The Hunter Inside [Kindle Edition]

This book crosses the genres in a really good way. It's part thriller, part mystery, definitely deeply into the supernatural and it does them all well. Three people are being stalked and threatened with death. The killer had previously killed members of their families and they find themselves targeted in the same way. It's very tense and an exciting read. I got into the book quickly and enjoyed reading it.

I found the writing good and engaging, the dialogue well observed and believable. The only down side for me was that I could see why one person was the target of this killer but I couldn't see the connection with the other two families. It seemed a bit arbitrary and I would have liked to see them connected in some way to the 'import from China' (trying not to give away plot!) The writing was well crafted, effective and the ending was exciting and bitter-sweet. A very good read!

A blistering debut from a promising author, McGowan, to me, has captured the 'human condition' perfectly within this book, or my understanding of it. It teases you with fear, it hammers you with love, it leaves you all but defeated, but more than anything it fills you with hope. All aspects that every thriller should have! (A super natural/psychological/thriller at that). As human nature prescribes, despite the danger, despite the fear, you will follow the characters to their destiny or doom!

McGowan builds his characters with ease, giving enough of each person to inspire the connections that we need in such books, allowing us to warm to the protagonists who are easy to like (Bill being my personal favourite!). Three people are stalked by an unseen terror, unseen but never unfelt. The threat is tangible, your own pulse will quicken with the characters', your skin will tingle and hairs on your neck will rise as the mystery unravels at a perfect pace.

The read is compelling, the dialect between characters is smooth, the narrative relentlessly pushes you towards a goal that simply put, you will NOT see coming.

All-in-all, McGowan has a debut to be proud of, and I very much look forward to the next book! 'The Hunter Inside' will leave you feeling a parallel with the nemesis that stalks it's prey, as the author stalks your emotions, teasing them, tempting them, fulfilling them, destroying them, and building them in equal measure.

5 stars.

An interesting premise however I found that the characters were one dimensional and acted in unbelivable and illogical ways. The pace of the story moved at a rushed pace and would have benefited from more padding out