A literary thriller that culls the lurking dread and primal hunger of the vampire myth, but leaves the cliches at the door.
Stephen King’s Needful Things meets The Poisonwood Bible in an evocative vampire tale as fresh and inventive as The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.
In rural Pennsylvania, a teenage boy is mauled to death.
Hadassah Zook knows what happened, but she isn’t … is mauled to death.
Hadassah Zook knows what happened, but she isn’t telling. There’s a dreadful secret buried between the furrows of her upright, simple Amish valley.
Another murder lights a fire of suspicion and prejudice in the community. It threatens to destroy everything. The killings draw in two FBI detectives: Jacobo Barrabas and Keith Linguard. But they aren’t the only ones on the hunt in Big Valley.
What Readers are Saying:
“A wonderfully woven tapestry of vampire horror and suspense.”
“A complex, spine-chilling tale…”
“A wildly engaging story of tradition, modernity, religion, folklore, and violence.”
“A creative, original, and thrilling read!”
Quaint and cozy as pecan pie, but vicious as a pitchfork, you won’t want to leave Big Valley, but you won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough either. The story and characters will stay with you long after its satisfying conclusion.
Banner stitches every heartbreak and revelation into an emotionally riveting exploration of the questions: What makes us monsters: is it desire, deception, loyalty? And how far do you have to go to stop one?
Pre-Order now and escape to Big Valley as soon as the novel is released.
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My thanks to the author for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Amish and vampires : two sub-genres I enjoy, but have never seen combined…until now.
The Amish lead simple lives, focused on religion, community, and family. But, they are not simple. They are plain in that they shun adornments, modern conveniences, creature comforts, and technology. But, that doesn’t preclude them from feeling emotions and harboring secrets. They are human, after all. Or, are they?
The plot centers on Nehemiah Zook, his wife Esther, and their six children. One after another : a series of savage murders has the Zooks and their Big Valley community on edge, it’s members casting suspicious eyes on one another and on law enforcement “outsiders” who scramble to investigate, only to be stone-walled. These are not your garden variety murders. If any murder can be called that. The victims were virtually torn apart. But, by whom? Or, by what?
Written in short chapters, titled to hint at what’s coming. Varying perspectives to enhance character development. Vivid and disturbingly graphic descriptions. Death-defying action. And, surprisingly, humor, to give the plot some levity.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. In addition to being an engrossing thriller, it was an in-depth depiction of the Amish culture and vampire myth. I will definitely be on the look-out for future books by this author.
I dont typically read “Amish based” literature and honestly wasn’t sure I would enjoy this book. But it honestly blew me away and exceeded all expectations.
When I read the synopsis I thought thats such an odd combination : Vampires and Amish. Surprisingly though it worked. And really when you think about it they have alot in common, especially considering both are outsiders. It is known that the Amish are very spiritual people who often keep to themselves. But why?This book offered one explanation. What if the Amish are cursed? What if vampires are just those who bare the Mark Of Cain? Maybe the Amish keep to themselves in order to contain the Mark?
Unfortunately murders have brought outsiders into the fold. There are secrets hidden within the Big valley. One young Amish girl has the answers but she won’t tell. Will these secrets protect her family or will they tear it apart?
This is not your run of the mill vampire novel. The concept of villain is blurred. The struggles of good and evil within the protagonist is consistently presented, this is easily just as much a coming of age novel as it is horror.
Those who hunger has varying plots that weave together beautifully to form one intricate story. This book literally has it all… The Amish, Vampires, biker gangs, romance, gore, The FBI and so much more. This is definitely a book worth sinking your teeth into!
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this was a good book. I found the story well written with an interesting plot. The characters are well developed and written. The book grabbed my attention and kept me pulled in throughout. I would recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Those Who Hunger has an intriguing and original storyline with interesting characters. The Zook’s are part of an Amish group with deep secrets that are exposed causing outsiders to come and investigate. The author takes the Amish way of life and gives it a wicked vampire twist making this a suspenseful and entertaining read. This is the first book I’ve read by Owen Banner and I enjoyed it. My only complaint is that it was a bit long and seemed to drag on in places, otherwise a good read.
That was even better than I expected! When I saw the synopsis about Amish vampires, I was instantly intrigued. Not your typical fantasy/thriller at all. It is well researched and has many different aspects to it.
The Zooks are your typical Amish family. Right up until they’re not. There is a secret buried in this quaint Amish valley and Hadassah knows what kicked it off. Then murders start happening all over the valley. They appear to be rituals of some sort and all of the Amish folks are put under a magnifying glass. Their secrets slowly start coming to light and you will be amazed at what’s uncovered.