Wow. An amazing read that kept me hooked throughout. Really loved getting to know Graham Thanks for the opportunity to read.

A spell-binding novel that keeps you entranced right up to the spectacular finish. Beauty and the Beast with a grizzly, murderous backdrop. Fascinating story.

2.5 stairs It is refreshing to read a thriller that takes place in Canada. I just wish there had been more of an emphasis on the landscape and environment since a chunk of it involves a man living off the grid. Would of been nice to learn more about that lifestyle and read more descriptive prose about the area to better envision the story.

The plot starts off with a child being kidnapped. Police are trying to find her with no luck. Meanwhile there is another tangent that takes place several years earlier in which Graham and his family enter a shopping mall. While there, they become victims of a mass shooter. Fast forward to present day, Graham is living off the grid after losing his family and suffering a major facial deformity. The two plot elements converge involving Graham and the police hunt. The plot later takes another turn that I won’t get into. It is an action thriller all the way through. No twists or turns, no mystery and no reveals.

I’ve read a previous book by this author, which I really enjoyed. This one was just okay for me. I’m not a huge fan of action plots. They lose my interest after awhile. (Same with action movies.) I think readers who gravitate towards this genre will enjoy this book much more than I did. I prefer more character depth and complexity, which this story lacked. Made it hard to empathize or care about the characters. Some of the dialogue also felt forced, repetitive and unrealistic.

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

3.5 stars

This was my first book by Hunt and it won’t be my last! The author had me engaged from the very first page; this was a thriller that kept you on edge and guessing “whodunnit?”

This was pretty good. It held my attention and I got to the end, but I'm not sure it was really my thing!

I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting with this book but I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. It is fast paced and the story keep me interested right through. I would definitely read a second book if this became a series.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this book. If you like people working through the tragedies of their lives, this one is probably for you!

Not the story I was hoping for but I'm sure many others will love it, just wasn't for me unfortunately.

Graham is horribly disfigured and his family murdered during a shopping mall shooting. Shunning society he retreats to the solitude of a cabin in a remote location. One night a little girl is abducted from her bedroom and police consider him a suspect. The shooting leaves him with a special skill which he uses to help police locate the girl and she is found alive and returned home. Jodie is the lead detective in the investigation and during the course of it forms a friendship with Graham. When another child goes missing she thinks his skill may be just what she needs to solve the case. Can she ask him to put his life at risk to save another?
I found myself wanting to know how Graham knew where the child was. I thought this was going to be centered on the recluse in the woods but it evolved into more than that. Interesting twist to the story which could be carried on in a sequel. Be warned some readers may find this a little gruesome in parts.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review..

This one wasn't for me unfortunately. I was recommended this by a friend, requested without hesitation but I definitely need to be more selective in what I request going forward.

This was a very suspenseful read, a real page-turner you may say. The plot took a different turn from what I expected, as the main character was not present during the middle part, and from what I saw (cover) and read (summary) I imagined some kind of isolated hunt-through-the-woods story. However, what I got was an intense psychological thriller about a missing girl. Of course, the disfigured stranger living isolated in the woods immediately becomes a prime suspect. But it turns out that he is one of the good guys, and the though female investigator is wise enough to recognize his mysterious gift and ask for his help.

I would really love this story to be made into a series and to read more about this unlike but efficient team, or rather, friendship.

Let me start this review by saying that I applaud any person who has the talent to be able to write an entire book. It's hard enough for me to adequately string together a few coherent sentences to make a paragraph. So, I am tremendously grateful to all authors who put their wonderful works and stories out into the world for my reading enjoyment.

Now, having said that, I didn't necessarily feel that this book was one of the most wonderful stories I have read recently. I felt like the descriptions in this book were explained to me in factual tone instead of providing atmosphere or setting to the story. For some reason, I just didn't like the way things were written when changing points of view to inside the mind of any particular character. At times, they discussed topics or described events where I didn't really understand how they added to the story or developed the character. And ultimately, I felt like they didn't spend enough time with the two main characters in the story, Graham and Jodie. The description of these characters in this book's blurb was one of the main reasons I wanted to read it.

Now, to the good parts. I must say that I did like the two main characters of this book. Both Graham and Jodie were very likable characters and I was rooting for them the whole way. As I previously mentioned, the blurb of this book was the main reason why I wanted give this story a try. The mystery surrounding the kidnapping, Graham's past, and of course, what he brings to the solving of these kidnappings was what helped carry me through this book. It was a great premise and despite my negative views on other aspects of the story, I enjoyed the mystery as it unfolded. Also, bravo for that totally unexpected plot twist at a certain point in the book which I was definitely not expecting. While I did enjoy the basic plot and main characters of this book, I must say I was disappointed. It just wasn't the book for me.

I would like to thank NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

When a book isn't at all what I was expecting, it tends to be because I either didn't read the cover copy closely enough, or I managed to forget part of it between adding the book to my Kindle and actually starting to read it. In this case, it's because the book veers wildly away from its description.



In the prologue, Graham Richards visits and outlet mall with his wife and son and all three are victims of a senseless mass shooting that only Graham survives. He moves to a cabin in the woods, shunning society, and of course when the man with the horribly scarred face purchases rope, a chain, and a padlock just before a local girl disappears, he becomes their only suspect.



The book shifts to the investigation of the girl's disappearance, then to the perpetrators and victims of another crime entirely. There are SO many characters here, all with more back story than we ever got about Graham. There's also a lot of graphic violence.



When the book gets where it's going things get interesting, but I didn't love this one.

Off the Grid by John Hunt was received direct from the publisher and I chose to review it. John Hunt and his works were familiar to me but I could not say why for certain. The book starts out with a mass shooting by a Man pushed over the edge by his wife. What stood out to me, was the author described how loud gunshots are, which is something that he was told, or experienced, as Hollywood desensitizes people with gunshots that don’t seem to be loud and the never ending magazines. As I read further, police procedure was pretty spot on also, keeping in mind, the infamous “by the book,” is a little different everywhere. The book became too slow for my subjective liking so I finished with a 3.5 rating round up.

Graham Richards has lost everything. He was shot during a mall shooting in which his family also perished. Now, he lives in the woods in a cabin off the grid, and away from people. He just wants to live quietly and not interact much with people. But, something has happened and it will draw him out of his sheltered life again.

Graham becomes a suspect in the disappearance of a girl from a nearby town, and suddenly his life is not the same. A detective, Jodie Reyes, is working the case. She has to interact with Graham the most, so the two develop a friendship over time. Graham doesn’t trust many people, so Jodie is essentially his only contact other than his parents. Together, they work on the mystery. Graham has frequent headaches, so his dealings with people have to be minimal.

I know this book was described as a horror book, but it really didn’t strike me so much as horror, but more as a mystery/thriller novel. Graham is described as having some sort of supernatural connection, but it’s not overly emphasized. He uses his skill for good purposes, like finding lost or missing kids.

The characters seemed realistic enough. The situations are what you’d expect in a mystery/thriller novel. I thought the pacing of the story was fairly good. The ending was kind of a full-circle sort of ending. I thought that was well-done. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and recommend it to anyone who likes a good, solid story to read.

This was a great read from the first page to the last it had me riveted in my seat unable to put the book down.! Well developed characters and a very detailed orientated author supplies plenty of suspense, twists and turns to leave you satisfied and looking for more! I look forward to reading more from this author!

This book grabbed my attention from the very beginning, then it got a little too violent for my liking but I'm glad I stuck with it because it really is a good story and I really liked Graham and the officer, Jodie. Highly recommend.

I have really, really enjoyed the discovery of this author through Netgalley. He reminds me a lot of Jack Ketchum. While I didn’t enjoy this as much as Doll House, due to a certain element of the story I do not want to spoil, I was still wrapped up in the characters and events right from the beginning.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book. I give this review voluntarily.

WOW! I didn’t know what to think about this going in but I wasn’t expecting what happen to happen and that is a great thing. I really liked this book even though it’s about a two active shooters. The way everything connected and the paranormal element (which I’m glad wasn’t so far fetched) fit perfectly. Definitely will be buying! Thank you Netgalley for this eARC and to the publisher.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed the action and mystery in this story. I hope to read more from this author.