Nuanced Thriller: Peter Heller’s “The River”
From the author of The Dog Stars and The Painter, comes The River
Plot Summary
Peter Heller’s The River tells the winding story of two male college-aged best friends, Jack and Wynn, on another outdoor expedition. The pair love to traverse nature, and this time they decide to canoe a Canadian river. Little do they know a wildfire is surging in the forests near the river. As the fire is closing in on them, Jack and Wynn spot a couple arguing in the woods. They decide to mind their own business and move along, but when they climb a tree and see the true devastating nature of the wildfire, they return to warn the couple. Only the man remains, his wife missing.
The Verdict
Heller does a stellar job at building atmosphere and merging wilderness and nature adventuring knowledge with the bones of a thriller. The couple’s mysterious fight plagues Jack and Wynn’s attempt to reconcile what they find with the need to escape the coming fiery devastation. This novel is a very nuanced thriller. The reader breathes quickly as they wonder if Jack and Wynn will escape – with or without one part or both parts of the couple.
The building of suspense is very slow throughout the first half of the novel, and the ideal reader can drift along with the unknown that Heller presents. The prose is poetic. It keeps the reader entranced as they wait to be fed morsels of plot. The second half of the novel picks up, and the ending is truly heart wrenching. This novel is one of journey, embarking on a wilderness adventure not all are sure to return from. I highly enjoyed the slow burn that this understated lyrical, natural thriller presented.
(4 / 5)
- Jenna: A stay at home mom with a secret assassin past
- Donnie: An alcoholic rock star
- Nico: An executive producer of a reality television show
They all have a past, but who is out to get them?
The Plot
Jenna, Donnie, and Nico share a troubled past. They were all orphans who lived at Savior House — which is much less savior, much more terror. When their friend Benny, a famous judge, is murdered and the FBI comes looking, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico must race against the clock to figure out who is targeting them.
The Verdict
From the author of The Night Shift, which I reviewed here, I would expect nothing less than what Finlay has delivered. Finlay notoriously creates stories with palpable thrill and spine-tingling revelations.
I particularly enjoyed the character of Jenna. She is a reformed assassin living a normal life as a new stepmom. When she is called in to make a hit and her family is threatened, she goes badass mom on ’em. While I still thought Donnie and Nico as characters were engaging, it was nothing for what I felt for Jenna.
Also, major props to Finlay for creating a character that kills with a very unique weapon. Read it to find out more!
(5 / 5)
Keeping it all in the family, Julia Bartz’s The Writing Retreat is the debut novel of the sister of Andrea Bartz, author of We Were Never Here, which I reviewed here.
I was much more impressed with The Writing Retreat than I was We Were Never Here.
The Plot
Five up and coming female writers under 30 are invited to a writing retreat hosted by the reclusive and acclaimed horror writer Rosa Vallo. Rosa reveals the details of the retreat: each writer must complete a full length novel from scratch over the next month. The best novel wins a multi-million dollar publishing deal with Rosa.
Suddenly, the retreat turns into a nightmare when one writer goes missing in the snowy terrain outside.
The novel hinges on friendships in turmoil and has a focus on LGBT+ representation as well as interpersonal female relationships. The novel explores the dark publishing world and the search for fame and the Great American Novel.
The Verdict
This novel is atmospheric and intellectual, page turning, and the English major’s required reading. I absorbed this novel and found Julia Bartz’s writing and conceptual chops to be leagues above her sister’s.
Ths novel releases on February 21, 2023 and it should be in your cart right now.
(5 / 5)
Buy it here!
The Plot
“A brilliantly genre-bending, mind-twisting answer to the question How far would you go to save your child?” — Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Jen watches her son murder a stranger. Stab him to death. She and her husband, Kelly, watch as their son Todd is taken into custody.
The next morning, Jen wakes up and it’s yesterday. Jen knows that at the end of the night, her son kills someone. She is determined to stop it.
Jen goes further and further back in time trying to discover why Todd murdered a stranger and how to stop it.
The Verdict
This book is twisty. Right when you think you know the ending, something else is there to prove that the story is more multifaceted than that. While the premise of the novel is simple, Gillian McAllister elevates a simple concept with deep, dark twists.
It is best that you don’t know too much going into this one. For fans of Blake Crouch, this is such a good thriller with time travelling vibes.
(4 / 5)
