Johnstown has a secret. A secret and a story that gets whispered from one family to the next - if you see a shadow in the woods, ignore it and move on… or else.
When a child goes missing while Liz is home to celebrate her best friend’s wedding, she is pulled into the woods to find the answer as to why black girls have been disappearing for the past thirty years. Memories and stories mix, secrets abound, and past feelings are uncovered as racism persists. Will Liz be able to put it all together in time to save the latest missing child?

This novel was put together perfectly. The snippets of past disappearances and how they link to the present day are engaging. They give just enough of the story away to keep you turning the pages and to fit together the next piece of the puzzle. The setting of the novel is also perfect as it explores how the floods have played a part in Johnstown’s general and racial history. The protagonist is broken and whole, weak and strong, and perfectly human. Finally, beyond being a captivating thriller, the addressing of race is thoughtful and well integrated in the plot. A great read if you like thrillers with a bit of supernatural mixed in. 5 stars.

Review based on a digital Uncorrected Proof provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley. Thank you!

Fantastic debut! A horror novel about fear, anger, small towns, racism, and more. I loved it. Liz was an excellent, fully-realized character. Johnstown is almost it's own character - very atmospheric. It definitely does not end the way one would expect. Lots of twists and turns.

"A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white Rust Belt town. But she’s not the first—and she may not be the last. . . .

It’s watching.

Liz Rocher is coming home . . . reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn’t exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward and passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the day of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the bride’s daughter, Caroline, goes missing—and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood.

It’s taking.

As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: a summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She’s seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart missing. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can’t be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town’s history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls.

It’s your turn.

With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness."

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

I had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately I ended up pretty disappointed. I didn’t find Liz to be a very likeable character from the beginning. She obviously had some sort of issue with the people she grew up with and the town itself. She’s suspicious (as she should have been) about the young black girls that disappear every summer. It’s hard to trust any of the characters in the book, even the ones that Liz seems to believe in, so getting to the bottom of “whodunnit” is tricky. The premise of the disappearing black girls is intriguing- easily the most interesting part of the book (in my opinion).

Ultimately, the ending had a component that I liked (can’t say due to spoilers) but how it played out was (again imo) really weird and I quite frankly hated it.

On a better note, the writing was eloquent and I liked the interludes of the different girls, along with the news stories.

Overall, I think the premise of the book had promise, but how the story concludes is unsettling (in more ways than one).

This book had a little bit of everything- mystery and thriller with horror elements.

Liz hasn’t returned to her hometown for many years, in fact she’s done everything to avoid it. But now her friend Melissa is getting married so she needs to go home. What is supposed to be a time of celebration quickly turns to anguish when Melissa’s daughter, Caroline goes missing at the reception. Liz automatically imagines the worst knowing this town has a long history of black girls disappearing. Liz is determined to put a stop to this madness and sets out to find Caroline and uncover answers for the many families who lost their daughters.

Jackal had me hooked from the beginning and never let up. I was fully invested in the search for Caroline and in Liz’s quest to find answers for every family affected by this monster. The ending was a little out there, but it worked for me. This book was truly unique and I’m shocked it’s a debut novel. Well done Erin Adams.

Thank you Netgalley and Bantam for this ARC. This one is available 10/4/22 and it’s the perfect read for spooky season.

Adams created a dark tension-building mystery. This is not your typical “thriller” and more of a social horror. The clue is in the title. Jackal horrifies reality through intertwining the real life horrors of missing Black girls with supernatural terror. Adams has a knack for writing suspense and kept me guessing which of the townspeople did it. I love a good suspense but supernatural aspect was not my cup of tea and the ending left me baffled. I guess that’s was the intended horror element.

Adams immersive and atmospheric writing style will definitely keep you on your toes. Recommend for fans of social horror and supernatural mysteries (gave me The Outsider vibes).

"A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her white rust belt town. But she's not the first - and she may not be the last....

It's watching.

Liz Rocher is coming home...reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn't exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward, passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the day of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the couple's daughter, Caroline, disappears - and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood.

It's taking.

As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: A summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She's seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in Liz's high school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart removed. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can't be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town's history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls.

It's your turn.

With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness."

So spooky and yet so tragically believable that a town would right over the disappearances.

Jackal
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 10/4/22
Author: Erin E. Adams
Publisher: Random House Publishing
Pages: 336
GR: 4.12

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Random House Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Liz Rocher is coming home since her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward and passive-aggressive reunions. But on the day of the wedding, Caroline, goes missing—and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood. Liz has seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart missing. As Liz starts to dig through the town’s history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline, or be entirely consumed by the darkness.

My Thoughts: This was more of a horror than a thriller, but equally good. This does have a slow burn for the first part of the book, but that does not last long. This story was unique as in it is not your typical serial killer lurking, it is about real life monsters, the monsters that we aim to protect our own children from daily. I absolutely love the message behind the twists, sometimes you concede to your fears, but sometimes, more often than not, you face your fears and stand in your truth. The tone is set so well, the wedding takes place in the woods, the same creepy woods where young black females have disappeared over several decades. Adams creates this dark and disturbing picture that creates tension and really sets the stage for an excellant story. The characters were so well fleshed out, had depth, were mysterious, and uniquely created. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, creepy, and keeps you on the edge of your seat the duration of the story.

A deeply complex story. Deep in the middle of the country a small town is divided by race. Black girls have been dying or disappearing for over thirty years. Liz is a black woman who moved away but is back for her white friends wedding. It is a poignant tale of friendship and trust when the unimaginable happens. Figuring out who to trust among the characters will be tricky. It is a great plot that is wonderfully written.

Liz Rocher returns home to the small Appalachian town that she fled many years prior after a mysterious and tragic incident in the woods. Days after she arrives, her best friend’s daughter goes missing which leads Liz down a dark path investigating disappearances that have occurred for decades that just seem to get swept under the rug by the townsfolk. For the first 80% of this book, I was hooked. It was great. The in-between vignettes from the past victims were heartbreaking. I was invested, the writing was sharp BUT then the story just seemed to lose its way the last 20%. It was almost as if it was written by a different author or the scope of the book had changed and no one clued the reader in, hence the 3 stars. This is Erin Adam’s first book and I do look forward to seeing what she writes next! Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

What can I say about this book to give it enough praise. This book contained horror, folklore, murder, racism and so much more. All subjects were handled with care. Even the descriptions of particular scenes were not to gory. I love stories when the past and future co-exist within the book. Liz was such a real character and I grew to love her. She had fears, she was lonely, and she had spirit but it was hiding. Once she reached her limit of putting up with small town politics, she became the fierce warrior she was destined to be. I cannot write much more without spilling too much. Just listen to this…..read this book and you will be changed forever.

This novel immediately plunges the reader into a thrilling nightmare where you never know what’s around the corner. I loved the setting since I have visited the mountains in Pennsylvania before, and have also thought of the woods as threatening. Right away, the author drew me into the mystery of the missing Black girls. I was also very angry that no one apparently cared that these girls had gone missing.
I was a little confused by the second half of the book. No spoilers, but I had trouble understanding how the true villain came to be. The author hinted at it, but I was left with questions.
Overall, though, this was a good read. Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

This was such a wonderful blend of weird and exceptional writing. It has a blunt edge to it, and paired with the fantasy horror lurking underneath the surface, it works extremely well. I was tugged through the pages, and found myself flying through it. Smart and sharp, it's a book that knows what it's doing, and it SHOWS in it's exceptional craftmanship.

This was an impressive debut novel that masterfully blends elements from the horror and mystery genres to create a chilling read.

The book follows a 30 something woman named, Liz, who is visiting her hometown for her best friend’s wedding. The main character’s feelings about being home is complicated so she doesn’t plan to stay long. From the beginning, you get Liz’s sense of dread, especially when she is looking towards the woods. The children’s rhyme also adds to this unsettling feeling that something is lurking.

I was immediately captured by this novel. I enjoyed Adams writing and I also am a sucker for a book set in PA. (I am originally from Central PA so I may be a little biased). I thought the author artfully captured the various mindsets that you would find in rural PA, which can vary from kindhearted to extremely racist.

Overall, I found this to be a well-written and chilling read. I enjoyed how Adams wrote pieces of herself within these pages, so you have insight on what it was like for her growing up in rural Western PA. I found all the characters to be remarkably realistic and never felt as if they were fake or stereotypical. I would recommend this for those that want a chilling read that includes themes of racism. If you pick this book up, keep in mind that you may not know what evil awaits in the woods. Is it human or something else?

Thank you so much to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine for sharing this amazing digital ARC with me in exchange my honest thoughts. Also appreciate the author because this was such an enjoyable, but harrowing read!

This book is a gorgeous genre blend of mystery, thriller, and horror that seamlessly weaves historical and social justice themes to create a powerful, haunting story. A knockout debut.

This book is part horror part thriller and I think it executed both really well. It weaves in Liz's struggles with her past, the missing girls, the woods, and the racism that is rooted deep in Johnstown. I liked how it told the missing girls stories as well so you got to know them.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this eARC!

Jackal is a must read! I was immediately drawn in by Erin E Adams writing. I was able to really feel the atmosphere and setting of this book early on, making the story so powerful. The amateur detective aspect of this book was intriguing, paired with the exploration of what it means to be a black woman in a rust belt town. Both haunting and incredibly powerful, Liz's experience was what made this book not only a great story, but something I have and will continue to think and talk about with others in my life.

I'm generally not a big fan of paranormal/fantasy so the only reason this was not 5 stars for me was that aspect, though it was not a major plot point that distracted me. I gave this 4.5 stars (rounded to 5).

Overall, I would recommend this to all as a great thriller/mystery that also makes you think and teaches you about the black experience. Additionally, I loved the Author's note!

4.5 stars rounded up.

Jackal is an engaging social horror that centers Liz Rocher, a Black woman who reluctantly returns to her primarily White town to attend her best friend’s wedding. Liz determined to make this trip as short as possible, but plans go awry when the best friend’s daughter, Caroline, goes missing during the wedding. As Liz joins the search, she’s the only one who notices a pattern. Caroline is not the first to be abducted from the woods. Back when Liz was in high school, another Black girl went missing in the woods during a party, only to be found days later cut open and with her heart missing. With this realization, Liz starts to dig through Johnstown’s history and discovers there is a long line of young girls who have been abducted over the years - all of them Black. To find out the truth and save Caroline, she’s forced to put herself in the crosshairs of the police, depend on unlikely allies, and embrace the darkness of the woods.

Wow, did I blow through Jackal quickly. For those that love short chapters, you’ll get that here. The writing is excellent; I enjoyed how the author interweaved the stories of previous girls in between Liz’s chapters and had them told from the perspective of this mysterious and dark entity.

In terms of characters, Liz is a great MC with a lot of depth – she’s smart, brave, and refuses to give up on finding Caroline and bringing justice for generations of missing Black girls. But, she also has her own trauma and lived experiences that sometimes make her short-sighted, quick to anger, and at times a little too spontaneous.

The book kept me guessing and I was genuinely fooled by the ending (although it was a little abrupt). It also delivered on the horror aspect for this scaredy cat, as I could not get myself to read too close to bed time thanks to the author’s creepy depictions of shadowy creatures and the dark, endless woods.

Overall, If you appreciate your horror with a good mystery and a dose of social commentary, I definitely recommend Jackal.

I don’t even know where to start with this one!! Eeek…I am still so creeped out. I haven’t been actually scared while reading a book in awhile, but this one really got me, which is a testament to the author’s excellent writing. I could feel myself in those woods right along with Liz and it was terrifying. I also loved the afterword that gave some historical context. Really excellent. The one small critique is that it got a little too weird for me in the woods at the very end, but that is more of a personal preference than any reflection on the the author or the story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a horror story with an ending that I think a lot of people might not like or understand, but without it this would be a basic thriller. So I understand why the author wanted to do more with the story. I really liked Liz, the main character, and the author’s note at the end gave me a lot of insight into the history behind the town and why the author wanted to right about it. I enjoyed this story a lot and I’m excited to see what the author writes next.

This book has such an interesting premise, but the writing just fell a little flat. It is told through the main character's point of view in first person, and sometimes the narration was so stream-of-consciousness it got confusing and could've used a bit more context or explanation for the narrator's thoughts to really make sense. The ending felt very rushed, and one of the main supporting characters was all but forgotten. Overall, it was enjoyable, but the writing style and conclusion could've used a bit more polishing.