MASTODON
BY STEVE STRED
"It's something we don't take lightly," Constable Ron, Carson said, "but the reality is we just don't have the finances or the manpower to continue doing full scale searches. A week in the wild I survivable, especially by someone with Sandra's skills. We'll keep our eyes open for any signs and have been in touch with local conservation officers so that they will contact us at the first indication of Sandra's whereabouts. If you are out hiking and notice anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact us. Sometimes the smallest clue is all that is needed to break a case wide-open."
Mastadon is a creature feature unlike one I've ever read before; Steve was able to deliver a fast-paced survival story and rescue mission packed into a concise and smooth read that I would've devoured in one day had I not been reading it as a group read. On June 1st, 1990, Neil and Sandra Barton were hiking near Ogre Peak and Amiskwi Peak when Sandra mysteriously disappeared. 1
7 years later Neil's plane crashed over that same spot on the same day. Tyler, the couple's son, decides to take it upon himself to figure out what really happened because in his heart he knows his father is still alive. He goes on a quest to bring home no matter what!
This was my first read from Steve Stred and won't be my last, the creatures he created in this book were so well written that I could see them clearly in my mind. So looking forward to what he brings us next! 4.5/5 ⭐
ORDER HERE:
THE SHERIFF OF SALEM
BY AARON LEBOLD
“Time had no meaning, but it seemed to be crawling. He couldn’t be sure how long he lay there. Once again, he closed his eyes as tightly as he could. When he eventually opened them, he saw Giles Corey backing away from him slowly. He looked to his left and saw Patrick’s severed head. He was back in present-day Salem. The apparition stared at him, blank-faced yet somehow smirking. Seamus could feel rage building in him. He narrowed his eyes and glared at his ghostly visitor. “More weight.”
If you want a story about a good man who is a good cop that becomes sheriff of an infamous town to bring peace and justice to it then this is definitely not the book for you because this story is full of murder, trauma and bad things happening to good people. So obviously I loved it.
Salem, MA is has been cursed by the spirit of a man named Giles Corey who was pressed to death by sheriff at the time during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. He placed a curse that if the town has a sheriff that person will survive great loss. Insert Seamus Vorbex who has accepted the role of the new Sheriff of Salem and moved there with his wife and kids. What follows is a string of freak accidents, murder and unimaginable heartbreak as Seamus’ life completely falls apart and just goes to show that some curses are very real.
This book was very well written and a prime of example if it can go wrong, it will go wrong and happens in the most unfortunate ways, there is the death of multiple children in this story so if you have a problem with that you may want to skip otherwise buckle up for a wild ride through the streets of Salem!
4/5
ORDER HERE: