Valley of the Shadow — Tom Pawlik

Conner Hayden is certain he survived his near-death experience for a reason. He thinks it's to save the life -- and soul -- of Mitch Kent. Mitch's body remains on life support while his spirit is trapped with the old farmer Howard Bristol in the Interworld -- a strange and dangerous dimension that Conner narrowly escaped during his brush with death in Pawlik's award-winning debut novel, Vanish. Meanwhile, in the Interworld, Mitch receives a warning from a mysterious stranger: Howard is not who he appears to be, and Mitch must flee immediately. Pursued by Howard and a terrifying creature, Mitch soon learns the truth about what happened to him and that his only hope of survival lies at the very edge of the Interworld.