Salvage: A Ghost Story

by Duncan Ralston

Thirty years ago, the town of Peace Falls was flooded to build a hydroelectric dam. To this day, its ruins remain below the surface of Chapel Lake—including the church, miraculously undamaged after all these years, its steeple visible above the water.

When his younger sister's body is found washed up on the shore, Owen Saddler follows in her footsteps to the cabin she'd rented on Chapel Lake, diving among the ruins below the surface.

Soon he's caught up in a decades-old mystery of the religious mania that divided the town in the late-'70s, and the sudden disappearance of Reverend Crouch and several of his parishioners—a mystery the citizens of Chapel Lake had hoped would stay submerged beneath the water, in the ghost town below.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Mystery, Fiction, Ghosts, Supernatural, Ebooks

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2015

About the author

**CVLT: Lonely Motel Book 3 out now!!!**

**Sequel to the hit novel PUZZLE HOUSE coming Winter 2026**

Author of the cult smash-hit Woom and Ghostland and more than 15 other books that aren't the cult smash-hit Woom or Ghostland. His debut collection was blurbed positively by the legendary Jack Ketchum. His vampire novel, Pedo Island Bloodbath, was nominated for a 2024 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novel. His horror-thriller Ghostland will soon be a board game from Crystal Lake Publishing.

For 10 FREE dark fiction short stories/novellas including the prequel to GHOSTLAND, "The Moving House," signed copies of Woom, bookplates and merch, please visit www.duncanralston.com.

Photo © Josh Silver 2015

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Ghost Story!

Backstory:

Owen Saddler heads up to the town of Peace Falls to bury his sister Lori as she died while scuba diving in a lake named Chapel Lake. Owen doesn't understand how Lori could have drowned when she knew about scuba diving so he tries to delve deep into the mystery of her death.

There is quite a bit of speculation and dark mystery surrounding Chapel Lake as it is centered around a church that became flooded and now sits at the bottom of the lake. The only landmark that the church ever existed is the steeple sticking up out of the water.

From the moment that Owen arrives in town, spooky things start happening to him as he thinks he sees Lori's ghost but he thinks that maybe it is just the grief of losing his sister. As time goes on he realizes that maybe the town and lake are haunted so he decides to find out what is causing the haunting and why it is centered around the church.

Thoughts:

This story is a reread for me as I read it back in 2017 and it is the debut book by author, Duncan Ralston. When I first read it back then I was just mesmerized by the story telling as the story kept me tied up with spooky atmosphere.

On this second reread of it I think I became more spooked out by the story as I had some really weird ghostly dreams and that says a lot for me as that means the book became locked into my psyche with not letting me go!

There is tons of haunting atmosphere within these pages and the book is definitely staying as a five star read plus will be staying on my favorites shelf. Giving this book five "Ghostly Spine Shivers" stars!

[RedemptionDenied · Rating 4 out of 5]

Event of the day (year). I finally finished it. I can't believe how long it took me to read this book - especially as I enjoyed it and wanted to know what happened next....

Owen Sadler, who is attending his (step) sister's funeral, can't believe she's dead: her body was found on the shore of Chapel Lake. According to a police report; she had drowned, whilst exploring the depths of the lake. Even more mysterious is the reason for her being there in the first place.

Thirty years earlier, in 1979 - the inhabitants of Peace Falls had to evacuate the small town: they had to leave their homes; livelihood and the place where they'd grownup; all because a Hydroelectric Dam was given the go ahead to be built - and the town needed to be flooded; which is now submerged under Chapel Lake. Nothing much there, except the remnants of the old town.

Anyway, he decides to follow in his sister's footsteps - and goes to Chapel Lake, to see if he can better understand why she was there - and find out what had happened to her, as she was an experienced diver. In his search for the truth, a whole lot of dark secrets start to emerge.

I really enjoyed the book - despite it being a bit slow in places. It was an interesting tale, that almost had me believing in ghosts - and following Owen as he unearths the truth, secrets and mysteries that lay beneath the lake was very intriguing. Peace Falls has a lot of history. And the underwater scenes were really creepy.

[Graeme Rodaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! - And I don't say that often or lightly.

Well done Duncan Ralston. My goodness - what a great work of story art you have created here.

The first two thirds of the story had me wondering with some uneven pacing, but the story continued to develop and matured into something I could easily see penned by Stephen King.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has any desire to read a decent ghost story, murder mystery and profound personal redemption story rolled into one.

Blown away by the ending.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

Salvage starts off with the main character of Owen finding out that his sister has died. She drowns while scuba diving in a lake in a remote part of Ontario. Chapel Lake is a lake in where the town of Peace Falls was flooded due to a hydroelectric dam being built. A whole town is underwater along with a church and the mystery of the missing Pastor of that church and all his parishioners.

This was a fun and creepy read! It didn’t scare me, but it was still engaging to read to find out what is haunting Chapel Lake and Owen.
You see, Owen starts seeing ghosts after his sister, Lori dies. Is he going crazy or is something else going on? Owen decides to take a road trip to find out!

I liked the concept of this book due to an underwater town and church being haunted. Also, who doesn’t love some religious fanaticism in a book! Now that gave me more of a scare fright then the actual hauntings. Ha!!
This was a great and original idea for a book. Kudos to Duncan Ralston for coming up with it!

Honestly, I thought the book had clunky pacing in the beginning, but the ending brought everything together and I was happy with that.

Recommended to fans of horror and ghost stories!

[Jen from Quebec :0) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started slowly yet finished with a bang! What began as a simple little murder mystery became a true book of horror, a ghost story, a story about mental illness + families, a story of redemption and yes, a true mystery novel as well. If you are into horror OR mystery novels, this one is pretty great. Much better than I thought it would be! Was this *really* Ralston's DEBUT novel? If so- kudos to him- it is a great story!--Jen from Quebec :0)

[Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe every man has two selves, in constant battle with one another - the man who is, and the man he's meant to be. If one can reconcile these two halves, he will have solved the mystery of what it is to be truly human.

Owen Saddler is a forty years old man who has suffered of depression for most of his life. After his sister dies while diving in a lake, he starts having hallucinations (?) about a preacher and his flock (his sister among them) trying to drown him. This piques his interest and he sets for Chapel Lake to try and better understands the circumstances of his sister's death. What awaits him there is far beyond his expectations.

First, I really appreciate the forty years old main character. Most books released nowadays are centered around teens or people in their twenties. I'm not implying that's a bad thing, it's just that after a certain age, one starts appreciating mature characters.

And talking about grownups, when Owen first starts seeing ghost, he begins doubting his sanity. He realizes he has been suffering of depression, and starts considering schizophrenia, too (due to hallucinating - his rational explanation for what's been happening to him).

He realized it was not particularly sound logic, coming from someone whose world now included hallucinations of a psychotic preacher and flock drowning him in his own bathtub.

Another thing I like about the book is the writing style which is quite descriptive (the author describes vividly the underwater scenery). I also found his depressive descritions authentic (depression being an old friend of mine).

He noticed with sadness that her white hair had thinned in the back, another sign of death creeping ever closer. Soon she'd be gone, too, and aside from his work colleagues, he would come completely untethered, like a boat without a sail, with nothing and no one left to keep him around any longer.

I also liked the twists and turns. When I thought I figured things out, then something would happen and prove me wrong.

Although, I disliked the big climax, the showdown. That was pure fantasy-sci fi and the least bit scary. I'm out of words when it comes to this scene. Why? Why did it have to come and overshadow everything else?

To sum things up, Salvage is a good horror story that made me feel too self-conscious in the bathtub.

*I thank Duncan Ralston, Booktrope, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Owen Saddler's younger sister, Lori, drowns in mysterious fashion while scuba diving in a lake in remote Ontario, unusual things begin to happen to Owen. A strange man at his job site utters something to Owen that he couldn't have possibly known. Or did he? Owen is attacked in his bathtub and almost drowns by a man that seems oddly familiar. Or didn't he? Confused and unable to determine how much is real and how much might be hallucination, Owen is drawn to Chapel Lake, where his sister drowned and 30 years ago the lake was created by the construction of a hydroelectric dam that floods the valley and the town of Peace Falls. What was his sister looking for while diving into the flooded underwater town? He must find answers to his haunted questions, even if those answers are that he's losing his mind.

Salvage is an interesting read by Duncan Ralston that uses a unique location for his ghost story. It mixes corrupted religion with mental illness to weave a hazy read that keeps the reader turning the pages. Owen is an odd duck in that he always seems to be one step behind the reader at guessing what's going on. It can be frustrating, at times, because he doesn't ask the questions to people that you want him to ask. He seems to be ok with only knowing part of the story from a conversation and having to put himself in harms way to fill in the holes, instead of simply asking more questions. The atmosphere is unique and eerie and Ralston does a nice job painting a realistic setting that you can see vividly in your mind. The ending loosely ties things together that I couldn't quite buy into and the fact that Owen could have all of these supernatural things happen to him and he simply shrugs it off as business as usual was hard for me. But, all in all, it was a fun read that kept me turning the pages to see what happens next.

4 underwater churches out of 5

** This ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


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[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

SALVAGE: A Ghost Story, by Duncan Ralston, is at its heart a supernatural mystery brought to life by unforgettable characters and the emotions that tie them all together--whether they "remember" them all, or not.

The journey truly begins when Lori Saddler--an experienced diver--is found drowned in the remote town of Chaple Lake. Her older, half-brother Owen immediately has his suspicions, as Lori must have had an "ulterior motive" for journeying to such a place that would otherwise hold no interest for her, and questions how someone with her level of expertise would have found death in such a careless fashion. It is their strong, emotional bond that propels Owen in his obsession to uncover his sister's real motivation.

". . . You spend your whole life tiptoeing around death, it won't make it any easier when you lose someone you care about . . ."

This incredible tale takes the reader into realms never suspected. The area of Chapel Lake has bided its time, keeping its secrets close. Now, all of that is about to change when the past finally demands to be set free.

"This place is haunted. . . All of it. And it's not just the church, it's that Lake--. . . "

The characters in Salvage are multi-dimensional, and people that you could picture crossing on the streets. From Owen Saddler, with depression a constant companion for reasons even he remains unaware of, to Lori--his beloved younger sister who recognized his NEED for answers to his past long before Owen himself did--and all of the inhabitants of Chapel Lake, most of whom would rather leave the past buried, the emotions and desires of all become a part of the reader's world.

". . . Hope only exists to make the disappointments deeper . . . "

The sensation of death--both past and present--features heavily in this tale. What could evoke a stronger emotional attachment than this?

". . . People die all the time . . . It's a fact of life. You can't let that make you afraid to live."

Owen finds himself thrust out of his routine existence for perhaps the first time in all the years he can remember. From supernatural apparitions, to tales of the past long gone by, he will undergo a mental change, for better or for worse, as all he "thought" he knew is stripped to the very barest of facts.

". . . every man has two selves, in constant battle with one another--the man who is, and the man he's meant to be."

It's Owen's turn to discover this lesson, and in doing so, possibly reshape both the past and the future. While this was my first read by author Duncan Ralston, the rich atmosphere and evocative characters are more than enough to insure that I will be reading more from him in the future.

Recommended!

[Addy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty good. I especially enjoy books that have passages from the Bible and interweave them into their plot. This book talked a lot about Job and I’ll have to delve back into the Bible to read that story. Though a little slow at times, the big mystery came towards the very end and it was well deserved after so much guessing. It was definitely a satisfactory ending. For someone who is going through tough times there were some quotes from this book that really resonated and spoke to me so 4 Stars. Thank you Mr. Ralston for giving me the opportunity to read your book!

[Latasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was good. At times it was a lil slow but never enough that I wanted to out it down and never pick it back up. there is some really creepy parts where I said, ok I shouldn't be reading this at night! for me, the ending was a shock. never saw it coming. if you like ghost stories, give this one a try.

[Juliet Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this different take on a cult story. The characters were believable and perfectly annoying at times. I found the writing to be easy to jump into and engaging, descriptive yet fast-paced. This was a new to me author but I'll definitely be checking out some of his other work!

[Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salvage follows the story of Owen Saddler. It is the story of Owen’s self-discovery and how he attempts to come to terms with the untimely drowning of his sister.

Duncan Ralston does an impeccable job of setting the stage early in Salvage. Right off the bat we learn about Owen’s fears, his relationship with his sister and get a small taste of the mystery that will haunt Owen for years to come.

What really impressed me was how the story was built. To say that Owen is bothered by the drowning of his sister is putting it mildly; he is despondent. Owen cannot understand how this has happened to his sister, given that she was such an accomplished diver. The pacing of Salvage brings the reader into the mindset of Owen. As a reader, I felt his sense of loss and I was pulled into Owen’s state of mind. I didn’t just follow along with Owen’s story, I lived it with him. Everything else going on in Salvage was window dressing to Owen and his path to uncovering the mystery of Chapel Lake.

It was tremendous fun to really dive into an old fashioned ghost story, one where the ghosts are menacing and completely uninterested in pottery. The ghosts in Salvage were uniquely presented and upped the creep factor by one hundred percent.

Salvage is a fantastic debut novel that demonstrates Duncan Ralston’s innate ability as an author to truly connect with his audience.

[Mixofsunandcloud · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free for a Promotional Group Read.

It's a good book to take slow. The descriptions are very good. There's a creepy atmosphere throughout. I definitely got involved in the characters. It was hard not to yell at them when they did something I didn't think was bright. If I'd been reading at home instead of during a work break...

I was also constantly guessing at what was going on and what would happen. Not very successfully, of course. But I was just very involved in it the whole time.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: SALVAGE by Duncan Ralston

One of the best debut novels I have ever perused, SALVAGE had me enrapt from the very beginning. A terrifyingly real portrait of depression and grief, SALVAGE is also an intense tale of life after life, of extension of life powered by Will, rage, and intense commitment to something beyond oneself: group, principle, religious belief, mental disorder.

[Warren Fournier · Rating 3 out of 5]

As his debut novel, Duncan Ralston delivers a solidly spooky and unique ghost story to read on a rainy day or while boating at your local lake.

Here's the premise: When Owen was a kid, he sees a vision of a mustachioed man walking on the surface of a lake while vacationing with his family that haunts his memory. When he is 15, he and his sister find some old photos of his mother and this mysterious fellow, who used to be a preacher. It turns out that his mother was from a small Ontario town that fell victim to eminent domain and was flooded to make room for a hydroelectric dam. Owen was born and raised in this very town for the first five years of his life, but has little memory of his early childhood. He also has no idea as to the identity of his biological father, and his mother won't talk about him other than he was "a great mind who wandered away."

It turns out that the house he grew up in is still at the bottom of this lake, which has become a bit of a tourist attraction for amateur divers and scrap dealers. Many years later, Owen's sister rents a cabin on the lake and goes out diving to see what she can "salvage" of her brother's boyhood, but mysteriously drowns. Now it's Owen's turn to visit the spot and see what he can discover about his sister's death, his own past, and the mystery of the preacher with the mustache that he has dubbed "The Shepherd."

The novel's focus is on the theme of baptism and the violence inherent in the imagery, evoking the inate fear of drowning. There's quite an intelligent little mystery here, and though I can't say that it is particularly scary, the strength of the book is that it bathes us in unsettling set pieces with which all of us are familiar--being out on a body of water with a storm coming in, the isolated beauty of being alone in a cabin in the woods, the welcoming but yet dangerous cult-like intensity of religious extremism, the childish thrill of hide-and-seek, the flashing of a failing bulb in a lamp, and unexpected noises in a dark place.

Characterization is a bit mixed. On the positive side, I enjoyed the protagonist, Owen, and his sister Lori. I usually don't identify with the main characters of most books and film, but here we have a guy my age who grew up with a friendly bond with his younger sister like I did, and who shares some similar personality traits. He's friendly, yet kind of a pain in the ass; awkward at times, but very competent. For example, he goes into a bar and asks what draft beers they have when he's standing right in front of the row of taps. There was also a scene where he rents a boat to go diving. He tries to park the boat alongside a floating dock moored in the middle of the lake, but he's not the most proficient with outboard motors, forgetting that you have to steer the engine in the opposite direction to where you want the boat to go. The result is that he's circling around a few times and eventually slams it bow-first into the side of the dock until he can scramble to the edge and physically hold the boat in place, all the while a local woman is staring at him and shaking her head incredulously. But I like how he doesn't let his inexperience get in the way of what he wants to do.

But the problem with the cast is twofold. First of all, we spend some considerable time with people who have ultimately very little bearing on the story, while others who are supposed to be important players in the mystery hardly feature at all. Secondly, the female protagonist, Jo, starts off as a brutally cynical, curt, and slightly manic personality. She is delightfully eccentric and independent. But out of the blue she becomes the romantic interest for Owen, and once she does, her character completely changes. She becomes more childlike, clingy, emotional--more of a stock girlfriend character who provides much of the excuse for exposition--and as such, she is much less interesting.

Also, I did not connect with any of the motivations for most of the characters. I can't really talk about it here without spoilers, but let's just say that once the "mysteries" are revealed, you will likely be scratching your head as to how any of it makes a lick of sense. Just when I felt I may understand what the author was trying to convey with the story, he'd then overcomplicate it. In the end, it didn't seem he knew just what he wanted from his characters, whether they be villains or protagonists. It all got a bit muddled. I'm not sure if I spent more time thinking about it if it would make more sense or if I would just uncover more holes that would ultimately leave a bad taste in my mouth. I don't think I care enough to think about it any further, and perhaps that's for the best.

Because as it stands, it was a pleasant way to kill a few hours. I enjoyed it, there was nothing offensive or irritating about it, but I'm not likely to recommend it very highly or to read it again. Horror fans who tend to prefer ghost stories, hauntings, and mysteries will enjoy this well enough. As such, "Salvage" gets a solid three stars.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I knew nothing of the author, but he was giving away free copies of Salvage on HA and I thought why not read what everyone's reading for a change. But honestly I didn't expect much, this self promotions are often hit or miss and the cover has a sort of generic cheesiness that promised a...well, cheesier book. But this story of man returning to a small town he was born in to discover his traumatic (and up until now completely forgotten) past was actually a proper novel, albeit with ghosts. We're talking serious character development, arcs, backstories, etc. And while not all of them were of equal quality and logistics, for the most part Ralston succeeded at creating an atmospheric slow burner or a ghost story, not only without cheapening it with gore and guts genre often all too heavily relies on, but also by elevating it with serious subjects like mental disorders and familial connections (sins of the fathers and all that) and some seriously decent writing. The main detractor here was the pacing, this was a pretty slow read, especially for a relatively unimposing 346 page count. It didn't drag per se, but it might have used some slimming and trimming, something to make it more dynamic. Overall, though, a good entertaining read. Recommended for genre fans.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free as a group promotional read.


The writing is spectacular. The slow burn pacing is perfect, and the characters are likable, but also frustrating.

The story will keep you guessing, keep you wondering what'll happen next and have you yelling at the characters to stay out of the water!

I don't know what'll be worse. Facing a shark in the open waters, or the darkness that creeps below these waters.

Highly recommended, take your time and immense yourself in the beautiful writing and riveting story.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great creepy ghost story. I loved all the characters, and the writing was such that you knew you needed to go slow to not miss anything, but wanted to rush on to see what was happening! I will be reading more by this author! Highly recommended by me :)

[Angela DeSilva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just started this. I'll be reading all night getting creeped out.
Excellent read!

[Leah Polcar · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Salvage we follow Owen Saddler on an investigation of his sister's drowning in Chapel Lake – a man-made lake that covers an abandoned town. While the death was ruled an accident, Owen is doubtful: why would his sister be diving in this strange town and since she was such a good diver, what could have possibly gone wrong? Along the way, Owen uncovers secrets about the town and about his past.

Sincere thanks to Booktrope, NetGalley, and Duncan Ralston for a copy of Salvage in exchange for an honest review.

Probably the scariest/creepiest scene in Salvage comes right at the beginning, which would be amazing if it were followed by equally scary/creepy scenes, but unfortunately, this is not the case. While some scenes and images in Salvage were striking – for example, a submerged church and an underwater city – the novel didn't strike me as particularly atmospheric or spooky. The small town was two-dimensional and the characters therein were a bit stereotypical. This then puts the focus on plot or character development to, dare I say it, salvage the book and unfortunately both those elements were a bit lacking.

Character-wise, Owen was a bit too naive to come off as realistic. While continually confronted with the supernatural, Owen stubbornly, and unconvincingly, continues to believe he is dreaming or having minor hallucinations. Honestly, after the third time something tries to kill you or you find wet footsteps next to your bed, in an empty house, you have to wonder if maybe there is something real going on. Even if not, and I am being unfair since I know something supernatural is going on and think Owen should as well, I still think we need a more plausible account of how he would deal with actually losing his mind as opposed to simply shrugging off some pretty freaky psychotic episodes. Also problematic for me was that his depression rang false. He suddenly self-diagnoses what is later described as at least moderately severe depression by finally noticing his posture was deflated (and similar surface retrospective observations). Maybe I missed a description of Owen's feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness or problems enjoying his usual activities, but if not, this is an odd way to stumble on a mental health issue. This is especially weird as Ralston remarks he suffered from depression in the acknowledgments section. As far as the other characters, well, their motives seemed to always serve plot and in general, they were not fully realized.

The plot was also not fantastic – it wasn't bad, but it wasn't stunning either. Ralston adds a lot of twists and turns, but they didn't really misdirect reader (or at least me) in any way. I found it sort of obvious what the solution to the mystery was early on and even as more details were revealed, it seemed easy to anticipate how they would factor into the ultimate reveal. Then there was this one thing that drove me absolutely crazy – it appears the whole mystery is solved in a journal that Owen finds relatively early on, yet he does not just read the entire journal, but instead does a whole lot of unnecessary investigating to find out what the journal would have just told him if he sat down for a few hours with a Scotch and decent lighting. I can't say much more about this without giving something away, but trust me here, not reading the journal is not only bizarre, but fully improbable.

Despite all these criticisms, which I know must come off as fairly harsh, Salvage wasn't awful or even particularly bad. Overall, it was a solid, average, 3-star read that has all the problems of an average read, but an interesting enough style and substance to keep a reader going.

This review is also on my blog Read or Die.

[Annerlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommended. An excellent read. This book has an amazing sense of place, excellent atmosphere, a unique lake setting and a submerged town with a mystery no-one wants to speak about. Owen, the main character is experiencing haunting visions - or are they terrifyingly real hallucinations? Is his water phobia and grief causing mental instability, or is he being tormented by a presence from the spirit world? Owen is determined to find out.

The page-turner of a storyline drew me in. There were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and enough of the unxplained to spook me out from the beginning.

This is not 'just another' haunted house story. This book has class. It successfully avoids threadbare cliches whilst remaining true to its genre. I was rooting for Owen from page one, feeling his grief and wanting to find out just what was going on, willing him forward despite being spooked out at times! If I could, I sometimes would have read with my eyes closed...

I read this book as part of a Promotional Group Read. Thank you Duncan for the free ebook copy ... please keep writing. I'm looking forward to reading more!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently discovered Duncan Ralston after I read Woom (a Matt Shaw production), so when I ran across the opportunity to get a review copy of the audio for this one, I jumped all over it.

Salvage is less extreme than Woom, but for a straight up ghost story it has some truly creepy and disturbing scenes in it. The back story and “mystery” plots are very well done and the narrator does an admirable job of keeping the pacing of the story moving as the towns skeletons are slowly revealed.

I dug the addition of the mental illness aspect of the story. It took me a while to catch on but it gave the story some additional depth and realism. Very well done. I will be looking forward to more work from Mr. Ralston.

[Kelly B · Rating 4 out of 5]

What could be creepier than a haunted church situated at the bottom of the lake?! This book has plenty of atmosphere, and chills.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually would probably rate this 3.5, but I rounded up to 4 stars. That seemed more correct than rounding down to 3. Also, as a disclaimer, I received this ebook for free as part of the April promotional read for Horror Aficionados.

I actually don't read a lot of horror books, despite watching nothing but horror movies, so I wanted to start getting more into the genre. And this was probably the best intro. Large bodies of water and drowning are terrifying enough.... but add in small towns and fervent Christianity and I am terrified. There was a genuine creeping horror throughout the book - the whole atmosphere was well crafted. I did expect some of the twists that happened, but not all of them. I did gasp a couple of times when I realised what was going on.

Part of the biggest downside to me was occasionally, the book was slow. I had a hard time kind of slogging through certain points where I didn't feel motivated to read. But, on the flip side, when it was good, I also couldn't stop reading it. The slower pace made sense for the subject matter & general feeling of the book, so I actually wouldn't change it. Maybe some tighter editing, at best.

While there was a lot of "it isn't what it seems!" in the book, they were comfortable, like coming home to an old friend. Nothing felt cliche or stereotyped. I could have been reading about real people if this was a nonfiction book (well..... maybe except for the ghosts). Finding a realness in the characters and plot is what makes books so scary and Salvage definitely achieved that.

[Steve Stred · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always surreal when you dive (ha!) into a book and realize the number of unexpected similarities there are between the fiction you’re reading the your real life. Such was the case with ‘Salvage.’ ‘Salvage’ by Duncan Ralston is his debut release, and has gone through a few different tweaks (the cover shown here is the updated version by the talented and fantastic Francois Vaillancourt) but the story has remained the same.

Peace Falls was flooded three decades ago, the remains of the small town now hidden in the depths of Chapel Lake, named after the church that still stands in the murk three dozen or so feet below the surface.

I grew up in a very small town – Burton, BC. Population… maybe 100? 150? In the 1960’s, the Keenleyside Dam was constructed. Due this construction the Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes, which had been two separate, smaller lakes, became one long 230 km lake. Because of this, the original town site of Burton was flooded and residents moved a few km’s to create a new town site. My grandma and grandpa were one of the very first houses moved and relocated.

Reading this book was a unique way to get me to go look back at the historical non-fiction book about where I grew up and while doing that, I stumbled upon a photo that was tucked into my grandpa’s copy that I now have. It was a photo of my grandma standing on a sidewalk. My grandma was diagnosed with MS before I was even born, and I have a single memory of her walking. It was incredibly emotional to find this and I most likely wouldn’t have came across it for some time, if not for reading this book.

What I liked: ‘Salvage’ follows Owen Saddler, a forty year old man, who finds out his globetrotting sister, Lori, has passed away. When he finds out she’s drowned in Chapel Lake while diving, something feels offs, which facilitates his return to Peace Falls. Determined to get to the bottom of strange memories and odd occurrences, he rents a house on the lakes edge.

From here, Ralston gives us a really well done supernatural-mystery novel that slowly unraveled its various layers. We get a number of old acquaintances who pop up and appear to both give Owen useful information, while also steering him away from the truth and seeing the memories stir and reconnect with Owen and his past were great and added some well placed and well utilized emotional depth.

Throughout this book, Ralston continued to give us little crumbs that led towards the ultimate finale/ending, but I must say, even with what he gave us and led us along, I didn’t see things playing out how they did. The ending and the epilogue worked really well together and the ‘loose ends’ the Ralston tidied up were great.

What I didn’t like: Minor things over all, but the one bit I wasn’t a huge fan of was near-ish the ending, Owen calls his mom to fill her in and share some news about what’s been happening. His mom has been previously closed off about discussing the past and Peace Falls, but in this conversation she completely opened up and spilled her guts. I found it a bit odd that it would just happen and wished that it was teased out a bit more over maybe a few phone calls.

Why you should buy this: It’s hard to imagine this was Ralston’s first novel as it’s really well done and the thoroughness of creating the setting and back story was top notch. Having read mainly his newer work (Ghostland, Afterlife, The Midwives) you can see how the base of those novels was formed here and he’s improved time and time again.

I’m also thankful for reading this and having such a great connection with my past and what the book featured here. That really highlighted or elevated some places, which I hadn’t expected.

If you’re looking for a really great, mystery-thriller-supernatural read that features some fantastic, pulse-pounding moments and creepy parts, look no further. This was a fun time and I’m excited to check out more of his back catalog.

[Empress Reece (Hooked on Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars...

The paranormal aspect of this book was really good but I'm not into books about religious fanatical cults and that's the primary topic in this book. If I had known that beforehand I would have never even read it. If you don't mind that kind of thing then I'm sure you'll enjoy it more then I did.

One quote from the book stuck with me though and I'll leave you with that...

Every man has two selves, the man he is and the man he's meant to be.

Or woman, as the case may be...

[Daniel Barnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A ghost story set against a backdrop of religious fanaticism and mental illness, Salvage follows Owen Saddler into the submerged church of Chapel Lake--and the mysteries contained within. I have to give real praise to Ralston for the setting, which is unique and haunting, and for the humanity he brings to his characters and their relationships. It's always refreshing to find a horror novel that cares, as heart is something that is all too commonly missing in the genre.

Unfortunately, these same characters occasionally make unbelievable decisions for the sake of plot convenience. The most glaring of all is Owen's choice to not read his dead sister's notebook, written to him and about him, in its entirety when he first finds it. This cheapens certain revelations (and makes his long search for them especially frustrating) when he later finds them spelled out for him just a few pages after his last bookmark. Given the untimely death of his sister, the journal could easily have ended prior to dropping these bombshells, making the few words that Owen receives from his late sibling all the more bittersweet.

There were a few other things that I scratched my head at, such as a late and rather sudden romance with a character who shares only one scene with Owen before their clothes start falling off. Their shared backstory plays a huge role in understanding this moment, but most of this backstory is divulged after they've already jumped into bed, which lessened the impact of their relationship for me.

All that aside, Salvage has some genuinely inspired passages. Owen's nighttime descent into an underwater town populated by ghosts offers a chilling buildup to the climax, and the payoff, while not particularly scary, is a beautiful realization of one of the book's central themes.

With a little trimming to sharpen it and a few tweaks here and there as far as the plot is concerned, Salvage would be a great read. As it stands, I enjoyed a lot about it and I look forward to reading more by Duncan Ralston in the future.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to HA and the author for the copy.

[Thomas Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salvage is a mortifying tale of not only the afterlife, but also of loss and grief and redemption. Duncan Ralston has crafted a classic supernatural story that will make you question everything. His main protagonist, Owen, is a rational tempered character, much like you and me, no doubt. And this is what makes Salvage so fiendishly horrifying, watching with held breath Owen's devolution into the dark abyss -- making it quite impossible to trust any of the other characters that come calling. Owen faces hard truths, finding answers that come with abhorred costs. We in turn face the dark waters with him, diving into the fathoms of his past, seeking desperately for that which will led us toward a chilling revelation. Watch the shadows carefully, for not everything is as it seems. Salvage is not your grandfather's ghost story. It is a story with stunning intelligence and shrewdly crafted tension.

[Fran Soto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! I would definitely recommend it.

[WendyB]

I liked the beginning of the story but something about it started bogging down around 75 pages in and I completely lost interest in it.