From USA Today and number-one Amazon best-selling author Jeremy Bates comes a tale of mystery and horror set in Japan's ancient Suicide Forest, a place that is easy to enter but, for some, impossible to leave.

Just outside of Tokyo lies Aokigahara, a vast forest and one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Japan...and also the most infamous spot to commit suicide in the world. Legend has it that the spirits of those many suicides are still roaming, haunting deep in the ancient woods.

When bad weather prevents a group of friends from climbing neighboring Mt. Fuji, they decide to spend the night camping in Aokigahara. But they get more than they bargained for when one of them is found hanged in the morning - and they realize there might be some truth to the legends after all.

Contains mature themes.

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Listening Length	10 hours and 6 minutes
Author	Jeremy Bates
Narrator	Joe Hempel
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	January 29, 2019
Publisher	Tantor Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B07MFW97VQ
Best Sellers Rank	#32,900 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #9 in Suicide (Audible Books & Originals) #1,365 in Horror Fiction #5,711 in Horror Literature & Fiction

Customer reviews

5 star		63%
4 star		20%
3 star		10%
2 star		4%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Xexilia Ozma Shadows

The tidbits about life in Japan are interesting, at least.

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2018

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I went into this book with no bias and fully intending to Love It; As I got half way through, I began to get concerned.

The book follows a single Japanese native and a ragtag team of world travel's to the infamous Suicide Forest in Japan; From the get go, this is not approached delicately--the characters just HAPPEN to be invited to go and just HAPPEN to have all the camping equipment they need! Despite the danger and lack of planning, in a bad horror movie twist, everyone merrily marches off into this forest.

As far as 'mystery' goes, the mystery being who/how/what/why are people turning up dead. . .Isn't that the basic gist of a horror story? That's not really a mystery, and the book is NOT written so you can piece the clues together and figure out who it is. The real mystery is why someone marketing this thought it was a mystery.

The narrative puts this book at a high school reading level; There's no poetry to the scenes and descriptions. It's 'This is so and so, who has blonde hair and blue eyes.' Oh, and a LOT of overly described corpses. Like a lot. A LOT. To the point where I began to wonder why the author chose that, of all things, to spend a paragraph or more on each.

Gore is also a huge factor here and frankly, doesn't add to the 'horror', just is plain disgusting. If you like looking at photos of dead things, you'll love reading about them in explicit detail down to their genitals, detail that will never be paid to the living characters.

In short; I wish I had not bought nor read this book and now I can get neither my money and worse, time back.

77 people found this helpful

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John M. ONeal

Good solid read! Well worth the money.

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2018

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Having been a Story Analyst at Warner Brothers for years, I am not an easy reader to please, which is why I usually find myself reading mostly non-fiction books these days; however, I was attracted to the appealing setting of this story, and I was curious to see how the writer, Jeremy Bates, was going to make use of the famed Suicide Forest in Japan as the story's spine-tingling backdrop. I am happy to report that Mr. Bates made the most of the creepy atmosphere, and he did extremely well when it comes to activating all five senses while reading this well crafted effort.

That said, there were times when I found myself becoming irritated with the lead, Ethan Childs, who, developmentally, comes off a little bit too much like a child. Still, the very qualities that make him irritating are also some of the very qualities that will serve him well as the story advances. Bates does a nice job of creating characters that are actually fully dimensional and convincing, and which leads to some satisfying sexual tensions, realistic interpersonal conflicts, and even leaves one hoping for the best concerning the various members of the group here.

One of the biggest problems with horror stories like this (and without giving any of the mystery away) is that too many writers either paint themselves into a corner via the use of flimsy red herrings or they provide a conclusion which is disappointing to say the least. I am happy to say that Mr. Bates actually avoids those traps. One of the keys to see if a mystery holds up is to read the story backwards to make sure that everything fits neatly into place, and Mr. Bates did quite well. In other words, the ending does not disappoint.

Hats off to you, Mr. Bates, and to the rest of your potential readers: what are you waiting for? Buy the book and enjoy.

46 people found this helpful

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Leigh Anne Jensen

Startlingly Spooky!

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2018

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This book was utterly terrifying. I am a huge fan of the horror genre. I really enjoy suspense and thrill and that tingle up your spine of fear. So when I saw this book by Jeremy Bates, I thought, "The scariest places in the world? I'm intrigued!" And I was not disappointed. In fact, I got much more than I bargained for.

This book is set in the Aokigahara Forest in Japan. Japan is a beautiful country with a spectacular culture that I have loved for a very long time, which made several of the references and descriptions instantly come to life for me. I think that even if you know nothing about Japan or the Japanese, though, you will have no trouble picturing the scenes and characters in Suicide Forest.

One thing about this book is that it absolutely sneaks up on you. The writing is so straight-forward and simple. The story is told from the first-person perspective of Ethan, an English teacher in Japan who is coming up on the end of his year. He, his girlfriend, Mel, and a small party of friends - and John Scott, who is a big of an outsider - decide that they want to climb Mount Fuji. When that falls through due to weather, they start thinking about a Plan B. A chance meeting with two tourists on their way to the Suicide Forest leads them all into an adventure some of them will never return from and the survivors will never forget.

There is a hint of the supernatural here, but it is so deceptive and so subtle, it will have the reader second-guessing themselves on every page. I made the mistake of reading this at night, in the dark, before going to bed. I literally ended up lying awake, spooked beyond words by a shadow moving across my bedroom window. That is how insidious the writing is - it crawls beneath your skin without you even realizing it until you're in a situation that suddenly frightens you when it never would have before.

An incomparably good read. I thoroughly enjoyed every startling second, and loved the plot twist at the end. I am definitely a new fan of Jeremy Bates and will be reading his other works.

37 people found this helpful

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Steven Harper

Junior high-level writing disappoints

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2017

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Sorry, but I couldn't even get through one chapter of this. Amateurish, uneven writing that simply does not flow for the reader. Seemed like the author was just trying too hard to hit a certain demographic and inserted foul language to make up for quality content. Do not recommend at all. Disappointed, because the storyline seemed enticing, even for someone who doesn't regularly read this genre.

17 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Stephen Clynes

Suicide Forest is an adult book that fully explores the issue of suicide.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 13, 2018

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If you go out into the woods today. You’re sure of a big surprise. But this is no picnic time for teddy bears. A group of 7 people enter Aokigahara Jukai, which is near Mt. Fuji in Japan. The Japanese call it the “Sea of Trees” but others refer to it as the Suicide Forest. They are taken there by a guy called Honda who said “According to our myths, it was once the site of ubasute. Families would abandon their young or elderly there during periods of famine, so there would be less mouths to feed. Because of this, many Japanese think the forest is now haunted by yurei, or souls of the dead.”

I liked how Jeremy has done his research, for Suicide Forest is a real location. He also includes the local culture and words, for example a bento box and ramen shops. Jeremy really got the atmosphere of the Suicide Forest, giving it a creepy yet very real feel to it. I really enjoy walking my dog through woods but this is not a walk in the park for these 7 people who abandon the regular tourist trail.

Suicide Forest is written in the first person of Ethan Childs, who is an English teacher. I liked the little bits thrown into the story about teaching English to the Japanese and the funny things they can say. English is a great living language and I loved the bit were Ethan had words with Tomo - “Have lunch,” I corrected him vacantly. I didn’t usually do this outside the classroom, but “take lunch” always irked me, one of those expressions the Japanese favored that just sounded wrong.

I found Suicide Forest to be a GOOD read that plays on the urban legend horror theme. I liked how it was a first person narrative so that the reader feels they are at the center of the action. Suicide Forest is an adult book that fully explores the issue of suicide but is not preachy or religious. The quality of Jeremy’s writing is good and he has a very wide vocabulary, forcing me to click many a word on my Kindle, to be sure of it’s meaning.

Suicide Forest kept me entertained but I did NOT enjoy it as much as The Taste of Fear, another of Jeremy’s books. Because of the background, the choice of a real location and the urban legends attached, Suicide Forest for me was a GOOD 4 star read.

2 people found this helpful

Louise Gregory

Love it's set in real place.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2017

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Oddly enough l have known about the suicide forest for years and have recently watched a program on Viceland that had a ranger taking the film crew off the marked trails while doing a regular suicide search. I think Jeremy Bates may have also watched it.
I was telling my son about the program as he had seen it on Facebook and my Bookbub daily offer has this Free.
I loved all the new things l found out about Japan as well as the forest. The added bonus of a great horror fiction woven into fascinating factual text, definitely worth reading.

2 people found this helpful

Ahson Imran

BEST HORROR BOOK EVER!!!!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2018

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Probabl the best horror book that i have ever red. I usually stay away from books to read and just play games like a kid all day on my pc. However this book got me caught. I couldn't stop reading it. The book got me off playings games for week. Everytime i came from college i would immeditely get the book from my phone and start reading away. For me to finish it in a week is insanely unbelivable because it usually takes me a 1 or 2 monts to finish a book. This book will get you enticed. Its about a group of people that go into a forest and somthing happens... I dont want to spoil it:p. Get the book now!!

3 people found this helpful

Mark Leney

I really enjoyed this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2017

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I really enjoyed this book. The characters are all well fleshed out and even ones that you may start off disliking become likable or redeem themselves in some way as the story progresses. You're kept guessing throughout as to whether the peril that our main cast finds themselves in is supernatural in origin or not and I won't give that away here.
I look forward to reading the other books in this series and other books by this author in general.

One person found this helpful

Richie4Debbie

Love, love love this Author. I just came across this author a little over a week ago and have already read two of his books!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2017

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The research this Author undertakes on the locations where his books are based makes you feel like you are there and this adds to his spectacular story lines. I have purchased five more of his books for my kindle and when I've finished those I'll download another five. Edge of your seat stuff! Fantastic!

One person found this helpful

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