The Dead Path

A terrible accident has left Nicholas Close a widower and awoken in him the ability to see the dead. Now he can’t escape visions of tortured spirits, their last moments caught in horrible, endlessly replaying loops. Nicholas leaves London and returns to Australia where he is disturbed to see that a heavily treed tract of land in his childhood suburb has somehow escaped development. These woods have haunted Nicholas since he was a boy and now he knows why: he sees the ghosts of terrified children being dragged into the grinning maw of dark trees. When another local child goes missing, Nicholas himself becomes a suspect... ‘I can’t remember being this creeped out by a book since reading King’s The Shining.’ — HorrorScope

Stephen M Irwin has lived in and around Brisbane, Queensland all his life. At an early age, he was discovered to be a notably lousy swimmer and an outstandingly poor cricketer, but fortunately he found and fostered a love of reading and writing. His tertiary study in film production led to a career in restaurant and handyman work. Nevertheless, his love of writing overcame his interest in cupboard repairs, and his portfolio of documentary and film projects resulted in a reputation as a respectable, if shabbily dressed, screen-writer and director. His short stories, films and poems have won numerous national and international competitions and awards.