Кость бледная

Following the success of his latest novel, Travis Glasgow and his wife Jodie buy their first house in the seemingly idyllic western Maryland town of Westlake. At first, everything is picture perfect—from the beautiful lake behind the house to the rebirth of the friendship between Travis and his brother, Adam, who lives nearby. Travis also begins to overcome the darkness of his childhood and the guilt he’s harbored since his younger brother’s death—a tragic drowning veiled in mystery that has plagued Travis since he was 13. Soon, though, the new house begins to lose its allure. Strange noises wake Travis at night, and his dreams are plagued by ghosts. Barely glimpsed shapes flit through the darkened hallways, but strangest of all is the bizarre set of wooden stairs that rises cryptically out of the lake behind the house. Travis becomes drawn to the structure, but the more he investigates, the more he uncovers the house’s violent and tragic past, and the more he learns that some secrets cannot be buried forever.

A brutal snowstorm has blanketed the area and brought with it translucent phantoms that invade humans and drive them to murder.

After the death of his ex-wife, successful sculptor Tim Overleigh trades in his lucrative career for the world of extreme sports, but when a caving accident nearly ends his life, Tim falls into a self-destructive depression. On the cusp of madness, an old friend convinces him to join a team of men climbing the Godesh ridge in Nepal. When this journey of mythical and spiritual discovery rapidly turns deadly as the climbers fall victim to a murderer within their group, the remaining survivors begin to wonder if any of them will escape the mountains alive.

From Publishers Weekly

A challenge to undertake a dangerous climb in the Himalayas in Nepal might help Tim Overleigh salvage his life or lose it in Malfi's harrowing tale of six men following one man's obsession on a nearly impossible quest. Andrew Trumbauer, a rich, eccentric, charismatic daredevil, assembles and outfits the group of men, each chosen by him for a particular reason. Overleigh, once a noted sculptor, descended into alcoholism after his wife, Hannah, left him and was later killed in a car accident. The men's route leads from the Valley of Walls to the Sanctuary of the Gods and the Hall of Mirrors before reaching the never before crossed Canyon of Souls. Intense descriptions of the rigors of the climb alternate with Overleigh's backstory and his growing realization that Trumbauer has more than one agenda. Malfi (Shamrock Alley) delivers a nearly straightforward adventure story of man against the elements with man being the most dangerous element of all.

Für Travis und Jodie Glasgow scheint das Haus in der idyllischen Kleinstadt perfekt. Die umliegenden Wälder und der See gleichen dem Bild einer Postkarte. Doch kaum ziehen sie ein, fangen die Dinge an ... sich zu verändern.

Fremde Stimmen wecken Travis Nacht für Nacht. Geister plagen seine Träume. Gestalten huschen durch die dunklen Flure - erschreckende Formen, die Ähnlichkeit mit einem kleinen Jungen haben. Und unerklärlich sind auch die Treppen, die sich aus den Tiefen des Sees erheben. Je mehr Nachforschungen Travis anstellt, je mehr er über das Haus und dessen gewaltsame und tragische Vergangenheit erfährt, desto weiter taucht er in die Geheimnisse ein, die unter der Oberfläche lauern.

DER AUTOR

Ronald Malfi ist der preisgekrönte Autor der Romane The Ascent, Snow, Passenger und einigen anderen. 2009 erhielt er den IPPY Award für seinen Roman Shamrock Alley, einem Thriller, basierend auf wahren Begebenheiten seines Vaters, einem pensionierten Secret Service Agent. Sein Roman Floating Staircase (Die Treppe im See) wurde 2011 für den Bram Stoker Award als bester Roman nominiert.

Malfi ist für seinen eindringlingen, literarischen Stil und seine unvergesslichen Charaktere bekannt. Seine düstere Fiktion findet bei Lesern aller Genres großen Anklang. Derzeit lebt Malfi mit seiner Familie in Maryland. Seine Webseite lautet www.ronmalfi.com.

Titel der Originalausgabe: Floating Staircase 

© 2011 by Ronald Malfi