An absorbing, suspenseful tale of man versus his bestial nature; entertaining but not for the squeamish.
A debut thriller, set in the California wilderness, follows an ambitious TV reporter.
Rebecca January Coulter is an attractive actress with a minor sex scandal in her past, and she hasn’t been shy about using her physical assets to advance her career. She works in Hollywood as a reporter on a reality TV show, chasing weird or offbeat stories for their entertainment potential rather than their news value. Her latest assignment is to check out tales of “wild men” living in the Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest, near Big Sur. Her preliminary investigation yields multiple accounts of a “humanoid beast” roaming the woods and harassing campers, complete with eyewitness accounts and grainy video. The possibility of a sensational encounter with a Bigfoot-like creature is enough to get January assigned to flesh out the story into a full on-air segment. She heads into the wilderness with a backpack and four technicians lugging sophisticated sound and video equipment in hopes of capturing a glimpse of the “wild men.” She and her crew get more than they bargained for when they become embroiled in a deadly contest with Robert Bruckner, a desperate criminal who’s submerged himself into the forest and evolved into a heartless predator bent on survival at any cost. In this diverting novel, Wise has crafted a page-turner that explores what can happen when a toxic combination of bad luck, abandonment, and a rash act of extreme violence strips away the veneer of civilization from a man. The engrossing book is divided into three parts, with January narrating her thoughts and experiences in the first and third sections and a third-person account of fugitive Bruckner’s story sandwiched in between. Though the pacing is a bit uneven and the violence depicted is often gruesome, the characterization is vivid, with January especially coming to life on the page. But the abrupt ending leaves the reader unsatisfied, with a lot of questions hanging.
An absorbing, suspenseful tale of man versus his bestial nature; entertaining but not for the squeamish.Pub Date: March 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4834-6592-0
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Lulu
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A unique story of transcendent love.
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. 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
With an aura of both enchantment and authenticity, Bardugo’s compulsively readable novel leaves a portal ajar for equally...
Yale’s secret societies hide a supernatural secret in this fantasy/murder mystery/school story.
Most Yale students get admitted through some combination of impressive academics, athletics, extracurriculars, family connections, and donations, or perhaps bribing the right coach. Not Galaxy “Alex” Stern. The protagonist of Bardugo’s (King of Scars, 2019, etc.) first novel for adults, a high school dropout and low-level drug dealer, Alex got in because she can see dead people. A Yale dean who's a member of Lethe, one of the college’s famously mysterious secret societies, offers Alex a free ride if she will use her spook-spotting abilities to help Lethe with its mission: overseeing the other secret societies’ occult rituals. In Bardugo’s universe, the “Ancient Eight” secret societies (Lethe is the eponymous Ninth House) are not just old boys’ breeding grounds for the CIA, CEOs, Supreme Court justices, and so on, as they are in ours; they’re wielders of actual magic. Skull and Bones performs prognostications by borrowing patients from the local hospital, cutting them open, and examining their entrails. St. Elmo’s specializes in weather magic, useful for commodities traders; Aurelian, in unbreakable contracts; Manuscript goes in for glamours, or “illusions and lies,” helpful to politicians and movie stars alike. And all these rituals attract ghosts. It’s Alex’s job to keep the supernatural forces from embarrassing the magical elite by releasing chaos into the community (all while trying desperately to keep her grades up). “Dealing with ghosts was like riding the subway: Do not make eye contact. Do not smile. Do not engage. Otherwise, you never know what might follow you home.” A townie’s murder sets in motion a taut plot full of drug deals, drunken assaults, corruption, and cover-ups. Loyalties stretch and snap. Under it all runs the deep, dark river of ambition and anxiety that at once powers and undermines the Yale experience. Alex may have more reason than most to feel like an imposter, but anyone who’s spent time around the golden children of the Ivy League will likely recognize her self-doubt.
With an aura of both enchantment and authenticity, Bardugo’s compulsively readable novel leaves a portal ajar for equally dazzling sequels.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-31307-2
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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