Death Falls by Todd Ritter (a.k.a Bad Moon)

"5* book for me"

Description from Goodreads:


“When a young boy goes missing, it’s easier to believe the lies than to believe the truth… Perfect for fans of Gregg Hurwitz and P.J. Tracy.

On the same night that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, nine-year-old Charlie Olmstead jumped on his bike to see if he could get a better look. It was the last anyone ever saw of him.

After Perry Hollow Police Chief Jim Campbell found Charlie's bike caught up above a waterfall, he assumed the worse, and so did everyone else except Charlie's mother. Years later, Eric Olmstead – and famous author and Charlie's brother – has come back to bury his mother and fulfill her last request: find his brother.

To do so he goes to the current police chief and his former sweetheart Kat Campbell, and it isn't long before they discover that finding Charlie was his mother's secret obsession, and while she never found him she uncovered clues suggesting that he wasn't the only victim.”

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What an intense ride that was! I cannot even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this book, I have a tick list in my head and each point I feel is essential for a 5* book is being ticked off the list as being achieved here:

Easy to read and flowing … tick

Interesting, believable and engaging characters … tick

Intriguing and captivating plot … tick

Complex but not confusing … tick

Plot twists and red herrings … tick

Full of suspense, secrets and lies … tick

An ending you don’t see coming (well I didn't) … tick

And finally, a good cover that draws you in and makes you pick the book up in the first place … tick

What more can I say? Mr Ritter has written a cracker here and although it’s a part of a series, it works very well as a standalone so please don’t let that put you off from picking this up and devouring in a very short space of time … not because it’s a short read but because once you start, it’s extremely hard to put down.

Thank you to HarperCollins Maze, Avon and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in return for an unbiased review and for introducing me, yet again, to a great author.

Please note - if you are looking to buy this book, it was originally published as “Bad Moon” in 2011.

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Author website - http://www.toddritteronline.com/

Twitter - @ToddAlanRitter

Publisher website - http://corporate.harpercollins.co.uk/imprints/avon

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