Holy Ghost Road, by John Mantooth

"Mantooth's stories glitter with the brilliant, jagged menace of a fistful of busted glass." - Laird Barron, author of Occultation and The Imago Sequence and Other Stories.

About the Book:
Some roads are haunted by the past. Some by ghosts. Some are even haunted by demons. The one Forest must travel is haunted by all three.

When she discovers Pastor Nesmith praying to a demonic entity in her family’s barn, Forest knows she must run. Enraged at the possibility of having his true allegiance exposed, Nesmith pursues Forest as she flees on foot, hoping to reach the one person who will believe her—her grandmother. Unfortunately, Granny is forty miles away, and Forest has no car, no phone, and no friends. To reach her, Forest will have to learn to see the world true, even as the demonic and the sacred wage war for her soul.

JOHN MANTOOTH is the award winning author of two novels and a short story collection. His first novel, The Year of the Storm, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award. He has also published three crime novels under the pseudonym Hank Early. Heaven’s Crooked Finger (written as Hank Early) was a Next Generation Indie Book award winner and 2017 Foreword Indies Award Finalist. He lives in Alabama with his wife and two children.

"Holy Ghost Road is a southern fried coming-of-age road novel mashed with an epic good vs. evil yarn. Thrilling from page one, as well as inventive and compassionate, the book made me want to go climb the nearest tree and sit in the branches with Forest." - Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Pallbearers Club.

"Holy Ghost Road punches the gas from sentence one, then opens up the throttle. John Mantooth's southern voice is true, his prose thrilling. I loved this book." - Andy Davidson, author of The Hollow Kind

"Mantooth has a gift for imbuing every turn of phrase with the weight of a deep-down truth you can't imagine you didn't know before. When he turns his pen to horror, the result is nothing short of enthralling. HOLY GHOST ROAD is a prime example of atmospheric, spiritual and human immersion. Walking the long road with Forest, the reader sees through her eyes, and feels every flash of fear, dread and hope as though it were their own. Not to be missed." - Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads and Below

"With the publication of Holy Ghost Road, author John Mantooth presents an original and deftly crafted novel that will have a very special appeal to readers with an interest in psychic and supernatural thrillers." - The Midwest Book Review

"Whether he's writing horror or crime, John Mantooth always renders the South and its people with understanding of and compassion for its nuances, contradictions, particular nightmares and singular beauty. You'll find all of those things in Holy Ghost Road, wrapped around a tense, riveting horror story of demons, religion, and family, worthy of Robert McCammon and Michael McDowell at their best. This one is special." - Nathan Ballingrud, author of The Strange and North American Lake Monsters

"Holy Ghost Road is one part road novel, one part Southern Gothic, but at its core it's a modern fairy tale. Forest is on the way to her grandma's house, pursued by a wolf of a man and his pack of demonic minions. You will root for Forest as she faces various obstacles on her journey, you will cry with her, and you will fear for her as she is propelled toward the startling, terrifying climax. There's a bit of Lansdale here, a bit of McCammon, but ultimately this is a story only John Mantooth could write. Picking up this book will be easy. Putting it down again will be hard. And forgetting what you've read afterward will be damn-near impossible." - Ian Rogers, author of Every House is Haunted

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