"The room was bathed in the thin evening light that came in through the window, filling it with an eerie glow."

If you’re a fan of thrillers, mysteries, or ghost stories, chances are you’ll be intrigued with this novel that could easily find a home in any of those genres. It weaves its way from one inexplicable situation to another while constantly seeming to have its feet planted squarely on dusty Texas dirt.

The core of the plot initially feels somewhat shopworn. A couple from the city buys a country house with a suspicious reputation and strange things start to happen. Been there, done that, right? Not so fast. The weird goings-on that begin to pile one upon another in this tale can almost be logically explained—until perhaps they can’t—unless you buy into some scientific theories that feel a bit like Einstein meets The X-Files.

In addition to the menacing happenings that build in intensity, and the unfolding intricacies of potential explanations, the author does an excellent job of keeping you involved with the skill of his writing. Characters are drawn sharply and genuinely. Dialogue sounds natural during off-the-cuff banter and realistic when people must suddenly react to bizarre situations. Prose is used deftly as well. One particularly mesmerizing example involves the protagonist surreptitiously following a car until he realizes he’s being stealthily followed by another vehicle at the same time. The scene builds slowly and ominously bringing to mind cinematic equivalents such as Hitchcock’s Vertigo.

As in all tales of this sort, a final dénouement and conclusion must be reached. This particular ending will either leave you aghast, annoyed, disappointed, or delighted. Whatever your response to the ending however, it’s a good bet you will have had a wickedly good time getting there.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review of Books