Landon Parham

I didn't like First Night of Summer by Landon Parham. The story is about sociopathic pedophile and a family that lost one of their daughters to him.

First what I liked about this book. A lot of the book is written in simple language. Also the author definitely knows how to keep the reader engaged and moves the story along quickly. The author reveals the bad guy at the beginning and spends time developing his back story and painting the ugliness of his behavior. Also, the author does bring up the negative consequences of publicity. Isaac Snow’s two daughters might never have been in danger if their story had not gone public. The two young girls had saved the life of a four year boy who thought he could fly. He had jumped off the roof of his family’s home.

What I didn’t like definitely outranked the good. When first reading this story, I was jolted by the amount of hyperbole. It stopped me reading every time something was exaggerated. Secondly, the characters are all one-dimensional. The good guys are completely good and the bad guys are the scum of the earth with no redeeming qualities. Thinking of some of the monsters in history, Ricky Doors, the pedophile makes them more tolerable. The author points out in the prologue that many children fall into the hands of dangerous people every day. He got his point across but while doing it, he focused too much on the villain.

There are details that I wish that I have never read. There was too much focus on what Ricky Doors did and said. The point can be made without constantly turning the stomach of the reader. The story would not have suffered if he had not written so much about the villain.

The good guys were too good for me. I would have liked to learn something about the husband, wife or the remaining daughter that would make them seem more real.

I cannot recommend this book. I received this book from Partners in Crime and that in no way influenced my review.… (mehr)

A parent's worst nightmare ...

First Night of Summer is a chilling psychological thriller about a sadistic child predator who has a penchant for abducting young girls in order to get sexual gratification from torturing, raping and murdering his young victims.

In his debut novel, author Landon Parham weaves an emotional, disturbing, and graphic tale set in the quiet mountain town of Ruidoso, New Mexico, where former Air Force pilot Issac Snow and wife Sarah live with their eight year old twin daughters Josie and Caroline. After the twins are publicly acclaimed for their heroic rescue of a four year old, they become the target of Ricky Doors, a psychotic pedophile with a history of abducting, torturing, raping, and murdering young girls. Issac thwarts the attempted abduction of his twin daughters, but the intruder escapes, and the family is left with a tragic result. The Snow family is haunted by the sadistic child predator as Issac becomes obsessed with tracking down the murderer, who continues to commit cross country abductions of young girls. This is a riveting story of one family's strength and courage to overcome a horrifying and tragic incident, juxtaposed against the evil and cruelty of a psychotic killer whose lust overshadows the innocence of his young victims.

This is a powerful and intense thriller that captivated me from the beginning. The reader can't help but get caught up in the story and experience the full gamut of emotions. It is a fast-paced and riveting story that you won't be able to put down, it keeps the reader sitting on the edge of their seats in suspense with its vivid descriptions and surprising twists and turns.

The characters are realistic and believable, their emotions and personalities will leave an indelible impression on the reader. The author does a great job of allowing the reader to feel the strength and love of the Snow family, while getting into the mind of the sadistic and evil predator.

The powerful storyline of humanity versus evil is both riveting and disturbing, the intensity of the story is emotional and thought provoking, you can't help but hold your breath as this gripping and tension filled psychological thriller unfolds until the satisfying conclusion.

First Night of Summer is a haunting psychological thriller that captures the undeniable power of the human spirit in this very realistic tale of pure evil vs pure goodness.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/03/first-night-of-summer-by-lando...… (mehr)