Darkness Follows [Paperback]

Mike Dellosso (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2011

"If you're ready to be grabbed by the proverbial throat from the moment you start and want that rush to continue to the end, then Darkness Follows is your book. Twists, turns, and a compelling finish make this novel a fine addition to the Mike Dellosso library."

-- James L. Rubart, Best-selling author of Rooms and Book of Days

"Once again Mike Dellosso proves himself a master of twisty, creepy, edge-of-your-seat suspense. As if that weren't enough, he infuses this story with characters who matter, and even more so with head-rattling truths that echo long after you turn the last page."

-- Robert Liparulo, Author of Comes a Horseman, Germ, and the Dreamhouse Kings series


Sam Travis lives in a Civil War era farmhouse in Gettysburg, PA, where he awakens one morning to find an old journal with an entry by a Union soldier, Capt. Whiting, written in Sam's own handwriting. When this happens several more times, both at night and during waking, Sam begins to question his own sanity while becoming obsessed with Capt. Whiting and his bone-chilling journal entries. As the entries begin to mimic Sam's own life, he is drawn into an evil plot that could cost many lives, including his own. Can the unconditional love of Sam's daughter, Eva, break through his hardened heart before a killer on the loose catches up with them and Sam's past spurs him to do the unthinkable?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mike Dellosso is the author of The Hunted, Darlington Woods, and Scream and an adjunct professor of writing at Lancaster Bible College. Mike earned his BA degree from Messiah College and his MBS from Master's Graduate School of Divinity. He lives in Hanover, PA, with his wife and daughters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Realms (May 3, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616382740
• ISBN-13: 978-1616382742
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #779,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mike is the author of seven novels of suspense and several short stories. He also writes family dramas under the pseudonym, Michael King. In addition to his novels he's written for periodicals, websites, and is a regular conference teacher and speaker. Born in Baltimore, Mike now resides in Pennsylvania. He is also a colon cancer survivor and speaks often about dealing with suffering. Find out more about Mike on his website, www.MikeDellosso.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stepping Up His Game April 16, 2011

By T.E. George VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Sam Travers is an ordinary guy desperately trying to preserve his sense of purpose in the months following an accident at work that has left him disabled. Still his life is good with a loving wife and young daughter who adores him like only a little girl can. But one morning, an unexplained gun shot that leaves no physical evidence sets into motion a series of events that puts Sam on a collision course with a darkness that has been brooding in the quiet rural hills for at least 150 years.

In typical Dellosso style we are plunged headlong into the life of a simple man facing extraordinary and impossible circumstances. Sam must face ethereal enemies from the past, a very flesh and blood enemy stalking him in the present, and before all is over his greatest enemy of all - the one that abides within. For reasons he can't explain Sam has been writing in the hand of long dead Civil War officer about an evil desire that brought his ruin. Perhaps it is because of the cognitive problems he has been having since his accident. Or perhaps it is because of the darkness that seems intent on using Sam to finish what the Civil War officer failed to complete.

The cast of characters is perfect to tell this compelling story of fear and redemption. Molly, Sam's wife loves him dearly but is in constant fear of what her husband's condition might drive him to do. Eva, his daughter, has been warned by a mysterious visitor to be sure to remind her father of God's love. And then there's Tommy. Something horrible happened between Sam and his brother, Tommy, years earlier. Something so horrid it has been repressed and only now begun to break through into Sam's present.

A good as Dellosso's earlier works are, he has reached his stride in Darkness Follows. The characterizations, prose and timing are spot on and serve to move the story along to its fitting conclusion. And, he has given us the perfect villain. Sam and Symon share a common enemy, a darkness that wants to consume them. Both are haunted by things they remember and things they wished they could not. Both are flawed. But what separates the two is love. Symon has shut his heart to the light while Sam has not completely forgotten.

The real star of this story is a little girl who sincerely believes God's love will save her daddy. And at this point, I have to tell you, this is not a horror story. Yes, there's plenty of suspense. Yes, it's a thriller. But at its heart, Darkness Follows is a parable of the power of light over darkness, faith over fear, trust over doubt and love over hate.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love covers a multitude of sins July 16, 2011

By C. Yates

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

It takes a lot to make me start the review of a book with the word "Wow!" That is reserved for the books I find the best. Well, let me just go ahead and say it WOW! "Darkness Follows" by Mike Dellosso is right up there with the best books I have ever read. Whenever I like a book, I automatically think of one thing that sums the whole thing up, whether it is a quote or a song or whatever. In this case it was "Love covers a multitude of sins." However you should not go into this book thinking it is a love story in the typical sense.

Sam Travis is a self-employed carpenter who lives in Gettysburg, PA with his wife, Molly, and seven year old daughter, Eva. Six months prior to the beginning of the story Sam has an accident on the job and suffers a brain injury that leaves him in a coma for four weeks. When we are introduced to Sam, he is waking up from a nightmare about his dead brother and when he gets up to try to shake off the nightmare, he hears not only his brother calling his name, but also the sounds of battle. Judging from the sounds, Sam decides it is the civil war he is hearing. From that night on, Sam becomes a man tormented. Not only does he hear Tommy's voice calling his name, but Sam is writing journal entries from the civil war as though he were there himself. He knows nothing about the civil war, yet these entries he is writing are very detailed and bear the name Samuel Whiting. These journal entries start a downward spiral of darkness, of depression and anger, which alienates Sam from his family. But Eva is determined she will not lose her father, and makes sure he knows he is loved, even when he pushes her away.

"Darkness Follows" is a thriller that is deliciously creepy and suspenseful. Mr. Dellosso has crafted a beautiful story of unconditional love within the context of a story that demands not to be put down until you have finished. I found myself not wanting to go to work, just so I could read this book! I cared intensely for the characters, and when they hurt so did I. Anyone who loves a good thriller with the supernatural woven in should not miss this latest book from Mike Dellosso.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't go wrong with Dellosso July 4, 2011

By D. Atkins

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Mike Dellosso just keeps getting better and better. Darkness Follows is a masterful suspense thriller that has an Alfred Hitchcockian edge to it. I was also reminded of "The Manchurian Candidate." (I'm referring to the classic masterpieces and not the remakes.) Unexpected twists and turns. Thrills and chills. A tender and heartfelt love story...the love between a father and his daughter and a man and his wife. A most excellent work of Christian fiction.