Cross County

Cross Country was superbly written and was interesting as far as plot twists, although a bit predictable. The imagery was well done in both the "real" scenes and the dream-like, supernatural scenes. The characters were disappointing though; they have a great start, but need more developing as they lack any substance, quirks, individuality, or uniqueness, as you learn only parts of their histories as they pertain to the current scene. I found that it reads nothing like Stephen King (as the back claims) and could easily put it down as I wasn't intrigued enough to care what happened next, but I was able to finish it.

I was introduced to Tim Waggoner when he was writing for Leisure’s horror line. I have not been disappointed on whatever I read from this author, so I was not going to let a change in publisher or a change in genre stop me from keep seeking his work.

In my first foray out of that boundary, CROSS COUNTY did not disappoint and it remained a satisfying read with many classic Waggoner signatures: conceptualized characters that you can relate to with very little description, very dark villains and supernatural occurrences bordering on the fantastical. You wrap that up in a noir atmosphere that hangs over you like a dark, brooding cloud and you have a hell of a ride á la Waggoner style.

CROSS COUNTY begins running with two parallel story show more lines that become central to an ongoing investigation. With a vast array of characters that we see the story through, it begins as a typical “who dunnit” kind of story and it does not take too long for it to spiral into a, believe it or not, creditable supernatural fiasco.

As the story progresses, small clues are revealed through believable dialogue. As the surprises are revealed to the characters, the reader feels as if he is a participant and not a third party witness. Waggoner's mastery with such a technique enhances the shock factor several notches as the story crescendos into its final revelation.

It is a book that has just about everything: something lurking in the woods, psychic abilities, family obligation, revenge, temptation, murder, mystery, supernatural, secrets within secrets, lust, remorse, loss. What is there not to like?

The only reason that I gave 4/5 stars on this book is because of my personal preference when comparing all the books that I have read by this author. This book does not come close to Tim’s true capabilities and it reads more like a much softer version of a horror novel. It just felt like he held back, but understandably so, as the target audience is obviously different.

I wholly recommend this book to fellow readers who are already familiar with Waggoner’s horror novels. For a more wholesome introduction to Waggoner for the first timer try PANDORA’S DRIVE or DARKNESS WAKES, before reading this one. show less

This book was a decent story. It had a lot of twists and turns with the storyline heading into supernatural areas which made it hard to guess what was going to happen. I didn't find the book as engrossing as I had hoped, but it seems like the author set up the characters well to follow up with additional books. I would buy additional books with these characters.

Tim Waggoner has done it again and given us another fantastic tale of horror and mystery. Cross County is a strange place with the strangest part being the Cross family. After a particualr murder the sheriff starts looking for the killer as does a memebr of the Cross family. Their objectives are not quite the same and lends to some interesting tension.

This is a good murder mystery which keeps the reader guessing until the end which I especially like. No spoilers here, but if you enjoy HP Lovecraft, you will enjoy Cross County.

Perhaps it's my general skepticism about the quality of thrillers, but this book, while striving to link so many different genres together, comes across as being silly and stretching credulity left and right. However, the book was also compulsively readable, and since Waggoner attributes many mysterious happenings to a cause which was in no way predictable from the clues, the ending came as a surprising revelation to me. This, however, I think was the biggest problem with the novel.

Horror often uses an unearthly explanation for happenings which the reader may only have dim guesses about, since in horror, the more unique the monster, the better. However, a good thriller is once which unfolds to the reader and the protagonist show more simultaneously: as soon as Kay Scarpetta realizes something, we, the reader, begin to puzzle out why things are happening, or at least what questions to ask next.

Cross County relies on a V.C. Andrews-esque family to propel both the crime action and the supernatural action along, and while Waggoner makes it quite clear to the reader *what* sort of odd happenstances are occurring with little subtlety, the *why* comes out of the blue, smacks of a half-hearted Lovecraft reference, and will strike the reader as just plain silly. The scariest part of the novel, the Black Beast, is dispensed of almost without comment, and many coincidental plot points seem to be distributed willy-nilly to make Waggoner's not-very-satisfying conclusion link the multitude of weirdnesses going on together.

The book is not all together lost, though; as I mentioned, I did eagerly read it (in just two sittings, in fact), and there are several mysteries which are satisfactorily explained, such as what happened in Joanne's childhood and what the hell the Black Beast was. However, Waggoner fails to integrate the two genres adequately, and fans of both will feel as if he was too focused on the wrong side of the spectrum. show less

A page-turner; I didn't want to put it down because I was so anxious to find out what was *really* going on in the story. It's a spooky thriller that becomes a supernatural horror tale. The only criticism I have for it is that I wish there was MORE information included. A lot is eventually explained, but I would have liked a bit more of the characters' backgrounds detailed. OTOH, that indicates that I felt drawn to most of the characters, right?

A prequel would be great!

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.