A review by tetcha
The Guide by Peter Heller

2.0

This is tough for me to write because I loved Peter Heller's other books Celine and The River, but this one felt like a hot mess to me by the time I was finished it. I really enjoyed the first half or so, Peter Heller has this magical ability to transport me right into any world he chooses with his vivid and stunning writing, and getting to hear more about Jack's story from where The River left off was too enticing to pass up...

The building tension and suspense was nearly perfect and then all of a sudden I felt like I hit a brick wall, the pacing totally changed and it felt rushed with lots of plot holes. The closer I got to the end the more absurd the plot seemed, in fact for me it almost felt like two completely different books mashed together; kind of like watching A River Runs through it then switching to Die Hard or The Equalizer midstream...

Of course I will continue to try anything Peter Heller writes but if you haven't read The River yet, just try that one instead and let Jack's story end there.