This week’s HORROR BOOK OF THE WEEK is ABANDON. Written by Blake Crouch, the book was published in January 2023 and is on the bestsellers list for Ghost Mysteries and Horror Suspense.
The author is well-known for his previous novels, including Dark Matter and The Wayward Pines trilogy, which have been turned into successful TV series.
Customers who bought this book found ABANDON to be thrilling and a real page-turner. Since this story is told in two different time settings, readers found the past part to be more compelling and the characters better etched out.
Some negative reviews suggest that the plot is overdrawn, gory, full of unnecessary expletives, and one-dimensional characters in the contemporary storyline.
Quick Review based on the sample
The Prologue quickly sets up the mystery in 1893, which ends in a shocking turn of events. As the story moves forward to the Present Day, we meet Abigail and learn of her estranged relationship with her father.
Her father, however, is keen to reconnect with her and assures her he has been following her journalism career with interest.
Both are pulled into taking an expedition to a town called Abandon. Previously, the town was called Hope. Abandon Hope?
They are accompanied by more characters who guide them to the town as well as have their own agenda to investigate what they believe to be a paranormal event in the town. The mystery is about what happened to the residents on the town who simply disappeared on night leaving behind no trace.
The author manages to capture your attention with his writing and quickly makes you participate in whatever is going on regarding the journey towards the town.
The protagonist, Abigail, is not nearly as interesting as she should have been though. Her characters does not stand out and resembles any female character from any other book.
Apart from the disappointing protagonist, the story does hold a lot of promise and you would find yourself wanting to go along with the journey.
ABANDON Plot (Taken from Amazon.com)
A century-old mystery—and a desperate battle to survive—unfold in this standalone thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion.
On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman, and child in a remote mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins, and not a single bone found.
Now, journalist Abigail Foster and her historian father have set out to explore the long-abandoned town and learn what happened. With them are two backcountry guides—along with a psychic and a paranormal photographer who are there to investigate rumors that the town is haunted.
But Abigail and her companions are about to learn that the town’s ghosts are the least of their worries. Twenty miles from civilization, with a blizzard bearing down, they realize they are not alone.
The ordeal that follows will test this small team past the breaking point as they battle the elements and human foes alike—and discover that the town’s secrets still have the power to kill.
Part journey into old-West history, part nail-biting survival thriller, Abandon is a bloody, darkly surprising tale as only Blake Crouch could deliver.
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