 |
When Bob sees on the local news that a young woman has been found murdered in a parking lot with numerous cuts, he knows in his gut that the killer who murdered his wife and six others five years ago is back. Bob’s best friend, Archie—a detective on the Livingston, Texas, police force—confirms his suspicions. The two men are determined to catch the killer this time.
Things begin to grow odd when Bob notices a strange shadow in the backyard and finds the neighbor’s cat mutilated in the same manner as the human victims. Then, Bob sees the death of the next victim, murdered by a horrific shadow creature, play out on his fence much like an old movie is being projected there. He calls Archie, who is astonished and worried about Bob’s mental state, but Archie is also blown away at the details Bob relates that are the same as the crime scene he visits that morning. It turns out that Bob’s home security caught the event on camera, and now Archie must start believing the unbelievable.
The two men are eventually visited by a medicine man named Two Dogs who tells them the shadow creature is ancient. It was once a Native American who murdered those he could. After he died, he became a demon-like creature, driven to kill humans as prey. The creature was locked away deep underground but is obviously free again. Two Dogs is determined to help them and gives Bob a charm and a crossbow with special bolts. The men find it hard to believe the story, but as the bodies pile up, they will look for any means to stop the creature.
The creature Harry has created in this novel is a frightful being. Readers of horror writers like Stephen King or Clive Barker will feel right at home with a being this terrifying and evil. Harry’s descriptions of the monster are well-written, and the reader can easily imagine how frightening it would be to confront it. Also, the mythology behind its existence is nicely done. The book reads much more like a thriller than a horror novel, though. In this sense, it is also reminiscent of Stephen King’s works, as the acclaimed author writes as many thrillers as he does pure horror novels. One can also see the influence of authors like Gillian Flynn and Tana French in Harry’s book. The main protagonists must gather clues, trace patterns, and theorize about how the creature functions and where it might strike next. They attempt to outwit the creature and keep it under surveillance while they formulate a plan to take it down.
Harry’s writing is mostly conversational in style and easy to read. He doesn’t use much figurative language but gives solid descriptions when necessary to make the scenes more vivid. Most of his characters have layers, but at times, the development of these characters comes across more like an information dump than a peek into their history and personality. Still, readers will appreciate that the characters are not one-dimensional. This is a book that will be enjoyed by those who are looking for a crime thriller blended with elements of horror and the supernatural.