What do I not see enough of in books? Horror stories full of scares and violence set in the old American West featuring spooky abandoned (or not) gold mines and a climactic fight of Biblical proportions. How do I know I need more of this? Because I just finished Hunter Shea's Ghost Mine and loved every second of it!

The tale is about two immediately likable rough-and-tough leads, Nat and Teta, who team up to explore a mysteriously abandoned mining town in Wyoming at the behest of President Roosevelt. Nat is an aging ex-soldier/ex-cop, and Teta is his Dominican sidekick who has been with him through thick and thin. Together they have survived insurmountable odds, but this latest assignment is beyond anything they've ever seen.

I absolutely love these two characters, and I was onboard from their very first wisecrack and background story. Their violent tendencies and slight insanity would seem a little much in a normal story, but these are exactly the characteristics that may help them survive the horrors in the mines. Nat in particular is given a lot of depth and complexity in his character, and I found it quite easy to sympathize with him along the way. Teta is very much the sidekick painted in broader strokes, but he's still an integral part of the story and is given moments to shine. Nat needs him, and so do we.

I also love the pacing in the story. Shea does an amazing job of building suspense; slowly peeling back layers of the mystery while also peppering the story with moments of dread or outright fear. It really kept me on my toes trying to guess what would happen next, and I love all of the twists and elements that I did NOT expect (unfortunately I can't discuss them here because they're spoilers, but also because this book works best going in with no expectations). Is the story about ghosts, monsters, creatures, demons, or something else? The answer is yes, and that's all I'll say.

More things I liked? Okay! How about the two characters that were introduced halfway through that made for an intriguing dynamic to the cast, or literally any creepy part set down in the mine shafts (seriously, I'm afraid of the dark and claustrophobic, and Shea's brilliant writing made these scenes all too visceral and terrifying)? How about the blend of mythology, folklore, and the supernatural? Or the way almost every chapter ends in a cliffhanger (I've never seen so many ways to say "and suddenly things got a whole lot worse")? I could go on, but I won't. And things I didn't like? Ummmm I'm going to have to get back to you.

If you wanted to make comparisons you could use The Descent, Bone Tomahawk, Constantine, The Lone Ranger, Scooby Doo, and Indiana Jones - but then throw them away because none of them do this story justice. Instead you need to stop everything, go get this book, and then buckle up because it's a hell of a ride. This is my first time reading Hunter Shea and I'm hooked! Excuse me while I go get everything else he has ever written! ( )

GHOST MINE was not exactly what I expected and a lot MORE than what I expected, all at once! What a fun ride!

Teddy Roosevelt is now president and recruits two of his old partners from the Rough Riders and the Indian Wars to investigate a town out west. Teddy previously sent American troops to investigate the claim that there was gold in the mines there, but now the troops have also disappeared. Teddy tasks Nat Blackburn and his companion, Teta, to find out what happened. Once they arrive in the town of Hecla, Wyoming, they discover a lot more than some old abandoned mines. Will they find out what happened to the men Roosevelt sent? Will they verify that gold is "in them there hills?" Will they even survive their trek? You'll have to read this to find out!

I had a lot of fun reading this horror/western. Nat is an instantly likable guy, though rough around the edges and his companion Teta, is interesting as well. Where I ran into a bit of trouble with this book was with the amount of things going on. We have native American legends, the Djinn, shapeshifters, preachers, and dead-speakers, not to mention Satan himself! Not that I didn't enjoy all that, because I did, it just seemed like a bit too much-almost as if the story didn't know quite what it wanted be.

That said, I chose to suspend my disbelief and once I did, I had a great time! I was totally rooting for team Nat & Teta and just had to know what happened. From about 60% in, I could not put the book down and ended up finishing it the same day. The story steamrolled right on through to the finale and I was barely hanging on for the ride!

I would gladly read any sequel or any other book featuring the team of Nat and Teta, so please, Mr. Shea! Bring it on!

Highly Recommended!

*Available May 30th, but you can pre-order here: https://amzn.to/2QaJ3mp

**I received a paperback ARC from Flame Tree Press for review consideration. I considered it, said Hell Yeah! and read the book.** ( )

When Teddy Roosevelt dispatches former Rough Riders to investigate disappearances around a mine in Hecla, Wyoming, they find more than gold.

This one hit many of my sweet spots and I especially enjoyed the creepy kids that show up throughout. However, this one never really grabbed me. While I enjoyed the book, I found myself happy to be done with it. ( )

This book is a seamless blend of horror and western. The historical setting was a little disconcerting at first, mainly due to it being a relatively unusual time-frame used in contemporary dark fiction, but it was a nice change of scene.
This is genuinely one of those books where you don't know what's going to happen next. Suspense is constantly maintained as more and more parts of the story are revealed. I can easily imagine this being made into a movie, but as a book it's a great read.
Many thanks to Flame Tree Press for the ARC. My voluntary review is my honest opinion. ( )