Will you believe anything you are told? Say, from this president? I find that, often, a book will strike me right in the gut with an emotional response that in at least one way, creates a resolves to read a book carefully--very carefully. This book deserves that type of attention, else you will not be able to ensure you totally understand what is happening... Even Ruth Baker, our Forest Ranger who we met recently in the first book of this series... When I saw that the setting for the second book was a Log Cabin, I just had to read it, even without a plot description... What better way to read a book about log cabins than within a log cabin? LOL But there was another reason as well... I am close to Manny Moreno an elder who has shared many poems and artistic paintings and other crafts so I am an interested individual wanting to learn more about today's native americans. Especially how they are treated... More on that soon...
In any event I was becoming deeply involved in the book, but I noticed one thing that I felt as a, somewhat, constructive criticism for the author to consider. You see, in all, or perhaps almost all of the scenes which involved the main character, Ruth Baker, the author apparently felt a need to point out Baker's extensive training by using the word "tactical..." I don't know about any other reader, but when somebody uses a specific word over and over and over, it appears to be an attempt to ensure readers actually believe that "a woman" could be as effective in her job as to outsmart a man... Let me just add. No female writer would deign to feel a need to, on every brilliant action her main female character did, to have to qualify all the tactical training that she "had" to believe to make the story believable... Let's just say it disrupted my enjoyment every time!
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...when in reality she’d finally found her true purpose. The mountain had shown her visions of things no dissertation could ever capture. “Every false trail leaves its own marks.” “We are not a cult,” he said sharply, as if reading Rachel’s thoughts. “That word implies blind faith, mindless devotion. What we serve is older than faith. More primal than devotion...
“And you believed me.” The laugh behind his mask was genuine. “Just like... Just like everyone believes what they need to believe.”
Of all the ways she’d imagined dying in the line of duty, freezing to death on a mountain in Texas had never made the list.
“The mountain requires balance,” he said, his voice almost gentle. “Every cycle has its price. Every ritual demands its sacrifices.”
“She thought her family’s wealth and social position were power. She never understood that true power comes from fear.
The main plot of the book is that people are disappearing--mostly women--in a small town in Texas. This small town happens to be near the ancient Shadow Mountain which was under governmental oversight by Texas Rangers... But the setting itself is the mountain as opposed to anything to do with the small town, per se. More specifically, it relates to the individuals who own homes at the foot of the mountain and on up the sides of the mountain... And, to make it even more interesting, the higher the home on the mountain, the richer the occupants who are able to afford that piece of real estate...
Shadow Mountain has etchings on the walls which revealed that ancient natives once used the caves within the mountain for activities. Apparently, it is a location that is of interest to students of history, anthropology, and other similar disciplines that study ancient writings.
And somebody had begun to manufacturer some of the designs as seen in the caves... and leave them where each body is found... The local police seem to overlook the potential connection, but Ruth Baker and her partner--in more ways than one--are soon on the trail...
Even from a distance, there was something forbidding about Shadow Mountain. Unlike the gentler peaks that surrounded it, it stood apart - steeper, darker, more ancient in appearance. Its face was scarred by deep crevasses and precarious cliff faces, as if something massive had once clawed its way down the mountainside. The locals called it “The Witch” for the way its profile resembled a hooded figure when viewed from certain angles, though Ruth thought it looked more like a looming beast rising up on its hindquarters. The weather report had mentioned a storm system moving in, but looking at those roiling clouds gathering around the peak, Ruth suspected they’d underestimated its severity. For now, the December morning was clear and crisp where they were, but up on the mountain, conditions were clearly deteriorating. The wall of dark clouds was slowly devouring the summit, like ink spreading through water. Aaron Tate sat beside her, reviewing the case notes on his tablet. Six months of working side by side, they’d found an easy rhythm as partners, the thing simmering quietly between them still carefully unspoken - even if his habit of humming along to whatever country song was stuck in his head still drove her crazy. He glanced up
occasionally to admire how the winter light caught the auburn highlights in Ruth’s dark hair, a fact she pretended not to notice but secretly enjoyed.
The warmth hit them immediately, and with it came the hum of quiet conversation, the sizzle of a busy grill, and the clink of silverware against ceramic plates. It was a pocket of life, untouched by the mounting storm outside. They slid into a booth near the window, the vinyl creaking beneath them. The tabletop jukebox sat between them, its song list a nostalgic collection of classics—Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams.
Aaron gave it an amused glance, his hand hovering over the laminated menus tucked neatly behind the napkin dispenser. “Feels like stepping into a time capsule,” he said, pulling out a menu. “Bet they still charge fifty cents for a Coke.”
~~~
This isn’t about worth. It’s about necessity. About feeding what sleeps in the mountain’s heart.” He moved to one of the walls, raising his lamp. In the stronger light, Sarah could see that the symbols formed distinct patterns – dates, names, a dark history carved in stone. “You studied the old symbols,” he continued, tracing one with his free hand. “But you misinterpreted them, just like that young anthropologist did in ’89. These aren’t warnings or wards. They’re a concatenation. A ritual refined over centuries.” Sarah felt her blood run cold as the pieces clicked into place. “Emily Whitby. She figured it out, didn’t she? That’s why you killed her.” “Killed her?” He turned, and Sarah saw something fevered in his eyes, a zealot’s certainty that made him more terrifying than any mere murderer. “I gave her to the mountain. Just like all the others. Just like we’re going to give you.”
~~~
Yes, this is a mystery, a thriller... But even more, it is a horror story of the highest level... If you dare read this book, you will soon feel the cold... The cold of being caught in cabins in a winter storm--one that only comes at certain times... When it is said that the Mountain is waiting...hungry... You will feel the pain of being left without any transportation off hills where snow arrives to cover your footprints even before you make your next nearly frozen step... Will you even survive a snow that never stops and you realize that there is no way off the Shadow Mountain where, seemingly, you see glances from your right or left, as if somebody was there, but when you look, there is nobody... Even your partner must tie yourselves together so that you cannot lose each other and possibly be totally alone... And then you see a cave, but when you enter, the cold is much worse, but a different type of cold, a biting cold that seeps down into your very soul and you wonder if, yes, you will freeze this day on Shadow Mountain...
Yet each time, you find a way...until they came...as a group...in masks and ancient robes... Too many... marching in synchronization... carrying somebody in a kind of throne...
Only then you begin to wonder, is any of this real? Ruth Baker's mind reviews all of the interviews that have been made, many related by those who have had relatives disappear... Has she gathered enough evidence to understand exactly what is actually happening on Shadow Mountain and beneath it???
This book talks about cults, drugs used for control, manipulation for purposes of criminals willing to commit murder for greed and power. At the same time, it shares how those who work for good and others will always win out ultimately.... This book was a blessing for me... Let you eyes and ears hear what the ancient people who wrote on the walls were actually saying...
This could be a must-read for many... Highly recommended...
GABixlerReviews
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