Steelhead Graveyard: Some Rivers Should Be Left Alone

Steelhead Graveyard
Some Rivers Should Be Left Alone

Deep in the Pacific Northwest’s coastal wilderness lies a river with secrets older than the trees that line its banks. A river that watches. A river that remembers.

When veteran angler Bob Tomalin ventures into the remote canyons of this river for what he hopes will be a soul-cleansing steelhead trip, he’s chasing more than fish—he’s running from a life that’s quietly unraveling. Haunted by personal loss and drawn by a need to reconnect with the only place that’s ever made sense, Bob sets up camp where the map fades and the myths begin.

But the river has changed.

Whispers ride the current. Boots appear where no man should be. Strange carvings mark the trunks of old-growth cedars. And the fish—they’re biting, but something’s not right. As Bob descends deeper into the canyon, reality blurs with nightmare, and the legend of a vengeful spirit named Kilchis—the Soul-Taker—surfaces from the shadows.

Steelhead Graveyard is a chilling wilderness thriller that blends the gritty realism of backcountry survival with the creeping dread of a psychological ghost story. Gritty, wise, and profoundly atmospheric, this tale will resonate with fishermen, hunters, and anyone who has ever stared too long into the wild and felt it staring back.

Perfect for fans of Deliverance, Pet Sematary, and The River Why, this novel explores the edges of sanity, the depths of regret, and the question every outdoorsman fears to ask: What if the river doesn’t want you to leave?

Once you enter this area, the river knows your name.