Who's Out There
by
Westley Smith
If Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" were set at Camp Crystal Lake.
Who's Out There by Westley Smith is a riveting, suspense-filled thriller with a brooding atmosphere, incipient terror, and hints of supernatural interference that had me in its grip from the start. The result is what you'd get if Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap were relocated to Camp Crystal Lake, the setting of the film Friday the 13th. I enjoyed every minute of it.
The story unfolds from multiple points of view as a massive snowstorm bears down on the region, and the ten rangers on duty try to button down the park before the roads in and out become impassable. However, a man with a grudge against the state park has gone missing there, and his father arrives looking for help locating him across the acreage that used to belong to their family. As the storm worsens, the rangers are stranded, and one by one they are being picked off in the same way the camp counselors at the shuttered state-run lakeside summer camp on the park property were more than two decades earlier.
The main characters are the recently appointed supervising ranger, Colt Mitcham, and his subordinate and secret girlfriend, Ranger Josephine "Joey" Walsh. Colt takes his responsibilities to his people very seriously and takes many risks to ensure they are safe. However, each murder becomes a personal failure, even as the evidence quickly points to one of the rangers being the killer.
The book maintains an exciting, suspenseful pace, and I found it hard to take a break (or even want to!) I felt like I couldn't trust any of the characters to be who they appeared to be, and even though clues were sprinkled throughout the action, I was never sure they meant what they seemed to imply. Luckily, I was able to read this book from start to finish in one day because I don't think I could have slept without knowing how it all worked out and who would be left standing once the storm blew over.
I recommend WHO'S OUT THERE to readers of thrillers, suspense, and mild horror.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.