by John Langan
First published 2016
Abe and Dan have found comfort in their shared grief and their love of fishing. Both men lost their wives, and the quiet companionship of casting lines helps fill the silence. When they hear whispers about Dutchman's Creek near Woodstock, they scoff at the wild claims. The creek flows from the Ashokan Reservoir through steep banks, and locals say it offers more than good fishing. They say it can restore what death has taken away. The men tell themselves it's nonsense, just another tall tale fishermen love to spin. But the stories pull at them. Soon they find themselves walking into the woods around the reservoir, following the fast water downstream. The creek carries more than mountain runoff. It carries the weight of old bargains and buried truths. At its heart waits a figure the locals call Der Fisher, a presence as dark as the deep water itself. Abe and Dan will discover that some losses cut too deep for any remedy, and that the cost of bringing back the dead might destroy what remains of the living.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, horror, dark-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, grief
Setting: Ashokan Reservoir, Dutchman's Creek, Woodstock
Period: contemporary
266 pages · Paperback · Word Horde
Content warnings: death