REVIEW - River of Wrath (St. Benedict #2) by Alexandrea Weis & Lucas Astor

More secrets are about to be uncovered, beginning with the arrival of a handsome stranger, and the discovery of bones long buried beneath the river …

REVIEW:

Note: This is the second book of the series, and it could be helpful to read book #1 first; but, if mesmerised by the cover, you – like me - have forgotten to check if River of Wrath is part of a series, then, just have a little patience and you’ll get the necessary information to enjoy this “part” of the story (to our defence, there is no mention on the cover that RoW is book #2).

***

I wanted to read Death by the River since 2018 when I posted about it, here, on Mythical Books. Reading the blurb (not to be found now on Goodreads or Amazon) it becomes clear that the story was republished, if not revamped as part of the Sf. Benedict series. Anyway, even if I still have to read the River of Ashes (previously known as Death by the River), I quite enjoyed RoW.

I liked how the authors manage to create, maintain, and develop the gothic atmosphere on a contemporary background. The elements of the gothic novel are introduced (some, I presume, continue from the first book) gradually, increasing, slowly and then more abruptly, the tension.

RoW is dark, engrossing, and suspenseful. Its (main) plot is centred on both solving the crime(s) and pursuing justice, and the characters’ safety and survival. I cannot say that the authors play entirely correctly because they offer some clues (not quite red herrings) and light some directions but, whilst information is brought, secrets revealed and so some aspects are solved, they only serve to create new ghastly possibilities and a constant state of danger for the characters and uncertainties for the reader-detective.  A lot happens in RoW, present and past (distant or recent) come together, entwined into a fast-paced story.

Further, I liked the connection with and the “presence” of the River – whilst a river brings life, being the central point around which life is created (nature and human settlements) it is also the one which both keeps secrets and divulges them helping serve retribution. Depending on your own experience, you could find deeper or other senses to the title and the role that the River plays in the story.

Conclusion: If you like your books and stories full of tension and dread, you could try diving into (some very dark corners of) the human nature of the River of Wrath – it’s a page-turner.

Description:

More secrets are about to be uncovered, beginning with the arrival of a handsome stranger, and the discovery of bones long buried beneath the river …

Leslie Moore is struggling to get through her last semester at St. Benedict High. Even her relationship with her boyfriend Derek is falling apart. But after receding floodwaters from the Bogue Falaya River expose the bones of a woman, Leslie becomes obsessed with tracking down the killer.

Sightings of an apparition haunting The Abbey send Leslie and her friends back to the scene of the horrors from last Halloween, but no one is prepared for what they find.

After a stranger—the handsome Luke Cross—arrives in town, another girl goes missing, and the sheriff suspects the newcomer is hiding something. Leslie believes the Devereaux family is connected to everything going wrong in St. Benedict. And she means to uncover the truth, no matter the cost.

Not all secrets can be kept silent. Some eventually find their way home.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Goodreads ** Amazon ** Barnes&Noble * BookShop ** VesuvianMediaGroup

About the authors:

Alexandrea Weis, RN-CS, PhD, is an award-winning author, advanced practice registered nurse, and wildlife rehabber who was born and raised in the French Quarter. She has taught at major universities and worked with victims of sexual assault, abuse, and mental illness in a clinical setting at many New Orleans area hospitals. She is a member of the International Thriller Writers Organization and Horror Writers Association.

Website * Goodreads * BookBub * Instagram * Twitter * Facebook

Lucas Astor:

Co-author Lucas Astor is an award-winning author and poet with a penchant for telling stories that delve into the dark side of the human psyche. He likes to explore the evil that exists, not just in the world, but next door behind a smiling face. Astor currently lives outside of Nashville, TN.

Instagram

Authors' Giveaway