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| An unforgettable plotline that pulls you in! |
Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/ux3hc
Thomas Nelson, March 2014
Contemporary Christian Suspense
Review copy provided by LitFuse, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating: 4 stars
For the three people tortured by their secret complicity in a young man's untimely death, redemption is what they most long for . . . and the last thing they expect to receive. It has been twenty years since Philip McBride's body was found along the riverbank in the dark woods known as Happy Hollow. His death was ruled a suicide. But three people have carried the truth ever since--Philip didn't kill himself that day. He was murdered.(2018 update: I have since bought several of Billy Coffey's titles after this one! Wonderful author)
Each of the three have wilted in the shadow of their sins. Jake Barnett is Mattingly's sheriff, where he spends his days polishing the fragile shell of the man he pretends to be. His wife, Kate, has convinced herself the good she does for the poor will someday wash the blood from her hands. And high in the mountains, Taylor Hathcock lives in seclusion and fear, fueled by madness and hatred. Yet what cannot be laid to rest is bound to rise again. Philip McBride has haunted Jake's dreams for weeks, warning that he is coming back for them all. When Taylor finds mysterious footprints leading from the Hollow, he believes his redemption has come. His actions will plunge the quiet town of Mattingly into darkness. These three will be drawn together for a final confrontation between life and death . . . between truth and lies.
Billy Coffey is a new-to-me author and a writer of contemporary fiction which I tend to shy away from. After seeing this novel several times over and being intrigued by the synopsis, once it was offered for review I knew I needed to give it a try. The synopsis itself is full of innuendos and hidden meanings that beg the reader to dig deeper, and the story reads the same way. There is a sinister thing lurking in the midst of the quaint country town of Mattingly, and it seems to come from that place Happy Hollow that no one goes to. That is, if you want to come out alive.
Jake Barnett and his wife Kate are pinnacles of country society all the while trying to make up for a past event that had gone horribly wrong. They carry their hurts internally, and the reader isn't privy to that full horror of the event that caused such a rift in their lives until it seems the devil does indeed come to Mattingly.
Full of interesting characters from moonshining men, estranged fathers, dead souls and a man living in the woods for the past twenty years the story takes the reader on a strange twisting journey as we follow Jake and Kate (the good ones?) and Taylor and Lucy (the bad ones?) and watch worlds collide. And beneath it all is the memory of Phillip McBride, the dead boy who links them. It did take a while for the pieces of the story to connect which could be construed as a slow start, but the rhythmic writing style eventually weaves its spell and draws you in. The plot becomes slightly mind-bending and it borders on thriller, so fans of mysteries and suspense should enjoy this one. There are several themes touched upon from spirituality and forgiveness as these characters all seek their ultimate redemption. Very intriguing plot unlike any I had read!
Billy Coffey is celebrating his new book, The Devil Walks in Mattingly, with a Kindle Fire HDX giveaway (CLOSED)!
One winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire HDX
- The Devil Walks in Mattingly by Billy Coffey
Watch Billy give the backstory of the book here.
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