Ridin' the Five - Josh Stricklin

Life moves differently in the claws of a small town. People are less private, the town moves slower, and what people view as important is scaled down to the world around them. Johnny Davis’s entire life has been one long, desperate attempt at being a part of something bigger than his childhood town of Nowheresville. It isn’t until his ten-year high school reunion that he realizes all his efforts have been for nothing. Because no one ever really leaves a small town. That’s when he finds Dandy D’s Carnival Funland.

There’s something about the Funland that he can’t escape, something that lures him through the gigantic marquee. Maybe it’s the smell of the corndogs, or the laughter surrounding him, but Johnny feels uneasy about what lies underneath all of lights, and games, and cheer. A darkness has taken over the Funland, and it’s reaching for Johnny. Its sharp claws dig into him while around him, people of all ages are having the time of their lives.

Ridin’ The Five is a horror novel that weaves childhood nostalgia into a terrifying story of purpose in a small town. The whimsy of the carnival will usher in all new terrors from the deep South.