by Stephen King
First published 2011
Ten-year-old Pete Simmons passes out drunk at an abandoned Maine rest stop after his older brother ditches him. When Pete awakens, a mysterious mud-covered station wagon sits in the parking lot despite no recent rain. The wagon's driver door hangs open but no one emerges. Insurance salesman Doug Clayton stops to help and vanishes near the strange vehicle, leaving only his cracked phone behind. More Good Samaritans arrive and disappear one by one. Horse trailer driver Julianne Vernon becomes the next victim when she investigates Doug's abandoned Prius. As Pete sobers up, he discovers a growing collection of empty cars surrounding the sinister wagon. Only two children, Rachel and Blake Lussier, and a horse named Deedee remain alive at the deadly rest stop. The wagon itself may be more than just a broken-down vehicle. Pete must figure out what happened to all the missing drivers before the thing that took them claims more victims.
Genres: mystery, horror, supernatural, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: mystery, supernatural-horror, vanishing
Setting: Maine, Rest Stop
Period: Contemporary
80 pages · ebook · Scribner
Content warnings: death, violence