The Easton Falls Massacre by Holly Rae Garcia & Ryan Prentice Garcia | Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot's Revenge Published by Close To The Bone on October 30th 2020
Genres: Horror, Monsters, Gore, Mystery, Bigfoot, Monster Horror
Pages: 92
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
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US Army Veteran Henry Miller embarks on a hunt at the edge of the Black Forest, but strays from the path and finds himself too close to the East Cascade Mountain Range.

Something lurks in the forest on the other side of those mountains. An ancient race of Bigfoot that have kept to themselves for centuries, until one of them defies the warnings and roams too far from the safety of their home.

When these two intersect, alliances are broken and events set in motion that will leave residents of the town of Easton Falls, Washington, fighting for their lives.

The Easton Falls Massacre was a short, sharp shock to my brain.  Sometimes you just come across a book that is inevitably your thing.  This is not a book you can define, not a book that you can neatly file away under already established genres.  This was a book that deserved to be inhaled, it deserved to be experienced at the rate the events took place.  The story is told through the eyes of Henry Miller ex-army veteran.  We witness his struggle with civilian street and his frustration at wanting a wholesome life in his hometown.  He is the anchor of the story…the humanity.   

Henry Miller is now on home soil, he’s rekindled his romance with Kate after ten years apart and has a baby boy on the way, Otis.  Pretty regular things, human things, things that define our grip on normality, our legacy.  Life as life does, takes a downward spiral.  Things don’t go to plan, and Kate and Henry separate.  Henry’s way of escapism is to go hunting.  To become one with the woods, the sound of birds chirping, gunpowder wafting and a kill at his feet.  A kill that doesn’t look much like a bear but more deformed and resolutely larger…unbeknownst to Henry we are experiencing the tailspin that has no end. 

The Easton Falls Massacre was devoured in less than an hour.  I was completely absorbed in the journey of delusion, anger and fear.  I didn’t necessarily expect a happy ending but the brutalness of the prose had me by the throat and wouldn’t let go until I had digested the horrific nature of grief. 

The plot examines and makes us question everything we though we knew about the natural world.  It delves into our psyche like an Olympic diver.  It plays upon our fears about what the woods could potentially keep hidden under the cover of darkness.  It’s that knee jerk reaction of checking over your shoulder when you hear a twig cracking.  Did you see a shadow or was it a trick of the eye?  What if everything we believed was a lie?  Henry has no control over the events he inadvertently, set in motion.  He has no control over anything.  It makes you think about grabbing life by the balls whilst you still have it. 

The Easton Falls Massacre was a paralysing analysis of the human condition.  The writing left me spellbound.  It takes your darkest fear and makes it a horrifically brilliant reality.

ABOUT HOLLY RAE GARCIA

Holly is a corporate photographer by day. When she’s not shooting or editing, she writes short stories and novels and runs a local book club. They meet at the pub. Okay, they’re a wine club that talks about books. Semantics.

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She’s worn a lot of hats over the years, working as a waitress, bartender, 911 dispatcher, wedding photographer, lab technician, and a handful of soul-crushing roles at soul-crushing companies. But not her current role, that job is fantastic (in case her boss is reading this).

Holly loves the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Daniel Keyes, Richard Matheson, and Stephen King. Dark stories with sad endings are her jam. In her own writing, she leans towards the horror, sci-fi, and dystopian genres.

Close to the Bone Publishing released her debut novel, Come Join the Murder, on March 27th, 2020.

Holly lives on the Texas Coast with her family and five dogs.

Holly Rae Garcia

ABOUT RYAN PRENTICE GARCIA

Ryan Prentice Garcia is a construction worker and US Army veteran with a warped sense of reality. He lives in Texas with his wife, children, and three dogs.