by Jeremy Bates
- OulawPoet [Top 1000 Reviewer Vine Voice]
BOOK 4: ISLAND OF THE DOLLS
THE CREEPIEST ISLAND ON EARTH
Deep within an ancient Aztec canal system on the outskirts of Mexico City lies Isla de las Munecas...a reportedly haunted island infested with thousands of decrepit dolls.
While there to film a television documentary, several friends discover a brutal murder. Soon fear and paranoia turn them against one another—even as the unknown killer stalks them throughout the longest night of their lives.
“Island of the Dolls adds to the ‘World's Scariest Places’ series with Book Four. Each book’s setting is actually a real-world place, and so Isla de las Mune-cas (the Island of the Dolls) is actually a floating garden in Mexico. A legend about a drowned girl and dolls that haunt the premises forms the foundation for a gripping story that is a fine addition to the series, but also stands well on its own, making it an attraction for newcomers. The tale opens with a little girl’s near-drowning and the threat from gruesome dolls that leads her to flee. The compelling opener immediately shifts to the first person as the protagonist awakens from a nightmare and an alcoholic binge from the night before. He’s part of an ad hoc TV documentary group that has come to investigate the legend of an area haunted by dolls, but the truth is even more bizarre when they find themselves immersed in murder, mayhem, and a legend that may prove all too real for comfort…Thriller fans and readers of Stephen King, Joe Lansdale, and other masters of the art will find much to love in this highly recommended, action-packed read.”
- Midwest Book Review
BOOK 5: MOUNTAIN OF THE DEAD
THE GREATEST UNSOLVED MYSTERY OF THE 20TH CENTURY—UNTIL NOW
Fact: During the night of February 1, 1959, in the remote reaches of Siberia, nine Russian hikers slash open their tent from the inside and flee into a blizzard in subpolar temperatures.
Fact: By morning all are dead, several having suffered gruesome, violent deaths. What happened to them has baffled investigators and researchers to this day.
It has become known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident.
Now, an American true-crime writer seeking answers to the enduring mystery sets out to retrace the hikers' steps on their fateful expedition—though nothing can prepare him for what he is about to discover...
“Mountain of the Dead is the fifth book in Jeremy Bates' 'World's Scariest Places' series, and charms the imagination with a series of tense encounters based on true experiences and a story line that reads like a combination of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Clive Barker... [A] powerful thriller that is thoroughly engrossing, packed with surprises, and steeped in the culture and atmosphere of both Russia and a remote mountain world filled with intrigue.”
- Midwest Book Review
For a limited time, visit www.jeremybatesbooks.com to receive a free copy of the critically acclaimed novella Black Canyon, WINNER of Crime Writers of Canada The Lou Allin Memorial Award.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA Today bestselling author Jeremy Bates has written more than a dozen novels and novellas, which have been translated into several languages and downloaded more than one million times. Midwest Book Review compares his work to “Stephen King, Joe Lansdale, and other masters of the art.” He has won both an Australian Shadows Award and a Canadian Arthur Ellis Award. He was also a finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards, the only major book awards decided by readers. His debut novel reached #1 in the Amazon Kindle Store, while the novels in the “World’s Scariest Places” series are set in real locations, and so far include Suicide Forest in Japan, The Catacombs in Paris, Helltown in Ohio, Island of the Dolls in Mexico, and Mountain of the Dead in Russia. You can check out any of these places on the web.
Table of Contents
AUTHOR’S NOTE
PROLOGUE
1981
CHAPTER 1
38 YEARS LATER
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
EPILOGUE
A FEW MONTHS LATER
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR