Raven

De: Charles L. Grant

Narrado por: Dave Cavanaugh

A fox in a leg-hold trap may gnaw off its own foot to escape...rats in a too-small cage will devour the weakest members of the pack to ensure survival of the strongest...a group of humans, trapped like animals, will sacrifice anything - or anyone - to gain their freedom....

Imagine Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None: a small group of people trapped in an isolated place, disappearing one by one, prey to all the stresses and strains of being hunted. Add Charles Grant’s proven skill with suspense and his ability to fathom and display the inner workings of the human heart and mind.

The result is Raven, a gripping, fast-paced thriller that begins in a familiar classic American setting - a roadside motel and restaurant - and drives, without pause, to an unexpected and startling conclusion.

A late-winter blizzard has closed the road beside Maclaren’s Food and Lodging. The staff of three - Neil Maclaren, former cop turned motel-keeper; Julia Sanders, as capable handling trouble as she is mixing drinks; Willie Ennin, whose fondness for knives makes him a superb cook - prepare to entertain their few customers through a long winter night, unaware that they are being watched.

The customers are a motley crew. Three locals: Nester Brandt, the town’s greying curmudgeon; and a pair of star-crossed lovers, Ken Hawick and Trish Avery. Three strangers: Hugh Davies, fast-rising star of all-night talk-radio; and Ceil and Mandy, two women he claims are his sisters.

They all have secrets, secrets which have attracted the watcher.

Nester Brandt is the first to die, gunned down outside the restaurant by a silent man in a long black coat, a man whose pitiless gaze is as fixed and glittering as a raven’s.

Nester’s death is only the beginning as this gathering of strangers becomes first prey, then hunters. They have learned too much about each other in a single snow-filled night.

Like rats caught in a trap....

©1993 Kathryn Ptacek (P)2021 David N. Wilson

Atmospheric But Generic Whodunit

This wasn't my 'cup of tea' but it did some things in a standout way. I appreciated the ethereal 'raven' bird parallel of the killer which gave the book a more atmospheric gothic vibe. I think the narrator's 'everyday' style voice seemed too generic and lifeless for my taste. These 'whodunit's require a hook (like the Raven gag here) but I didnt feel like the premise was strong enough to stand out from the crowd. The characters were (perhaps intentionally) generic and didnt grab me outside of some nice moments of ambience. The ending felt a little disappointing. I have heard good things about author Charles Grant and might be curious to see if I take better to his other material.

Struggling

I’ve tried so hard to get into this book. I just can’t. I don’t know if it’s written by AI, or just the style that is bothering me. There are a lot of repetitious parts that seem to say nothing to further the story.

“There could be tears, there could be a gun. There could be a shattered bottle, there could be nothing at all but a beer based belch…..”

The it goes back to normal speech. “Sipping. Pushing the liquor around my mouth. As if tasting a name…” “…He drank again. Tested. Tasted.”

This is a small example from half way through the story. I couldn’t finish, I truly tried.