Jenny Milchman

I can't read Jenny Milchum at night when I'm about to go to sleep. Her scenarios are far too creepy. Her books are scary but not so creepy and scary that I can't believe every bit of what is happening. Her first book, Cover of Snow, drew me right in, even with its alarming premise, and kept me reading far into the night. This newest one, Ruin Falls is even better.

Milchum gives us the primary victims of domestic abuse (more mental and pyschological than physical but every bit as real) and show more sprinkles in some secondary ones whose stories weave in and out. For a while, I couldn't quite see how they all fit together, but Milchum does an excellent job of lacing the story lines. Once again, she uses the wooded Adirondacks as her setting. It is obviously an area where she is comfortable exploring and describing.

Drawing on all the publicity today about the back to the earth movement, environmental protection, conservation of resources, sustainable agriculture, and retreat from worldly contamination, this one combines these issues with twisted personalities in a scenario that is so well written it's more than believable--it can scare the living bejeebies out of any one who is a parent.  Just published this week, this one should be headed for your must read list.

Note : I also had the chance to sample this in audio. Cassandra Campbell does a fantastic job of delivering the variety of emotions the author portrays in her writing.  If you're an audio fan, be sure to check this one out. show less

Wow, wow, wow!!! You can bet your bippy that I will not be going camping, canoeing or hiking anywhere in the near future or let's just emphatically say NEVER!

Thirty minutes after finishing this book, my heart was still racing, as it had been for about the last one and half hours of the book.

I have been a fan of Jenny Milchman ever since I met her on her first cross country tour with her first book and her whole family at my local independent, MBTB here in Houston. I was mesmerized by her show more stamina and gumption to undertake this journey. And, of course, I loved her first book "Cover of Snow".

This book also did not disappoint. I was enthralled at the very beginning and sped right through. A couple spending their honeymoon canoeing and camping in the Adirondacks? Seriously? What's wrong with a beach? My utter distaste for Doug, the groom, and Natalie's husband began very early and held fast throughout much of the book. Especially when his true colors and agenda came to light.

Their journey was doomed from the beginning. Natalie being an amateur and Doug, not that much better, took on these thousands of acres as if there were little or no huge dangers at all in those mountains. Silly people and Doug was a dumba$$ for even setting it up. However, the real reason why he did so is brought about early in the book which only added to my dislike of this man.

The perils they faced were horrendous and if it wasn't for bad luck, this couple would have none, none at all.

However, at the end, Doug was proven to be only human with an self established ego that was quickly rendered not true and he realized it.

An excellent read that I sped through, enjoyed and one that my heart was glad that it was over. The double duty that it was handling and with my age, could have been disastrous. Ha!!

Definitely one to not be missed if you love action, adventure and constant suspense set in the wilderness of the Adirondacks where anything can happen.

Kudos to the author, Jenny Milchman, and thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. show less

Nora wakes up one winter morning to find that her husband has committed suicide. Shocked and shaken, Nora is determined to find out what would make him do such a thing -- an act that, to her, has come utterly out of nowhere. The search leads her to family secrets 25 years old, a rightfully paranoid reporter, and a violent old boys' club that one hopes could only be sustained in a tiny New England town. Recommended for mystery fans; readers who don't particularly care for mysteries could skip show more it.

Cover of Snow doesn't read like a debut novel; it has all the elements of a modern mystery novel and ties things up just neatly enough at the end. I didn't find Nora to be a particularly compelling narrator, as her operative emotion thoughout the novel, grief, can get one-note after a while. But this isn't much of an impediment to enjoying the story. After all, her husband has suddenly committed suicide without so much as a hint to her about why. Her grief makes sense.

I found other characters, such as Jean and Ned, more interesting, although they too remain rather underdeveloped. But again, this doesn't at all impede the story. Mysteries are rarely known for their character development, and with the clever plot and several interesting reveals (that room in Eileen's house!), it makes a quick and engaging read. People who don't care for mystery novels probably won't care for this, but those who do should enjoy the story. show less

4.5 stars.

As Night Falls by Jenny Milchman is a pulse pounding psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the story's dramatic conclusion.

The night begins like any other night in the Tremont household. Sandy is putting the finishing touches on dinner while waiting for her husband Ben and daughter Ivy to return home. Ivy arrives first and after a bit of an argument with Sandy, she storms upstairs to her room. Sandy and Ben enjoy a rare dinner alone after show more Ivy refuses to come downstairs and eat with them. However, their evening takes a frightening turn when two strangers enter the secluded house through the unlocked front door as Sandy and Ben are cleaning up the kitchen. The two men, Nick and Harlan, are escaped convicts who want something that only Ben can provide but violence erupts when Ben fights to protect his family from the intruders. Just when it seems nothing else can go wrong, an early snowstorm wreaks havoc on Nick's plans and the Tremont's terror continues unabated for the next several hours.

Nick and Harlan are cellmates and although Harlan is the one everyone first fears, it soon becomes apparent that Nick is the brains behind the escape while Harlan supplies the brawn. Nick is highly intelligent and personable until things begin to spiral out of control and he is quick to respond to any threats with cold, calculated violence. Harlan is a gentle giant but his less than average intelligence leaves him vulnerable to Nick's manipulation. He obeys Nick without question although he is uncomfortable with what he is being ordered to do.

Sandy is a therapist and she employs some tricks of the trade as she tries to drive a wedge between the two men. Some of her endeavors are moderately successful but she completely underestimates Nick's ability to read any situation. Many of these attempts backfire, further endangering the family. Ben's instinct to protect his wife and daughter is overwhelming and he refuses to quit fighting even in the face of escalating violence. Ivy's survival instincts are equally strong and she never stops trying to escape her captors.

One of the questions that drives the story is understanding why Nick targeted the Tremont family. On the surface, the answer appears clear early on, but the real reason behind Nick's motive for selecting the Tremont's is quite shocking. Equally perplexing is the reason the men were incarcerated in the first place. Flashbacks provide valuable insight into Nick's behavior from the time he was quite young and while it is obvious that he most likely committed a heinous crime, the truth is absolutely stunning. Harlan's crimes are completely unrelated to Nick's and surprisingly, he is a very sympathetic character despite his participation in Nick's twisted plan.

While As Night Falls is not a traditional whodunit, there are numerous secrets to uncover and Jenny Milchman masterfully keeps readers off balance with a number of unexpected plot twists. Cleverly written with plenty of action, this riveting novel poses some very thought-provoking questions about what drives a person to commit acts of violence. A very intriguing high octane thriller that fans of the genre do not want to miss. show less