In Gernhaelder’s debut horror novel, the arrival of a mysterious man in a small town leads to the revelation of old secrets.
In 2011, journalist Jenny Maysure is having dinner with her boyfriend, Larry Hirsch, in the only diner in her small town of Traders’ Point when a drifter comes in from the rain. Upon seeing Larry, the man grabs him and asks him if he’s a man named Heis; he’s not, and it’s soon revealed that no one in town seems to know anyone by that name. The drifter, who calls himself Maverick Dunn, gets a room at the Hunters’ Lodge, where he meets Hank and Sue, the latter of whom takes a shine to him, but Hank is suspicious. Maverick asks Dr. Ike Sindell about Heis as well before purchasing guns and a knife from Brusard’s Sporting Goods. Meanwhile, Jenny, who works for the local paper, starts to look into who this Heis person could be. After the drifter disappears from Hunters’ Lodge, multiple murders strike the area. Sheriff JayChow is hesitant to say they’re the work of a serial killer, so it’s up to Jenny to sniff out the truth, using information from her cousin in the FBI and clues the killer left behind; along the way, she finds out who Maverick really is and what Heis did so many years ago. However, the investigation strains her relationship with Larry, who already struggles with his distant father, Stan. Overall, this is a fast-paced and exciting thriller with many unexpected twists, which, in turn, highlight and support the character development. The large cast and brisk storyline make it a bit hard to keep track of everyone at times, but every major player receives detailed characterization. Jenny’s determination to get the full story feels authentic and important given her connections to seemingly everyone in town; Gernhaelder makes clear just how much Jenny cares about them all. Larry’s relationship with his dad is also handled well, and the many plot strands eventually weave together in a believable way.
A thrilling mystery with surprises and a lot of heart.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-03-913156-9
Page Count: 176
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: THRILLER | SUSPENSE | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE
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A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
79
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Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
An aimless young musician meets the girl of his dreams only to have his newfound happiness threatened by several inexplicable—and possibly supernatural—events.
The story opens as Leeds Gabriel meets with a detective while his girlfriend, Layla, is restrained in a room one flight above them. Through the interview, readers learn that Leeds was wasting both his time and his musical talent playing backup for a small-town wedding troupe called Garrett’s Band when he spied Layla dancing her heart out to their mediocre music at a wedding. When Leeds approaches Layla, their connection is both instant and intense. A blissful courtship follows, but then Leeds makes the mistake of posting a picture of himself with Layla on social media. A former girlfriend–turned-stalker wastes no time in finding and attacking Layla. Layla spends months recovering in a hospital, and it seems the girl Leeds fell for might be forever changed. Gone is her special spark, her quirkiness, and the connection that had entranced Leeds months before. In a last-ditch effort to save their relationship, he brings Layla back to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. When they get there, though, Leeds meets Willow, another guest, and finds himself drawn to her in spite of himself. As events unfold, it becomes clear that Willow will either be the key to saving Leeds’ relationship with Layla or the catalyst that finally extinguishes the last shreds of their epic romance. Told entirely from Leeds’ point of view, the author’s first foray into paranormal romance does not disappoint. Peppered with elements of mystery, psychological thriller, and contemporary romance, the novel explores questions about how quickly true love can develop, as well as the conflicts that can imperil even the strongest connections. Despite a limited cast of characters and very few setting changes, the narrative manages to remain both fast-paced and engaging. The conclusion leaves a few too many loose ends, but the chemistry between the characters and unexpected twists throughout make for a satisfying read.
A unique story of transcendent love.Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5420-0017-8
Page Count: 301
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
Categories: PARANORMAL FICTION | ROMANCE | SUPERNATURAL THRILLER | THRILLER | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE
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