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A review by the_novel_approach
Lost in the Echo by Jack L. Pyke
4.0
3.5 Stars ~ I’m a huge fan of psychological thrillers, so naturally Pyke is one of my go-to authors. This story is short, and sweet in a way, but as with most of Pyke’s work there are many dark layers and undertones. Our protagonist has lost a son, and in the midst of dealing with his grief, he’s abducted and tortured. He has no clue who his captors are or why they’ve taken him, but they keep asking him questions about his dead son, ripping open tender wounds, and unfortunately, his life depends on his answers.
A tool Pyke excels using, and a key element to psychological thrillers, is the leaking of pertinent information to the reader, bits at a time, but no more than is necessary. In fact, it’s good to starve the reader slightly, so we’re hungry for more. At first we—like Will—are incredibly lost as to why he’s been kidnapped, but as he’s grilled with questions and the stakes are raised, Will’s flashbacks lead to relevant details, and the picture begins to fill out. This style of storytelling is absolutely delicious to me.
One of the tropes in this novel wasn’t my favorite, but unfortunately, I can’t go into depth because—spoilers!—so I’ll just leave it at that. And while the ending wasn’t exactly happy, it was, I believe, as happy as can be expected given the situation (the ending doesn’t make you feel depressed). All said and done, this is a very dark book, but I’d expect nothing less of Pyke. Enjoy!
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach Reviews
A tool Pyke excels using, and a key element to psychological thrillers, is the leaking of pertinent information to the reader, bits at a time, but no more than is necessary. In fact, it’s good to starve the reader slightly, so we’re hungry for more. At first we—like Will—are incredibly lost as to why he’s been kidnapped, but as he’s grilled with questions and the stakes are raised, Will’s flashbacks lead to relevant details, and the picture begins to fill out. This style of storytelling is absolutely delicious to me.
One of the tropes in this novel wasn’t my favorite, but unfortunately, I can’t go into depth because—spoilers!—so I’ll just leave it at that. And while the ending wasn’t exactly happy, it was, I believe, as happy as can be expected given the situation (the ending doesn’t make you feel depressed). All said and done, this is a very dark book, but I’d expect nothing less of Pyke. Enjoy!
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach Reviews