Another great addition to my #spookyseason reads! This book is creepy and dark and the audio sets the tone for a creepy atmosphere.
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A young Black girl goes missing in the woods. When her body is found it’s missing her heart. She’s not the first end and she’s not the last.
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Liz left this town for a reason but when she returns for her best friend’s wedding the woods are watching again.
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This book is downright creepy and I don’t want to say much more, but I really liked this and how little interviews or articles are sprinkled throughout.
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Huge thank you to #batnam @prhaudio and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This debut thriller from Erin E. Adams delivers taut suspense as horrors both cultural and supernatural plague a small Rust Belt town. This is the second coming-home novel I've read recently where the main character has been 'othered' out of town and dreads returning to a place populated with metaphorical monsters. This horror thriller, however, also features the supernatural kind of monster that hides in the shadows to feed on people's hearts and fears. While there are clues to the real monster's existence (including the title), the novel's supernatural tone doesn't kick in until two-thirds into the narrative. Until then, the book is a well-paced race to find Liz's beloved goddaughter, Caroline, a young Black girl who disappeared in the woods during a wedding. As Liz comes against obstacle after obstacle, she learns that Black girls have been disappearing on the summer solstice in these woods for thirty years, and the town has buried that fact even as the mothers of those girls have grieved their buried daughters.
[Thanks to Bantam Books and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

After mulling this one over for a few days, I'm giving it all the stars!

A young black woman returns to her hometown for her best friend's wedding. She's returning as a completely different woman, as she's fleeing a recent breakup. Once back in Johnston, PA, she's confronted by the dark woods. Woods she has feared since she was nearly taken by something in them as a child. Now, her best friend's daughter has disappeared into those same woods. Will she ever be found again? What happened to all the other young black girls that have disappeared into those same woods? You'll have to read this to find out!

Evil in a small town is one of my favorite horror tropes, yet this is not really a horror book; I prefer the term dark fiction. There are some grizzly scenes, that's for sure, but I found this novel to be about much more than the horrors in the woods. There's racism, both in full-out-assault form, but also in the average every day form-the obstacles and prejudices that are built right in to our very fiber as a nation. There are the small town jealousies and gossip; all the things that make up small town life in America.

JACKAL is not easily categorized, but after reading a few other reviews I feel like where most people got turned off was the exact point where I got turned on. Trying to unravel this mystery was tough, so when the action of the denouement got started, my eyes were glued to the page. This is the point where a lot of books go south for me, but with JACKAL, I loved finally discovering what was going on, even it was a bloody fever dream of inner thoughts and outward actions. I feel like this one really delivered.

"Danger didn't need a place to hide, it preferred to fester. First it would smile and bring you German chocolate cake. Then it would wait out in the open on your front porch until it felt good and ready."


A thoughtful novel, wonderfully written and packing a punch, I think Erin E. Adams is an author to watch. If her debut is this good, imagine what she might write for us next!

Highly recommended!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*

First off, a huge thank you to Bantam Books and Erin E. Adams for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! I was super interested in the premise of this book when I first found out about it. I love horror stories and thought this would be a great one similar to When No One is Watching that focuses on important social issues like racism and classism. And while this one definitely did a good job of touching on those subjects, beyond those parts I really didn't enjoy this book. I felt super confused through almost all of it- both because of the amount of characters, different formatting and POV's in the book, but also with the content. Everything about the horror aspect of it felt too vague and confusing for me to fully enjoy it, so I never really got that creeped out feeling that I love in horror books. Although this book wasn't for me, I could definitely still see it doing well.

Let me start out by saying Jackal was fantastic. Equal parts thriller, horror and social commentary, this story set in Rust Belt middle America felt all too real. We follow Liz, a black woman, returning to her predominantly white town for her best friend's wedding. This wedding serves as the kick off point for what is to come. We watch as Liz's world starts to unravel and we learn secrets her town wants to keep buried.

Liz is a great main character. She's well developed and you feel like you know her. She makes questionable choices, but they also make sense the more you learn about her. I do feel like the side characters kind of just fit in to very typical tropes, but it didn't really take anything away from the story for me.

The plot is heavily focused on the racial divide in the area and the financial and social unrest that results because of it. The way media and law enforcement handle the disappearances of young black girls is appropriately challenged and unfortunately feels all too real, which makes the story that much stronger.

Overall I think this was a very strong debut and I can't wait to see what else this author comes up with. 4.5/5.

I'm so on the fence about this one. I loved the first 3/4 of this. I loved the creepy forest, the supernatural elements, the characters, the themes, and the horror elements. But the ending kind of fizzled. It wasn't bad, it mostly made sense, it just left me feeling like something was missing. The story took a very sharp turn at the end and lost me in the shadows. Even so, I'm happy to recommend this to readers who like blended genres and broken characters and readers who can handle blood and body horror

Liz and a girlfriend get lost in the woods, the friend doesn't come out, Liz barely escapes but was scarred.
Liz leaves town vowing never too come back. But,
Liz's best friend is getting married, Liz reluctantly goes home.
The friend's daughter goes missing in the woods at the wedding.
Liz investigates and find girls have been going missing in the woods for years always at the same time of year.
Who's taking the girls?
Will Liz find her friend's daughter before it's too late?
Who can she trust?
Even herself?

This one ended up being just okay after a strong start. There's plenty of tension intrigue and we'll drawn characters but the otherworldly ending and it's metaphors left me wanting something more.

Thank you to PRH Audio for my ALC. All thoughts are my own.

I think this hits social horror right on the mark. It is not just that, but add some fantastical elements, and this hits out of the park.

It is a mystery about black girls going missing. When one returns to her hometown, and finally starts connecting the dots, she understands it's more than just her imagination and there's a reason behind the disappearances, especially her own cousin's. This investigation shows all the different social horrors - classism, racisms, sexism. And then in the end it gives even more with very fantastical ARC that most won't expect.

As far as debut goes - this is out of the park great. Will this be for all the horror fans? Definitely not. It is great story telling, it is great descriptive body horror, gore etc. Anyway you put it - a must for the spooky season.

Although the novel revolves around the summer solstice, this is an impressive and spooky debut perfect for October. I was impressed how experimental the story was in shifting from mystery to horror to contemporary fiction, and even to poetry. However, these transitions were not seamless and could feel a little disorienting chapter to chapter. The social commentary was overt, and rightfully so as said best in the book itself: "danger for Black girls [is] different. It [doesn't] obey the boundaries of stories. For them, it [is] always real." The big reveal of who/what the Jackal is didn't feel as impactful as I anticipated (and perhaps due to the fact it is given away in the title), but I did enjoy the poetic vignettes from the Jackal's perspective leading up to the climax.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy.

"Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them are black. All of them girls. "
When I tell you, this book had me stressed and on the edge of my seat in all the right ways! Liz is a black woman who returns home for the wedding of her bestfriend. Instead, murder, mystery, and racism go into full effect. Great characters and a well paced thriller novel. Perfect for Spooky Season!  I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All of these opinions are my own.

*Thank you to Random House, Erin E. Adams, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/jackal/

“To live like a lion for a day is far better than to live for a hundred years like a jackal.”

–Tipu Sultan, as quoted in Encyclopedia of Asian History.

Jackal is not your typical “scary” story. It is unconventional, terrifying and will make you angry about current issues of racism, inequality, and certain class differences. It is a mash-up of politics, horror, thriller and friendship that will absolutely make you look under your bed after reading it. But it is also about real life monsters hiding in plain sight of what is a seemingly normal town in Pennsylvania.

Liz Rocher is a black woman. She grew up in Johnstown, Pa. as one of the few black girls in an all white town. An outcast, she had one loyal friend, Melissa, and at 30 she is returning to Johnstown, to attend her friend’s wedding to a black man. Melissa, who had been banned from her family for choosing her future husband, and having his child is now getting married with her family in attendance. Liż plans to stay until after the wedding and go back to her life in NYC. Having just broken up with her abusive fiance, Liz is a mess with a significant weight gain and all her hair cut off. But the reason she has not been back since graduation is the death of her old friend, the “other black girl”, Keisha Woodson who was killed by a monster in the woods when they were young teens. Liz witnessed the attack and has never been the same. Now Melissa’s wedding is being held on the edge of those same woods, woods that Liz has never stepped into again.

When Liz’s beloved goddaughter, Caroline, the daughter of Melissa and Garrett, disappears into the woods, all they find is a piece of her dress covered in blood. She disappears while Liz is supposed to be watching her and things quickly become tense. As the search for Caroline begins, Liz has memories of what happened with Keisha Woodson so many years ago. But when she delves deeper into the search, she realizes young black women have been going missing on the same day in the same woods for years. What is the connection? Now she has to find Caroline before it is too late.

I loved the beginning and middle of this book. I could not read it fast enough but when reaching the last chapters, I couldn’t figure out what was happening. It went from issues of racism, deep-seated intolerance, and tragedy to something somewhat supernatural and it was confusing. I agree with the sentiment that is expressed in the reviews that this will be a book you love or hate. I loved it but I wish the ending had been more based in reality than fantasy. If you can suspend disbelief, then you will be the one that loves this. For me, I just felt it was an odd ending to an incredible book but didn’t stop me from loving Jackal. I can’t believe that this is Erin Adam’s debut novel, and she has done a fantastic job. She created that uneasy feeling which is hard to put into words. There are so many red herrings and creative passages. This book will definitely make you look under your bed before you go to sleep!

This was an excellent debut. This book had me needing to know what happened with Caroline. I enjoyed the stories of the previous taken girls and how they are interwoven throughout. I kinda wish those moments with those girls were longer. I began listening to the audio book and was confused by the change in narration for these stories until the end when we realize who the perspective is from. It was a little confusing and the ending didn't clear everything up the way I hoped it would. The plotwist kinda got overtaken by so many accusations, idk if Liz should become a detective anytime soon because she would full force accuse people and then be like oh...

Overall it was a really great story that brought me along for a ride and I am excited to see what Adams writes next.

This book is both thrilling and horrifying. It delves into issues of race, class, and more. The author's decision to have chapters that focus on some of the missing girls is laudable as it fleshes them out and makes them more real. These girls were not just statistics, They were real living breathing people who deserve their stories to be told and their murders to be solved and not just swept under the rug and ignored which is the case all too often, unfortunately, with the disappearance or murder of people from marginalized groups. On the whole, the story is very exciting and keeps you wanting to read, however, the end is a little bit confusing and unclear.

When a young African American girl goes missing, the town discovers that she wasn't the first, and unfortunately may not be the last. When Liz has to come back home, which she isn't looking forward to, because she doesn't have fond memories of her hometown. She has to go because her best friend is getting married. She isn't looking forward to what she thinks will be an awkward weekend.
Unfortunately, the bride's daughter ends up going missing on the day of the wedding. As the search is ongoing, Liz seems to be the only one to pick up a pattern in the girls that have gone missing. She starts digging deeper, and come across a horrible town secret.

Wow, this book was a ride! I have seen a lot of negative reviews of Jackal because many readers felt it couldn't decide on a genre. I am here to disagree! While Jackal feels like a missing person thriller on the surface, it really is a true horror story. Jackal was incredibly scary; there were several moments where I had to turn the tv on to have some background noise. I love that the setting of the story also felt like a character and created such a sense of eeriness and dread. There was an overwhelming feeling of being watched like danger is just lurking beyond the forest edge that kept me tearing through the pages. Most importantly, I really appreciated how the book explored the black experience. Racism was an important component in this - how could it not be? It reminded me of the Tananarive Due quote "Black history is black horror". It was incredibly interesting how different horrors were perceived in this book based on race and experiences that made this book that much more unsettling and eye opening.

Wow, first can I say I read this while listening to The Weight of Blood by Tiffany Jackson and I just have to step back and think about how this world treats Black girls and women. Jackal is important, intense, and relevant; it is also excellent literary horror. I thought in particular the suspense/pacing was strong, there is a constant sense of dread, unease, and scares throughout the story and Liz's story, along with the story of the missing/dead girls, is intensely fulfilled.
I feel that though I like to write long reviews that this book simply should be read, go in fairly "blind" to the plot and simply let the horror and scares surround you.

Erin E. Adams has won a new fan and my respect for her visceral dark writing and plot development.
Recommended for fans of Tiffany Jackson and Stephen Graham Jones (who writes horror that focuses on Indigenous people) as well as readers looking for strong horror with important themes and strong writing (I think of Sarah Gailey, Chuck Wendig as examples).

Special thanks to Random House Publishing , Ballantine Bantam and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Oh what to say about this book and how to rate it. I do have to say that it wasn't what I expected.
Liz is a black girl that when she was younger something happened to her in the woods of Johnstown
, PA, a mostly white community where she lived. Now she is going back for her best friends wedding.

When her friends daughter goes missing, Liz can't help but try to help what happened to her.. Liz is very scared of the woods and what happened to her the.if as a child. During her investigation, she finds out that little black girls have been going missing for some time over the years.

So I thought this was going to be a mystery and it turns into a messy story of horror and gore and violence Not bad writing, so I'll give it a 3 star rating. I liked to be tricked if only there is a treat at the end, and sadly I got tricked and tricked, not tricked and treated. Oh I'm just so hilarious. I crack myself up. 3 stars. If the story didn't go of into such strangeness, maybe a 4, but sadly it didn't do it for me.

Has a debate novel, this was a very intriguing and interesting story to read. If you like suspense, mystery, and horror I think you would like this story. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Adams brings us in the future.


I received a complimentary copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Spooky season scary/horror book readers- this book is for you. I'm not entirely sure how I feel after finishing this book. Let me first just say this book is very well written IMO, and I am surprised this is this author's debut. The premise of this book intrigued me right away, and it has very important themes regarding racism and classism, especially in small and predominantly white towns. The social commentary of the real world is extremely present. It had a similar energy throughout most of the story to a Jordan Peele thriller, which I did enjoy. This is a creepy and also VERY gory read- which for me, personally, is part of the reasoning for not loving some parts of the story as much as others, but that is completely a personal preference. I think fans of horror and supernatural stories, who are not scared off by some gore and can use their imagination a lot will LOVE this book. I ultimately did enjoy reading this book, but the only other critique I would have personally was the development of the villain - there were a LOT of red herrings, which ultimately for me made the big reveal fall a little flat and I still had some questions. I am still very impressed this is Erin Adam's first book, and it kept me interested throughout, so I will definitely keep an eye out and would love to read any future books written by her. Thank you very much to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book!

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

Liz Rocher, the main character, is going back home for her best friend’s wedding. She has nightmares about her hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She was one of the few black families living there while growing up. While in high school, another black girl disappeared in the woods, never to be seen alive again. Keisha Woodson, the only other black girl in school, was near Liz in the woods when she was taken by a mysterious man. She was later found with her chest ripped open and her heart missing.
On the day of her friend’s wedding, her goddaughter Caroline (her best friends mixed race daughter) disappears just inside these mysterious woods. The book then centers on searching for Caroline. While Liz gets involved in the search, she uncovers the fact that other black girls have also gone missing during the same time of year as Caroline. She is determined to find Caroline before the worst happens to her and to find out what happened to all the other girls.
The first half of the book moved fairly quickly for me as you learn more about the characters in the story and the outcomes of many of the black girls that disappeared. The last quarter of the book became too dark for me. I am not a fan of the supernatural or unexplained events so I was lost in the ending. The author is very talented in her approach to her writing. Along the way, many of the missing girls were addressed in their own chapters. This book combines mystery, horror, thriller and suspense. The author addresses racism as well as class status.
If you like horror with some mysterious suspense, then this may be the book for you