As Night Falls

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 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, show more 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

Imagine a scenario where the writers for As the World Turns get together to plan the script for upcoming episodes. One mentions that the two escaped convicts in upstate New York are garnering a lot of interest and suggests that they should write that into the story. Another mentions that Humphrey Bogart once did a pretty good movie called The Desperate Hours in which escaped convicts held a family captive in their home, terrorizing them. A third commented that they could make the two convicts be like George and Lennie from Of Mice and Men with the one being small, hot-headed and crafty and the other one very large, child-like and mentally disabled. Another suggests that this doesn’t sound too much like a soap opera plot and the others show more tell him not to worry. All they needed to do was throw in some repressed family secrets, a hint of marital discord, a psychotic mother, and a bunch of nonsensical emotional drama and you would be good to go. With that, they all set to work and made it almost to the end before they realized that they needed some police to help wrap things up. One writer mentioned that he was reading a book called Ruin Falls and the small town chief of police named Tim would be a good lawman. After all, he lived in the area and was the only relatively stable character in that book. They all agreed and wrote him into the script and then all locked up and went out to the local watering hole just As Night Falls.

Bottom line: As Night Falls is a moderately interesting thriller that is considerably better than Ruin Falls, Milchman’s previous book. It’s main problem is it’s over-melodramatic writing that is chock full of bizarre phrases like ’fury unfurled like the petals of a carnivorous plant’ or ’a slash of a second’. I probably won’t go out of my way to read any future books by this author.

* Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review book was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements :
• 5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
• 4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
• 3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered the next great American novel.
• 2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
• 1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire. show less

Now this is what a thriller is supposed to read like. Loved it!

Sandra Tremont lives with her husband Ben, daughter Ivy, and dog Mac in a castle-like house in a very secluded area. Relations are strained between Sandy and Ivy, as are most teen-age daughter/mother relationships. Ivy has stormed off to her room after accusing her mother of having a secret. Ben comes home to a strained household. Little do any of them know that their lives are about to change forever.

Not far from this family scene are four convicts working on a road. Two of them, Nick and Harlan, have planned and make a break for freedom. Twenty years in prison has made this a very deadly team.

The book alternates between tense scenes of Nick and Harlan’s invasion of the show more Tremont home and scenes from Nick’s childhood. Great development of the characters.

I read through half the book while waiting for my car to be maintenance. I was actually happy because I had no interruptions. This book grabbed me and did not let go until the electrifying conclusion.

I received this book through GoodReads First Reads program in return for an honest review. show less

AS NIGHT FALLS is Jenny Milchman's third book. Although I've read her first, I haven't read her second. It doesn't seem to matter if Milchman's books are read out of order. Each stands alone, even though the location and police are the same.

I liked Milchman's first book, COVER OF SNOW. I expected AS NIGHT FALLS to be just as good, but, SURPRISE, it's better. The story takes place (with several flashbacks) one evening (as night falls), one tense, seemingly endless evening.

Some would say they couldn't put the book down, they read it in one sitting. AS NIGHT FALLS really is that good, but let's be real: in the normal course of life, you have to put your book down, you have to get up to care for your children, answer the phone, clean the show more kitchen, whatever. But, I promise, when you put this book down, you will be anxious to pick it back up.

What a great book! I have only two problems with it that won't bother a less critical person.

First, Sandy's memory. Sandy is the wife and mother in this story. Without giving it away, I'll say only that I question her memory. I found it a little hard to swallow.

Second, some of the determinations made in this story are, I think, stupid. No examples because everything in AS NIGHT FALLS is better left a surprise.

Enjoy! show less

3.5 What do you rate a book that creeped you out at the same time it also pissed you off? Will ponder. This is seriously one creepy book, a book you don't want to red when you are alone at night, nor if you live in the middle of nowhere. For those who do not lock their doors, this book will have you checking them and the windows. It is everyone's worst nightmare. The tension almost unbearable if not for occasional breaks where we learn about Nick's very strange upbringing. Which gets me to the pissed off part, the mother. Won't tell you more, you'll have to read this for yourself.

But it could have been edited a bit more, maybe not quite as long. After a while I just didn't want to read anymore. It went from creepy and compelling, show more (Thanks Christine)to ludicrous and overkill. Sort of like a continuous loop of bad things after bad things. Too much. Yes, there are a couple of twists, one good, one kind of out of nowhere. Still a book that will cause you to shiver and maybe heed your safety precautions a little more thoroughly.

ARC from NetGalley. show less

This is a 'grab your hat and hang on' thrill ride from beginning to end. It is a home invasion story with many surprises, twists, and turns. The plot of this book was well written and most of the characters, even minor ones, were well developed. One of the bad guys nudged my heart to the point he brought tears to my eyes. The book keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. The ending, while wrapping everything up nicely, was, to me, a little creepy and took away from the book. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

As Night Falls by Jenny Milchman is a tense and atmospheric thriller that will keep you turning the pages as they reveal layers upon layers of plot and hidden secrets. Milchman continues her triumphs of novels set int he snowy mountains where what is hidden by the blinding blizzard is so less dangerous than what is kept secret in the hearts of those around you.

Deep in the mountains, isolated in her beautiful home, therapist Sandy Tremont awaits the arrival of her daughter and husband. Home, as of late, has been tense with a teenage daughter but Sandy has always tried to make the best of family time. Even if it meant keeping small secrets. Something she learned to do long ago.

As the snow falls in the Adirondacks, two prisoners plan and show more execute their escape. Their journey takes them straight toward the Sandy and her family. Sandy, her daughter Ivy and her husband Ben have no idea the terror they are opening their door to. At first the prisoners say they are only looking for supplies to help them through the mountains and into Canada. But as the snow continues to flurry it becomes clear that there is much more at stake in this home invasion. How do the prisoner happen to choose this isolated home? Where Ben is a wilderness tracker and guide and has all the supplies they could possibly need? Why does Sandra comply so quickly with all they want and need? And why does the leader of the two escapees, the one named Nick,the one with the hardened smile, keep calling her Cassie?

What begins as a violent home invasion turns into something much more terrifying. Milchman does a terrific job of unraveling the layers of secrets and hidden past the eventually reveal the whole sordid tale behind Sandy Tremont's life. While the flashbacks may be stunted at times and disrupt the flow of the story, they do tie together Nick and Sandy and who they are. That big reveal actually comes early in the book and lacks the punch one would expect it to have. However Milchman keeps the story flowing and even picking up pace so as the reader moves along they begin to realize that perhaps that big reveal wasn't really the main plot twist to this story.

Family secrets aside, As Night Falls is a thriller. Isolated in the mountains, Ben subdued quickly, Sandy and Ivy must find a way to protect themselves from Nick and his partner. Whether through guile or force, Sandy must protect her daughter from Nick and the secrets they share. Even though she knows she cannot keep Ivy safe completely from the truth and the violence Nick and his partner bring into her home.

Another terrific novel from the author of Ruin Falls and Cover of Snow! show less