Description
Everyone knew the urban legend. We lived it.
I’ll never forget the summer of 1997, not for as long as I live. We’ve all heard the disturbing tales and creepy urban legends about the decaying old building sitting on Dudley Road. But when my friends and I finally gathered up the courage to visit, we concluded they were nothing more than silly stories.
We were wrong.
When we left, we took something with us – and now they want it back. I’m being haunted, and they swear they won’t rest until I return it to them. I try to ignore them… but when paranormal events start terrorizing me; I know they’re dead serious.
And when my friends start going missing one by one, I’m terrified that I’m next…
Step into a chilling horror story where spirits lurk in the shadows and nothing is as it seems. Based on real-life events and dripping with hair-raising suspense, Dudley Road is an unforgettable and bone-chilling read that’s perfect for anyone who loves to be on the edge of their seat. Grab your copy today… if you dare.
jana _ (verified owner) –
I received an advanced reader copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. i loved this book! the premise is interesting, and i like that it’s based off of true events. it’s suspenseful, the atmosphere is fun & eerie, and it’s nice to get you out of a reading slump. it’s not too long, which is encouraging when you’re in a slump, but it’s not too short that it feels short-lived and short story-esque. also, and this might just be because im not from there, but i really enjoyed how american this was ??? if this makes any sense ??? the cool 90’s/early 2000’s american group of reckless teenage boys was genuinely so fun to read LMAO the writing was good, and I enjoyed the first person POV (again, he’s so american it’s so fun for some reason). I also really liked how short the chapters were! not only did it add to that ooooh suspensful atmosphere, but it made it so that i didn’t have to go through agonising 20-page chapters so I could stop at satisfying checkpoints when i wanted to put the book down. overall v v fun !! 🙂 thank you so much to the author for giving me an ARC! <3
H.S. Burney (verified owner) –
As a horror fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The author kept me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. The setting was spooky and beautifully described. I could visualize the ominous pall that hung over the air and the palpable feeling of dread was imbued throughout the novel. The author did a great job showing the horrors escalating over time. And he did it in a manner which compelled me to keep reading. From their first visit, the author and his friends knew something wasn’t right at Dudley Road. And yet, they felt this irresistible pull to keep returning again and again. And soon, it got to a point where they didn’t actually have to go to Dudley Road to experience the horror. The evil had followed them home. The first person narration worked very well. I felt like I was at a campfire in the dark listening to the story. At the most tense moments in the novel, I felt like I was right there with the narrator, on the edge of my seat. There were some scenes I thought could have been better explained (without giving too much away, there was a sort of underground factory where I would have liked to know what was going on). But overall the author did a terrific job of tying things up towards the end. While leaving just the right air of mystery, and leading the reader to draw their own conclusions. You walk away thinking that maybe things aren’t quite so black and white. And the presence at Dudley Road wasn’t all evil as you had originally assumed.
Jessica Gleason (verified owner) –
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. *** Living near an infamously haunted road, the premise of this book had me interested. I appreciate that it’s based on true events and I did do some Googling to learn more about it. I found the story itself interesting and the atmosphere creepy. There is some decent build. But, I didn’t feel like I really got to know most of the characters. I almost felt as if the voice itself was limiting, like there may have been more opportunities if it had been third-person. Though, I certainly appreciate the intimacy of a first-person narrative as well.
Katie Followell (verified owner) –
The plot of Dudley Road really grabbed my attention, and I gotta admit– it was truly unique to other horror books which I really liked. As a reader, my enjoyment of this book was kind of like a roller coaster. For a very large portion of the book, I couldn’t put it down! I was engrossed in these people, these characters, and I had these warm and fuzzy nostalgic feelings that Stranger Things gives me. I wanted to find out this mystery of Dudley Road too. I didn’t even think I was too wrapped into it, until I spooked myself when I thought I heard someone talking in the room when I was alone. I was creeped out! But when I was on the down parts of Dudley Road, I felt the writing style was a little too wordy– making it confusing to read. The last few chapters, I was very confused as to what exactly was happening and where was Mike actually at. The imagery was great, I could picture him in this creepy hallway or dark room– but I couldn’t figure out where these areas were. It felt choppy. Overall, I did really enjoy this book. It has a really unique plot that I enjoyed, and would love to see this turned into a movie or something! Thank you to BookSirens for a free advanced copy! I’m leaving this review voluntarily, because I love to read!
Samanthasue218 (verified owner) –
Thank you BookSirens and M. Jandreau for the arc of this ebook! NO SPOILERS I have not read a book quite like this one. This book is inspired by real events. I was so hooked to read this book as fast as I could. I would read this before bed, and man would it haunt my dreams! I felt like I was on the adventure with the characters in the book. I got lost in the ebook, and would get chills while reading. Will these kids figure out what these spirits of Dudley Rd. want before it is too late? Or is this just a silly urban legend that the kids are believing in and someone is just playing a joke? Can Mike save his friends or will he be in trouble as well? You will want to find out for yourself when this book is published on 03/18/2023. #booksirens #mjandreau
Niko Taylor (verified owner) –
When I began to read this book, I did not know what to expect. I knew Mike and I were relatively around the same age based upon the years based in the book, which were some of the best years of my life. I know I like thrillers and horrors. What I did question was the paranormal, so I decided to give this ARC a fair shot. M. JandreauM. Jandreau is the first writer to give me the creeps in years. Like, actual creeps. He can describe a scene and a sound so distinctly it carries on cognitively in your mind pages and hours later. The writing style is fresh, descriptive, and visually and sonically makes me aware of every shadow, thump, and bump I hear. It made me realize I needed a stronger bedside weapon for baddies than a kindle and night cream. A story of strong friendship, thrills, and just enough supernatural not to lose me as I am not the biggest fan. I wasn’t too sure how the ending was going, and I was statistically counting stars in my mind and landed on a 3.5-4.0. Really, Mike, Creed? =) I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Firdaos Abubakre (verified owner) –
ABOUT THE BOOK. A group of friends decide to explore Dudley Road a couple of times, an area that is said to be haunted. After a while, a series of strange unexplainable things begin to happen to them, each event even more bizarre than the one before it. What did they find on Dudley Road? And how does their findings relate to these strange occurrences? THOUGHTS The first thing that grabbed my attention when I started this book was ‘Inspired by true events’. I love books and movies that that are based on or inspired by true events, it makes it all more real and immersive. The book ‘Dudley Road’ was intelligently written. Each chapter commanding your attention and ensuring that you kept turning page after page. It had the right amount of creepy without being over the top scary, the right amount of suspense and mystery. Overall, Dudley Road is a masterpiece and if you are fan of mystery with a little horror, this is the book for you. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Jennifer Williams (verified owner) –
OMG! This book was awesome!!!!! As a teenager me and my group of friends always heard the urban legends or ghostly stories people would tell. On weekends we would go out and explore these stories and see if we could find one that was true! We of course always got scared out of our minds not sure if you seen or heard something real or one of the group messing with us. So I connected with this book right off. The group of friends starts to hear different stories about a tragedy that happened out on Dudley Road. Two were eager to go exploring. The others needed a little more convincing. Eventually they all end up going out there. They soon find out something or someone followed them home. Their lives get turned upside down trying to figure out how to make this stop. When one of them disappears they now know they are all running out of time! They have got to figure it out before the next friend of the group goes missing. And more importantly where are they? Are they ok? How do we get them back? You gotta read this book! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Milt Theo (verified owner) –
Having once checked Hicks Road in San Jose, as well as Mavris Petras Street (Black Rock Street) in Thessaloniki, Greece, both rumored to be haunted, I can attest that the author has a very good grasp of the urban legend theme and its associated atmosphere. The first part of the book, when Mike and Dan explore the Dudley Road urban legend, is simply wonderful. The second part, however, not so much: I felt it went off the rails fast and turned into fantasy. The group’s reactions felt too childish, and the situations lacked the gritty realism of the first part. The bittersweet ending was nice, but it didn’t bring the satisfaction I expected for the time I invested reading the book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Horror Reads (verified owner) –
I absolutely loved that this novel was based on a true local legend. The first person perspective gave this an extra creepy factor that I enjoyed. The writing style was fantastic as well. It felt like the author was sitting me down around a campfire to tell me a scary story. And it worked. I absolutely did not see the the second half of this book coming, with it’s Stranger Things-esque dive into this “other” world. I was all in for that and wasn’t disappointed. I did think there was a certain section that didn’t appear (to me) to be there for any narrative reason. Once I finished the book, there wasn’t really anything said or implied about why Mike had been there in the first place. It might have just been something I missed. However, this didn’t diminish the great creepy time I spent with this novel. Plenty of scares, a great cast of teenage characters, and a wild trip with twists and turns makes this a novel I will definitely recommend to others! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily