As soon as I discovered this author, several years ago, I became enthralled with her books. They are always a bit on the "weird" side, meaning that there are many twists and turns in a suspenseful plot with a mystery behind it and a couple of sub-plots going on at the same time. Almost always there is some kind of underlying dilemma or life situation that a character (or several) have to go through or learn as they move through the main plot.
The setting is what grabbed my attention first. It is set in the fictional area of Shadow Creek in the real area of the eastern Adirondacks (Bolton Landing, Prospect Mt and Lake George). And you know how I LOVE the Adirondacks and anything relating to the beloved mountains!
STORY SUMMARY
Val Rowe, who is about to be divorced from her womanizing husband Evan, lives in Brooklyn with her teenage daughter Brianne, who is very moody and going through the tumultuous teen years acting distant towards Val. Val has two close friends, Melissa (single and quirky) and James (gay,fun-loving,sarcastic and witty), who are planning on helping her celebrate her 40th birthday by spending it in Manhattan after she gets Brianne off on a camping trip with Evan and his fiancee, Jennifer. Val is looking forward to celebrating this milestone with her good friends and relaxing in the City.
But everything changes.
Val finds herself, with Melissa and James tagging along, accompanying Jennifer and Brianna to the Adirondack mountains, near Shadow Creek, because Evan has to work and can't get out of it. He promises to meet them at the lodge in the Adirondacks the next day.
But the next day comes and he doesn't show up.
Meanwhile, an elderly couple is found murdered in their cabin in the Berkshires of MA.
Soon a young man is found murdered near that same cabin.
And the murderers are on their way to Shadow Creek.
Val and her companions do not know that there are a pair of crazed killers wreaking havoc in the very same woods where they are headed.
Val is trying to deal with many emotions regarding her ex and her jealousy and resentment of Jennifer. Jennifer also has some serious issues of her own.
Meanwhile, Brianna is still being moody and rebellious and is caught up in a string of lies and secrets.
Once they are at the lodge, Brianna goes missing and Val finds herself living in a nightmare. Evan never shows up.......WHY??
Brianna ends up meeting the crazed killers in a cottage. By herself.
Who ARE the killers?
and
What happens to her boyfriend, Tyler?
Val gets the NY Park Rangers involved but they seem more intent on searching for one of their own missing men, a young ranger named Henry whom Jennifer has met. Just where is Henry and why aren't the rangers more concerned about Brianne?
Val, along with Jennifer, Melissa and James, set out to search for Brianne.
And they find themselves at the cottage where yet another couple have been killed.
What else do they discover on the banks of Shadow Creek??
MY THOUGHTS
This book was very suspenseful.
I loved how the author tied in the theme of Val's issues in with the main plot. I hesitate to tell you anything other than Val is dealing with a mother who is an alcoholic, because I don't want to give away the ending. I will say that her issue is a parallel to an issue that one of the killers has. I don't want to reveal who the killers are though.
The book has many twists and turns but they all tie in nicely. I did NOT like that the author used some graphic scenes of a sexual nature and language that I find to be quite vulgar. I was telling my husband that she could have used different language and we still would get a good picture of character development. That was the only negative thing for me. I find it sad that authors have to resort to graphic violence and sex to get a reader interested. It's turn off for me. I would be interested withOUT the use of certain words or scenes because the author is already very well established as a good mystery and suspense writer and I do enjoy her stories.
I definitely loved the description of the Adirondacks that she used. She did a great job describing what the woods are like in that area. It was fun to read about places where I frequently spend time.
I really liked the ending where Val learns that she cannot fix her mother's alcoholism and that she IS a strong person....something her mom taught her when she was a young child.
I liked that Jennifer learns the truth about Evan.
I love that Brianne and her mom are on their way to healing.
And James was my favorite minor character due to his love of Broadway show tunes, his wit and his style.
Lots of great character development in this story...a huge plus!
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest I rate this an 8.
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