Dead Man's Song

Praise for Jonathan Maberry and
Ghost Road Blues

“Jonathan Maberry rushes headlong toward the front of the pack, proving that he has the chops to craft stories at once intimate, epic, real, and horrific.”

—Bentley Little, author of
The Burning
and
Death Instinct

“Every so often, you discover an author whose writing is so lyrical that it transcends mere storytelling. Jonathan Maberry is just such an author.”

—Tess Gerritsen,
New York Times

bestselling author of
The Mephisto Club

“Jonathan Maberry writes in the grand poetic horror tradition of Poe and Robert McCammon…King and Koontz.”

—Stuart Kaminsky, 2005 recipient of the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America

“Maberry knows that true horror lies in the dark, hidden places in the human heart and to take this journey with him is genuinely chilling.”

—T. J. MacGregor, author of
Cold As Death

“This is horror on a grand scale, reminiscent of Stephen King’s heftier works.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“
Ghost Road Blues
is a superbly woven, chilling tale that makes you wonder who the real monsters are—humans or the undead.”

—L. A. Banks, author of The Vampire Huntress Legends series

“As effective an opening as I’ve ever read, and the jolts just keep on coming.”

—Jeremiah Healy, author of
The Only
Good Lawyer
and
Turnabout

“Haunting, complex, terrifying, and deeply humane.”

—Gary A. Braunbeck, Bram Stoker Award–winner, author of
Destinations
and
Prodigal Blues

“Stunning! A fierce and new talent!”

—Ken Bruen, international bestselling author of
American Skin
and
The Guards

“You might want to keep the night-light on for this one. Really.”

—Laura Schrock, Emmy Award–winning writer/producer

“If I were asked to select only one new voice in horror fiction to read today, it would be Jonathan Maberry.”

—Katherine Ramsland, author of
The Science of Vampires

“This is the real deal.”

—
Necrofile

“It is hard to believe this is Jonathan Maberry’s debut novel because his writing is of such high caliber and his storyline is comparable to that of a master writer of horror.”

—Harriet Klausner,
Midwest Review

“A grand work…highly recommended.”

—MaximumHorrors.com

“Prepare to be scared. Maberry frightens, amuses, and makes you think, often on the same page. Move over, Stephen King.”

—J. A. Konrath, author of
Dirty Martini

“Maberry writes with a masterful skill that will scare the bejabbers out of you!”

—John Lutz, bestselling author of
Single White Female

“Jonathan Maberry’s books should be on everyone’s must-read list.”

—Yvonne Navarro, author of
Species
and
Aliens: Music of the Spears

“Jonathan Maberry is writing as well as anyone in the business right now.”

—Steve Hamilton, author of
A Stolen Season

“Savagely beautiful, intricate, and deftly written.”

—Jack Fisher,
Flesh and Blood Magazine

“Bristling with scares, thick with atmosphere, and rich with a picturesque sense of place. Highly recommended!”

—Jay Bonansinga, bestselling author of
Shattered
and
Twisted

“If you have an appetite for evil, you’ll love sitting down to
Ghost Road Blues
, which is deliciously creepy.”

—Richard Sand, author of the award-winning Lucas Rook mystery series

“Jonathan Maberry is writing big, scary books that feel just right.”

—Bill Kent, author of
Street Legal, Street Fighter,
and
Street Money

“A wild mélange of soulful blues music and gut-wrenching horror!”

—Brinke Stevens, horror actress and author

“Terrifying. Maberry gets deep into the heads of his troubled characters—and ours.”

—Jim Fusilli, author of
Hard, Hard City
and
Tribeca Blues

“Maberry…delivers scare after scare.”

—Scott A. Johnson, author of
An American Haunting

“Unputdownable!”

—Michael Penncavage, editor of
Dark Notes from New Jersey

“Jonathan Maberry delivers! Echoes of King, Bradbury, Poe, Wellman, and Straub.”

—C. Dean Andersson, author of
I Am Dracula
and
Raw Pain Max

“This is the best book I’ve read this year!”

—Dave’s News and Reviews

“Teeming with demons, brutality, and madness, but equally brimming with beauty, love, and wisdom.”

—Kim Paffenroth, Ph.D., author of
Gospel of the Living Dead

“Dark, scary, and so darn well written, one might think this book was something Stephen King wrote and forgot about many years ago.”

—Michael Laimo, author of
Dead Souls
and
The Demonologist

“Ghost Road Blues
reminded me why I’m afraid of the dark.”

—Charles Gramlich, author of
Cold in the Light

“Gruesome, scary, and bloody good fun.”

—Simon Clark, author of
Vampyrrhic, London Under Midnight,
and
Night of the Triffids

“
Ghost Road Blues
will leave you breathless. Make sure you read it with the lights on.”

—David Housewright, Edgar Award–winning author of
Pretty Girl Gone
and
Tin City

“Steeped in the blues and saturated with violence and foreboding.”

—Bev Vincent, author of
The Road to the Dark Tower: Exploring Stephen King’s Magnum Opus

“
Ghost Road Blues
is a hell of a book.”

—Jemiah Jefferson, author of
Wounds, Voice of the Blood, Fiend
, and
A Drop of Scarlet

“Evocative and chilling, Maberry’s fiction is the work of a dark magician with a poet’s soul.”

—Tim Waggoner, author of
Darkness Wakes, Pandora Drive
, and
Like Death.

“
Ghost Road Blues
manages to touch every kind of horror from creepy chills to gruesome gore and builds to an unforgettable climax.”

—H. R. Knight, author of
What Rough Beast

“Maberry writes with a kind of rhythmic, lyrical quality one might find in the work of Cady, Conrad, or even Faulkner.”

—Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award–winning author of
Currency of Souls, The Turtle Boy,
and
Vessels

“A wonderful novel from a fresh new voice in the genre.”

—Nate Kenyon, author of
Bloodstone

“Dark and mischievous…fun and inspired…Jonathan Maberry knows how to serve up the creepy goods!”

—Jim O’Rear, horror film stuntman and haunted attraction consultant

“Full of real characters and plenty of eerie atmosphere.”

—David Wellington, author of
Monster Island
and
Monster Nation

“
Ghost Road Blues
is, hands-down, the best horror novel of 2006.”

—Bryan Smith, author of
Deathbringer
and
House of Blood

“A chilling tale—lyrical, melodic, and dark. Maberry breathes new life into modern horror fiction.”

—Scott Nicholson, author of
The Home
and
The Harvest

“A fine blend of authentic supernatural folklore and conventional villainy in a fully realized contemporary setting.”

—Don D’Ammassa, author of the
Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction

“
Ghost Road Blues
is high-octane storytelling meant for chilly, full-moon nights.”

—W. D. Gagliani, author of Bram Stoker Award finalist
Wolf’s Trap

“Vivid, fast-paced, and deliciously dark.”

—Bruce Boston, author of
Flashing the Dark
and
Masque of Dreams

“This is a fun, fun read and creepy as hell.”

—Gregory Frost, author of
Attack of the Jazz Giants and Other Stories

“Reading Maberry is like listening to the blues in a graveyard at the stroke of midnight.”

—Fred Wiehe, author of
Strange Days
and
The Burning

“Unnerving and brisk!”

—Noreen Ayres, author of the Smokey Brandon mystery series

“Believable and nerve-shattering!”

—E. F. Watkins, author of
Dance with the Dragon
and
Paragon

“Frightening!”

—
Montgomery County Intelligencer

PINNACLE BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

To my wife Sara and my son Sam