“Maberry weaves words of mesmeric power. Gruesome, scary, and bloody good fun.”
—Simon Clark
“A wild mélange of soulful blues music and gut-wrenching horror! Through vivid characters and clever descriptions, Jonathan Maberry carefully crafts a very special town that any horror fan would love to live in—that is, until it starts to get ugly . . . really ugly. He brings terror to life in a uniquely contemporary way. I’ll be so excited to read the second book in his trilogy!”
—Brinke Stevens
“Ghost Road Blues is epic horror that puts you in mind of The Stand, It, Boys’ Life, and They Thirst, but beats its own scary path. Nicely tied to the blues and the dark magic of Halloween, it is the first of an impressive new trilogy by Jonathan Maberry, whose vivid prose hits the right rhythms and whose creeping horrors will feed your nightmares until the next installment—and maybe forever. High-octane storytelling meant for chilly, full-moon nights.”
—W. D. Gagliani
“Prepare to be scared. Maberry frightens, amuses, and makes you think, often on the same page. The horror is pervasive, but so is a deeply entrenched sense of fun. Move over, Stephen King.”
—J. A. Konrath
“Jonathan Maberry writes with the assured hand of a veteran wordsmith. His voice is a confident one, his stories possessed of the kind of rhythmic, lyrical quality one might find in the work of Cady, Conrad, or even Faulkner. And yet such comparisons, though hard to avoid when sitting around Maberry’s campfire and hearing his voice, are not entirely fair, for there is a uniqueness here that is exciting to behold. Jonathan Maberry is reaping a crop all his own, and I for one eagerly await the fruit of future harvests.”
—Kealan Patrick Burke
“Maberry writes a vivid, fast-paced prose, creating characters and events that are memorable and often frightening. If you like your fiction compelling and deliciously dark, this is an author you should get to know.”
—Bruce Boston
“Ghost Road Blues begins with more horror than one can imagine and ends savagely beautiful, intricately and deftly written. Don’t start this book unless you can finish it!”
—Jack Fisher
“Like Stephen King in ’Salem’s Lot, Jonathan Maberry creates a small town where the everyday flesh-and-blood brutality of the citizens seems to call forth a deeper, more supernatural evil . . . The cliffhanger ending will make you impatient for the next installment of this trilogy!”
—E. F. Watkins
“Terrifying. Maberry gets deep into the heads of his troubled characters—and ours. The small-town horror feels like it’s right next door.”
—Jim Fusilli
“Stunning, powerful . . . a complex, heart-pounding read. It deserves the Stoker for Best First Novel.”
—Kim Paffenroth
“As a horror fan, I loved Ghost Road Blues with its great storytelling and memorable cast of characters. As a music fan, I loved Maberry’s references to classic blues and rock recordings.There may very well have been hellhounds on Robert Johnson’s trail.”
—Andrew Burns
“Riveting, bristling with scares, rich with atmosphere . . . brings to mind early Stephen King. Highly recommended!”
—Jay Bonansinga
“Without a doubt this prolific author is the next Stephen King. Maberry deserves more then a Bram Stoker Award for this; he deserves Bram Stoker to rise from his grave and shake his hand.”
—Chad Wendell
“A must for anyone who enjoys a literary roller-coaster ride with a deliciously grotesque streak.”
—Litara Angeli, Dark Realms magazine
DEAD MAN’S SONG
“Maberry takes us on another chilling roller-coaster ride through the cursed town of Pine Deep. You might want to keep the night-light on for this one. Really.”
—Laura Schrock
“A fabulously written novel that grips you from its first line to its last. Jonathan Maberry’s writing runs from dark and beautiful to sharp and thought-provoking, and his books should be on everyone’s must-read list.”
—Yvonne Navarro
BAD MOON RISING
“One of the best supernatural thrillers of recent years.”
—John Connolly
OTHER BOOKS BY JONATHAN MABERRY
PINE DEEP NOVELS
Ghost Road Blues
Dead Man’s Song
Bad Moon Rising
JOE LEDGER NOVELS
Patient Zero
Dragon Factory
King of Plagues
Assassin’s Code
Extinction Machine
Code Zero
ROT & RUIN NOVELS
Rot & Ruin
Dust & Decay
Flesh & Bone
Fire & Ash
Bits & Pieces
DEAD OF NIGHT NOVELS
Dead of Night
Fall of Night
The Nightsiders: The Orphan Army
The Wolfman
JONATHAN MABERRY
GHOST ROAD BLUES
A Pine Deep Novel
KENSINGTON BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
As always…for Sara Jo!
Contents
Ghost Road Blues: An Introduction
Prologue
Part I
Down at the Crossroads
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5