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moving men
Moving men is a novel about relationships and the scars they leave behind.
Cathy knows if the police catch her with the body of her dead boyfriend, she will lose her seven-year-old son. And she will do anything to keep that from happening. She knows she cannot call the police and beg for understanding. She knows the police will not listen to someone like her: an unemployed single mother subsisting on welfare checks in between dead-end jobs. She knows what the Law will do to her. She knows she cannot call the police and beg for understanding. She knows the police will not listen to someone like her: an unemployed single mother subsisting on welfare checks in between dead-end jobs. She knows what the Law will do to her. But she doesn't know what the hell she is going to do about that heavy freezer out in her garage. In desperation, she picks up two hitchhikers and agrees to give them a ride to a distant town farther south. First, however, they must help her move the freezer to somewhere, someplace no one will ever find. The trauma of this horrific event spurs Cathy to revisit her past as she tries to understand how her life has taken this disastrous turn. She sifts through memories about her family, her lovers, and her friends as she drives across the Ozark countryside with the hitchhikers in search of a place to dump the freezer. Cathy only wants what most of us want: love, family, a home. But life just keeps getting in the way. When Cathy stumbles upon these two strange men standing on the side of the road, she sees a sliver of hope that she, with her son Mitchell, will overcome this catastrophe. She has no idea if they can help her ... or if they will only make everything so much worse.
Cathy knows if the police catch her with the body of her dead boyfriend, she will lose her seven-year-old son. And she will do anything to keep that from happening. She knows she cannot call the police and beg for understanding. She knows the police will not listen to someone like her: an unemployed single mother subsisting on welfare checks in between dead-end jobs. She knows what the Law will do to her. She knows she cannot call the police and beg for understanding. She knows the police will not listen to someone like her: an unemployed single mother subsisting on welfare checks in between dead-end jobs. She knows what the Law will do to her. But she doesn't know what the hell she is going to do about that heavy freezer out in her garage. In desperation, she picks up two hitchhikers and agrees to give them a ride to a distant town farther south. First, however, they must help her move the freezer to somewhere, someplace no one will ever find. The trauma of this horrific event spurs Cathy to revisit her past as she tries to understand how her life has taken this disastrous turn. She sifts through memories about her family, her lovers, and her friends as she drives across the Ozark countryside with the hitchhikers in search of a place to dump the freezer. Cathy only wants what most of us want: love, family, a home. But life just keeps getting in the way. When Cathy stumbles upon these two strange men standing on the side of the road, she sees a sliver of hope that she, with her son Mitchell, will overcome this catastrophe. She has no idea if they can help her ... or if they will only make everything so much worse.
277 pages, Paperback
Published May 11, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 15, 2021
Literally an awesome ride! I love a good femme fatale story with a happy ending for the heroine. A fully engaging read, writer Karene Horst transports the reader into the sticky hot climate of the deep South with an equally sticky hot situation for a single Mom who wants to live her life and do the right thing.
I highly recommend this read!
I highly recommend this read!
July 6, 2024
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: moving men
Author: Karene Horst
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 5/5
Of the 15 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
15 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
15 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“I enjoyed getting to know Cathy. She’s a wonderful characters who’s had a difficult life. This novel is well-written, thought-provoking and, best of all, a compelling read.” Male reader, aged 54
“Loved the ‘moving men’ title; it sums up the novel perfectly. Clever plot, interesting premise. As modern novels go, this is better than most.” Female reader, aged 43
“A character led drama, the author determined that the reader will understand her MC, and what she’s been though to get in this ‘difficult’ predicament. A strong opening chapter helps get this novel off to a flying start. I enjoyed the characters and trying to work out what was going to happen with the body in the freezer. But I never did!” Female reader, aged 55
“Unpredictable, character focused drama, dark in parts, almost gritty, but always well-written, well-plotted, and totally unputdownable. Loved it!” Male reader, aged 36
To Sum It Up:
‘A dark, character-focused drama that’ll keep you guessing till the very last page. A BRONZE MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: moving men
Author: Karene Horst
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 5/5
Of the 15 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
15 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
15 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“I enjoyed getting to know Cathy. She’s a wonderful characters who’s had a difficult life. This novel is well-written, thought-provoking and, best of all, a compelling read.” Male reader, aged 54
“Loved the ‘moving men’ title; it sums up the novel perfectly. Clever plot, interesting premise. As modern novels go, this is better than most.” Female reader, aged 43
“A character led drama, the author determined that the reader will understand her MC, and what she’s been though to get in this ‘difficult’ predicament. A strong opening chapter helps get this novel off to a flying start. I enjoyed the characters and trying to work out what was going to happen with the body in the freezer. But I never did!” Female reader, aged 55
“Unpredictable, character focused drama, dark in parts, almost gritty, but always well-written, well-plotted, and totally unputdownable. Loved it!” Male reader, aged 36
To Sum It Up:
‘A dark, character-focused drama that’ll keep you guessing till the very last page. A BRONZE MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
April 9, 2026
I finished Moving Men in a single sitting, and I mean that literally. I sat down after dinner, and the next time I looked up it was past midnight and my tea had gone cold. Karene Horst writes with a brutal, quiet honesty that gets under your skin and stays there.
Cathy is one of the most achingly real protagonists I've encountered in years. She's not heroic. She's not always likable. She's a woman trapped between the unforgiving machinery of poverty, motherhood, and a legal system she has every reason to distrust and she's doing the best she can with what little she has. That tension never lets up for a single page. The premise a dead boyfriend, a chest freezer, two strangers picked up on the roadside sounds like a thriller setup, but Horst uses the long drive through the Ozarks as a kind of pressure cooker, forcing Cathy to sift through the wreckage of her life in real time. The memories come in waves, each one adding another layer to who she is and how she ended up here.
The hitchhikers, too, are brilliantly rendered. Their dynamic with Cathy shifts in ways I didn't see coming, and the slow unspooling of trust and mistrust between the three of them kept me guessing right up to the final pages.
What struck me most is how Horst never judges Cathy. She simply shows you a life, in all its mess and love and desperation, and lets you sit with it. The writing is spare in all the right places and achingly lyrical when it needs to be. The Ozark landscape feels like a character in itself wide, indifferent, and full of places where things can disappear.
This is a story about what it means to love your child more than you fear consequences, about the scars that relationships leave whether we want them to or not, and about the sliver of hope that keeps us moving even when we have no idea where we're headed. The Bronze Wishing Shelf Award is well-deserved. Highly, highly recommended.
Cathy is one of the most achingly real protagonists I've encountered in years. She's not heroic. She's not always likable. She's a woman trapped between the unforgiving machinery of poverty, motherhood, and a legal system she has every reason to distrust and she's doing the best she can with what little she has. That tension never lets up for a single page. The premise a dead boyfriend, a chest freezer, two strangers picked up on the roadside sounds like a thriller setup, but Horst uses the long drive through the Ozarks as a kind of pressure cooker, forcing Cathy to sift through the wreckage of her life in real time. The memories come in waves, each one adding another layer to who she is and how she ended up here.
The hitchhikers, too, are brilliantly rendered. Their dynamic with Cathy shifts in ways I didn't see coming, and the slow unspooling of trust and mistrust between the three of them kept me guessing right up to the final pages.
What struck me most is how Horst never judges Cathy. She simply shows you a life, in all its mess and love and desperation, and lets you sit with it. The writing is spare in all the right places and achingly lyrical when it needs to be. The Ozark landscape feels like a character in itself wide, indifferent, and full of places where things can disappear.
This is a story about what it means to love your child more than you fear consequences, about the scars that relationships leave whether we want them to or not, and about the sliver of hope that keeps us moving even when we have no idea where we're headed. The Bronze Wishing Shelf Award is well-deserved. Highly, highly recommended.
December 23, 2025
Moving Men is a gripping and unsettling novel that stays with you long after you finish reading. Cathy is not an easy character, but she is a deeply human one. From the opening situation desperate, frightened, and trying to protect her son at all costs the story immediately pulls you into her mindset. The tension around the freezer isn’t just about what’s inside it; it’s about the weight of fear, poverty, and a system she knows will not give her grace.
What makes this book powerful is how it slowly peels back Cathy’s life as she drives through the Ozarks with two strangers who may be her salvation or her undoing. The memories of past relationships, family trauma, and missed chances feel raw and painfully honest. Karene Horst doesn’t sensationalize Cathy’s situation; instead, she lets the emotional scars speak for themselves. Moving Men is a dark, thoughtful exploration of survival, motherhood, and how far someone might go when cornered by circumstance. It’s uncomfortable in the best way real, haunting, and impossible to forget.
What makes this book powerful is how it slowly peels back Cathy’s life as she drives through the Ozarks with two strangers who may be her salvation or her undoing. The memories of past relationships, family trauma, and missed chances feel raw and painfully honest. Karene Horst doesn’t sensationalize Cathy’s situation; instead, she lets the emotional scars speak for themselves. Moving Men is a dark, thoughtful exploration of survival, motherhood, and how far someone might go when cornered by circumstance. It’s uncomfortable in the best way real, haunting, and impossible to forget.
September 21, 2022
“Moving Men” by Karene Horst
was a definite page turner. I couldn’t put it down. Each chapter was full of intrigue, twists and turns.
The character development and scenery description was so vivid. I became involved with the characters, and could feel their discomfort emotionally and physically. The author sprinkled some humor and hope throughout this murky tale. Read this book with a fan nearby! ~ Jana B
was a definite page turner. I couldn’t put it down. Each chapter was full of intrigue, twists and turns.
The character development and scenery description was so vivid. I became involved with the characters, and could feel their discomfort emotionally and physically. The author sprinkled some humor and hope throughout this murky tale. Read this book with a fan nearby! ~ Jana B
October 12, 2021
Great message in trying times
I really enjoyed reading this wild story. The characters and scenes were right out of small town Midwest life. Even when Cathy seemed lost with the struggle of life’s disappointments and unimaginable crisis, she found a way forward. The story ended with a great message that we can all appreciate.
I really enjoyed reading this wild story. The characters and scenes were right out of small town Midwest life. Even when Cathy seemed lost with the struggle of life’s disappointments and unimaginable crisis, she found a way forward. The story ended with a great message that we can all appreciate.
July 11, 2022
Keeps you wondering what happened until the very end. Not your average run-of-the-mill protagonist. You'll either love her or hate her, but either way, you'll wind up understanding her in the end.
Well written and entertaining.
Well written and entertaining.
June 29, 2023
I loved this book! Couldn't put it down! Karene needs to write a sequel. Karene is an outstanding writer! Her descriptions created vivid pictures for me. A must read!
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews