I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced. Unusual subject matter for a thriller and it went pretty deep without sacrificing suspense. I had to see how it would end. The characters felt believable. Solid five

This book is so cleverly written! Erin Adams does a fabulous job of lending to the general sense of unease in the story by writing any event that is not a flashback in the present tense. This lends the events a sense of anticipation while also making things feel just a little bit "off". It surprised me how jarring it is to read a novel in present tense and the author uses that to add to the deep sense of unease. In addition, Adams uses font, margins, and language to narrate different aspects of the story and it carries the story and its events successfully. For example, when she writes about a dream, the text is aligned on the right margin instead of the left.

As the description says, there is a horrifying trend in Johnstown, PA of black girls going missing from the woods. Some of the girls are later found torn open with their hearts missing. The main character, Liz Rocher, notices a trend and starts digging into the history and trying to find answers. This book is a truly spine-tingling thriller with enough unique angles to make it stand out from other thrillers. It is a gruesome horror story that highlights cultural and racial issues with an added element of the mysterious and supernatural.

I am going to be brief with the synopsis because the less you know going into this one, the better!

The story centers around Liz Rocher a 30-something black female who currently lives in the NYC. Liz is returning to her predominantly white hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania for her best friend's wedding. After the wedding, the bride's young daughter goes missing. When Liz was in high school one of her classmates, , who was also a black girl disappeared in the woods and was found murdered a week later. What is happening to all these young black women in the woods?

Jackal grabbed my attention in the beginning and I enjoyed seeing how the story developed.
The writing was beautifully written and filled with important themes of racism, and classism. I loved the fact that this story addresses the lack of attention on women of color that are missing.

After the halfway point this book took a strange turn. I kept wondering if these things were really happening or if Liz was experiencing psychosis. The ending left me baffled. I'm not sure if something symbolic happened that I just didn't get or what but I ended up rereading the last few chapters and I'm still not sure what happened. Either way, don't let my lack of imagination dissuade you from picking this one up. Overall I enjoyed this one and it will be a story that I will not be forgetting anytime soon. Erin E Adams did a brilliant job crafting Jackal and I look forward to reading whatever she writes next.

Jackal by Erin E. Adams will be available on October 4. Many thanks to Bantam Books and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

JACKAL by Erin E. Adams was an amazing debut novel!
As soon as I read the synopsis I knew I had to get my hands on a copy.
Adams didn't disappoint me either!

Liz is going back home to Johnstown, Pennsylvania to attend her best friend's wedding.
During that time Caroline, Liz's friends daughter goes missing.
While searching, Liz starts to notice something similar...... A late summer night, another missing girl named
Keisha, who was only other black girl in Liz's school.
Is this a coincidence or something more sinister?
So Liz's sets out on a mission to uncover the truth. The truth about the place she once called home. And the deeper she digs the closer she gets to uncovering some deep dark secrets. Secrets she is scared to unravel.
Keisha and Caroline aren't the only missing black children who have gone missing! It's been happening for year's! All Black! All Girl's! And she is about to uncover the truth!

Have you ever read a book that makes you wish you could unread it, forget everything, and read it again for the first time? My book hangover from this one is going to kill me. I'm so sad it's over. I loved it so much.
Fast-paced! Riveting! Exciting! Addictive! Not only is this a very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters, but the suspense builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds. It was an artful melding of twisted psychological thrills and nail-biting suspense that kept me guessing the whole way!
Jackal is cleverly plotted and very well written. And honestly I can't believe it's her debut novel. Her writing is stellar, brilliant and just overall beautiful!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Random House, Ballantine & Bantam,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I'm always so grateful to them and the book publisher and author for allowing people to read early copies in exchange for reviews.

This book was 5 stars til I got to the end. I'm guessing something metaphorical was happening and I just can't figure it out. Either that, or it was something Gothic/supernatural, which I'm not usually into anyway. If you're smarter than me, maybe you'll love this one. I read to be entertained not figure out metaphors, if that was the case here. It was very suspenseful and I was hooked from the beginning, but that end just had me disappointed.

Jackal is a tense and horror-filled thriller that is sure to terrify readers. When she returns to her home town for her best friend's wedding, Liz is braced for the worst. Growing up as one of the few Black girls in her school, Liz dealt with racism and hatred from her neighbors and classmates. When her best friend's daughter, and Liz's goddaughter, goes missing on the day of the wedding, Liz is drawn into a decades-old string of missing girls. Black girls go missing in the woods at an alarming rate and no one seems interested in solving the crimes. But Liz won't rest until she finds her goddaughter and finds the connection between her and the missing girls.
It's a fast paced, emotional, and haunting look at fear, racism, anger, and misogyny.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

I loved this book. It was so well-written and all the characters felt like real people. I loved the main character. I liked all the parts about the girls that went missing and the overall stucture of the book. I'd definitely recommend this.

TW: Violence against children, death of children, sexual assault/rape of children.

Liz Rocher returns to the small, predominantly white town she grew up in for her best friend’s wedding. During the reception, her best friend’s daughter goes missing. Black girls get taken every June in that town and, of course, no one does anything. Liz could’ve been one of those girls years ago, but she got lucky. It’s now up to her to find her best friend’s daughter and bring her home safely. But there’s something in the woods taking little Black girls, and it’s been waiting on the one who got away.

This was one of my most anticipated releases this year and it was amazing! The story, the pacing, the character development, it was all perfect! It hooked me from the beginning and never let me go. It kept me guessing throughout the whole story. My favorite thing about this book is that we got pov’s of the other Black girls that have been taken. Those chapters were both heartbreaking and incredibly creepy. The character development in this book is another thing I loved. That does not mean that I liked those characters though, we weren’t supposed to. Liz was a Black woman that craved approval from her white peers and that aspect of her personality really played into the plot. And her white peers were problematic. But all this was obviously purposeful and I felt like I knew the characters well.

The ending of this book went in a pretty different direction than I thought expected, it wasn’t quite as satisfying as I thought it’d be, but I still really enjoyed it. I can see how the ending may disappoint some, but I thought it fit the book really well.

I really loved this book and I need everyone to go preorder it now! I will be reading anything and everything that Erin E. Adams writes after this!

P.S. reading this book as a Black woman IN JUNE had me side-eyeing my whole life.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

TW: kidnapping, child death, murder, racism, racial slurs, animal gore and death, domestic violence, harassment, fatphobia, descriptions of sex, potential alcoholism

In “Jackal,” Liz Rocher, a thirty-something Black woman, reluctantly returns to her small hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania for her childhood best friend’s wedding to her live-in boyfriend, with whom she has a young daughter named Caroline. The wedding between Mel Parker, a white woman, and Garrett Washington, a Black man takes place at a newly opened wedding venue in the middle of the woods.

Liz has a fear of the woods since a harrowing incident that occurred there during a teenage bonfire night. The event was so horrible that Liz only remembers fragments of it, but a deep scar on her arm is a constant reminder that something horrific happened on that night. It was also the night one of several missing Black girls, Keisha, disappeared and was later discovered in the woods several days later with her chest torn open and her heart missing.

During the wedding reception, Mel’s daughter Caroline goes missing in the woods, bringing the memory of that night from years ago back into sharp focus for Liz. As Liz tries to find Caroline, Liz discovers that other Black girls have gone missing over the years and the disappearances all occurred on the Summer Solstice.

Interspersed throughout the narrative were distinct segments from differing points of view. First, brief vignettes about some of the missing girls; second, a narrative from the unknown predators point of view; and third, brief descriptions of Liz’s nightmares involving running through the woods.

Although the novel does a good job of conveying the sense of menace and paranoia, along with the feeling of racial discrimination and hatred, I didn’t enjoy the book because of the writing style, which consisted of short, choppy sentences, including a lot of unfinished phrases. This style is something of a pet peeve of mine, so others may not find it as detrimental to the novel as I did. However, those expecting a straightforward murder mystery will be disappointed to discover a supernatural, horror book instead.

This is a phenomenal book, it's haunting and
beautiful. The voice is real and honest. the
pacing is killer, the characters are believable
and very human, and the setting is rich and
full of history. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy.

Excellent suspenseful yet creepy mystery. You don't find out till the end if it's a real monster in the woods stealing girls or just lore. Liz is outraged and upset that girls have gone missing for decades yet nothing is being done about it. Everyone she encounters could be involved and I was shocked by the ending. You can learn a lot from Liz - be strong and trust your instincts!

I simply devoured this book. The plot was layered without being too complicated and even though there was a sci-fi-type twist, it could have worked without it. Meaning, even if you don't like sci-fi, you'll probably enjoy this book. It's especially appropiate given the United States' current social and racial, but also reminds the reader that these issues aren't new. It's a good metaphor for the fact that inequities and violence have always been hiding in plain site, but some of us (myself included) aren't aware until it affects us personally. Or affects someone that looks more like us.

The setting in Johnstown, Pennsylvania was especially perfect as the racial and economic divide is emphasized by the specfic geographic features of the town. The flood history, past racial strife, and woods create a spooky and dark background that pervades the entire plot. I did read the author acknowledgements and it makes sense that Adams grew up in Johnstown. There might have been a temptation to set the novel somewhere else, but she writes what she knows incredibly well.

This is a phenomenal book. It’s beautiful and haunting, the voice is honest & real, the characters are relatable, the setting is full of history, and the pacing is amazing.

The payoff at the end of the book is satisfying and well worth the read! When the book is published publicly, I will definitely be buying and reading it again. It’s so good!

Many thanks to NetGalley for sharing this digital copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

This is a successful story. I found myself questioning the culprit the entire time which made the journey exciting.

Basically, Liz reluctantly returns to her predominantly white hometown in Johnstown, Pennsylvania to attend her friends wedding. Dark memories and fear have kept Liz away, but everything finally and unexpectedly comes full circle after the disappearance or her friends daughter Caroline leads Liz to dig into the towns history. What was supposed to be a quick visit to support her friend turns into a mystery about who has been behind a decades long trail of missing Black girls.

I like the dual timeline because even though Caroline became the latest victim, it was nice to get backstories on the other missing girls. I appreciate the author giving them a voice and space to have some of their story told because obviously the town didn’t care enough to really look into what was going on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for the eARC!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Liz is attending her best friends wedding in her small town in Pennsylvania. She is excited about seeing her friend. Caroline who is her friends daughter dissappear on the day of the wedding. Liz does some digging and realizes that many girls have gone missing over the years. It will take everything she has to find the answers.

3.5 stars

Social horror seems even more terrifying as we are incessantly confronted with the realities of modern living (should we be calling this "fully regressive living?"), and Adams presents a simultaneously magical and realistic basis for a truly horrifying set of circumstances in this powerful debut.

Liz, the m.c., comes home for her best pal, Mel's, wedding, and she spends a great deal of this visit remembering exactly how uncomfortable being home is...and why. Something is not right in this place, and any semi-alert reader will be immediately concerned about the demographic makeup of this town: a lot of creepy white racists and a small group of Black people whose daughters are apparently going missing and/or are found with their bodies obliterated every summer solstice!!!!!!!!!!! The fact that these disappearances/murders happen regularly - and remain unsolved and explained away - is just one of many factors that suggests the town's general acceptance and even lauding of the destruction of Black women and girls. This horrific backdrop gets bolstered by repeated microaggressions, talk of Black women as delusional, and general racist propaganda that citizens accept as part of their culture. No magic is needed for the horror; the real situation is horrifying enough on its own.

There's another layer here and that is Liz's combination of past trauma and current connection to the early disappearance of another Black girl. These elements, which I'm leaving vague to avoid spoilers, are the parts of the novel that worked less for me. At times, the intrusive thoughts and experiences Liz has felt a bit long-winded and distracting. I enjoyed the concept and outcome overall but economizing in these areas would have gone a long way for me.

This is a creepy and definitely gory read, and many of the events and outcomes feel expected because, unfortunately, the underlying mentality is pervasive in our own society. It's an interesting study of misogynoir, but its real impact is in those constant reminders that the real horrors for folks who are not cis het white men are just clear and present every day now.

This exquisite, horrifying, unconventional story about the fear, anger, violence, racism, hate, inequality, poverty, class differences is exemplary masterpiece ! This book is different from any other mash up of horror and thriller stories you’ve read before! This is not just a typical scary story makes you check the monster under your beds. This is about real life monsters hiding behind shadows, feeding by people’s own fears, their good hearts, their insecurities to become a part of the community!

Once upon a time, Liz Rocher was a young black girl, outcast, unique, introvert, looking at the stars to find her way at the darkest time of the night. She looked in the eyes of the real monster and let him attack her. She couldn’t save her friend from becoming another victim of the monster’s massacre. So she finds the easiest way for herself: running away, trying to build a new life in big city.

Now at the age of thirty, Liz is coming to her home, invited to her best friend Mel’s wedding party. Mel who is banned from her family for choosing a black man, getting pregnant from him. But now her family seems like get used the marriage idea with Garrett, building a relationship with their granddaughter Caroline.

Liz is train wreck, breaking up with her fiancée after tragic incident, gained weight, cut her hair, wearing a wig, swore not to take a step into the woods. But now she’s forced to attend the ceremony take place in the center of the woods. That means she has to face her fears.

But she has every right to stay away from the woods because there’s something sinister hiding to hunt black little girls on every summer of solstice since 1985! Now little Caroline is missing! The officers take the DNA and fingerprints of Liz to pin violent incidents occurring in town on her!

She has to face her fears, looking in the mirror to see her true self: she has a target on her back but she has to fight against the biased opinions of townies to help the black mothers who has been grieving for their daughters!

But what if there’s something more terrifying hiding in the darkness that she cannot have enough power to fight against!

The epic, heart throbbing, jaw dropping ending, the thought provoking, mind numbing storytelling blew my mind away!

I’m giving my five stay away from the woods unless you want to deal with a monster with big teeth stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine- Bantam for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

This wasnt my typical type of book but i am so glad i read it! What a story! I finished in 2 days. Highly recommend this book.

Wow.

Just. Wow.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and I am so thankful I had an early opportunity to read it. The world needed this book and Erin delivered.

The story follows Liz, who is back in her hometown for her best friend’s Melissa’s wedding. She’s filled with regret and anxiety because home doesn’t bring her peace. It brings back memories of a tragic event that happened in the woods as a teenager. The woods aren’t safe for a black girl and it proves to be true when Mel’s daughter Caroline goes missing.

The search to find Caroline uncovers a deep, dark secret about the woods and young black girls that Liz must uncover to find Caroline.

Mystery, thriller, gore, mixed with the reality of black girls in America. She told our story. The story that doesn’t make tye news. The fears we have to live with. How we have to be extra careful. How shining too bright could put a target on our backs. It’s all reality in our world that the world needs to be aware of.

In a little place called Johnstown black girls go missing and everyone blames it on an unseen monster in the woods. One girl who is now a grown woman named Liz comes back for her friend Melissa‘s wedding. She isn’t excited about coming home again, but she loves her best friend Melissa Melissa‘s little girl Caroline. Melissa is white and Caroline is mixed and her mommy and daddy are getting married. When Liz finds out they’re having the wedding smack dab in the woods she was a little leery. Since it the wedding will be in a big clearing she results herself to see it through and after all it’s for her best friend Mel who she loves like a sister. When Liz tells Mel’s brother Nick that she will keep an eye on Caroline who they call care Bear, she does until she leaves her to run and get them something to drink. Being distracted by Nick the bartender she stays longer than she wanted to and when she arrives back where they were playing the game Caroline is gone. This sets off and already strange visit home for Liz. Not only is she crushed that Caroline is gone but her initial feelings about the family she grew up knowing is getting stronger. She knew Mel’s brother was racist and other people in town were racist, but something keeps nibbling at her brain trying to clue Marin she thinks she finds allies in the whole time or allies were enemies. If she thought Mel’s dad and brother being racist was our biggest issue that will be bigger wants to come before it’s over. I love a good mystery and thriller and this is both of those. I never would’ve guessed the ending not in 1 million years and that makes for a good mystery. There were other things I didn’t like about the book but I’m a let that lie because the goodness overrides all that. I was given this book by Net Galley but I am leaving this review voluntarily. Please forgive any mistakes because I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.