Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Don't Look Back by Gregg Hurwitz

Take a city girl, put her in the jungle mountains of Mexico on vacation and add a crazy terrorist who is determined to remain a secret in the jungle.  Mix and you have a fast paced horror story...

St. Martin's Press and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  The book will be published August 19th, so make a note to watch for it then.

Eve made the reservations for her and her husband.  They were going to spend their anniversary in Mexico and reconnect with each other.  Both would leave work behind and they'd only communicate with the outside world to stay in touch with their son.  These plans go awry when her husband announces he's leaving her for a younger, more elegant model.  Eve is devastated.  She didn't see it coming and is reeling from the loss.  She decides to take the trip by herself so she can think and get herself back together.  She doesn't have as much time as she thinks she has.

Eve finds leftover women's things in the cabin she's assigned as a single person.  The owner tells her the last tenant must have packed up in a hurry and missed them.  When she's looking for a bathroom spot on the trail, she notices a big man watching her.  When she reports that to the tour guides, they blow it off as just a native sighting.  She's getting more uncomfortable by the day and when she finds the photos on a digital camera, she knows she has a right to be.  As she puts the facts together, she realizes that the previous tenant never left.  She disappeared.  And she knows she's dead.

They go on a nice long walk and while they're out, a man in the group disappears.  They are so far out in the jungle there are no police close, Mexican laws are different and so are procedures.  They're fighting over staying or going when the monsoons set in.  Soon, even if they try to leave, they're going to have trouble anyway.  They pack up and head out, only to find the bridge is out.  Then the terrorist begins picking them off, one by one.

It soon becomes evident the only hope for survival is Eve.  The others are injured, handicapped, or ill.  She's not sure she's strong enough to do it, but she will do it for her son.  She wants to get back home to him and she's going to focus on that and fight back.

This is a riveting story that you won't want to put down and it will cover any fear you might have in your soul.  I found myself putting it down and going to do something else for a bit for a break from the story.  But in another ten minutes I was back in my chair immersing myself in the horror of the jungle with a relentless hunter.

I highly recommend this one.  Mr. Hurwitz grabbed me and drug me along through the story.  Not everyone survives but the ones I cared most about did.  Trust me, you won't be bored.

No comments:

Nonna Marie and the Case of the Lost Treasure by Lorenzo Carcaterra

As Nonna Maria's longtime friend and sometimes colleague, Captain Murino of the Ischian caribineri never wanted to see harm brought to t...