Mystery Walk

by Robert R. McCammon · 1983

Mystery Walk is Robert R. McCammon's debut novel, a Southern‑Gothic horror that follows two boys, Billy Creekmore and Wayne Falconer, who are gifted with extraordinary psychic powers. After a fateful encounter at a revival meeting, they share a prophetic dream of a smoke‑eagle battling a fire‑snake and become locked in a lifelong rivalry. Billy, a Choctaw‑blooded farmer’s son, can lay restless spirits to rest, while Wayne, the preacher’s son, can heal with blue fire. Their paths cross through the deep South, Chicago, and the deserts of Mexico, where they confront the ancient Shape‑Changer, a malevolent entity from Choctaw legend that feeds on fear. The novel blends graphic horror, occult mysticism, and a classic good‑versus‑evil struggle, earning praise as a masterly work of horror fiction.