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A review by vikingwolf
Chills by Mary SanGiovanni
3.0
Instead of improving weather, the town of Colby is hit by a severe snowstorm that cuts communication and brings life to a standstill. Then come the murders that look like cult ritual killings followed by monsters in the snow that start to kill anyone on the street. As the police try to find out what is happening, more monsters start breaking into homes and killing more innocent people, while an ancient evil waits to enter this world to feed. The only way to stop it is to close the rift but can they do it in time?
I liked the characters in this book. Kathy is the occult expert and she fears that the cult her serial killer brother was in are responsible for the chaos. She needs to find out what he knows and find the right method to stop what the cult are trying to do. She also has to face her own demons concerning her brother, details that she has hidden from even the police officers that she works closely with. I liked her instantly and her dealings with her brother were like a creepy Clarice and Hannibal moment from The Silence Of The Lambs.
I liked Kathy's fledgling relationship with Teagan, which was based on attraction and respect for each other. I liked the way he never tried to take advantage of her when she was vulnerable, showing that he really cared for her as a person. He was charming, funny and sincere, with a bit of humour about him. The relationship doesn't go beyond an interest in each other as they have a ton of snow monsters to kill. Her brother Toby on the other hand is a creepy and disturbing guy with an unhealthy fixation on his sister. I'm not surprised she didn't want others to know about him but I'd have thought the police would've known her background before working with her.
The lead detective on the case is Jack, a divorced father, who is trying to do his job while fearing that his ex-wife and kids on the edge of town are in danger from the monsters. He is trying to solve the case but is being distracted by fears for his children, which is realistic under the circumstances. I also liked the capable rookie Morris, who is trying to prove himself on a very tough and dangerous case. The majority of the other characters are pretty much introduced to die in horrible ways so there is no need to go into deep back stories about them.
The monsters are pretty darn scary! We have The Blue People who were my favourites in the book. There are ice creatures coming out of the snow who seem to be variations of scorpions and spiders, which are a nightmare to even think about. It didn't seem like anyone was safe from these things plus we know that the evil things beyond the void are going to be even worse and bring about literal hell on Earth. Lovely! By contrast, the cult doesn't get much coverage, other than at the end. There is a discussion that Kathy has with a former cult member but it's full of occult talk and I honestly didn't much understand half of what was being said about the opening of doors and summons. That bit was kind of dull but it's only a few pages so it didn't slow the book down.
I did like the overall creepy vibe of a town under attack and every time a main character stepped outside I was nervous about them being attacked. There is a mood of fear and isolation hanging over the town that was full of menace and you never quite knew what was coming next. The book was well written and paced, and I enjoyed the horror elements. I was also pleased to see that the book doesn't drown in a ton of police procedure, only what the reader needs to know. I don't read crime novels as they overdose on every aspect of the investigation, rather than the actual plot.
I liked the characters a lot. I was planning to read on with the series but I see the next book moves away from Colby to another town with a problem, meaning we won't see the other characters that I liked. That's a shame and it does make me rethink whether to look at book two. But I did very much enjoy this one.
I liked the characters in this book. Kathy is the occult expert and she fears that the cult her serial killer brother was in are responsible for the chaos. She needs to find out what he knows and find the right method to stop what the cult are trying to do. She also has to face her own demons concerning her brother, details that she has hidden from even the police officers that she works closely with. I liked her instantly and her dealings with her brother were like a creepy Clarice and Hannibal moment from The Silence Of The Lambs.
I liked Kathy's fledgling relationship with Teagan, which was based on attraction and respect for each other. I liked the way he never tried to take advantage of her when she was vulnerable, showing that he really cared for her as a person. He was charming, funny and sincere, with a bit of humour about him. The relationship doesn't go beyond an interest in each other as they have a ton of snow monsters to kill. Her brother Toby on the other hand is a creepy and disturbing guy with an unhealthy fixation on his sister. I'm not surprised she didn't want others to know about him but I'd have thought the police would've known her background before working with her.
The lead detective on the case is Jack, a divorced father, who is trying to do his job while fearing that his ex-wife and kids on the edge of town are in danger from the monsters. He is trying to solve the case but is being distracted by fears for his children, which is realistic under the circumstances. I also liked the capable rookie Morris, who is trying to prove himself on a very tough and dangerous case. The majority of the other characters are pretty much introduced to die in horrible ways so there is no need to go into deep back stories about them.
The monsters are pretty darn scary! We have The Blue People who were my favourites in the book. There are ice creatures coming out of the snow who seem to be variations of scorpions and spiders, which are a nightmare to even think about. It didn't seem like anyone was safe from these things plus we know that the evil things beyond the void are going to be even worse and bring about literal hell on Earth. Lovely! By contrast, the cult doesn't get much coverage, other than at the end. There is a discussion that Kathy has with a former cult member but it's full of occult talk and I honestly didn't much understand half of what was being said about the opening of doors and summons. That bit was kind of dull but it's only a few pages so it didn't slow the book down.
I did like the overall creepy vibe of a town under attack and every time a main character stepped outside I was nervous about them being attacked. There is a mood of fear and isolation hanging over the town that was full of menace and you never quite knew what was coming next. The book was well written and paced, and I enjoyed the horror elements. I was also pleased to see that the book doesn't drown in a ton of police procedure, only what the reader needs to know. I don't read crime novels as they overdose on every aspect of the investigation, rather than the actual plot.
I liked the characters a lot. I was planning to read on with the series but I see the next book moves away from Colby to another town with a problem, meaning we won't see the other characters that I liked. That's a shame and it does make me rethink whether to look at book two. But I did very much enjoy this one.