In 1119 A.D., a group of nine crusaders became known as the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon–a militant monastic order charged with protecting pilgrims and caravans traveling on the roads to and from the Holy Land. In time, the Knights Templar would grow in power and, ultimately, be laid low. But a small offshoot of the Templars endure and have returned to the order’s original mission: to defend the roads of the world and guard those who travel on them.

Theirs is a secret line of knights: truckers, bikers, taxi hacks, state troopers, bus drivers, RV gypsies–any of the folks who live and work on the asphalt arteries of America. They call themselves the Brotherhood of the Wheel.

Jimmy Aussapile is one such knight. He’s driving a big rig down South when a promise to a ghostly hitchhiker sets him on a quest to find out the terrible truth behind a string of children gone missing all across the country. The road leads him to Lovina Hewitt, a skeptical Louisiana State Police investigator working the same case and, eventually, to a forgotten town that’s not on any map–and to the secret behind the eerie Black-Eyed Kids said to prowl the highways. 

Well, fucking hell…The Brotherhood of the Wheel opens strong & wicked dark, and rarely lets up the intensity. This is my first R.S. Belcher book, and I really dug this one so much! 

This is apparently set in the same world as his Nightwise series, but certainly stands alone (and there is a forthcoming book in the Brotherhood of the Wheel series, too). And…it’s our world. But one where all manner of evil & supernatural shit is real. Belcher leans heavily on popular urban myths and creepypastas to flesh out this nightmarish world, including a Horned Man and Black-Eyed Kids (BEKs…creepy-ass teenagers with hoods drawn up, all black eyes, knocking on your door, asking to be let in….*shudders*)

We learn quite a bit about The Brotherhood in this book…it’s a secret society made of up truck drivers, motorcycle clubs, cops, taxi drivers…all out there on the interstates battling unspeakable horrors. It’s such a cool concept, and it’s really well executed here. 

Our main POV characters are Jimmie, Heck, Lovina, and Ava. Jimmie is a middle-aged trucker. A family man trying to make ends meet, and keep making his deliveries on time, all while risking his life to periodically take down monsters. Heck is a young & hotheaded member of a legendary motorcycle club called the Blue Jocks. Lovina is a badass cop from Louisiana, trying to puzzle out some seriously weird shit. Ava is a college student on a road trip, like so many characters in horror movies before her. Ava gets caught up in some truly disturbing events. Another important character is Max, a member of what’s called the Builders, the branch of the Brotherhood that deals more in research than in actual fighting (that’s left to the Brethren, the grunts in a sense). Max comes into the story late, but she’s no less important for it.

The Brotherhood of the Wheel is an intense book!! It’s not overly long (just under 400 pages) but A LOT OF SHIT GOES DOWN. There are some genuinely creepy moments in this book, as it really blurs the lines between urban fantasy and horror. It plays out like an absolutely bonkers movie, complete with EPIC motorcycle & truck chases! It has truly disturbing villains & main characters you are sincerely rooting for. Belcher is a very descriptive writer, and it’s easy to visualize this story in all its gory & glorious detail. I really loved this…dark & gritty & violent & weird & creepy as fuck…yes, please!!!

(Also that…cameo…wow…)

(also also…the synopsis for book two, King of the Road…oh…oh my….)