Here’s the thing about Scott Carson—or should I say Michael Koryta wearing his spooky pseudonym cape—the dude knows how to spin a yarn. Lost Man’s Lane is what you’d get if you took the nostalgia-soaked magic of the late 90s, tossed it into a blender with a supernatural detective story, and added just a pinch of “oh shit” moments to keep your heart rate permanently elevated. This book is a full-on experience—part creepy ghost ride, part coming-of-age gut punch.

Let’s set the scene. The year is 1999. Y2K panic is brewing, baggy jeans are the thing, and Bloomington, Indiana, has a vibe somewhere between wholesome small-town America and “holy crap, is something evil lurking here?” Enter Marshall Miller, our 16-year-old protagonist. He’s got all the hallmarks of a kid you’d root for: single mom working her ass off, a knack for noticing weird shit, and a chronic inability to stay out of trouble. When Marshall gets pulled over by a cop—who may or may not actually exist—and spots a terrified girl in the backseat of the cruiser, his life goes from zero to Stephen-King-level chaos faster than you can say “supernatural shenanigans.”

Scott Carson knows his way around suspense, and boy, does he milk it. The book starts with a seemingly mundane traffic stop, but like all good horror stories, the cracks in reality start small. From there, Carson unleashes a masterclass in atmospheric creepiness. It’s not just the missing girl or the eerily offbeat private investigator, Noah Storm. It’s the snakes that start showing up, the recurring dreams that leave you questioning what’s real, and the quiet, unsettling sense that Bloomington might just be sitting on a portal to hell. Or at least a hell-adjacent Airbnb.

But this isn’t just a horror story. It’s a coming-of-age tale that hits harder than your first hangover. Marshall is at that awkward, beautiful, terrible stage of life where you’re trying to figure out who the hell you are while also trying not to die. He’s got a crew—Kerri, the childhood best friend who’s smarter than everyone else in the room; Dom, the gym bro with a heart of gold; and Leslie, the potential love interest who brings just the right amount of edge to the group dynamic. Their interactions feel painfully real, like a snapshot of your own teenage years, only with more venomous snakes and demon cops.

Carson’s writing is so good it’s infuriating. As a fellow no-coaster, his descriptions are vivid enough to make you smell the summer air in the Midwest and feel the existential dread creeping up your spine. And his dialogue? It’s snappy, authentic, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, which is a godsend in a book that really takes its time to unfold. He’s also got this uncanny ability to weave big, universal themes—identity, belonging, the inevitability of growing up—into a story that also features a literal ghost cop. It’s like The Goonies grew up, started reading Nietzsche, and decided to tackle the supernatural.

Now, let’s talk about the supernatural element. The ghostly stuff isn’t just thrown in for jump scares. It’s deeply woven into the fabric of the story, reflecting the larger themes of the book. Take Corporal Maddox, the fake cop with a real penchant for being terrifying. He’s not just a villain; he’s a manifestation of everything that’s wrong in Bloomington—the lies, the secrets, the darkness lurking just beneath the surface. Maddox is the kind of antagonist who sticks with you, haunting you long after you’ve finished the book. Which is fair, because haunting is kind of his thing.

That’s not to say Lost Man’s Lane is perfect. There are a few moments where the pacing is odd. The story is extended and lived in and Carson takes is time to unfold the mystery before us. However, the end, while satisfying, seems to wrap things up surprisingly rapidly relative to the pacing of that which came before. But honestly, those are minor gripes in the grand scheme of things. This book is about the messy, terrifying, exhilarating process of growing up and facing the darkness—both within yourself and in the world around you.

If you’re a fan of Stephen King’s It, Dan Simmons’ Summer of Night, or just love a good supernatural mystery with a side of 90s nostalgia, Lost Man’s Lane is a must-read. It’s equal parts heart and horror, a story that will make you laugh, cry, and maybe scream into the void a little bit. Scott Carson has delivered a novel that’s as unforgettable as your first crush, and twice as haunting.

Lost Man’s Lane is a goddamn masterpiece. Carson has taken the best elements of horror, mystery, and coming-of-age stories, slapped them together, and created something that’s as terrifying as it is profoundly human. It’s a reminder that the scariest monsters aren’t the ones hiding under your bed—they’re the ones lurking in your own hometown, wearing familiar faces. And if that doesn’t make you want to read this book, I don’t know what will.

Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Published March 26, 2024