Book Review: The Ridge

By Sandy Amazeen Jun 21, 2011, 1:22 GMT

Koryta’s latest offering serves up an interesting supernatural thriller that invites readers to suspend belief and simply enjoy an entertaining read. Along Kentucky’s landlocked Blade Ridge, a lighthouse is the last thing folks expect to find yet to the chagrin of neighbors, Wyatt French an odd old eccentric has tended one for years. Following his death by apparent suicide, Chief Deputy Kevin Kimble along with small town reporter begins looking into Wyatt’s research documenting the many deaths that occurred along Blade Ridge throughout the years.

After an accident on the Ridge claimed her husband, Audrey Clark moves forward with the new big cat sanctuary they were building together on property adjacent to the lighthouse. Relocating sixty-seven lions, tigers, cougars and a panther proves daunting as the big cats clearly don’t like their new quarters, their howling intensifying at night. There is something at work on the Ridge, something disturbing enough to cause one of the cats to escape into the wilds but the truth may be stranger then fiction.

Although this thriller requires suspension of belief to make it work, the character and setting development make it worth the effort. The variety of characters adds sparkle, especially Clark whose depth of commitment in taking care of the big cats is laudable. With their different temperaments, the cats add a nice dimension and help make up for the weaker parts of the storyline. Consider taking this one on vacation when a lighter horror/thriller is in order.