Solidly plotted, excellent characterization, quick and lively style. There was less description than I would have liked, but not so little it detracted from the story. The worst part was the ridiculous number of typos and misprints in the story; it was extremely distracting.

I liked this book, went through it rather quickly, I think the problem was it was all so very 'familiar'. Things were explained so I understood them, and I would recommend it. And I have put Tim Waggoner on my '..to read..' list. ( )

My Rating

Couldn't Finish It: Tim Waggoner is one of the mentors in Seton Hill's Writing Popular Fiction Program, and he seems like a cool guy. When this book was offered as part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program, I thought I might as well take this free opportunity to read Waggoner's work.

Unfortunately, nothing about this book grabbed my attention. The first chapter reminded me very much of Mary SanGiovanni's The Hollower (and I mean that in a good way), but the whole premise of what appears to be a copycat of an executed serial murderer in a town where a SINGLE FAMILY is pretty much GOD in terms of power, well, it didn't take long for me to tire of it. It's not to say initial core elements weren't interesting: like Sheriff Joanne Talon's mysterious kidnapping as a child that she doesn't remember but somehow came out of it with a kind of psychic power and how reporter Dale Ramsey fits into all of it. But that's pretty much canceled out by the fact that the Cross family is a very cruel family indeed, and their power extends beyond wealth--they too seem to have some kind of psychic/mind-control, of course, they always put it to good use, right? As of page 76, not so much, and I think I've reached the point in fiction where that specific speculative element alone kind of bores me, and that's a personal thing and no fault of the author.

I don't know. It just didn't catch my interest, and the writing style, while fine and clean, wasn't unique enough to really make me pay attention and keep reading despite my lack of interest in the plot, characters, setting, the works.

That doesn't mean I won't try Waggoner's work in the future. I'd like too, but I think I'll go with one of his more popular, critically acclaimed works rather than on something that's brand-new like this and hasn't had a chance to prove itself.

I have been wanting to read Tim Waggoner for a while, and I was ecstatic when I happened to be choose to get an ARC copy of his newest book, Cross County, from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. It has been a while since a read a horror novel that was as satisfying at the end as this book.

Cross County is an occult horror that can be compared back to the tapestry of imagination that Lovecraft created with his Cthuhlu Mythos and Dream Cycle. While the book is self contained, the possibilities are open for further exploration. On the back of the ARC, there is a very enticing blurb comparing the story to Fargo and Silence of the Lambs and the characters to have the same quality of Stephen King's. And while I can see the similarities, I have to say that the blurb does a disservice to the unique voice the story and characters have on their own.

The description through out the book was amazing. All the of the characters, major and minor, were distinct and came alive on the page. Waggoner controls the flow of information given to the reader with near perfection. Every time I got a new bit my mind was constantly trying to see if my theories of what was going on were confirmed or became flawed. While not a "whodunnit" by any means, the control of the over all mystery was in synchronistic with the flow of the world development and the supernatural aspect that are so interwoven in the story.

Now, even though I'm sounding like a fan boy, i will say there were a few things that through me as I read. One of them was the huge cast of characters which at some point all become a POV character during the story. It does get a bit confusing at times, especially in the beginning. Speaking of the beginning, I found that the first three chapters were tough to get through. The changing POV was part of it, the other was that I got these feeling like I was missing something. As I read the rest of the book, i found out what it was that i was missing and I really have no idea how Waggoner could have done it any better, but it was still awkward for the very beginning of the book. Finally, I had a really weird experience reading it. Usually a book will be two things for me: 1.) So engrossing I read till I fall asleep and I immediately get back to reading as I wake up or 2.) I read some, put it down, and get back to it when I want to read it. But with Cross County, I found that after chapter three i would get engrossed and fall asleep, but when i woke up, it was like it was just a norma read. When I finally got back to reading I would get engrossed again within six pages, but if that book was ever put down, I didn't have that drive to read like I did when I was reading.

If someone wants an into to modern horror, or a fan of horror wanting something really good, I highly suggest this. I've definitely become a fan of Waggoner from this book. ( )

Tim Waggoner's book, Cross Country, was an interesting book to say the least. it starts out as an apparent crime-thriller then turns about half way through into a paranormal science fiction novel. the plot is good and more than appealing enough to keep the reader interested. i particularly liked Waggoner's use of suspense and how he let the reader figure out the killer's next move. the biggest negative was that the story unfolded rather quickly and was too quick a read. despite this, the plot had enough "meat" and allowed the reader to get to know the characters. all in all, the book was fun and well written. i would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery and does not have a lot of time on their hands. ( )