[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]

BLACK VALLEY by Jim Brown Ballantine, July 2003 368 pages $23.95 ISBN: 0345446992

In Black Valley, Oregon, some teenagers have come up with a shocking revenge scheme. They want to punish Whitey Dobbs for his crime. However, the revenge scheme goes wrong and Dobbs is not a happy man. His rampage is going to be long and bloody.

BLACK VALLEY’ is a fast-paced thriller with a big Stephen King feel to it. When the valley starts to suffer from the bad weather, the rising tension and foreboding atmosphere are evocative of King’s work, such as STORM OF THE CENTURY. Nevertheless, Brown puts his own spin on the novel and creates a thriller that was surely written with a movie script in mind.

As his plot progresses, his characters increasingly use science to explain the strange events. Knowing that this could become complicated for the lay reader, Brown does his best to make it as simple as possible to understand. His characters are also detailed, with Whitey Dobbs being a particularly menacing villain.

A fast reader will have no problem devouring BLACK VALLEY’. Once you get started, it will be very hard to let go. It is not a deep novel but the intense action will satisfy most thriller readers. I look forward to the movie.

Reviewed by Luke Croll, April 2003

[ Top ]

QUICK SEARCH:

Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)

[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]