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Book Review: Hunger Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff

Hunger Moon (Huntress/FBI Thrillers #5) Series) by Alexandra Sokoloff

Thomas & Mercer, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1503942721

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, MP3 CD

Alexandra Sokoloff has never strayed away from the controversial in her work, either in her Stoker-nominated horror titles or in her Huntress series. Hunger Moon is the fifth book in the series, and plenty has been written about it already: it will be easy for the reader to figure out why, once the final page is turned.

The concept of a female serial killer was a unique one when the Huntress series began. The first book, Huntress Moon,  is a stellar novel that introduced something new to the field of crime fiction that left an impact close to the one chewed out by Hannibal Lecter.

Cara Lingstrom is the killer readers crave in stories. Nothing about her is simple, nothing is easy, and her motivations dive deeper than the typical sociopath/family issues/revenge stories. Sokoloff draws her in deft strokes, creating a character both brutal and sympathetic, surgical in mission yet human beneath the murders.

In Hunger Moon,  Cara has disappeared from FBI Special Agent Matthew Roarke’s radar. Something evil is happening on college campuses nationwide. Rapes are increasing everywhere, and rapists are being targeted by a mysterious killer who leaves Santa Muerte symbols behind. When the country’s leaders prove to be no different that the rapists targeted by the killer, a fury erupts, dividing the nation. It’s a situation that, unfortunately, too many readers will find familiar. Cara is in hiding, planning something that will shake up the novel, and Roarke, hot on the heels of the men she is chasing, knows she is just a step away.

Hunger Moon is a white-knuckle ride by a talented thriller author, tackling a subject that needs to be addressed more, both in fiction and in real life. Reading the others in the series is not necessary at all but highly recommended. A thriller series this strong doesn’t come around often.

Posted on May 10, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: Skyjack by K.J. Howe

Skyjack by K.J. Howe
Quercus Books, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-1681443010
Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

K.J. Howe’s The Freedom Broker was last year’s surprise thriller hit,  the first in a series featuring Thea Paris, a character tough enough to stand toe to toe with Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack. With Skyjack, Howe reaches deep into the realms of darkness and emotion that drive suspense and horror, engulfing a story with characters who challenge the limits of genre.

Thea Paris is flying two brothers to a new home after saving them from Boko Haram, where they were forced to serve as child soldiers when the plane is hijacked by the pilot, who has been compromised by the leader of the Sicilian Mafia. A World War II era threat that can end a massive section of mankind rears up, controlled by a secret, generations-old group that mirrors terror groups in the world today. A teen torn by family ties has to fight the darkest parts of humanity.  Paris’ kidnap and rescue team delves into dark territories that combine the thriller aspects with character development rarely found in the genre. How these individuals intertwine, and work both with and against each other, drives this thriller, surpassing the adrenaline rush of the first book.

Highly recommended for fans of good storytelling, especially with high stakes plots and characters who face the abyss throughout, fighting to either hang on or dive within.

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Posted on May 1, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: Paradox Bound by Peter Clines

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines
Crown, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0553418330
Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, MP3 CD.

Time travel. Horror. Thriller. Utter weirdness. Peter Clines has it all covered in Paradox Bound. Those who have read The Fold, Cline’s science fiction/horror hit from last year, will be familiar with Cline’s way of introducing grand ideas, wild twists, and memorable characters. Those new to this writer, expect the kitchen sink. His prose is both lean and rich as he tells the story of a young boy who meets a beautiful oddball woman driving a 1920 Model A Ford, searching for the “real” American Dream. This novel could have been a cheesy mess in lesser hands, but Clines weaves genres together tightly, into a frighteningly enjoyable, breathless ride.

Eli Teague meets Harry(Harriet) not once, but twice, in the strange town of Sanders, Maine, where time seems to stand still, and every day is the “good old days” . She rolls up in her Model A with some baddies on her tail. Eli jumps in to try to help but somehow winds up tied to her and making a mess for her to clean up. The faceless men, creatures or humans without faces, are tracking all of the “searchers,” for the physical American Dream(if the readers can suspend disbelief for this, the book will fly by, with plenty of grins and white knuckles), seeking to kill all in their way. These characters are reminiscent of the Gentlemen from the “Hush” episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (without the floating part). Harry takes Eli on a cross country trek that also skips through time, for as long as America has been in existence. Think The DaVinci Code on crack, watching National Treasure, edited by horror writers. To say more would give away the many twists and turns of this fun romp. Give Clines a try– he is one of the more exciting writers to pop up in recent memory.

Reviewed by David Simms

Posted on April 25, 2018 by , Reply
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