Inside the Story of Grave Undertakings

According to Native American legends, the souls of the dead are carried to the afterlife on the wings of a crow. Sometimes, however, the manner of death is so vile that the soul is weighted down by sadness, grief or guilt. In these instances, the crow is unable to carry the soul to the land of the dead, leaving the  soul in limbo.  These unfortunate souls, carried by crows, cannot rest until those wrongs have been righted.

For those of you who have read my thriller Asylum Lake you know of the restless souls searching to right the wrongs which still hold them captive. It is through their tormented eyes that many of the secrets of the mysterious abandoned asylum will continue to be revealed. Their souls, however, are not the only burden carried on the wings of the crow.

Other legends provide vastly different accounts of the crow.  These legends speak of the black-winged bird as a scavenger of the dead, a feeder on the flesh of the departed, and even a devourer of the souls of the living.  It begs the question – to what use would a crow put the soul of a man?   Is it merely a coincidence that the crow  flies higher into the heavens than nearly all of its feathered bretheren?  Perhaps it is the stolen souls of men which carry the crow ever-closer to the creator.

In Grave Undertakings you will learn much more about the neverending  journey of  the soul.  The veil which separates the living from the dead has been parted, allowing the most restless of souls to revisit their grief, anger, and loss upon the living.  This parting, however, also provides the living an opportunity to prey upon the souls of the dead.

The cast of characters widens with Grave Undertakings as the story moves both forward and backward in time to reveal even more secrets.  Although much of the story is spent within the walls of the Lake View Asylum, readers will also journey beyond Bedlam Falls to follow the trail of Dr. Wesley Clovis.  From the coal mines of West Virginia to Gray’s Crossing, Indiana, the search for answers eventually leads back to The Lake of Tears.

I look forward to the unearthing of Grave Undertakings on May 22nd and hope you find as much enjoyment in reading my dark tale as I have had in writing it.

Cheers from Bedlam Falls!

R. A. Evans