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.