In the Fog by Andrew J. Brandt

[Jeremiah]

In the Fog by Andrew J. Brandt
Kindle Edition
5 Stars

Tucked away in Texas hillcountry, the town of Decker wakes up to find every woman has seemingly vanished in the middle of the night, leaving behind their clothing and rings in their beds.

Except one woman.

When the body of Catherine Harlow is found, the victim of a gruesome murder, the town devolves into a scene of paranoia and panic, with a power-hungry police chief pulling the strings and enforcing his will.

There is so much I have to say about this book. I try not to write extremely verbose reviews, but this review requires more than most.

Quite simply, there is only one Stephen King and no one is going to match his writing. However, it is a real treat to find an author who brings a similar ability to craft a story around intriguing characters that leaves you on edge because you feel like the supernatural just might happen. It is that vertex between the real and the imagined that creates the suspense and In the Fog accomplishes this element.

I am always impressed by an author that creates and a book that has characters that I connect to without the need to spend pages upon pages developing their backstory. I must admit that when I started this book and it was less than 300 pages, I doubted that the story line could be complex enough or the characters developed enough to meet my needs. However, within just the first 30 pages I was completely connected to the main characters and invested in their stories. I am not sure that I could identify the specific elements of the writing that caused me to connect to the characters, other than they felt like real people with real reactions. That is a powerful element for an author to create.

This may not matter as much to some, but I did find how clean this book was to be super refreshing. By clean I am not referring to the editing (although for an independent author the editing was excellent) but rather the language. The book did not loose any of its edge or the suspense was still just as gripping without the language being vulgar and the scenes being gruesome. It was extremely refreshing to read a captivating thriller that I could literally recommend to anyone. I often am looking for books with a more adult spin for my advanced readers and have others asking for recommendations. I would have no qualms about giving this book to my 12 year old son and I think he would thoroughly enjoy the adult nature of the story.

Finally, without getting into spoilers, there is something magical about a book that doesn't provide all of the answers. Yes, I am hoping that the author provides us readers with a sequel or even entire series about these characters and the town of Decker, but I also appreciate being left with a sense of wonder. There is nothing wrong with an old fashioned Law & Order ending where the reader is left to ponder what really happened. Brandt does that with In the Fog. The mind is just left to wander and wonder at the end of the novel.

Overall, if you are looking for a fun thriller this is a great option.

[Nicole R]

Oooo, this does look good and I like that it is not super gruesome! Great review!

[Jeremiah]

Nicole R wrote: "Oooo, this does look good and I like that it is not super gruesome! Great review!"

Thanks. I hope you will check it out. It is extremely interesting given the situation we are all in right now and how people react to change.