A brand new author to me - I do like finding a new author. An enjoyable read and would be interested in reading more by this author.

This book gave a mix of emotions! The writing style is unique with some parts being a little brutal but I was captivated from beginning to end.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will. Enjoy

This is not the kind of book that I would normally read but to be honest after about 20% through I was hooked and I didn't want to put it down. I needed to know how it all ended.

I thought that the plot was very well planned out and I found it to be a completely addictive read. The characters were really well developed, it was very well written and I loved the detail.

Five stars from me for this one- very highly recommended!!

I am working through and clearing out my list of galleys and unfortunately not interested in reading this any more.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Mid-July in Texas. Cicadas shed their dry summer skins, the scent of roses hangs heavy in the still air, and a woman sits alone on her porch at dusk, watching the empty, merciless prairie, its light falling to darkness. He's coming home. Upstairs, Lizzie knows, her daughters are safe in their beds. Joanne, still young enough to smile at strangers, one last summer of childhood left in her. Katie, already a beauty, the first flush of womanhood blooming on her skin. Both sleeping soundly. But out beyond the boundary of their land, the townspeople sleep fitfully. Too many have heard that Jasper is coming back - folk who know him of old, who remember what he did - men who will make it their business to see he doesn't stay too long round these parts...

*3.5 stars*

Do not be fooled by the front cover of this book. Probably one of the poorest choices of covers I have come across. This book is dark, very dark. It is violent. It is confronting. None of those things did I envision from that front cover...

But what a fascinating book it is. From the sense of place (which is very strong, one of the things I truly appreciated about this story), to the mystery behind Jasper's crimes, this story tugged hard at not just the part of me that loves a good story, but at the part of me that identifies with small towns, the part of me that knows that guy named Jasper, the part of me that knows that family that have to deal with that kind of upheaval. And that is a very good thing, in my opinion.

However, what let me down here was the pacing. The story was sluggish, all the interesting tidbits about Jasper's crimes were drawn out at a snail's pace, like dying from a thousand cuts. It was painful. Not sure if a shorter story would have fixed that problem. I think it would have just been disjointed otherwise.

Was this a great story? Yes, indeed. Was it well executed? Not so much. (In my opinion.)


Paul
ARH