MUZZLE THE BLACK DOG

A mysterious stranger at a cabin door sets off a series of explosive events in Cobb’s moody mystery.

Jack Pate is awakened one night by the sound of barking dogs to discover a disheveled stranger at the door of his isolated cabin in North Georgia. “Let’s just say I’m a friend you didn’t know you had,” the stranger says. The well-spoken but gruff-looking man immediately sets off Jack’s suspicions as he resembles Eric Rudolph, the real-life Centennial Olympic Park bomber—but Jack’s curiosity overpowers his hesitation about letting the man stay. The stranger identifies himself as Yardley Bennett and claims to know Jack from their mutual hometown of Villa Rica, Georgia, where the two led surprisingly parallel lives. However, before Jack can get more information, Yardley vanishes, leaving only a note behind. Just as Jack is trying to track down the mysterious figure, he learns of a recent deadly explosion only miles from his cabin. Strangely, Jack has been haunted by explosions and fires throughout his life. As Yardley begins to taunt Jack with sudden reappearances and cryptic gifts, Jack finds himself the prime suspect in the most recent conflagration, leading him to question his memories, his family, and his own sanity. Cobb crafts a creepy central premise that will engross readers from the first page. Yardley’s wit and erudite vocabulary (“Waggish. Puckish. That’s me,” he announces playfully), juxtaposed with his resemblance to a domestic terrorist, creates a spooky, almost supernatural figure; he’s as intriguing as he is menacing. Through flashbacks, Cobb explores Jack’s past, slowly weaving in the true, grisly details of the Olympic Park explosion while also hinting at more sinister events in Jack’s family’s past. The effect is a thrilling unease as readers question just how trustworthy Jack is as a narrator and how comfortable they should feel with him. Unfortunately, the eventual revelations and twists feel rushed and out of step with the eerie setup, but mystery fans will still appreciate Cobb’s fresh, unsettling ideas.

This novel falls just short of its ominous premise but will beguile readers with its captivating characters.