Editorial Content for The Reaping: A Steinbeck and Reed Thriller
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
A new novel from Jess Lourey is always something to celebrate. When it ends up being another book featuring forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck and cold case detective Evangeline “Van” Reed, you know you're in for a special treat. THE REAPING follows the opening installment of the series, THE TAKEN ONES, and sets Harry and Van in the middle of an extremely creepy and supernaturally charged case that really hits home, especially for the former.
In 1984, in the woods of the small Minnesota village of Alku, brothers Rannie and Pekka witness death firsthand. It comes not at the hands of anything human but as a direct result of a run-in with the Finnish witch that the villagers refer to as veri noita. Pekka’s friend, Hector, will not survive the events of that ill-fated day, and his death is just the start of decades of suspicious killings in this small community of expatriates from Finland.
"THE REAPING is so much more than a mere thriller. There are complex characters, unpredictable settings, and a mix of supernatural and mystery elements that drive this tale to a unique finale."
In 1998, the biggest tragedy that hits Alku is the brutal murder of a family of five that is relegated to the cold case files. Since cold cases are what Harry and Van do, they take the ride to Alku as they are made aware of potential new killings and other creepy activities terrorizing the citizens. They must determine if the killer is a supernatural creature of Finnish legend or a human being wearing masks and enacting a brand of vengeance that seemingly has stunned everyone into silence.
Their first stop is the Carlton County Treatment Center, which serves as both a prison and an asylum for serial killers. It is run by none other than Pekka. He and his wife control the residents, but they certainly are not removed from the place as Pekka’s parents died under mysterious circumstances the same week that the family of five were mercilessly slain.
Living in the CCTC is the serial killer tagged with the nickname “Matty the Mallet,” who not only killed his victims but bashed their heads into a literal pulp to the point of unrecognizability. The challenge for Harry and Van is tying the recent slayings with a similar M.O. to an individual who not only is under lock and key but is also paralyzed from the waist down. Being there does a number on the psyche of Harry, whose mother still lives nearby and the shadow that has haunted him for decades over the disappearance of his sister, Caroline --- yet another of the area’s cold cases.
Harry and Van can’t deny that the answers may lie within the children of Alku. The only problem they have is getting any of them to speak, especially when the fear of the blood witch constantly hangs over them.
Like every Jess Lourey novel, THE REAPING is so much more than a mere thriller. There are complex characters, unpredictable settings, and a mix of supernatural and mystery elements that drive this tale to a unique finale.
Teaser
In 1998, an Alku, Minnesota, family of five was brutally murdered in their sleep. The event shook the insulated community but, without any solid leads, was relegated to the cold case files, where it moldered for 25 years. Until today. Agent Harry Steinbeck hoped never to return to the northland, a place that holds terrible memories of his sister’s abduction. But when a recent homicide is connected to Alku’s unsolved mass murder, he and cold case agent Evangeline Reed have no choice but to investigate. The case grows impossibly darker as, one by one, the children of Alku begin disappearing. Harry and Van can’t shake the sensation that someone is watching every move they make --- and the elusive killer’s trail leads to a truth more sinister than either imagined.
Promo
In 1998, an Alku, Minnesota, family of five was brutally murdered in their sleep. The event shook the insulated community but, without any solid leads, was relegated to the cold case files, where it moldered for 25 years. Until today. Agent Harry Steinbeck hoped never to return to the northland, a place that holds terrible memories of his sister’s abduction. But when a recent homicide is connected to Alku’s unsolved mass murder, he and cold case agent Evangeline Reed have no choice but to investigate. The case grows impossibly darker as, one by one, the children of Alku begin disappearing. Harry and Van can’t shake the sensation that someone is watching every move they make --- and the elusive killer’s trail leads to a truth more sinister than either imagined.
About the Book
By-the-book forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck and rogue BCA agent Van Reed must catch a cold-case killer who’s returned to abduct a small town’s children one by one in this heart-stopping novel from the Edgar Award–nominated author of UNSPEAKABLE THINGS.
In 1998, an Alku, Minnesota, family of five was brutally murdered in their sleep. The event shook the insulated community but, without any solid leads, was relegated to the cold case files, where it moldered for 25 years. Until today.
Agent Harry Steinbeck hoped never to return to the northland, a place that holds terrible memories of his sister’s abduction. But when a recent homicide is connected to Alku’s unsolved mass murder, he and cold case agent Evangeline Reed have no choice but to investigate.
The case grows impossibly darker as, one by one, the children of Alku begin disappearing. And Harry and Van can’t shake the sensation that someone is watching every move they make.
As an elusive killer’s trail leads to a truth more sinister than either imagined, Harry knows there’s only one way to crack this case: he finally must face the secrets of his own past --- even if doing so will cost him everything.
Audiobook available, read by James Daniels
