A romp through the Pine Barrens of New Jersey with multiple twists, layers, and additions to the mythos of The Jersey Devil.
I've lived in Southeastern Pennsylvania most of my life. It's close enough to South Jersey that I've grown up fascinated by the tall tales of The Jersey Devil. As a result I come to Hunter Shea's new book with a firm grasp on all of the hearsay from over the years While Hunter keeps the history of the legend in tact, he really just uses those stories as a starting point for his own tale which makes anything you may have heard before look like a child's bedtime story.
The Jersey Devil begins five years ago with Jane Moreland and her abusive husband Henry. Henry's lying on the floor, dead, having hit his head on the coffee table when he tripped while taking a swing at his wife during one of his drunken stupors. Serves the bastard right. Out of fear of the police, Jane wraps Henry's body in a tarp and takes it deep into the Pine Barrens to bury it. What happens next is just the beginning of a non-stop thrill ride.
As a writer, Hunter Shea holds nothing back, he leaves it all on the written page, as bloody as it may be. I liked the immediate action in the story, but then a slow build to an even bigger payoff. Some of the descriptions of the attacks which take place are exceedingly violent and visceral. There are numerous twists, each one darker than the last. This is not a story for the squeamish, but the rest of us can certainly enjoy the gut-wrenching monster mayhem.
Strongly recommending, just not around mealtime, unless you are looking to lose your appetite or bring up your lunch if you've already eaten.
Published by Pinnacle, The Jersey Devil will be available in both paperback and e-book formats on August 30th, 2016, but can be pre-ordered now.
From the author's bio - Hunter Shea is the author of several novels and his short stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Shocklines : Fresh Voices in Terror. published by Cemetery Dance. His obsession with all things horrific has led him to real life exploration of the paranormal, interviews with exorcists and other things that would keep most people awake with the lights on. He lives in New York with his family and vindictive cat.
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