Edge of Your Seat Reading

I really enjoy books that keep me guessing until the very end; especially twisty horror and mystery stories. These two books are prime examples of my favorite things!

So Cold the River by Michael Koryta

A down on his luck filmmaker, Eric Shaw, finds less than thrilling work putting together photomontages for funerals. When the opportunity to create a documentary of the life of a wealthy ailing man comes along he jumps at the chance. This quirky story could be his ticket back to Hollywood. Instead he is embroiled in a story which transcends time, and the past starts trying to break through boundaries to change the future.

This is a dark and suspenseful novel with quite a bit of creepy thrown in. Yes, there is a touch of the weird here, but not too much. Just enough to send a shiver down your spine and wrap your blanket a little tighter.

Need further encouragement to check this one out? Check out the West Baden Springs Hotel website. This is where the filmmaker stays and a lot of the action occurs.

The Popular Fiction Book Discussion Group will be meeting at the Bridgewater Library in the Administrative Conference Room on Thursday, October 19th at 7:00pm to discuss So Cold the River. Since we’re just in time for Halloween, if you plan on enjoying this chiller of a thriller and coming to the book discussion, bring along a title or two of books, or movies, which have scared you.

Think of a Numb3r by John Verdon

Imagine getting a letter in the mail that asks you to think of a number from 1 to 1,000. Picked a number yet? Okay. Now what if you received a follow up letter that guessed your number? A letter that states that the writer knows all about you and what you have done... How freaked out would you be? Retired NYPD Detective Dave Gurney’s college friend is EXTREMELY freaked out. The former detective joins the hunt for a psychic (and psychotic) killer who seems to know everything while the police know next to nothing.

The killer is playing with his victims and the police and that playful tone comes across in the writing in a very foreboding way. It’s an interesting mix of a fast-paced plot with contemplative musing. A mix the author pulls off with style.

Rarely am I stumped by the clues revealed by a murder scene described in a book. I’ve read so many thrillers that I usually get an inkling of how a crime was committed, if not why. Not this time. I didn’t know what happened until the detective figured it out. And wonderfully enough it all made perfect sense. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next.