From Publishers Weekly
Despite the high death toll generated by some pretty nasty weapons (claws, fangs, shotgun, fire poker, pitchfork), there's not much terror here because banal details and very ordinary people overwhelm the fear factor. MaryAnne Carpenter, trying to cope with the return of the loutish husband who earlier deserted the family, heads off to Idaho with her 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son in order to comfort her recently orphaned godson. Joey Wilkenson's parents have died in mysterious accidents and his mother, MaryAnne's best friend, had named her Joey's guardian. Joey seems an average 13-year-old, if given to understandable bouts of moody withdrawal. But the apparently peaceful mountain valley becomes menacing when a camper is brutally killed, perhaps by an animal, and MaryAnne feels increasingly isolated as winter approaches. Rumors of a wild mountain man or sasquatch circulate, and Joey starts to exhibit strange behavior. Further horrifying events occur, but their final explanation is too pat. A sequel is threatened, but hopefully Saul ( Darkness ) who has done better, will reconsider.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
What is the truth about recently orphaned Joey Wilkenson's strange behavior and the increasing number of gruesomely butchered bodies turning up in Sugarloaf, Idaho? The listener who appreciates a leisurely developed work of psychological terror will be rewarded by John Saul's methodical tightening of the thumbscrew. David Regal's serious reading captures the somber mood needed for a work that is less menacing in print. Regal's vocal changes are very good for this mixture of ages and sexes, and one of his characters is unintentionally hilarious. Technically, the recording level is superior, and the cover of the cassette case is much more enticing than the book jacket. E.E.L. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
