Scan barcode
vondav's review
5.0
Harvey has a carefree life, spends his time playing his guitar, busking around Green Ridge. Then one morning he wakes up to go about his day and gets abducted. What did they want, they wanted Sally? But without any memory of Sally, is his life in danger.
Harvey was a gentle soul, and as he hunts for clues on the mystery girl, you learn so much about his upbringing. He was determined to get to the truth and even when the odds were against him, he never backed down.
Written from Harvey’s POV, you are taken on a mystery. At the start of the book you know as much about Sally as Harvey and as he finds out more information, so do you, giving you the feeling that you are on the journey with him. Whilst the relationship between him and his dad Gordon started off strained, as they spend more time together you can see that Harvey admired him. Gordon, a Vietnam Vet was injured on a tour of duty and whilst he was a bit eccentric, he loved his son and helped him throughout his search.
From the opening scenes where Harvey was being tortured for information, I knew I was in for a compelling read. This book brought out so many emotions, whether it was Harvey fighting for his life or receiving shocking news, I was committed to the story. The supernatural element of the story involving psychic ability made this story more than a regular mystery. Reading about the Spider” He crawled into my mind” ”He was inside me, scurrying along my memories and dreams” As I was reading these scenes, they felt so sinister, and you could imagine the creepy sensation having someone go through your mind looking for clues.
This was a story that I was rooting for the good guy, and a story that gave me a book hangover, whilst I read into the night. I didn’t want real life to interrupt my reading. This is a new to me author and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will look out for more from this author.
Harvey was a gentle soul, and as he hunts for clues on the mystery girl, you learn so much about his upbringing. He was determined to get to the truth and even when the odds were against him, he never backed down.
Written from Harvey’s POV, you are taken on a mystery. At the start of the book you know as much about Sally as Harvey and as he finds out more information, so do you, giving you the feeling that you are on the journey with him. Whilst the relationship between him and his dad Gordon started off strained, as they spend more time together you can see that Harvey admired him. Gordon, a Vietnam Vet was injured on a tour of duty and whilst he was a bit eccentric, he loved his son and helped him throughout his search.
From the opening scenes where Harvey was being tortured for information, I knew I was in for a compelling read. This book brought out so many emotions, whether it was Harvey fighting for his life or receiving shocking news, I was committed to the story. The supernatural element of the story involving psychic ability made this story more than a regular mystery. Reading about the Spider” He crawled into my mind” ”He was inside me, scurrying along my memories and dreams” As I was reading these scenes, they felt so sinister, and you could imagine the creepy sensation having someone go through your mind looking for clues.
This was a story that I was rooting for the good guy, and a story that gave me a book hangover, whilst I read into the night. I didn’t want real life to interrupt my reading. This is a new to me author and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will look out for more from this author.
thosedarkpages's review against another edition
3.0
Keywords and phrases to describe this read:
• Intriguing
• Slow-burner
• Original
• Missing that WOW factor
• Intriguing
• Slow-burner
• Original
• Missing that WOW factor
mikaelasheaf's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
heatherrose_'s review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
readernath's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bmaciejkow's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
beverleyleeauthor's review
5.0
It's been a while since I read a twisty supernatural thriller and this genre-bending story had me turning the pages quickly to find out what happened next.
Harvey Anderson is a peace loving street performer, catapulted into a situation where a girl he can't remember puts him on the radar of a particularly nasty group of thugs, led by 'The Spider.' All that is left in his head is one tattered memory, and with this shred Harvey has two choices, one of which will put his life (and the lives of those he loves) in danger.
Imagine a book that is the love child of Joe Hill and Dean Koontz, and you have this. The characters were all incredibly well developed and the writing style so fluid it's very easy to be swept along.
There are brutal scenes. There are touching scenes. But all are handled exceptionally well. There's a care here, a writer who understands his story and the humanity within it. Pick this one up, you won't be disappointed.
Many thanks to Titan Books for the review copy and for putting this author on my radar.
Harvey Anderson is a peace loving street performer, catapulted into a situation where a girl he can't remember puts him on the radar of a particularly nasty group of thugs, led by 'The Spider.' All that is left in his head is one tattered memory, and with this shred Harvey has two choices, one of which will put his life (and the lives of those he loves) in danger.
Imagine a book that is the love child of Joe Hill and Dean Koontz, and you have this. The characters were all incredibly well developed and the writing style so fluid it's very easy to be swept along.
There are brutal scenes. There are touching scenes. But all are handled exceptionally well. There's a care here, a writer who understands his story and the humanity within it. Pick this one up, you won't be disappointed.
Many thanks to Titan Books for the review copy and for putting this author on my radar.
sjgomzi's review
5.0
I’m not going to say much, because the less you know the better when going into this book. What I am going to say is go online or run to your nearest book seller and find this book and read it. Go. Enjoy! And you can thank me later. 😉
whatmeworry's review
4.0
This review first appeared on scifiandscary.com - the publisher provided a copy for review consideration
I first got into horror in the 1980s, when Hollywood was trying forget the nasty excesses of the 70s and was plundering the 50s back catalogue for ideas. John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ is the best of the remakes from that time (in fact it’s probably the best remake ever) but it’s definitely not the only one. In literature, authors like Stephen King weren’t exactly retelling stories from the 50s, but they were definitely paying homage to them. Skip forward to the 2010s and a similarly nostalgic eye is being cast upon 1980s horror. ‘Stranger Things’ is a smash and the recent movie adaptation of King’s ‘It’ chooses the 1980s rather than the 1950s for it’s backstory. Everything old is new again, as they say.
Rio Youers’ ‘The Forgotten Girl’ captures that modern 1980s nostalgia, despite being set in the present day. It’s a psychic thriller that’s reminiscent of books like Stephen King’s ‘Firestarter’; that turns out to be both a good and a bad thing. It’s well paced, gripping and has a heart; but it’s also a bit too familiar.
The plot is that of a straightforward thriller, with a horror twist. Protagonist Harvey gets attacked by a gang of thugs looking for a girlfriend he doesn’t remember having. As the story develops we discover that Sally (the girlfriend) has the ability to wipe people’s memories and has a powerful enemy in the vicious politician Lang. There are plenty of thrills, some brutality and a respectable emotional core in the chase that follows. It’s gripping, very readable and I ended up really caring about the characters. If there is a problem with the story, it’s that the “boy meets girl, boy saves girl” thing doesn’t feel that fresh in 2019.
It’s still a fun ride though. Youers has a great sense of pace and a talent for creating people with believable motivations, even when the things they are doing are either fantastic or appalling. He’s definitely a talented writer, but the book ends up feeling a bit too much like other things. Its central theme is the abuse of power, its setting is small-town middle American and its heroes are blue collar joes. In the end, as fun as it is, it ends up feeling like a really cover version of a Stephen King novel. That’s not the worst thing in the world, but I suspect Youers can do better.
I first got into horror in the 1980s, when Hollywood was trying forget the nasty excesses of the 70s and was plundering the 50s back catalogue for ideas. John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ is the best of the remakes from that time (in fact it’s probably the best remake ever) but it’s definitely not the only one. In literature, authors like Stephen King weren’t exactly retelling stories from the 50s, but they were definitely paying homage to them. Skip forward to the 2010s and a similarly nostalgic eye is being cast upon 1980s horror. ‘Stranger Things’ is a smash and the recent movie adaptation of King’s ‘It’ chooses the 1980s rather than the 1950s for it’s backstory. Everything old is new again, as they say.
Rio Youers’ ‘The Forgotten Girl’ captures that modern 1980s nostalgia, despite being set in the present day. It’s a psychic thriller that’s reminiscent of books like Stephen King’s ‘Firestarter’; that turns out to be both a good and a bad thing. It’s well paced, gripping and has a heart; but it’s also a bit too familiar.
The plot is that of a straightforward thriller, with a horror twist. Protagonist Harvey gets attacked by a gang of thugs looking for a girlfriend he doesn’t remember having. As the story develops we discover that Sally (the girlfriend) has the ability to wipe people’s memories and has a powerful enemy in the vicious politician Lang. There are plenty of thrills, some brutality and a respectable emotional core in the chase that follows. It’s gripping, very readable and I ended up really caring about the characters. If there is a problem with the story, it’s that the “boy meets girl, boy saves girl” thing doesn’t feel that fresh in 2019.
It’s still a fun ride though. Youers has a great sense of pace and a talent for creating people with believable motivations, even when the things they are doing are either fantastic or appalling. He’s definitely a talented writer, but the book ends up feeling a bit too much like other things. Its central theme is the abuse of power, its setting is small-town middle American and its heroes are blue collar joes. In the end, as fun as it is, it ends up feeling like a really cover version of a Stephen King novel. That’s not the worst thing in the world, but I suspect Youers can do better.
keeperofpages's review
4.0
1. Do you enjoy supernatural horror thrillers?
2. Are you a fan of Stephen King, think Firestarter?
If you answered yes to the above questions, then you absolutely must read this novel!
This dark addictive thriller will have you hooked, with great protagonists, and unlikeable villains, shades of Stephen King, brutal with the right amount of emotion, this is one hell of a great read!
I really enjoyed Youers previous novel, Halcyon, but I thought this one was even better and has cemented Youers as a ‘must-read’ author!
*My thanks to the publisher for the review copy*
2. Are you a fan of Stephen King, think Firestarter?
If you answered yes to the above questions, then you absolutely must read this novel!
This dark addictive thriller will have you hooked, with great protagonists, and unlikeable villains, shades of Stephen King, brutal with the right amount of emotion, this is one hell of a great read!
I really enjoyed Youers previous novel, Halcyon, but I thought this one was even better and has cemented Youers as a ‘must-read’ author!
*My thanks to the publisher for the review copy*