour, anyway.
When their host warns them of a ghostly presence in the home, most don't take him seriously but, when mysterious things start happening, the group is forced to search for answers...
...and pray that they live long enough to find them...
When a group of young friends decides to get away for a birthday celebration, they expect a weekend of drinking, partying, and relaxing by the fire. They don't even have to be careful with their volume, as their closest neighbour—the Cottage's mysterious owner—is two miles down the road. Their closest living neighbour, anyway.
When their host warns them of a ghostly presence in the home, most don't take him seriously but, when mysterious things start happening, the group is forced to search for answers...
...and pray that they live long enough to find them...
245 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2022
1 person is currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Scott R.S. Raphael
11 books12 followersScott R.S. Raphael is a Canadian author and poet based out of Toronto. He has a B.A. in English and Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto.
Raphael has been writing fiction and making art since he was seven years old. He entered the public eye in 2019 when he began posting selections of his poetry on Instagram. Principally an author of fiction, with particular focus upon the horror and fantasy genres, Raphael has written a diverse collection of novels and short stories, which are set for publication in the near future. The Hill at the Top of the Mountain was his first published work.
Visit Scott R.S. Raphael on Instagram at:
@srsraphael
Raphael has been writing fiction and making art since he was seven years old. He entered the public eye in 2019 when he began posting selections of his poetry on Instagram. Principally an author of fiction, with particular focus upon the horror and fantasy genres, Raphael has written a diverse collection of novels and short stories, which are set for publication in the near future. The Hill at the Top of the Mountain was his first published work.
Visit Scott R.S. Raphael on Instagram at:
@srsraphael
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 16, 2022
This is not a curl up with a cozy, cup of tea murder; this is a wild blink-and-add-another-corpse-to-the pile romp.
And what else should a reader expect when 13 guests gather at a remote cabin in the woods to celebrate a birthday during a stormy November weekend? The early introduction of winding roads, dodgy data connections and a mysterious looming figure in a black cape make the reader want to scream “turn around and go home while you still can” but not one of the characters does. Just as well or we wouldn’t have a story to enjoy! There will be no childhood elimination games of musical chairs at this birthday weekend. There will be executions in increasingly gory fashions, decisions motivated by a power failure and panic and mounting tensions as the friends of the birthday girl become well aware that they are not necessarily friends of each other. Add the spectre of a ghost within The Little Maple Cabin, just to make things a little more complicated, and be thankful that you weren’t on the guest list!
Spruce Road is a page turner that picks up pace as it hurtles towards its satisfying conclusion. The author obviously enjoyed writing this novel and, as is his style, he shares some behind-the-scenes insights with his readers, in this case in the book’s Afterword.
“The road to Hell was unpaved” begins one of the chapters and that is as good a summary as any for Spruce Road. Strap on your seatbelts and enjoy the harrowing ride!
And what else should a reader expect when 13 guests gather at a remote cabin in the woods to celebrate a birthday during a stormy November weekend? The early introduction of winding roads, dodgy data connections and a mysterious looming figure in a black cape make the reader want to scream “turn around and go home while you still can” but not one of the characters does. Just as well or we wouldn’t have a story to enjoy! There will be no childhood elimination games of musical chairs at this birthday weekend. There will be executions in increasingly gory fashions, decisions motivated by a power failure and panic and mounting tensions as the friends of the birthday girl become well aware that they are not necessarily friends of each other. Add the spectre of a ghost within The Little Maple Cabin, just to make things a little more complicated, and be thankful that you weren’t on the guest list!
Spruce Road is a page turner that picks up pace as it hurtles towards its satisfying conclusion. The author obviously enjoyed writing this novel and, as is his style, he shares some behind-the-scenes insights with his readers, in this case in the book’s Afterword.
“The road to Hell was unpaved” begins one of the chapters and that is as good a summary as any for Spruce Road. Strap on your seatbelts and enjoy the harrowing ride!
September 12, 2025
So I've been wanting to read this book for quite a while now, but I'd never picked it up because there were only 12 ratings and 2 reviews (so the high note might've just been a coincidence or arc readers/friends and family) - and unfortunately I have to choose each book I read carefully because I don't have much time, so I usually pick my books based on plot, yes, but also reviews and score.
I finally decided to give it a try and I'm so glad that I did! It really is a fast-paced horror/thriller novel, as in 'blink it, and there's another corpse', with quite a few interesting plot twists. In that sense (and because of the plot - a group of people in an isolated house), the book reminded me of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
The one problem I had with the book is that there are too many characters for the amount of pages, so it's hard to keep track of who's who (and even who's alive, if you can't read this book in like 2 days). So if this is your first time reading it, I highly suggest writing down the names of each character and any kind of relationship they might have with each other (for example, Travis - dates Alyssa, works at XXX, workmates/friends with X, Y and Z) and crossing the names off as they die lol
This book should immediately be turned into a movie (which would even help you remember who's who)!
I finally decided to give it a try and I'm so glad that I did! It really is a fast-paced horror/thriller novel, as in 'blink it, and there's another corpse', with quite a few interesting plot twists. In that sense (and because of the plot - a group of people in an isolated house), the book reminded me of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
The one problem I had with the book is that there are too many characters for the amount of pages, so it's hard to keep track of who's who (and even who's alive, if you can't read this book in like 2 days). So if this is your first time reading it, I highly suggest writing down the names of each character and any kind of relationship they might have with each other (for example, Travis - dates Alyssa, works at XXX, workmates/friends with X, Y and Z) and crossing the names off as they die lol
This book should immediately be turned into a movie (which would even help you remember who's who)!
May 21, 2023
A treat for horror fans—adrenaline-junkies, white-knucklers and dark-copers alike
Mind-bending, spine-chilling, viscerally dark horror with a deftly placed sinister plot twist within the main plot twist that will keep you guessing and shivering until you’re out of breath.
Mind-bending, spine-chilling, viscerally dark horror with a deftly placed sinister plot twist within the main plot twist that will keep you guessing and shivering until you’re out of breath.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews