Isolation by Travis Thrasher

Jim and Stephanie Miller and their children Zachary and Ashley are a missionary family that has just returned from serving in Papua New Guinea.  Soon after their return to the states, Stephanie begins to suffer from disturbing dreams, visions, nightmares, and sleep walking: possibly triggered by supernatural events on the mission field.

During the winter they retreat to an immense lodge in a remote area of North Carolina (picture The Shining).  The Millers hope this winter vacation will draw them closer to one another and to God. However, this house has many secrets.  Zachary is the only one that seems excited about the vacation.  He begins to explore the lodge and finds secret passageways, locked wings and hidden rooms. What seems exciting at first becomes horrifying when locked doors are opened and the things locked inside are free to roam the halls.  When a snowstorm traps the Millers, the supernatural forces turn their “vacation” into a nightmare!

This was a great read.  Although it does mentions faith, I would classify this as a supernatural thriller rather than a Christian book.  It kept me interested and wanting to come back for more.  There were lots of plot twists and turns.  I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Darlington Woods by Mike Dellosso

 "Even when you can't see Him, when the lights are out and you can feel the darkness, God is still there" (pg 160)

This book is about Rob Shields, a man who has suffered great loss. His wife and child were ripped from his life and were long since declared dead.  Now it seems that his son has found a way to call out to him from that dark place to which he has vanished. Desperate to find and rescue his son, Rob sets out on a unlikely journey~ the hardest one of his life. 
When he meets a dark-eyed stranger in the local diner, Rob finds his spirit called to a place he never knew existed: Darlington.  As fate would have it Rob meets someone else at the diner, someone who knows about Darlington. Juli is a young waitress and she exudes a peace and grace that immediately appeals to Rob. What he doesn't know is she has been directed by God to intercede for Rob . She also harbors an unnatural dislike for the stranger with the dark eyes.  He is pure evil and is watching their every move.
When Rob decides to go to Darlington, Juli insists on coming along and here is where their journey begins.  As they travel into the depths Darlington woods, it becomes abundantly clear that they are searching for the Light that dispels all darkness. With Juli beside him at each step, Rob must fight for his life as never before.
Will either of them survive?  Is his son alive?  What is the unnatural presence in the woods that causes all the townspeople of Darlington to stay inside when the sun goes down?  You will have to read to find out!  I highly recommend this book.  Scary and suspenseful but with the underlying message is no matter what darkness you are going through, turn to the Light!!!!  "Where Light abides, Fear cannot"

The Ridge by Michael Koryta

What do you get when you combine a deadly Kentucky back road, a big cat rescue preserve, and a spooky lighthouse?  This is “The Ridge” by Michael Koryta

The local drunk (and owner of the eerie land-locked lighthouse), Wyatt French’s dead body is discovered by deputy sheriff Kevin Kimble.  After finding eerie photos in the lighthouse, he recruits Roy Darmus, retired editor of the town’s paper, to delve into the cause of dozens of car accidents that have occurred on the desolate road (known as Blade Ridge) near the lighthouse. Countless people have died, and the deaths seem to go back generations.  Somehow all of these deaths are all tied into one another. Together, Kevin and Roy must find the source of this darkness, digging through decades of the town’s history to find the answers.

Meanwhile, Audrey Clark is continuing her late husband’s dream of running a big cat rescue preserve and has just moved her operation to the land next to the lighthouse.  Soon after moving in she notices the cats grow restless at night, frightened by something in the dark.  They sense something that humans cannot, and it’s something evil.

What’s happening in this town will shock you.  This is a great book with a large cast of characters.  It really was difficult to blog about this one because there were so many plot twists.  I recommend this book, especially if you are looking for a semi-spooky Halloween time read.

Quinn by Iris Johansen

I normally love Iris Johansen's books, but this one left me a little empty.  This is the second book in a trilogy that follows forensic sculptor Eve Duncan & her "boyfriend" Joe Quinn in their quest to find her daughter Bonnie's killer.  The first third of the book reverts back to how Quinn and Eve met.  If you have read the other books about Eve Duncan (9 to be exact) this is information you already know and personally I didn't want to re-read 160ish pages about it.  The book does have some twists and turns when they are chasing the supposed killer John Gallo through the wilderness.  Other than that, it was just ok.  It took me longer than usual to read it because I just couldn't get into it.  I will be reading the final book in the trilogy, "Bonnie" that will finally give us an answer to who her killer was.  I hope that book is better than this one.  Honestly the "trilogy" could have easily been combined into one book.  I will give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Betrayal - Fern Michaels

Imagine it; you & your husband are a happily married couple, but are unable to have children.  You are blessed with best friends who have 2 beautiful daughters that come to visit you each summer & on holidays that fills that missing link in your lives.   Then the unthinkable happens………a heinous accusation is made against your husband from one of the girls after their visit.  Your life begins to unravel before your eyes, friendships are tested, and the search for real truth ensues.

This is the plot of my latest read, “Betrayal” by Fern Michaels.  In the book Alex and Kate Rocket are living the good life, blissfully happy raising dogs for a living and having dreams of opening a restaurant one day.  Alex’s best friend Don has been a constant sidekick and his children, Emily and Sara, have become god -children to Alex and Kate.   Don’s wife Debbie is the reason “meds” were created.  She is a bitter woman whose nurturing instinct never kicked in, which makes the girls’ visits to the Rocket’s even more special because they get motherly attention from Kate they don’t get at home.   

The girls come for a visit and Sara has an attitude the entire time, she doesn’t want to do anything except gripe and complain about everything.  The rest of the visit goes smoothly, but for once they are glad to see Sara (and her bad attitude) go.  Then a few weeks later they get a phone call from Don in which Sara accuses Alex of the unthinkable………molestation. Kate watches helplessly as Alex is convicted and sent  to prison for this crime.  What happens afterwards is even more horrible than the accusations themselves.    

What happens next?  You’ll have to read for yourself! 

I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone.  It is a page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page!!