Bad Paths

by Justin Behrens

Greg Dameron doesn't remember his family back in Lost Haven, Iowa. Separated from them at a young age, Greg is emotionally torn as he flies back to the Midwest after the sudden news of his mother's death. Upon his arrival in Lost Haven, Greg is surprised by the power and prestige the Dameron name carries in the strange little town. Some people seem oddly wary of Greg while others are outright hostile, and he begins to suspect that all is not quite right in this town as dark shadows lurk in the woods behind the Dameron home.Bad Paths is the story of an estranged son who returns to an unknown home to reclaim his birthright and redeem his family name. Filled with intriguing characters who appear to be pleasant Midwestern folk, it's the story of a family hiding a host of demons below their amiable demeanor. As the dark legacy of the Damerons begins to come into focus, tensions heighten and old secrets turn deadly.As Greg struggles to overcome his deceptive family heritage, he must ultimately choose between doing the right thing and saving his own life.

Genres: Horror

223 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 22, 2008

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just okay until the centipede xenomorph rape facsimile...thing.

I just asked my favorite author this:

I got into editing when my ex-fiance asked me to help him with his first novel. After an acrimonious breakup, I thought that was that. I have since shadow edited multiple books by multiple authors.I was searching Kindle for another thing to read and I ran into this book, and it was familiar in a few ways. I bought it with some Kindle credit so I wasn't going to have any buyer's remorse.

And it was...not good. It was a self insert, Diet Clive Barker novel with a rushed, wish fulfillment, HEA ending in the psycho/psychological thriller/supernatural/family drama genre, I guess?

It needed tweaks to the protagonist and settings. The main thing I was struggling with was why should I care about the protagonist? He was just...dull. Inconsistencies in the plot in both fact and tone that absolutely needed fixed i.e. does the pseudo-antagonist work for a police department or is he the Sheriff of a middling sized county in Iowa? Is this a Psychological Thriller/Gore or Supernatural Americana? It could have used some basic research into Native American mythology or just left that out all completely, and ABSOLUTELY that wish fulfillment HEA needed cut. It was like it like he didn't know how to end the book.

He did ask for critique at the end of the book and left an email to do so with. However, I am hesitant to do so. Some part of me says leave the 3 stars it deserves, another part of me says leave it on read /move it DNF.

I am leaving this review so apparently I made my choice.

[Flibbertygibbit · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book reads like a self-published first draft. I honestly think that might be what it is. It's inexcusably bad. The best I can say for it is that everything is spelled correctly. Stay away.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greg Dameron was raised by a single mother. He never knew his father. In fact, he never knew any family apart from his mother. She was very adamant that the two of them were the only family they had, or needed.

Years later, after the death of his mother, Greg begins to learn the truth about his extended family. In the small town of Lost Haven, the name of Dameron means power and money. The Damerons are treated like royalty. They own nearly everything in the area.

But behind this power is a secret. A family secret. Maybe Greg’s mother had a very good reason for staying well away from these people.

Bad Paths is an entertaining read. I like the premise. It is one of those stories that you start out only going to read a chapter, then you find that you’ve read 100 pages, so you continue because you want to know what’s going to happen.