Ghost in the Grove by Frank Reddy
Shadeland House Modern Press (July 14th, 2026)
Reviewed by Adam Allen
If you enjoy your horrors filled with sweltering heat, religious frenzy, and generational trauma, Frank Reddy has created a Southern Gothic that fits perfectly on the shelf alongside Flannery O’Connor and Del Sandeen. This is a book that seeps into your consciousness, presenting a mystery that brings in all of the things that fascinate us about the genre. Swamps, Antebellum estates, and horror that echoes through decades all converge into one deeply disturbing and mesmerizing novel that is a true must-read.
Special Agent Michael Webb of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assigned to a strange disappearance case. An entire church bus has gone missing on its way to a Pentecostal conference. The driver was the new youth pastor known only as “Clutch,” whose history and identity are completely unknown by the church itself. His fervor alone got him hired, and that fervor might just be the reason that bus is missing. Webb’s investigation sends him on a journey that uncovers truths not just about Clutch and other bus passengers, but also about his own past featuring Pentecostal revivals where attendees spoke in tongues and handled snakes. Webb knows just how far people will go to prove their faith, and how dangerous that might be for all of the missing people.
Reddy has created a wonderful, nuanced character in Michael Webb. His dark history has created a desire to help people in the most dire circumstances. This character reminded me of great investigators like Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins with the moral compass of Atticus Finch. But he’s never boring, and watching him put the pieces together creates remarkable tension and dread, which keeps the pages turning until the shocking conclusion.
The details that Reddy adds to the book really bring it to life and give it that lived-in feel that works so well in a Southern Gothic horror. The bus itself is almost a character, “The Purple People Eater,” as it is called for its color, and the irony of that name is not lost once those inside it have gone missing. One of my favorite details is that the lead pastor of the church whose attendees have disappeared is a huge fan of novelty songs, like “Monster Mash,” “Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” and the aforementioned “Purple People Eater.” This is such a great way to show that this person has no real depth and is just…off in some weird way. Details like this throughout the book elevate the feel of the text. Reddy is clearly very knowledgeable of the area as well, and the setting is real, so oppressive, and so alive at all times.
Ghost in the Grove is a worthy addition to one of my favorite subgenres of horror, the Southern Gothic, and resonates so much in this current climate. This is a horror story that feels incredibly real, like one you might find on a news site, or a documentary that you stumble across late at night and can’t stop watching until the small hours of the morning. The dark side of religion has been studied before in horror, but Reddy brings his own flair and depth, creating something I think will surprise and stay with many readers.
