Book Review: THE BOATMAN'S DAUGHTER by Andy Davidson

THE BOATMAN’S DAUGHTER by Andy Davidson (MCD X FSG Originals, February 2020)  Trade paperback, 416 pages.  ISBN # 0374538557 / 9780374538552

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .

 A "lush nightmare" (Paul Tremblay) of a supernatural thriller about a young woman facing down ancient forces in the depths of the bayou

Ever since her father was killed when she was just a child, Miranda Crabtree has kept her head down and her eyes up, ferrying contraband for a mad preacher and his declining band of followers to make ends meet and to protect an old witch and a secret child from harm.

But dark forces are at work in the bayou, both human and supernatural, conspiring to disrupt the rhythms of Miranda's peculiar and precarious life. And when the preacher makes an unthinkable demand, it sets Miranda on a desperate, dangerous path, forcing her to consider what she is willing to sacrifice to keep her loved ones safe.

With the heady myth-making of Neil Gaiman and the heartrending pacing of Joe Hill, Andy Davidson spins a thrilling tale of love and duty, of loss and discovery. The Boatman's Daughter is a gorgeous, horrifying novel, a journey into the dark corners of human nature, drawing our worst fears and temptations out into the light. 

My Four-Star review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     I really enjoyed this book, especially Davidson's descriptive skills and the way he verbally paints his scenery. 

     I view this as more of a crime story with supernatural elements than a pure horror or fantasy story - - and I feel it reads better through that mindset.

     The first chapter is extremely powerful, very suspenseful and vividly described. I read it three times just to savor everything. The bayou scenes really came to life. Davidson's descriptive skills and economy of language is worth admiration. So much was packed into that opening chapter that what follows through the first third of the book seems slow in comparison, even though I could sense the building tension. 

     I'm very satisfied with how this ended. The younger characters are the most empathetic, none more so than the brave and bold Miranda Crabtree, who has to make some major decisions between morally right and wrong before everything is resolved. The adult characters all have major flaws, with few exceptions. However, as another member of the Horror Afficianados group read (Mike by name, not me) pointed out that "childhood innocence becomes flawed at some age."