A mysterious phone call from an old friend prompts Ray Simon to return to the town of Blackwater, where he had spent part of his childhood. The visit isn’t something he is too keen on, however, since something happened to him back then, something of which he has no memory. But Kevin’s evident distress overrides his own concerns so he takes a vacation from the school at which he teaches to find out what’s amiss.
The dead deer at the town’s roadsign, the strange reverend he meets, and the balls of light in the sky suggest that there are other matters not right besides Kevin’s troubles alone. To say that Ray gets more than he bargained for would be an understatement. Supernatural occurrences, a dangerous cult, a rich drug dealer and a phenomenally dangerous femme fatal are just a few of the elements that conspire against our hero. Basically, the town wants him back in its clutches — because of the childhood event upon which the main story hinges. Though I can’t tell you what that is, as it would be a spoiler.
In the early parts of the Blackwater Lights (Hydra) I thought I was reading a fairly standard UFO tale or at least a conventional horror story. Luckily, the story spreads its spooky wings as it progresses and salts in some unexpected elements, which held my attention until the end.
The author is clever enough to realize when he’s using clichés. Which he does repetitively in the early pages. However, he reflects on the clichés by informing the reader that he knows he’s doing it. My question is: why? Why not simply avoid them altogether?
A spooky small town with a strange preacher. A big, suspicious cop clearly out to get Ray. A rough-edged but warm-hearted single mother of a waitress at the diner who provides the love interest. Strange lights in the sky. An underground cult and some Lovecraftian monsters, to boot. It was all very reminiscent of so many American gothic tales that I began to feel frustrated. Half expecting someone to say (and someone does actually say something quite close to this), “We don’t hold with strangers in these parts.” I was almost ready to give up.
Luckily, there were enough surprises to hold my interest. Plus, the pacing and action is excellent, and the novel never pretends to be anything other than the fast-paced slice of pulp fiction it is.
To be fair, I like pulp fiction. It was simply that, in this case, I felt I’d read most of it before. However, this is the author’s first novel and only the first book in a series, plus it leaves on a good cliff-hanger. Fans of action-horror could well be promoted to follow the tale to its conclusion. I have a good feeling that this writer will get better and better, in spite of some reservations about his first outing. Bottom line? A fast, undemanding read which is never dull, though here and there is lacking some originality.
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