Kindle Unlimited: Camp Lanier by Sylvester Barzey

Publisher: Self

Published: 10/19/2025

Pages: 204

Genre: Teen

Review: Kindle Unlimited

Amazon

At Camp Lanier, the horror is no ghost story.

Taylor Johnson didn’t mean to hurt anyone.

When she’s caught shoplifting with her wealthy white friends, she’s the one who takes the fall. Her only way out? Agreeing to work in a community service program that takes at-risk youth and employs them at Camp Lanier for the summer.

Taylor’s heard the rumors about Camp Lanier.

Everyone has.

Urban legends say that an all Black town was forced out to create the lake, and it has been cursed ever since.

Taylor’s too old to believe in ghost stories.

But if the ghosts aren’t real, why is she the only one who can hear someone crying at night? Why are kids disappearing? And the whispers of a serial killer named the Atlanta Ripper stalking the woods… that can't be real, can it?

None of it makes sense.

Kids have been “running away” from Camp Lanier for the last 52 years, and Taylor wants to find out why – even if it means swimming to the bottom of the lake and finding out what’s really down there.

This year was the first time I had ever heard of Lanier and the evil things that happened there. So, of course, when I saw this author's post on Insta and Threads about his book, I had to jump on it. 

Let me tell you, this was a book that some folks would think is scary. It has ghosts, creep value, and mystery. Now, I am going to try to put this book in my library because I feel they would truly enjoy it, and I hope they would do some research into Lanier and what horrors occurred there so they can be informed. The only thing that might now allow me to do it is the talk about same sex couple. I think my school board and parents may not be on board with it, but I am going to try. 

Taylor, our main character, is trying to get used to the life she is now living without her brother. We learn that this really affected her, and what happened to him later on within the book. When she gets in trouble with the law, and the folks she thought were her friends are not really her friend,s she gets shipped off to a camp. I guess it is better than jail, or at least that is what she thinks. Everything is good until Taylor starts seeing a little girl in white, and then she starts seeing a lot more. 

As Taylor gets closer to Victoria, another counselor, whom I love, these characters, by the way. Victoria is quick on her feet with comebacks, and I am here for it. They both start uncovering more going on with the camp than just a few ghosts. It seems that campers are going missing, but not the ones who pay to go there; it seems to be those who are there instead of jail. 

The pace of this book was great. The serial killing happening seemed a bit far-fetched, but it did help give a creepy feel to the book. 

You have got to check out this book because it truly is a good one. You can read it in one setting as it is easy to follow and get wrapped up in what was going to happen next to Taylor. 

Hey Survivor! My name is Sylvester Barzey and I am a best-selling horror and fantasy author. I grew up in the Bronx, NY, lived in the smallest state in the country for a while, and then transplanted to Lawrence, GA.

I’m a military veteran with an addiction to all things horror. My overall goal is to shine a spotlight on BIPOC characters within the horror/fantasy genre. From a young age, I was obsessed with horror movies, mostly Slashers. The mythos of the “Final Girl” trope was always something that appealed to me. The act of taking someone and watching them overcome the greatest odds to be the ultimate survivor has been a strong attraction to the horror for me.

But, what I didn’t realize growing up was all these survivors were White. Seeing only one type of person rise, builds blocks within people’s minds, it causes them to think that surviving is a trait only in one race, which is far from the truth. The Black community (Black Women for sure) has survival built into their DNA. History has shown us that overcoming great odds is something Black people have always done.

Being that I couldn’t find the final girls I was looking for (There are some don’t get me wrong and they are amazing), I set out to create them. I want to produce Black heroes who overcome world-shattering events and rise above them. My goal is for people to say Catherine Briggs’ name in the same breath as they say, Sidney Prescott and Laurie Strode. It’s my mission to change horror so that my children can look at it and see themselves as survivors.

Random Facts:

I love The Golden Girls

I’m married and have one amazing little monster

I hate the snow

My Top Five Movies Are:

Scream, Candyman, Day of The Dead, Train To Busan & Mulan