Book Review: SCAVENGER SUMMER by Steven Savile

SCAVENGER SUMMER by Steven Savile  (Horrific Tales Publishing, Kindle edition, book release April 16, 2020) ASIN # B0838K7FCS  

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .

The summer of 1986. A summer of beach-combing and skinny dipping, of amusement arcades, karate games and Penny Falls, of first loves, fumbled experiences, excitement, and possibilities. 

A summer where anything could happen. Those teenage days truly were the best ones of my life. 

Right up until the moment I found my mother’s body washed up on the beach. 

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

     I love a good opening line that immediately creates curiosity and interest and pulls me right into the story. As soon as I read it, I wanted to read the entire first chapter. 

     For opening sentences, this one is hard to beat: "I was fifteen when I found my mother's body washed up on the beach."

     Scavenger Summer is so much more than simple murder tale. It's a horror story first and foremost, as well as a carefully crafted coming-of-age memoir that handles youthful relationships, awkward first sexual experiences, friendships, family, obsession with '80's music, suspicion of adults, decision-making and responsibility. 

     I was reminded of Invasion of The Body Snatchers, Stand By Me, and some Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes. 

     Young Danny only wanted to have a pleasant holiday with family in a rented chalet near Ayr Beach in Scotland. What happens in just a few days changes his life forever. 

     Savile keeps the story moving along at a rapid clip and seamlessly transports readers through the changes in content, from sharing fun memories to being isolated by real danger to darker themes and a maddening and disturbing ending. He even mixes in a sly jab at the evils of the fossil fuel industry.