Masterfully crafted by John Lukegord, ‘The Haunted Trail’ puts an intense new spin on the horror genre as the mentally ill and vengeance collide in a narrative unlike anything else on the market. Forget Dublin’s charm; this local forest can leave anyone dead and screaming far more than “trick or treat”.

Gloucester, MA -- (SBWire) -- 09/17/2014 --Every American with Irish heritage is deeply proud of their roots. However, a stunning and powerful debut horror novel by John Lukegord presents a cast of Dubliners that nobody wants to be associated with. Not because they’re mentally ill, but because their relationship with locals is murderous to say the least.

Everything is exposed in ‘The Haunted Trail’, which is quickly picking up acclaim for its fresh twist on a genre that many feel is becoming stagnant.

Synopsis:

Prepare yourself for a twisted tale of a trail located deep in the woods of Dublin, Ireland. Set in the 19th Century, this story shifts from domestic disputes among families to brutal murder using the most inventive of weapons. This cursed trail seems to bring out the worst in people as killings are plentiful. The local mental hospital serves as the setting for much of this tale as you begin to understand the lives of these maniacs. While it would seem like there is no good existent in these parts, one man strives to end the evil that exists and force out the curse of the trail. The question remains whether Mick Patrican can accomplish this feat with what seems like a whole forest against him?

“This novel has it all; an enigmatic mental hospital, an evil and deceptive clown, good-guy police officers and a revenge-filled adventure that will stiffen the hairs on the necks of even the hardiest readers,” explains Lukegord. “The fact it is set over a century ago adds a certain allure to the proceedings; the setting and attitudes of the characters are hard to relate to due to the generational gap and this was intentional. The farther from the norm everything is – the scarier it becomes!”

Continuing, “The one thing I want to convey is that this wasn’t something I cobbled together one weekend. The narrative took many years of diligent development and saw me invent themes and concepts that the horror and thriller genres haven’t seen before. I truly believe that the book is unique and would love to one day see it playing out in Hollywood.”

Critics have spoken highly of Lukegord’s creation. A representative of Kirkus reviews commented, “This novel’s setting is truly creepy: a forest full of “the mentally ill,” in Dublin on Halloween in 1892. The story has a slasher-movie feel, as very little connects the different murders; instead, each are like set pieces at a haunted hayride—drive past, and then they’re gone.”

Lukegord has plenty more scares up his sleeve.

“This first novel has a compelling sequel and I’ve got a wealth of other ideas on my writing table. It is time for us to shake up the horror genre as readers are crying out for something new. Let’s do it!” he adds.

‘The Haunted Trail’ is available now: http://amzn.to/1ueo2a3

About John C Lukegord
John C Lukegord was born and raised in Gloucester, Massachusetts. I have always enjoyed intense plot twists and chilling tales from books and movies. I got the inspiration for writing the book The Haunted Trail from creating Halloween skits with my friends in the early 90’s. Many people enjoyed the Halloween skits when we performed them in the late fall season of October. We put many well crafted hours into these skits and the Haunted Trail seemed to get more and more popular every year. I honestly feel that this material is pure gold for the entertainment industry.