Silence In The Woods: J.P. Choquette
Reviewed By Steve Stred
- Print Length: 214 pages
- Publisher: Scared E Cat Books (April 10, 2019)
“He should be used to the screams by now.”
Silence in the Woods came onto my radar when J.P. Choquette reached out to me through my website. The cover looked intriguing and when I saw it was set in 1917 in the woods, I was sold.
I have a thing about barely reading or not reading synopsis’ at all, and for this one, I didn’t read more than 1917 and the woods! That was it, I went in blind and I was glad I did. It really ramped up the creepy factor once the book takes off.
We follow two couples, Allan and Deidre with Jane and Paul, as they hike into a remote area of Vermont. Reports have been coming in for thirty years about hikers going missing and within that time, sightings of a mysterious creature have become a frequent thing.
Is it Bigfoot?
That’s what the group wants to find out.
I enjoyed the interpersonal dynamics at play throughout the book and considering when the story takes place, it was a refreshing look at couples talking and interacting without technology. I’m not too sure about when “portable” cameras became readily available, but that was pretty much the only usage of technology in the entire book.
Choquette did a fantastic job of making the woods as claustrophobic as I enjoy them in horror, and with the addition of the mysterious cave that they take refuge in, it made for a really classic feeling horror story. Simple set pieces and only a few characters.
The only thing I found later on, and it’s tough to relay this spoiler-free, was that at one point I struggled with who exactly Paul was engaging with – Deidre or Jane. It felt a bit jumbled for a few chapters, but then once that spot worked out, it was smooth sailing again to a great ending.
This story is a stand-alone book, but from what I see it is part of the three-book collection, Monsters in Green Mountain. I’m excited to look into the other two books in the future.
This one is a high recommendation for anyone who likes creature features set in the backcountry.
Silence In The Woods
In 1917, four friends and photojournalists set out in the woods looking for answers. Why have so many hikers and hunters gone missing in the area of Shiny Creek Trail?
The two couples anticipate a great adventure, one they’ll tell their kids about someday. No one imagines the evil lurking in a remote cave. A horrifying discovery leaves one person dead and two others missing.
Two months later, Paul, one of the four, returns to the forest to find his wife. But will he find her before someone—or something—finds him?
Silence in the Woods is the long-awaited prequel to Shadow in the Woods, and delves into the frightening territory of the supernatural and the human mind.
You can buy Silence In The Woods from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Steve Stred
Steve Stred writes dark, bleak horror fiction.
Steve is the author of the novels Invisible & The Stranger, the novellas The Girl Who Hid in the Trees, Wagon Buddy, Yuri and Jane: the 816 Chronicles and two collections of short stories; Frostbitten: 12 Hymns of Misery and Left Hand Path: 13 More Tales of Black Magick, and the dark poetry collection Dim the Sun.
On September 1st, 2019 his second collection of dark poetry and drabbles called The Night Crawls In will arrive. This release was specifically created to help fund the 1st Annual LOHF Writers Grant.
Steve is also a voracious reader, reviewing everything he reads and submitting the majority of his reviews to be featured on Kendall Reviews.
Steve Stred is based in Edmonton, AB, Canada and lives with his wife, his son and their dog OJ.
You can follow Steve on Twitter @stevestred
You can visit Steve’s Official website here
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