I got this softcover at a local thrift shop, for another release copy. [Update: I didn't realize it at first, but it turns out this book has a binding error; the first 20 pages are from God Sleeps in Rwanda by Joseph Sebarenzi, a memoir about the Rwandan genocide. After page 20 the book contains pages 27-221 of Blacklands. I've never seen this kind of printing/binding error before - it's usually either missing pages or duplicated pages from the same book, not the grafting of an entirely different one!]

The plot intrigued me - a mystery novel themed on the tragedy of missing children, with a boy reaching out to a jailed serial killer in hopes of finding out where his long-lost uncle may be buried...

I enjoyed this suspenseful and often harrowing tale, which alternated between the viewpoint of young Steven and that of imprisoned serial-killer Arnold - whose heinous crimes and his clear intention to commit more of same at any cost make him a true monster. The growing suspense regarding his communications with Steven, the tension in Steven's own home-life - one marred by borderline poverty and a checked-out family, all still broken from the loss of Uncle Billy - it combines to form a riveting tale.

Avery's crimes included multiple murders of children, with prolonged sexual assault beforehand; that, and his rather blithe refusal to reveal the locations of the still-undiscovered victims, make him a nightmare character. The author does a good job of making it all too clear what he's doing without spelling it out in detail - and perhaps it's all the more effective for that. {shudder}

The long-term cost of violent crime on the surviving family is sketched out clearly too.

[If you like this one, you might also like Mo Hayder's "Jack Caffery" series, which starts with Birdman.]

I left this book in the Little Free Library on this lovely day; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in MA here.]