Something evil stalks the citizens of Rose Valley—not for the first time, but hopefully for the last.WINNER: Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Best Horror FictionFINALIST: Readers’ Favorite Book Award – Finalist: Fiction – Paranormal“I loved the rural setting with the town’s football games and the solidity of a place where everyone knows just about everyone else, and that bucolic ordinariness … where everyone knows just about everyone else, and that bucolic ordinariness makes the bizarre aspects of the story work so very well. Barnett’s plot is clever and irresistible, and his book is a sheer pleasure to read. Horror, thriller and mystery fans alike will find much to their liking in this intriguing story about the unknown. The Beast of Rose Valley: Lorestalker #1 is most highly recommended.” ~ Jack Magnus, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews
After suffering through a horrific car accident, Jake Rollins struggles to survive in his tiny hometown of Rose Valley—a place to which he hoped never to return.
When a sheep is viciously mutilated on the ranch where Jake is recovering, he’s dragged back into the cloying politics of small town life. While the Sheriff tries to pass off the incident as the work of coyotes, Jake turns to a local reporter and old high school flame, Shandi Mason, to search for the truth.
They discover that this creature has stalked Rose Valley before, claiming nearly a century of carnage and intrigue, all starting with a shameful secret guarded over by one of the town’s most respected citizens.
As livestock mutilations escalate into deadly attacks on humans, and the Sheriff organizes a foolhardy manhunt, Jake and Shandi must race to save the town from a seemingly unstoppable evil.
“The well fleshed out characters are one of the strengths of the story. The relationships between the protagonists are deftly developed without overwhelming the intriguing pursuit of the elusive beast. The narrative is simple yet engaging and the gory scenes are not too extreme or disturbing. The pacing is good and, as the plot gradually unfolds, readers will find themselves eager to connect all the dots and make early assumptions as clues appear one after the other.” ~ Lit Amri, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews
EVOLVED PUBLISHING PRESENTS the first book in the critically acclaimed “Lorestalker” series of horror stories featuring creatures of lore and dark imagination. [DRM-Free]
“It was fun watching the characters dig through old articles and histories to connect past events to the current situation and try to understand its escalation. Intrigue, curiosity, surprises, and the depth of the plot will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering if they will understand all they need to, and be able to use it in order to save those they care for.” ~ K.J. Simmill, Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews
Books by J.P. Barnett:
- “The Beast of Rose Valley” (Lorestalker – Book 1)
- “The Kraken of Cape Madre” (Lorestalker – Book 2)
- “The Witch of Gray’s Point” (Lorestalker – Book 3) [Coming December 2019]
More Great Horror Fiction from Evolved Publishing:
- “The Possession” by A.K. Kuykendall
- “The Sundered Oath” Series by Ciara Ballintyne
- “Godsknife: Revolt” by Timothy C. Ward
- “The Zombie West Trilogy” by Angela Scott
more
I’m a true sucker for creature features and the synopsis for this one regarding a creature that has stalked Rose Valley a number of times of the years sounded right up my alley.
Barnett is a new to me author but his writing style was great and found his ideas straight forward and he was able to get me to connect to the story immediately which is always a huge bonus for me.
The book takes off on page one as we are introduced to Jake and Shandi, a local farmhand and the town’s reporter as Barnett shares with us the grisly discovery of some livestock. From there more of the small town folk are introduced and as is typical in such small towns, we learn most of the characters have long, interconnected backgrounds from high school and onward to present day.
As the killings continue and sightings occur, Barnett does a great job building up tension and teasing a possibly cryptozoological connection. By bringing in a Cryptozoologist character, while a bit over the top, was a great touch and really made this a page-turner for me. Throw in a secretive research facility that’s been in the area for a century and you can see where a reader can really get sucked in.
One thing I found distinctive for me that increased my enjoyment was the visible creature throughout. In many books, there is a long build-up and then finally a climactic moment where the big reveal happens. Not in this book and that worked wonderfully.
The book wasn’t without faults – for me personally, it was a lot of the romantic moments/internal drama moments. I didn’t connect with the characters often getting randomly jealous or feeling scorned over small things, little random things that drove me crazy. I think without these bits the story would have been elevated. Not sure if it was an attempt at making the book more YA or what, but I wished for far less of those moments.
Overall I had a lot of fun with this book. It was a page-turner and I was sucked in quickly, wanting to know just what was going to happen and what exactly the creature was.
From the title, you can see that the book is part of an ongoing series. The two characters that you ultimately find out will continue on really didn’t trigger me into wanting to read more about their adventures. This may be different for other readers, but for me personally, they were minor parts in the overall narrative and didn’t make me want to find out what was up next for them.
If you are looking for a fun, fast-paced creature feature set in a small town, you really can’t go wrong with this one.
I was not sure if I would be able to read The Beast of Rose Valley. I hardly can read horror stories with the “monster” character lurking in the shadow. J.P. Barnett surpassed my expectations. You get the thriller and chills. I was holding on to the my kindle as I swiped through each page.
The characters were well developed too. There were a few moments I would lose who did what, but the author does an amazing job getting you back on track. So many suspenseful moments that were hard to figure out until the end. That is what I always love about thrillers. They have to keep me on my toes. I cannot stand it when I figure what happens next before it is unveiled. Not here. Not with this book.
The Beast of Rose Valley is a great weekend read with a nice cuddly blanket and a glass of wine!