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1983: Three students from a small college embark on a weeklong road trip to film a documentary on roadside memorials for their American Studies class. The project starts out as a fun adventure, with long stretches of empty road and nightly campfires where they begin to open up with one another.
But as they venture deeper into the Appalachian backwoods, the atmosphere begins to darken. They notice more and more of the memorials feature a strange, unsettling symbol hinting at a sinister secret. Paranoia sets in when it appears they are being followed. Their vehicle is tampered with overnight, and some of the locals appear to be anything but welcoming. Before long, the students can't help but wonder if these roadside deaths were really random accidents...or is something terrifying at work here?
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 22, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781797184012
- File size: 444118 KB
- Duration: 15:25:14
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from September 2, 2024
Bestseller Chizmar (Gwendy’s Button Box, with Stephen King) wows in an immersive and über-creepy novel that pays subtle homage to horror classics ranging from the works of H.P. Lovecraft to The Blair Witch Project. In 1983, three students in an American Studies class at Pennsylvania’s York College—Billy Anderson, Troy Carpenter, and Melody Wise—plan to make a documentary about roadside memorials in Pennsylvania’s Appalachian region, an area where, as their professor warns, “if you look hard enough... you’ll find the impossible.” Chizmar gradually ratchets up a palpable feeling of unease through an accumulation of small unsettling moments. The classmates’ vehicle passes a biker who’s smiling through a face masked by blood. Troy begins to worry that someone is spying on them, a paranoia that’s heightened when video shot by Billy reveals a stranger lurking in the shadows. The discovery that a cryptic symbol has been drawn on several of the memorials to accident victims increases the group’s worries that they’ve stumbled into something dangerous—fears that prove all too justified. Chizmar pulls no punches on the way to a thoroughly satisfying finale, creating a literate horror novel that will remind some of T.E.D. Klein’s The Ceremonies. It’s a tour de force. -
Michael Crouch and Jonathan Todd Ross narrate an atmospheric horror story that draws upon the power of grief. In 1983, three college students set out on a road trip to film a documentary on the varied roadside memorials dotting America's roadsides. What starts out as an adventure morphs slowly and painfully into terror. Crouch and Ross alternate narrating, and both maintain an ear-catching level of suspense. As the students notice a recurring mysterious symbol, Crouch and Ross inject the narration with a balance of gravitas and earnestness. While the three characters are likable, they have challenging moments, and Crouch and Ross imbue them with appropriate drama. Their narration complements the characters' terror as they encounter a supernatural force in the Appalachian wilderness. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine -
March 7, 2025
It is 1983, and three college students set out on a road trip through Pennsylvania's Appalachian region to make a film about roadside memorials. What they expect to be a fun, weeklong adventure for their American studies class soon turns into a nightmare. As the trio begins opening up to one another, they realize there is a lot at stake, and as the people they encounter become increasingly hostile and unsettling, a startling truth is brought to light. Skilled storyteller Chizmar (Becoming the Boogeyman) returns with another horror novel that mixes folklore with '80s nostalgia. Narrators Michael Crouch and Jonathan Todd Ross provide well-balanced performances that highlight the carefreeness of the decade but also hint at the deeper troubles effected by the satanic panic of the era. Crouch and Ross's narration evocatively captures the shattering loss of innocence and the unfolding horror as recounted by one of the survivors. VERDICT With moments of tenderness and even levity, as well as true terror, longtime horror fans, including newcomers to Chizmar's works, will enjoy this. Recommended for listeners seeking a sinister mix of folklore, nostalgia, and creeping dread.--Elyssa Everling
Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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