Another well-written psychological thriller by Mark Edwards! This is the story of Tom Anderson, divorced and seeing his teenage daughter after a year. They vacation at a cabin in Maine, until strange things start happening and whispers are abound, of a double murder that happened two decades ago, and maybe, just maybe, the murderer is still around…

There are plenty of twists and turns, and there were some moments I thought I had it figured out (but isn’t that the point?). It moves quickly and the antagonists are genuinely creepy people. The protagonist and his daughter were well written and realistic. Without spoiling anything, the ending is satisfying enough, and typical of a psych thriller.

The story is told in first person (Tom), third person (Frankie) and an unknown character in second person.

4 stars because with I got confused several times of which POV it was, and was especially confused initially when the new character’s POV was introduced. I had to go back and re-read some of those chapters to understand what was going on, and I felt like that broke some of the immersion for me.

Otherwise, I enjoyed this very much and will continue to follow Mr. Edwards and his future works. ( )

Tom Anderson gets to visit with his teenage daughter (Frankie) once a year since his divorce. (Tom lives in England and his daughter lives with her mother in the US.) So, he decides Hollow Falls, a camp/resort in Maine, is just the right place for them to visit this year. But once Tom and Frankie get there, he finds out about the dark history of the area… a ritualistic murder that happened twenty years ago involving two teachers. It has brought some “dark tourists” to Hollow Falls… and fans of a popular crime podcaster, who happens to be Tom’s neighbor in the next cabin, along with her husband and teenage son (Ryan). But what is going on in the woods? Tom soon realizes what a mistake it was coming to Hollow Falls.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the camp/woods setting. They were eerie at times, dark and spooky, with the strange wind chimes. And the town outside of the woods called Penance, with the weird characters that lived there. I liked Frankie and her friend Ryan. Twins Buddy and Darlene were totally creepy. I was somewhat disappointed with the epilogue, though.

Another entertaining read by Mark Edwards. ( )

British author Mark Edwards has written a number of psychological thrillers self described as where “scary things happen to ordinary people.” This is the first one I have read.

Written from some different POVs, this was a quick, engrossing read. I was hesitant at first to read it as the description alluded to the paranormal, which I do not enjoy. However, although perhaps a bit mystical, it was not totally over the top. The setting will be somewhat familiar to horror fans and, taking place in Maine, how could it not reference Stephen King? Edwards creates a good sense of place and atmosphere.

I do find it annoying when people who know they or loved ones are in danger continue to do dumb things..but then again, without that happening, there wouldn’t be a story. ( )