5/13/20 Got sidetracked with other books, wasn't able to start. Reshelving to read later.
12/27/21 Started this summer as a literal beach read. Somehow both ridiculous and compelling. I finished it, but cannot recommend it. ( )

An anthropologist from New York (Katherine Sundquist) is contacted by an old flame (graduate school friend, Ron Silver) to help him out on a dig in Hawaii. Katherine accepts and takes her sixteen-year-old son (Michael) with her. But while they are there, strange things are happening… her sons’ new friends keep turning up missing, or dead. And then there’s Ron’s mysterious employer (Takeo) and the skeleton they have discovered…

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I really loved the Hawaiian setting, I felt like I was there. Most of the characters were likable, and the bad guys sinister. I was wondering what Takeo was up to with his mysterious project/experiments. I was worried about Michael and his friends when they got ill. I liked Katherine, she was a good female lead, as she tried to figure out was what going on with her son. I also enjoyed the exciting conclusion.

Another highly enjoyable, and captivating read by John Saul. ( )

Anthropologist Katharine Sundquist gets a job offer to study unusual skeletal remains that were unearthed on Maui. Katharine’s sixteen-year-old son, Michael, who has asthma, is being bullied in school so she decides that now might be a good time to leave New York and head for Hawaii. Unfortunately, Hawaii may not be the paradise they were hoping for when strange, unexplained things begin happening.

I enjoyed this book so much. I was so into it and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The story had a really interesting cast of characters from the people Katharine worked with to the boys that Michael befriended on Maui. The Hawaiian setting was fantastic with wonderful descriptions. So atmospheric with the volcanoes, the lava flowing, the malevolent feel in the air. I enjoyed the scuba dives; the place where Katharine was working. Such a thoroughly entertaining read. ( )

I have been a fan of Saul since I was a child. Starting out with his first books I have worked my way through his catalog over the decades. Several titles slipped by and now I am filling in the gaps of his work. The Presence is a pretty good story. The ending is kind of anti climatic for a Saul story. The characters are bit dry but still believable. I would like to know more of why the villain was doing what he was doing and be able to dig a little deeper in his persona. Other than the latter the story is good and fairly solid. ( )

I was remembering how much John Saul scared me when I first started reading him as a teen. I decided to relive the past and check out a John Saul book from the library.

[b:The Presence|6557|The Presence|John Saul|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320393129s/6557.jpg|681434] is more of a science fiction book, with an element of horror. I thought it was a unique idea and the book was very interesting from start to finish. It was not particularly scary, but was very suspenseful. The ending wrapped things up a little too conveniently for my liking, but it was still a very enjoyable book. This is now one of my favorite John Saul books. ( )