Transcends the Genre

"This is an astounding story: so full of detail, characters, situations, ideas, and life. A lot of life experience and perspectives emerge in this tale, which is light-years away from anything in the typical horror/thriller genre. The opening chapter grabs you by the throat and is a bit horrifying, as it should be; then the narrative abruptly changes gears and leads us on an expansive journey across a vast tableau of characters and scenes. If anything, my only critique would be that too much happens, and the mass of details (however exciting in themselves) can obscure the overall plot of the story. I had to go back a few chapters and get my bearings once or twice. But that said, the writing is immaculate, and I love the crackling dialogue and the personalities they exhibit; in particular, I love the discussion over literature and Shakespeare in one of the middle chapters. These details make this story rise above a typical thriller story, and makes us forget that anything 'horrible; will happen at all: it's simply a story of people and of life, which every story should aspire to. Otherwise, we know we're reading safe fiction about fake people and we go on our way. This story is disturbing from its sheer reality: it could happen, perpetrated by people we know or have met before. It's chillingly realized and is a real artistic achievement. Admittedly, I still have a few chapters to go (so I can't spoil the ending!), but this is a story that will stay with me for a long time, and I feel privileged, even honored, to be the first reviewer of this magnificent and disturbing tale."