Last Stop: Horror on Route 13

"A terrifying journey into America's forgotten regions."

Last Stop: Horror on Route 13 is a shared-world anthology published by Eerie River Publishing and edited by David Green and S. O. Green. It centres around the paranormal (and horrifying) things that happen at Whiskey Pete's, a bar, motel, and gas station on the mysterious Route 13 in Idaho.

My interest was immediately piqued when I saw the front cover of this book. It is so wonderfully foreboding; the atmosphere practically leaps off the page. To my delight, this creepy atmosphere was maintained and built upon throughout the entire book.

Each story in the anthology follows a new set of characters that stumble across Whiskey Pete's, and I was so impressed with how the authors kept their own distinctive styles while also ensuring the stories were cohesive. I felt the stories flowed seamlessly one after the other and worked well at building the overarching plot. The authors did a fantastic job keeping the momentum going, not only in their individual stories but in the book as a whole. The stakes are high here, to say the least.

There was a sense of predictability as to how most stories would end. However, the plots and characters are unique enough, and we're given so many twists and turns, that I still felt I was being kept on my toes. The characters' voices are all very strong, and I was absolutely delighted when David Green's Nick Holleran (from Dead Man Walking and The Devil Walks in Blood) turned up.

This anthology was such an enjoyable (and scary) read. I love short story anthologies, reading as many as I can get my hands on, and this collection is an absolute standout. I will definitely be reading it again, and cannot recommend it highly enough for horror fans.