I'l confess this now. I'm not sure quite why I requested this book. It's not my normal kind of read, although I did grow up on a diet of horror stories and ghostly tales, so it's not entirely out of my comfort zone either. As horror stories go, it's not the darkest or scariest book I've read, but as someone who, according to my parents' watched my first horror movie aged three, it takes a lot to unnerve me. There are scenes which are a little macabre, elements of the book which led to a blended reaction of ewww and teeheehee. I'm twisted that way. But it was a story full of intrigue and mystery, enough so that it kept me turning the pages to the very end, if only to understand why the titular character of The Tracker had chosen to target Taylor, and if our hapless hero would manage to get the best of the beast.

Well ... to tell you the answer to that one would really give too much away. This is the story of Taylor, a young man who, following the death of his mother, starts to hear strange noises in the family home. He is certain there is an intruder, even though the police can find no evidence of one. When the 'intruder' finally makes themselves known, it is clear that this is no normal break and enter situation, and that Taylor's life is in very grave danger. He has two choices - go on the run and try and evade the Tracker for 48 hours, or sit and wait for his life to be ended. But where is the fun in the latter? Not for the reader and certainly not for the Tracker. Now there is a twist here too. A stong in the tail if you like. Should taylor approach anyone else for help, they will face a certain, and very gruesome, demise.

And he does. And they do. It is some of those scenes that made the twisted reader in me chuckle, albeit whilst managing to emit a healthy, balanced, ewww too. The Tracker is not the most forgiving of killers. No instant death and minimal suffering for those who meet their end at their hands, that is for sure. It's not overly graphic, but graphic enough if you are weak of disposition. Of course, it is Taylor who will face the suspicion of the police, adding another layer of conflict and tension to his already frantic attempts to avoid being caught. It also forms quite a key part of the story in which the motivations of the tracker are uncovered with surprising effect.

I liked the level of tension and the pacing of the book. As I say, it's not the scariest of chiller thrillers I've even read, but the characters were engaging, and, in spite of the fact he didn't necessarily come across as the most sympathetic of characters, I quite liked Taylor. To a point. He was determined despite his understandable fear, and there are things we learn that help to endear him to us as readers. Again, to a point. If anyone, was the most engaging of characters, it was actually one of the police officers, Detective Owen Graham, who I was most drawn to. He has sympathy for Taylor's plight, if not always able to believe his story. John Hunt has made him appear compassionate but also very focused. If only his colleagues would trust his instincts a little more ...

This was a different read for me, a kind of cat and mouse game that is tinged with the supernatural. So if you like your mysteries on the lighter side of dark, with a touch of the macabre and the odd moment of chilling tension, this could be a read for you.

John Hunt packs a lot of punches into less than 200 pages and doesn't pull any of them! When Taylor's mother dies, Taylor is thrust into a supernatural game of hide and seek with The Tracker, a demon/entity/shadow, that is utterly terrifying. As "the game" progresses and Taylor becomes more and more desperate, the tension is nearly palpable, and I found myself thoroughly invested in the outcome. Hunt truly understands the horror genre and how to make his readers suffer alongside his characters. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for his next book.

Thank you for the opportunities to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

Disturbingly-fantastic and shockingly-twisted! Demented and horrifying! Intense and riveting! Suspenseful and addictive!. Dark and complex! A jaw-dropping, psychological thriller at its best!

Overweight Taylor has lost his mother due to a heart attack. Taylor is home alone missing his mother when he first meets the Tracker. He explains to Taylor about a “game” he will be playing with Taylor. He then tells Taylor the rules of the game. Taylor doesn’t want to play because if he can’t evade him for 48 hours, he will die a very unpleasant death. Can Taylor win? As the game plays, there is much violence and death occurring. Finally
Taylor goes to the police to tell them his story of Tracker, the creepy man with a fedora.

It’s a fascinating story. Who is the Tracker? Where did he come from? Those are some of the questions I still have about this novel. I could feel Taylor’s feelings throughout the novel. I wonder what was going to happen next. It’s an exciting and creepy read.

Now here is an original plot that will make you be afraid of falling asleep.

Taylor is a 25 years old man with a series of problems. He’s over 100kg in weight, being diminished by his mother over it until her death. He’s also accused of multiple murder charges that he swears he’s not guilty of. But something wicked in on to him. Taylor is soon pulled into a deadly game of hiding and seek. He has 48 hours to outwit and outlast the demon that is hunting him. If caught, a cruel death awaits him. If he breaks any of the rules, there will be consequences. However, if he can survive the 48 hours, The Tracker will let him live. Can he escape his fate?

John Hunt did it again. After his novel Doll House, I was expecting something more or less inside that universe but this book brought his work to a completely different level. The idea of playing a game with the Boogie Man and having or losing your life in the end game is brilliant. An original and refreshing idea that was very well explored developed and described. The plot has a strong start, shifting from horror to a crime thriller towards the middle of the book.

His style of writing brings the story alive and you’ll feel terror get a hold of you right from the beginning and it doesn’t let go. Hunt has a lyrical way of presenting events and the path of the character in the story while, at the same time, building the suspense and the feeling of dread until the very last page. He builds this dark reality magnificently, capturing your interest in a way that gets you addicted and makes you keep reading even though the most gruesome bits. The end comes with an unexpected twist, beautifully placed and executed. It closes the plot perfectly and leaves you feeling satisfied with the ending. However, I was expecting more horror than action in the end. I’m a fan of thrillers but as the book started very strong on horror, I would have appreciated more of it in the end.

The characters are well developed. Taylor is a man with something to hide and he desperately wants to be believed even though he knows that isn’t about to happen. From the beginning, you’re left wondering if Taylor is innocent or guilty of the crimes he’s accused of, in the end, though all the questions are answered.
I highly recommend this novel to fans of horror and thriller genres that are looking for a book that gets you glued to the pages from beginning to end.

Thank you, NetGalley, the publisher Black Rose Writing and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.

Attention to lovers of all these dark, suspense-driven and gruesome. I’ve found a new gem that will have your heart beating in your throat the whole read through.

I hate being chased. When our group of friends play a horror game together, I’m the first one to give up, screaming and pressing the pause button and passing the game onto the next person as I whimper in defeat. So imagine my sheer delight at finding a book with a good chase. I was still terrified, despite not being in control of the story

What a gut-wrenching, stomach-churning and head-thumping read.

He couldn’t remember being this tired ever in his life. He wiped a hand across his mouth and tasted more blood. He must look a sight. He could feel the blood all over his body, sticky and hardening on his skin and in his hair. He knew the police were looking for him. They had been since the first body had been found…

This book does a fantastic job setting up an adequate balance of suspense, mystery and atmosphere.

The plot: set-up and pay-off
Taylor has been hunted by the police for the murder of four people. However, the police are nothing compared to what has been chasing him for the past 48 hours.

The police thought Taylor had killed those people. Since he had been present for all of them they had every reason to believe that.

Taylor gives himself in at the police station and begins to tell his story to the detective, Owen.
Taylor is a mild-mannered and kind, if overweight, twenty-five-year-old man. Taylor lived an uneventful life with his mother, until one day she was struck dead by a heart attack and Taylor was left alone to fend for himself.

When Taylor’s mother died, it made the news. Not in the obituary way, where a loved one puts it in the paper….That would be almost nice. Taylor’s mom was huge. And when she die, it made the front page.

Every day Taylor misses his mother but begins to accept it as a part of living that people come and people die.

Every day, Taylor despises himself and his weight.

Every day, Taylor becomes more and more lethargic.

Every other day, Taylor experiences lapses in memory that he can’t explain.

And that is when the terror begins.

I love how Mr Hunt introduces characters. He sets up a character in one chapter and already has you either rooting for them or hating their guts:

Stephen became a police officer because he thought the uniform looked sharp and would confer respect on him without actually having to do anything...it never occurred to him that a mass murderer would walk in the door. Weren’t those guys supposed to be running away from cops?

Things that go bump in the night

If you didn’t do it, who did?
I don’t know. A monster? The monster in the basement.” Owen leaned back, a line between his eyebrows and said, “A monster in the basement, huh?

Taylor begins to explain that he had been seeing a man in a fedora in his house.

The man in the fedora stood on the other side of the glass, staring at him.

The man begins to appear more and more frequently.

His eyes popped wide and he turned his head. The basement door was wide open. Hanging on the basement side doorknob was a black fedora…he heard a creak on the stairs from deep in the basement.

And one day, Taylor wakes up, strapped down on his bed. And the man in the fedora stands over him.

If you don’t look at me. I’m going to bite off your pinky. The man said it casually, as though he said “French fry” rather than pinky...triangular, serated fangs jutted from his gums and pointed in every direction. When he spoke lines od drool escaped from the corners and were swiftly absorbed by his skin.

And so the man in the fedora – the Tracker – lets him loose and gives him two days to run. And so, the delightful terror begins.

Comments: writing, characters twists and turns
The characters in this book are realistic and very easy to have sympathy for. I think that Mr Hunt does such a good job at writing characters, especially for a horror where characters are often overshadowed by plot and monster.

I love that the book begins in the middle of a total shitstorm and only manages to make things more chaotic and terrifying. It manages to implement a slow burner and an action-packed thriller in one punch.

The twists and turns in this book are absolutely fantastic. Like any good horror does, there are small clues left to have you hitting your head and saying “how didn’t I see this coming?”. But when it comes, you wish it hadn’t.

The dialogue has the natural and pessimistic bite of a good murder mystery, but the clipped, coarse dialogue of horror when needed.

I won’t spoil any other aspects of the book. All I’d like to say is that the set up ends up in such a satisfying pay off that chilled me bone-deep. The way Taylor’s past, the man in the fedora as well as the killings interplay and come together was a jaw-dropping moment for me.


Conclusion
This is a machine gun shot-paced, page-zipping thriller. It’s not particularly long or complex but it will haunt your head for days, if not weeks, on end. John Hunt will forever be on my list of the best horror authors out there.

I have been called the Tracker from time to time. And a devil. A vampire. A demon. The boogeyman. I prefer the Tracker. It is most apt considering what I do.

Wow.... this book sure packed a punch with less then 200 pages! I started this morning and finished this afternoon.

Man.. poor Taylor haha yikes! The book first introduces Taylor to us as a 300 plus pound 25 year old being accused of four homicides. But, Taylor swears that he is innocent.

Taylor turns himself in and tells the police officer of a bizarre story of a shadowed man in a fedora..... hmmmm....

Could Taylor be innocent after all? And who is this shadowed man tracking down Taylor?

This definitely was an interesting piece of work to say the least! I love my thrillers and this in my opinion wasn't too bad. It wasn't the best but I was entertained :).

Overall, 3.5 stars for this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Black Rose Writing for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: 3/8/18
Published to GR: 6/18/18

This review is very late. Uh, I've been a wee bit ill lately. Um, shit happens. Still, for all the time that passed between me reading and reviewing this book, not a damn thing has changed. If you like weird arsed stuff that has no plausible explanation. The whole darn story was weird, and had me on the edge of my seat. This story was kinda "maybe lottsa" scary. Honestly. This scared the crap outta me. Sometimes it happens that way. This did. That ending? Dude...No way, Jose. That end scared the farcks outta me. So,yep. I tell ya' what. For some good old fashioned scare the cronk out of y'all. Is there such a thing as farcks? John Hunt is someone who I bought the first book after reading this. My thanks to the publishers and Netgelley.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fast paced book, with lots of twists and turns. Horror with a mix of thrill is my favorite type of book. Second time I have read a book from John Hunt and I will definitely read his next one.

I approached this book with the trepidation I always approach horror titles. Will it be the same old? On this occasion I'd say that it lies closer to being a pleasant surprise than a huge disappointment but I can't honestly say I'd go out of my way to recommend it to the young people I work with, many of who are horror fans. On the other hand I wouldn't recommend they avoid it. It starts well and carries on well enough and was an easy and fairly enjoyable read. Just didn't set off any fireworks. I'll look forward to reading more of John Hunt's books though and would say that this one is worth a look at very least.

Hunt’s new novel is a smashing horror thriller that starts at 100mph and doesn’t slow down until the riveting end.

Starting out as a loner whose best friend is his mother, all is very depressing but when the mother dies and Taylor is alone in the world, things take a drastic turn for the worse. The characterisations and plotting are on point. The action is quick but Hunt never loses the reins of this tense thriller.

This is a quick page turning read that runs at a trot but do to Hunt’s masterfully hand at plot and character development, none of these suffer which under a different author, this could have easily got away from him. There are times that Taylor becomes slightly irritating but this is in keeping with the character and his mother’s boy mentality. This is handled extremely well and if I were to be honest, if Taylor was in the real world, I would probably be highly annoyed with him.

The violence is very descriptive and may not be for all readers. Saying this, it fits perfectly within the structure of the novel and not gratuitous or slotted in for the hard core fans.

Overall, this is a rewarding read from the author of A Doll’s House. The book will keep immersed and haunted long after the final words are uttered in your mind.

What can I say about this book. It was a thrillingly gruesome read. It is a book of two halves and the twist in the first part of the book really turns the plot on its head. Well paced and binge worthy this book took me no time to finish. The characters were well written and 3 dimensional which put it above other books I have read. It's most assuredly worth a read especially if you enjoy the likes of dean koontz or James Herbert and possibly even Stephen king. I would recommend this book to anyone with a penchant for horror. Only don't blame me if it gives you the screaming ab dabs lol.

This book is about a young man called Taylor, Taylor is a lonely, extremely overweight man, his best friend is his mum, a morbidly obese lady who is bed bound and Taylor has to do everything for her, that is until she dies and the Taylor's world unravels, At his Mothers funeral Taylor sees a dark dressed man at his mother's funeral hiding in the shadows, slowly the dark man starts to terrorise Taylor, he becomes known as the Tracker, and after Taylor starts missing days, the Tracker tells him if he can stay away from him for 3 days he can stay alive, the tension doesn't let up until the end haunts him and tells him if he can evade capture then he can live - it is a disturbing read and not for the faint hearted as it is quite descriptive in places, but if you like a thrill this is for you. Thankyou to Netgalley for letting me read this.

DNF after 31% The document started skipping pages, repeating pages, or jumping to past pages.

From what I did read, I liked it. I think the suspense of the game and Tayler trying to get away from The Tracker was an interesting concept.

The story jumps between the main character Tayler as he desperately tries to get away from this creepy man that calls himself The Tracker, hence the name of the book, and Taylor being interviewed by the cops after he's linked to a string of murders.

The characters where interesting and I liked the fact that the author used people of size as main characters. Since I didn't get to finish it I don't know how it ends but I have a feeling that The Tracker is all in his head since Tayler just experienced the sudden death of his only friend, his mother.

The only negative I could read think of is the paragraph lengths were too long. Some of them could have easily been split up into smaller and more manageable ones. Other than that it held my interest for the most part.

What a page turner! I never thought for one moment that I would spend the entire day reading this book from start to finish, which in itself is saying something.

I don't seem to get around to reading horrors that often, but 'The Tracker' certainly caught my attention. Totally different to what i usually read, so it made a bit of a change. Plenty of twists and turns. I am not going to write what the story is about for fear of spoiling for others. It's the first time that i have read any books by John Hunt and it will not be the last. Recommended.

Reviews can be seen on Goodreads and Amazon.

My first thoughts were... "Holy guts and gore Batman!" I have to be honest, at first, I was really digging this. A game of chase with the boogeyman? Yes! Does that make me twisted? Eh... maybe, I like a good thrill. BUT... once we got to the second half of the storyline... I have to be honest and say that I started to lose interest. It wasn't nearly as enjoyable for me. There's no way for me to explain my thoughts on this without providing some spoilers, so I apologize... if you're not interested in the spoilers, you should stop now.

The novel centers around Taylor, a young overweight man, who is struggling with the recent loss of his mother and only friend. Now, all alone with no one to talk to, and struggling to overcome his fatigue and restless nights since his mother's death, he begins to hear strange things coming from the basement. The basement that is stuffed from wall to wall with stuff that his mother hoarded for years. How is it possible that someone could be in the basement? There was no room, no where to go? When Taylor goes to investigate he hears footsteps... again, coming from the basement. When Taylor opens the basement door to inspect it, he feels someone pushing on it from the other side. He slams his body against the door, but it doesn't latch, he easily tops three hundred pounds, why doesn't the door close? He sits on the floor and uses his legs and weight with his back and pushes the door closed and it finally latches. There's pounding coming from the other side of the door, the frame begins to shake, and door knob begins to rattle next to his head. The door slowly begins to move, and Taylor can feel himself sliding on the floor. He sees two long fingered hands emerge, one above and below the door knob. With all his strength and weight, Taylor once again begins pushing on the door, suddenly the hands disappear, and the door slams shut. Taylor hears a chuckle escape from behind the door.

This is Taylor's first encounter with The Tracker... creepy stuff... who isn't afraid of something coming out of the darkness of the basement right? It's not long before the Tracker finally catches up with Taylor and Taylor is forced to play a game of Hide and Seek. Taylor is given 48 hours to evade The Tracker, and if he fails, he will be eaten. There are rules though, he's not allowed to leave the city limits, he cannot tell anyone about The Tracker, as Taylor is the only one that can see him, and most importantly, he cannot go to the police or ask anyone for help. If he does, they will suffer a gruesome fate. Before the chase begins, The Tracker gives Taylor a "gift"... a worm is forced into Taylor's mouth and he's given no choice but to swallow it. This worm will allow the Tracker to feel Taylor's presence just as Taylor can feel the Tracker's presence. An internal beacon if you will.

As the chase begins Taylor soon realizes that following the rules isn't always the best option for survival. People are suffering at the hands of the Tracker for merely being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Taylor has now endangered the lives of others in an attempt to save himself, and the guilt is something he'll have to live with. As the end of the 48 hour comes to an end, Taylor is now a wanted man for murder... remind you... The Tracker cannot be seen unless he wants you to see him, so who else can responsible for the murders? Taylor decides that his best and only option is to turn himself in to the police.

After Taylor explains his horrid tale of "The Tracker" to officer Owen Graham and the tables begin to turn and Owen begins to explain the evidence against him... well... that's when I started to get a bit disappointed with where the storyline was headed. I was thoroughly enjoying the cat and mouse game between Taylor and The Tracker, but once that ended, and suddenly the game shifts, well, I didn't find the transition was smooth enough for me. There were just some things that I found didn't get answered well enough for me. For starters, there wasn't a backstory to The Tracker. I would have liked to have understand the motivation behind "the game" that his victims are put through. Secondly, spoiler alert here, how is it that Taylor becomes possessed by The Tracker? Are we led to believe that this is tied to the worm he ingested, or did something else occur? It's mentioned at one point in the novel after Rosie has been kidnapped "To the place that grew hate in Taylor's heart and allowed me to enter." Is this supposed to mean that because Taylor harbored bad feelings about his past that he could become possessed. Again, how? So to sum it up, I didn't care for Taylor's backstory about his high school days... that driving him to kill... and so on. It simply didn't work for me.

The other issue I had with this novel was the dialogue. I found the dialogue to be too clunky at times. It just didn't seem natural. Every time I read a scene with dialogue I practically cringed. All that aside, there were some great aspects of this novel, the descriptive writing didn't lack, which is always a huge plus for me, especially when writing a horror novel. Sorry to say, but the more descriptive, the better when it comes to gore. Gross, I know, but that's what makes it horrific. The suspense didn't lack either, the thought of someone chasing you, doing whatever you could to survive, nearly escaping with your live... well, if that isn't thrilling, then I don't know what is?

I want to thank NetGalley, Black Rose Writing, and John Hunt for allowing me the chance to read this novel in exchange for my review.

The Tracker reminded me of the movie, "The Terminator" or maybe some kind of cyborg (is that the word) movie. LOL! Therefore, I am going to say it should probably be considered a YA Thriller. I don't know if that is a category but if there is one, this would be in it. I could picture a 12 to 15 year old boy enjoying this book.

I received a copy of this book through netgally in exchange for my honest review. However, I did not request this copy so it is something I would normally not request. I enjoy trying new genres though and would buy this for a nephew or a younger person.

The Tracker by John Hunt is another one of his amazing terror stories. As I am reading this I feel sort for sorry for Taylor since his mother just died. He is lonely and not a social person. This makes her death so much harder for him to manage.. Soon he meets the monster who he tries to run from. Towards the end of the story he becomes one with the monster
I wonder if there is a moral to the story!

This book certainly doesn't mess around; it plunges you neck-deep into the chaotic life of Taylor, a suspected murderer whom swears innocence despite the evidence against him. I found myself instantly drawn in to his situation where I, too, questioned his very sanity, whilst also sympathising with him on some level. Hunt's intention was quite clear from early on - a fast-paced, thrilling concoction, meant to keep you on your toes. The one thing that really impressed me was the twists and turns that genuinely shocked me - all too often I foresee a typical plot direction and it ruins what's supposed to be surprising, but Hunt was able to expertly weave the unexpected and force me to reanalyse what I thought I already knew. I can't give enough credit to tales that make you pause and think; authors can certainly mess with their readers and bring the unpredictable.

At no point did boredom raise its pesky head; too much was happening. What started off as Taylor's recount of his last forty-eight hours of forcibly taking part in a game of hide and seek, turned into a grisly manhunt of murder and mayhem. The aspect of "The Tracker" and how he was able to influence his victim was an interesting one. He didn't seem to have any intention other than to toy with his prey and use their own suppressed hate against them. I really wish more information was offered regarding him, and if he had any other motive than just chaos.

Taylor and Owen, on the other hand, had a brief connection that stood out for me. It might have been highly impersonal for Owen, but for Taylor it was an examination of his life. I felt for him, for the struggle he had endured. Relating to him in a way, I hoped everything would have worked out, but I knew it was ultimately doomed.

Despite my high praise of certain aspects - that being the story itself, I found the writing to be terribly messy at times and it subsequently distracted me more than once. This is more to do with sentence structure and, of course, my own personal taste. I'll however give an example of exactly what I mean:

Owen realizing the paramedic wasn't only mad because he had walked in to find an unconscious man still cuffed to a steel table, he was thinking while flashing his beady accusatory eyes that Owen had something to do with it, had maybe even injured him and Owen tired and grumpy, opened his mouth to say something he'd immediately regret when Earl cut in and said...


I admit, I had to re-read this confusing pile of words about five times, and even then I had a hard time of discerning it. What should have been at least two sentences, were fused together to create something that just didn't work inside my head. Throughout the entire book, the quality reached both highs as well as lows, giving the impression that certain parts were rushed, whilst others more thought through. I believe it could have benefited from more editing to tighten it up, and thus make it overall easier to read.

In conclusion: A good story that kept me guessing, however the format of writing brought its cleverness down. I would consider it unfinished, and in need of further editing.

Notable Scene:

He needed time to process and speak with the other officers monitoring the interview to strategize how best to confront Taylor. Because no matter how much Taylor believed what he had said, it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Shadow men do not hunt people through the city. There were no shadow men.

© Red Lace 2018