Taking readers on a hauntingly graphic stroll through a long-forgotten town left to urban decay, James Fouty's THE COAL MINE is brimming with striking descriptions and uses meticulous detail to portray the malignant darkness surrounding every inch of this decrepit city. The journey of the main character to rid the town of its mysterious evil forces, articulately parallels his tragic home life that he hides away from in the very woods most people fear.-Indie Reader In the forgotten town of Black Hollow, nestled in the shadows of the Appalachian hills, the past lingers like a bitter chill. Children have vanished for decades, sucked up by the earth and its dark secrets. The townsfolk whisper of a malevolent force, an entity buried deep beneath the crumbling landscape, waiting for the right moment to resurface. The summer of 1978 was hotter than anyone could remember. When three prisoners make a desperate escape from the local penitentiary cemetery, chaos erupts in the already beleaguered town. As Sheriff Thomas leads the frantic search, one of the fugitives is found huddled in a limestone outcropping, his mind fractured and his secrets buried. But the escapees are only the beginning. As the sheriff and a reluctant ally, young Alan Muncy, delve deeper into the darkness, they discover the horrific truth about the children who vanished over the years and the ancient evil lurking beneath their feet. As the ground begins to crumble and the hills close in, Alan realizes that some forces cannot be contained. With time running out and the fate of the town hanging in the balance, he must confront the darkness that has haunted Black Hollow for generations, hoping to seal it away before it rises once more.