diff --git a/lib/module.js b/lib/module.js
index 08e8ba15574..a5963545b8d 100644
--- a/lib/module.js
+++ b/lib/module.js
@@ -103,11 +103,18 @@ function readPackage(requestPath) {
   try {
     var jsonPath = path.resolve(requestPath, 'package.json');
     var json = fs.readFileSync(jsonPath, 'utf8');
-    var pkg = packageCache[requestPath] = JSON.parse(json);
-    return pkg;
-  } catch (e) {}
+  } catch (e) {
+    return false;
+  }
 
-  return false;
+  try {
+    var pkg = packageCache[requestPath] = JSON.parse(json);
+  } catch (e) {
+    e.path = jsonPath;
+    e.message = 'Error parsing ' + jsonPath + ': ' + e.message;
+    throw e;
+  }
+  return pkg;
 }
 
 function tryPackage(requestPath, exts) {
@@ -123,7 +130,7 @@ function tryPackage(requestPath, exts) {
 // In order to minimize unnecessary lstat() calls,
 // this cache is a list of known-real paths.
 // Set to an empty object to reset.
-Module._realpathCache = {}
+Module._realpathCache = {};
 
 // check if the file exists and is not a directory
 function tryFile(requestPath) {
@@ -209,7 +216,7 @@ Module._nodeModulePaths = function(from) {
   var paths = [];
   var parts = from.split(splitRe);
 
-  for (var tip = parts.length - 1; tip >= 0; tip --) {
+  for (var tip = parts.length - 1; tip >= 0; tip--) {
     // don't search in .../node_modules/node_modules
     if (parts[tip] === 'node_modules') continue;
     var dir = parts.slice(0, tip + 1).concat('node_modules').join(joiner);
@@ -217,7 +224,7 @@ Module._nodeModulePaths = function(from) {
   }
 
   return paths;
-}
+};
 
 
 Module._resolveLookupPaths = function(request, parent) {
@@ -367,7 +374,7 @@ Module.prototype._compile = function(content, filename) {
 
   Object.defineProperty(require, 'paths', { get: function() {
     throw new Error('require.paths is removed. Use ' +
-                    'node_modules folders, or the NODE_PATH '+
+                    'node_modules folders, or the NODE_PATH ' +
                     'environment variable instead.');
   }});
 
@@ -445,7 +452,7 @@ Module._extensions['.js'] = function(module, filename) {
 
 
 // Native extension for .json
-Module._extensions['.json'] = function (module, filename) {
+Module._extensions['.json'] = function(module, filename) {
   var content = NativeModule.require('fs').readFileSync(filename, 'utf8');
   module.exports = JSON.parse(stripBOM(content));
 };