Buck Fever

by Robert A. Rupp

Bizarre behavior of deer near West Branch, a busy hunting and tourist stop in northern Michigan, is causing hunter concern and links to several deaths. Two rookie reporters and a seasoned veteran from the Detroit Times newspaper, pursuing the sensational scoop of a lifetime, encounter humans and deer strangely influenced by an apparent brain-bending disease leading to a terrifying conclusion of murderous intent. A further look into human history provides uncanny references to similar strange occurrences possibly linked to a mysterious grain fungus toxin, existing throughout the world. Be prepared to accept the heart-pounding impossible, as Katie Kottle, Jeb Porter and Louis Dingman investigate and unravel this baffling age-old cause of peculiar human and animal behavior. Let the story take you on a captivating journey through hunting woods, but be warned, you might get Buck Fever and not return. "A smart, creepy, can't-stop-reading trek through a could-happen series of deadly events and mind-altering consequences with lots of twists and turns."

318 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 2013

Reviews

[L.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buck Fever by Robert Rupp is a 363 page fantasy novel written in third person, present tense. Right from the first few pages I was completely hooked. The writing is fast-paced, engaging and the descriptions gave me a complete picture. The story had an almost sinister feel to it, which carried throughout the entire book. I loved that. The characters were believable and the dialogue fit the personalities perfectly. I had a hard time putting the book down, I couldn't read fast enough. I finished it in two sittings.

The story is ultimately about the Detroit Times newspaper reporters going after the story of a lifetime. I found myself rooting for Katie, one of the junior reporters, as she tried to earn respect from her colleagues and learn how to use her photographic memory. An unusual murder investigation kicks off a series of gruesome events that have deer and humans acting in bizarre, unnatural ways. It is creepy and on occasion horrific, and like a train-wreck you can't stop reading. Every time I thought things could not get any worse, they got worse and I loved it. The way all the sub-plots are woven into the story is perfect. Everything had an appropriate and plausible ending. I don't want to give the ending away but I will thank Rupp for including the last few pages. That made it more authentic for me. I will keep this author on my radar. I would highly recommend this book.

[Shawnda Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buck Fever by Robert Rupp is a medical thriller extraordinaire. The fact that I started reading this on the first day of deer hunting season in our state made it even creepier. The premise is totally unique; a strange illness is spreading from deer to hunter. Even stranger than that is the illness causes savant behavior in humans and really, really weird (I mean really, really, really weird) things are happening to the infected animals.

The book has some very well painted characters, the two “cub reporters” looking for the big scoop, Jeb and Katie, pull the story along. For a thriller, this book had a surprising amount of depth to it; the sage advice from the head of the newspaper, the twist of the Hispanic character showing the automatic bias of most people, the terrifying background of one of the main characters.

I felt this took the book above the level of your typical cookie cutter medical mystery novel. I also appreciate the use of actual medical information giving it an even more realistic feel. This book has the gruesome, graphic detail you expect in a medical mystery, but was unlike anything I can remember reading before.

I would recommend this book, just don’t read it right before going deer hunting. It will freak you out.