The Hanging Woods

You know that feeling you get when you pass a particularly horrific accident? It's not that you want someone to be hurt, but you can't help slowing down to look. That's how I felt as I began reading this book. The year is 1975, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. Times are tough. Tempers flare and the stress level is high. There are many historical elements that firmly root this story in this time period, yet the... Read Full Review

Drawn in by impeccable writing, engaging characters and rich (sometimes outright bizarre)images/scenes, I found myself immediately engrossed with the book. The story turned in several unforseen directions and filled me with equal parts hysterics, nostalgia and horror. Be prepared to fall into a world that is both remarkably comfortable and hideously unsettling. The spectrum of emotions you'll feel is astounding.

Although this book is marketed as a young adult fiction it is by far the best book I have read this year and I am in my mid 40's. I read a lot, a book every few days, but this one stands out. It has action, intrigue and a great plot with twist that kept me reading till I finished it in one setting. I highly recommend it to any and all.

I'm not saying that this debut novel is destined to endure like the Harper Lee classic, but there are some similiarities: 3 kids on the verge of trouble, a mystery man in a small Alabama town, a heated trial. In one way, though, this book will resonate in a way Mockingbird can't. These kids are real. They aren't angels. And they come from deeply flawed families. Kids today might have a hard time relating to Scout Finch, but... Read Full Review

This book is tagged as YA, and that's appropriate: it's a terrific book for older kids who don't need to be spoonfed pablumized literature, and who want the real thing. It's also a great and compelling read for adult lovers of good lit as well. Smart, frightening, often (starkly) hilarious, plotty, full of twists and turns. A book that catches up the reader in its dark passages. In short: This guy can write!