BOOK SYNOPSIS
Badlands
Surf. Sand. Smugglers. Murder.
Willow has run as far as she can.
From her home.
From the friends she betrayed.
From the family who betrayed her.
From her own name.
But a cry for help will bring her back.
Back to face her family.
Back to face the sins of her past.
Back to face the darkness at the heart of Cornwall.
In the search for her sister, Willow will face deception and betrayal, before she’ll find love – and herself. But will she uncover how close the enemy is, or will she become another victim of the Badlands?
Badlands is a dark, gritty and at times violent thriller that is set in Wales and follows a emotionally traumatised young women's desperate search for her missing sister. Six years had passed since Willow had fled her father's house and disappeared with no intention of ever returning but she had recently received a coded text message from Ellie which insinuated that her sister was in trouble. Overwhelmed by feelings of guilt,Willow found herself compelled to return to Wales and confront the people and bad memories of the past. She had hoped that her return would go unnoticed but she had hardly had time to settle into her room before certain people were expressing their concerns about the reasons for her return. People who had hidden secrets and were worried that Willow knew more about the dark deeds that were taking place under darkness within the stunning settings and beauty of the Welsh coastline than she should. Dangerous individuals who were prepared to do everything within their power to stop the truth from being uncovered.
This thrilling story is written predominantly from the perspectives of three vivid characters, Willow, another troubled young woman called Raven and charming and charismatic Reverend Richard Goddard. Many of the individuals who Willow encountered throughout the story were flawed, untrustworthy and harbouring various secrets. Despite having feelings of admiration for Willow's determination to uncover what had happened to Ellie, I also thought that she was rather unlikable at times. Raven was a bitter, cruel and twisted individual but despite her actions, I actually found myself feeling some sympathy towards her character by the time I had finished the book. I'm not justifying her actions in any way but was it really wrong of me to think of her as a vulnerable individual who had found themselves under the spell of a manipulative puppet master?
What had happened to Ellie? Was she actually still alive? After Willow uncovers the truth, would she finally be able to move on from the traumas of the past and into a brighter, happier future?
Badlands is a intricately plotted, well written, intense, fast paced debut thriller that hooks the reader into Willow's story from the first page. The story is packed full of twists and turns,betrayals, deception, danger and edge of your seat scenes that rocket the reader's anxiety levels to the max. The author's characterisation of his cast characters was authentic and realistic as he cleverly and skilfully combined the beauty of the various settings for his story with the good and bad aspects of human nature. I would love to watch a film or tv adaptation of this gripping thriller. I loved being a passenger on Willow's dangerous and thrilling journey and look forward to reading more of this author's books in the future. Very very highly recommended.
AUTHOR INFO
Gary Kruse is a multi-genre writer of flash fiction, short stories and novels. He lives with his family in Hornchurch on the Essex/ London border.
He began writing as a teenager after seeing the Craft in the cinema and wondering what would happen if the coven of witches from the Craft came face to face with the Lost Boys (the vampires, not Peter Pan's crew!).
His work has appeared online and in print anthologies and his short story "Mirror Mirror" was shortlisted in the WriteHive 2021 Horror competition, and subsequently featured in the "Duplicitous" anthology. His short story "Hope in the Dark" won first place in the November 2021 edition of the Writers' Forum Short Story competition.
His debut novel “Badlands” is published through Darkstroke on 21st January 2022.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS...
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/KruseGowerWrite
Instagram: www.instagram.com/@ gowerkrusewrites
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/gary.kruse.1029
Website: https://garykruse.co.uk/
PUBLICATION DATE : 17th January 2022
PURCHASE LINK....
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Badlands-Gary-Kruse/dp/B09QFDQWSR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1RC8NAREBO2F&keywords=badlands+by+gary&qid=1647871956&s=books&sprefix=badlands+by+gary+%2Cstripbooks%2C137&sr=1-1
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