Scarred by a tragic past, eleven-year-old Jamie Walker chooses not to speak.

Consumed with jealous rage, Jimmy Gillespie is driven to violence.

And John Macintyre awakens from a vivid nightmare convinced he is going to kill.

Living high upon the Scottish hills, John and Sarah Macintyre enjoy a serene life until a televised news bulletin sends them on a desperate search for a missing child.

After finding the child and returning him safely to his parents, the Macintyres are approached by the local press, attracting both unexpected and unwanted attention.

But the aftermath of the media coverage changes the course of their lives forever, and events are set in motion that are joyful, heartbreaking – and terrifying.

 

My Rating:

My Review:

 

This installment was far more tragic and complex with metaphysical elements than the earlier volumes, yet I found it just as gripping and shrewdly plotted. I’m typically rather lazy when it comes to reading this mix of genres due to all the world-building and the creation of otherworldly rules and skills, so due to my sloth, I seldom read them, but this one was well worth the effort and I’d gladly continue on with subsequent volumes if the author could be bribed to continue on.

The uniquely crafted and cleverly contrived storylines were engaging and actively building in tension and menace while keeping my curiosity primed. Yet I kept wondering why a policeman turned farmer living in the country and experiencing threats didn’t have a gun. I was fully invested and had several theories going while often holding my breath in foreboding dread as I was afraid of what was to be unearthed concerning Jamie, the vulnerable child with Selective Mutism, or was he? I worried there was a dark force around or within him as he had no discernible soul or aura to those who could see them. I never would have guessed his contribution to the conclusion of the story and found it quite appealing. R.V. Biggs is a wily one.