Review: The Torment of Rachel Ames by Jeff Gunhus

The Torment Of Rachel Ames
by Jeff Gunhus
Publication date: November 10th 2015
Genres: Adult, Thriller

Suffering from writer’s block, novelist Rachel Ames escapes to a lake cabin to calm her mind and regain a sense of herself. The location is perfect. Isolated. Beautiful. Inspiring. It even comes with a good-looking landlord who shows an interest in her. But she can’t shake the sense that something terrible has followed her to the lake, something just beyond her consciousness, something out on the edge where the sounds of a raging fire and sirens linger whenever she slows down to listen. Determined to make the cabin work, she tries to settle in and give her new life a chance. But when strange things begin to happen around her, she wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake. As the darkness that’s followed her manifests itself in inexplicable ways, her concept of reality is stretched thin and she realizes nothing at the lake is what it seems. As she fights to survive with her sanity intact, she understands too late that the location she’s chosen for herself is far from perfect.

Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

This book is hard for me to review. It was one of those stories that dragged me in, shook me up, and left me rather sad. I loved Rachel-- she had a wicked sense of humor. The plot sucked me in immediately, all the strange things occurring in the mysterious cabin on the lake. When I realized where the author was taking me, I wanted to stop reading- didn't want to experience Rachel's heartbreak. But it was too late. I was along for the ride, and there was no getting off until the end.

The book was extremely well-written and one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. So many stories are over the top and in your face. This was subtle, gut-wrenching, and intriguing all at the same time. The ending was both a relief and tragic. Normally I despise books that leave me in danger of crying, but that's entirely personal. IMHO, Mr. Gunhus is one hell of a writer. Though I still haven't decided if I'm glad I read this one or not... yet.

An amazing journey. But not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for those who don't like experiencing another's gut-wrenching heartbreak.