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Middwood #1
Ghosts of Black Bear Mountain
Never turn your back on an open window, that’s Rule 1.
Matt Christian is a young teacher who lost everything. Following his only job lead, he arrives at a rural mining town in the Kentucky mountains.
He hopes to make a fresh start, but he quickly discovers the town is not only governed by odd rules, but it's haunted by a dark past.
Matt needs to escape before time runs out, but something is holding him there. Is it the community that surrounds him, the ghosts of the town’s past, or are Matt’s own demons finally laying claim on his soul?
Matt Christian is a young teacher who lost everything. Following his only job lead, he arrives at a rural mining town in the Kentucky mountains.
He hopes to make a fresh start, but he quickly discovers the town is not only governed by odd rules, but it's haunted by a dark past.
Matt needs to escape before time runs out, but something is holding him there. Is it the community that surrounds him, the ghosts of the town’s past, or are Matt’s own demons finally laying claim on his soul?
437 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2018
20 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 1, 2018
I had the chance to be an early reader for this novel! Marc did an incredible job keeping me on the edge of my seat. As Matt, the protagonist, uncovered the twists and turns of what mysteries the Mountain was keeping, I too was hungry to dig deeper and learn why and how things truly came to be. I sincerely cannot wait to see what becomes of Matt and all the denizens of the Mountain.
March 29, 2020
It took me a while to get into this story and understand what was going on, but once I got a few chapters in I was intrigued.
We've got Matt, a teacher, down on his luck because he can't stop taking pills and blacking out. He's poor, he's broken and he needs out of Atlanta, so he takes a job to be a teacher in rural Kentucky.
Rural Kentucky up on Black Bear Mountain is
"so backwoods, it's sideways" and that's his explanation to why things are so damn weird. The town is creepy and has odd rules about covering windows and not going out at night, but maybe I'm jaded because the spooky reveal didn't scare me.🤷🏻♀️
The writing was good and the atmosphere was creepy, but the story behind it all didn't fully "click" for me and the Native American magic stuff left a weird taste in my mouth. It is 1964 in the story, so I guess it's fine, but it just seemed like a convenient way to not explain things.
All in all, a solid ghost story with a mismatch ending, but it sets it up for the next book in the series so let's hope things get straightened out there.
We've got Matt, a teacher, down on his luck because he can't stop taking pills and blacking out. He's poor, he's broken and he needs out of Atlanta, so he takes a job to be a teacher in rural Kentucky.
Rural Kentucky up on Black Bear Mountain is
"so backwoods, it's sideways" and that's his explanation to why things are so damn weird. The town is creepy and has odd rules about covering windows and not going out at night, but maybe I'm jaded because the spooky reveal didn't scare me.🤷🏻♀️
The writing was good and the atmosphere was creepy, but the story behind it all didn't fully "click" for me and the Native American magic stuff left a weird taste in my mouth. It is 1964 in the story, so I guess it's fine, but it just seemed like a convenient way to not explain things.
All in all, a solid ghost story with a mismatch ending, but it sets it up for the next book in the series so let's hope things get straightened out there.
July 11, 2019
I love the story that Marc Monroe has created with Ghosts of Black Bear Mountain. I was slightly nervous accepting such a large review book from the author since I have been reading a lot of novellas and short stories lately, but I am glad I let myself take the challenge and give this one a chance. I LOVED IT! It took me about 15-20 pages to get "into" this one, but once I was in it I never wanted to put the book down. I enjoyed following our protagonist on his journey in the middle of BF nowhere as he uncovered the secrets of his new job, town, and its inhabitants. There are three odd and ominous rules in the small mining town of Kentucky that you must follow if you want to survive. What are they? Well for that you will need to check this book out yourself!
5 stars! This book has your creepy, rural town, it has dark secrets, it has ghosts, and it is full of paranormal mystery and cover-ups! Highly recommended and I cannot wait for the second installment!
Many thanks to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
5 stars! This book has your creepy, rural town, it has dark secrets, it has ghosts, and it is full of paranormal mystery and cover-ups! Highly recommended and I cannot wait for the second installment!
Many thanks to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 27, 2025
It took me a few chapters to get into this novel, but once it hooked me, I couldn't put it down. The main character, Matt Christian, is an unlikable guy who is desperately looking for work after being (justifiably) fired from his last job as a teacher. He finds a job in a small and unwelcoming Kentucky town that holds more than its fair share of dark secrets. The ghosts here are malevolent, and Matt faces a serious challenge when he runs afoul of the townspeople as well as the ghosts. If you like this kind of ghost story (as I do!) you might also check out Sick House by Jeff Strand and Hag by John Goodrich.
UPDATE: This review is for the original version of this novel as published in 2018. I have not read the revised version published in 2025.
UPDATE: This review is for the original version of this novel as published in 2018. I have not read the revised version published in 2025.
May 13, 2022
So far, this book is one of the best books I have ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a thrilling read.
December 28, 2019
“With all the backward shit that had happened to me, I didn’t know if I was still on a job interview or had become a soon to be sacrifice for a town cult”
Marc Monroe’s Ghosts of Black Bear Mountain is a gripping tale of Matt Christian’s attempt at turning his life around after an incident involving his drug addiction. Christian moves to an unusual backwoods town and is faced with this town’s strange and seemingly nonsensical rules that come with living there. Christian bends and breaks the rules, only to find out that there really is a reason for them being in place…
I really enjoyed this novel. It is a chilling ghost story intertwined with a story of growth and defeating your own demons. I was so captivated with the story of Christian’s character development and growth as the story progresses. He starts out being a deadbeat drug addict with a dark past, trying to change the trajectory of his future… with little hope, but grows with the help of the town. It is equally chilling as it is heartwarming. I found myself rooting for him, and wanting to yell at him through the page for some of the decisions that he made.
Monroe did a phenomenal job in this book with creating the characters. The characters were well developed and felt very three dimensional. Not all of them felt this way, but those that mattered did. Christian and Peter were the characters that felt the most developed and I found myself loving by the end of the novel. I loved the friendship that developed between the two and the role that Christian takes in Peter’s life. I found myself actually caring for these characters and wanting to hear more of their story.
The rest of the town’s characters felt vague, but it worked. It felt intentional and fit with the story and tone of the book. It felt like there was a spotlight on a select few characters and the rest of the town was this mysterious entity that always had its eyes on Christian. I loved that. It made the town feel complex and mysterious.
I did keep going back and forth with how I felt about the length of this book. At times, I wanted more and more and did not want it to end, but others I felt that it kind of moved a little slow. The length did not impact the enjoyability of the book for me though - it just made me wonder what it would be like if it was shorter.
Overall, this novel is a very atmospheric tale that is both eerie and, in a way, heart warming and triumphant. Monroe is able to create a setting in this novel that is perfectly eerie and mysterious without it becoming cheesy or cliche, and characters that are full bodied and become individuals that the reader can connect with and care about. This novel is definitely worth your time. This is a phenomenal debut novel for Monroe.
Rating: 4/5
Marc Monroe’s Ghosts of Black Bear Mountain is a gripping tale of Matt Christian’s attempt at turning his life around after an incident involving his drug addiction. Christian moves to an unusual backwoods town and is faced with this town’s strange and seemingly nonsensical rules that come with living there. Christian bends and breaks the rules, only to find out that there really is a reason for them being in place…
I really enjoyed this novel. It is a chilling ghost story intertwined with a story of growth and defeating your own demons. I was so captivated with the story of Christian’s character development and growth as the story progresses. He starts out being a deadbeat drug addict with a dark past, trying to change the trajectory of his future… with little hope, but grows with the help of the town. It is equally chilling as it is heartwarming. I found myself rooting for him, and wanting to yell at him through the page for some of the decisions that he made.
Monroe did a phenomenal job in this book with creating the characters. The characters were well developed and felt very three dimensional. Not all of them felt this way, but those that mattered did. Christian and Peter were the characters that felt the most developed and I found myself loving by the end of the novel. I loved the friendship that developed between the two and the role that Christian takes in Peter’s life. I found myself actually caring for these characters and wanting to hear more of their story.
The rest of the town’s characters felt vague, but it worked. It felt intentional and fit with the story and tone of the book. It felt like there was a spotlight on a select few characters and the rest of the town was this mysterious entity that always had its eyes on Christian. I loved that. It made the town feel complex and mysterious.
I did keep going back and forth with how I felt about the length of this book. At times, I wanted more and more and did not want it to end, but others I felt that it kind of moved a little slow. The length did not impact the enjoyability of the book for me though - it just made me wonder what it would be like if it was shorter.
Overall, this novel is a very atmospheric tale that is both eerie and, in a way, heart warming and triumphant. Monroe is able to create a setting in this novel that is perfectly eerie and mysterious without it becoming cheesy or cliche, and characters that are full bodied and become individuals that the reader can connect with and care about. This novel is definitely worth your time. This is a phenomenal debut novel for Monroe.
Rating: 4/5
April 3, 2020
A teacher name Matt get's a job in a small town in Kentucky called Middwood. He drives from Atlanta, fleeing from his past, to attempt to start a new life in Appalachia. When he arrives in Middwood, his car breaks down and he's greeted by a town that's suspicious of the outsider. Middwood is an extremely small coal-mining town that is on the other side of the good old days. Matt finds out that he wasn't hired to be a teacher, he is going to be THE teacher. One-room schoolhouse style. Quickly upon arrival, Matt is introduced to the town rules, 1. Don't turn your back on an open window. 2. Never go outside when the sun is down. Weird, right? As the weirdness racks up, Matt doesn't take the warnings seriously and finds out why the rules are there in the first place.
So, here's the thing, I liked this book. I loved the concept and it's about a teacher named Matt so I'm here for it. I wanted to say that first because I'm going to mention some negatives and I wanted to set it straight that I enjoyed my visit to Middwood. My issues aren't with the story or the writing. I think that Marc Monroe is a good writer and he kept me engaged the whole time. Despite that, there were issues that kept me from loving it fully. There's a dramatic principle that I used to teach when I taught writing called Chekov's Gun that says if you're going to introduce a gun into the story then that bad boy better get fired at some point otherwise, it shouldn't be there. I felt like there were a lot of loose ends and moments that weren't explored or paid off. Also, something that typically gets to me is when an author uses a word or phrase too often that after a certain point whenever I see that word or phrase, it takes me out of the story. In this book, that word is "backwoods". Probably every 5-6 pages, someone says the word backwoods in their dialogue. That was an issue for me but both of those issues are editing issues and if that won't bother you, you'll probably really like this book.
Even despite those issues, this was a fun ghost story with an interesting setting and characters. I give it a thumbs up
So, here's the thing, I liked this book. I loved the concept and it's about a teacher named Matt so I'm here for it. I wanted to say that first because I'm going to mention some negatives and I wanted to set it straight that I enjoyed my visit to Middwood. My issues aren't with the story or the writing. I think that Marc Monroe is a good writer and he kept me engaged the whole time. Despite that, there were issues that kept me from loving it fully. There's a dramatic principle that I used to teach when I taught writing called Chekov's Gun that says if you're going to introduce a gun into the story then that bad boy better get fired at some point otherwise, it shouldn't be there. I felt like there were a lot of loose ends and moments that weren't explored or paid off. Also, something that typically gets to me is when an author uses a word or phrase too often that after a certain point whenever I see that word or phrase, it takes me out of the story. In this book, that word is "backwoods". Probably every 5-6 pages, someone says the word backwoods in their dialogue. That was an issue for me but both of those issues are editing issues and if that won't bother you, you'll probably really like this book.
Even despite those issues, this was a fun ghost story with an interesting setting and characters. I give it a thumbs up
February 23, 2021
Riveting
An Absolutely white knuckle, intriguing, absorbing read. I couldn’t put it down!
Ghosts of Black Bear Mountain will hook its claws into you, and not let go until the very end.
I cannot wait to start on book two!
An Absolutely white knuckle, intriguing, absorbing read. I couldn’t put it down!
Ghosts of Black Bear Mountain will hook its claws into you, and not let go until the very end.
I cannot wait to start on book two!
November 2, 2018
Great book with a compelling (and slightly annoying) protagonist. You're going to hate Matt, then you're going to be cheering for him, then you going to keep hating him. It becomes hard to tell whether you start cheering for Matt or the ghosts, but the book keeps you drawn in. Great paranormal suspense novel!
May 6, 2020
A fantastic story of a new teacher battling his own inner demons and literal ghosts in a town that’s haunted by its horrific past.
A very interesting and flawed protagonist and one I hope to meet again in the sequel. The ghosts were very cool too.
Highly recommended.
A very interesting and flawed protagonist and one I hope to meet again in the sequel. The ghosts were very cool too.
Highly recommended.
November 2, 2018
After reading the first prologue and a couple pages from this story, I’m already hooked. I feel anxious even taking time away from my read to write a review!!
June 7, 2019
I'm biased, but I love this book. What started out as a terrifying dream, turned into a beautiful journey. I'm grateful to everyone for the support.
January 16, 2026
I wasn't sure what to expect from this horror book on a secluded small mountain town in Kentucky, but it completely captured my attention. The story of a gay, drug-addicted teacher going to the town to teach the local kids and learning its strange rules was interesting. The unease was extremely well written and truly put to good use, especially in the struggles of paranoia, drug use, or the paranormal. The slow pace was perfect to build up tension and made it great to wrap the story up. All of the characters had really unique personalities and made them easy to distinguish. Matt, our main character, felt realistic with his human-based behavior and curiosity. Overall, I really enjoyed this horror book, which borders on thriller and paranoia.
March 20, 2021
This book is a page turner! I found myself reading more and more each day to see how the story progressed. The main character Matt Christian is a complex and intriguing protagonist to follow. Each twist and turn was unexpected and kept me wanting more from this book. Marc Monroe has done a fantastic job building the suspense and thrill in Ghosts of Black Bear Mountain! The ending was a great twist. Such a great read. I highly recommended!!
November 19, 2019
Intense!!
It's been awhile since I've read a good ghost story, and I'm glad I chose this one. I enjoyed the complex cast of characters and had a hard time figuring out who the good guys and bad guys were. An amazing and intense thriller that'll have you forgetting to breathe at times. I'll be starting Book 2 in the Middwood Series tonight.
It's been awhile since I've read a good ghost story, and I'm glad I chose this one. I enjoyed the complex cast of characters and had a hard time figuring out who the good guys and bad guys were. An amazing and intense thriller that'll have you forgetting to breathe at times. I'll be starting Book 2 in the Middwood Series tonight.
December 22, 2022
Engaging
When I saw the book was almost 500 pages, I was less than thrilled. However, once I got about 50 pages in, I couldn’t stop reading and finished it in a day. The writing style and the plot kept me interested. There was a few times that I was confused, but overall I think it’s a good book and I’m ready to read the next one.
When I saw the book was almost 500 pages, I was less than thrilled. However, once I got about 50 pages in, I couldn’t stop reading and finished it in a day. The writing style and the plot kept me interested. There was a few times that I was confused, but overall I think it’s a good book and I’m ready to read the next one.
July 6, 2019
Excellent characters and story
This was really good. I was immediately invested in the main character and pulling for him to get through his many struggles. The story was interesting, complex and unexpected.
An entirely satisfying read.
This was really good. I was immediately invested in the main character and pulling for him to get through his many struggles. The story was interesting, complex and unexpected.
An entirely satisfying read.
December 18, 2019
One of the most captivating books i've read
June 20, 2025
Marc Monroe delivers an incredibly entertaining tale that you won't be able to put down. Middwood, KY has a wicked history with devoted residents, and newcomer, Matt Christian, will need all the help he can get to unearth it's dark and ghostly secrets.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews