Book Review: BONE WHITE by Ronald Malfi

BONE WHITE by Ronald Malfi (Kensington, July 2017) Paperback, 321 pages.

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

A man’s search for his missing brother triggers a blood-freezing odyssey into the Alaskan wilds in a terrifying novel by an award-winning master of contemporary horror.

You should not be here . . .

Paul Gallo sees the report on the a disheveled loner in the remote hamlet of Dread’s Hand, Alaska, calmly admits to the murder of eight hikers and agrees to lead authorities to his victims’ graves. It’s the same bit of unsettling wilderness where Paul’s twin brother, Danny, vanished a year ago.

Assuming that Danny’s remains will be among the exhumed bodies, Paul arrives to find Dread’s Hand far from welcoming. Locals talk of superstitions, legends, and a devil that steals souls. Wooden crosses, staked in the frozen ground, cordon off the woods to keep what’s in there from coming out. Most troubling, no one can explain exactly what happened to Danny.

As Paul searches for answers, the true horrors of Dread’s Hand close in around him. The most chilling mystery of all may be how to get out of there alive.

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

     Part Three (Keeper Of The Gate), the third and final act of the novel - - was extremely hard to put down and the pages were turned faster than before. The slow methodical build-up to the final act and the encroaching suspense and dread all come to a head in the ending chapters. I did not envision the turn that the story would take.

     While the back-cover synopsis make it seem like a simple and focused storyline, just try to describe this to others and you'll quickly realize how layered and complex BONE WHITE is and how adeptly Malfi wove all the threads into his blanket of blood and bravery.

     Parts of this novel reminded me of themes from Jeffrey Knovitz's THE SENTINEL and Stephen King's THE OUTSIDER. Good company, indeed.

     I'm impressed with the talent of Malfi. This was my first encounter with his work, and it won't be the last.

NOTES:

MARCH 05

Just started reading today. That first chapter provides a definite hook. I'm pulled in.

MARCH 10

Just finished Part One (Dead Bodies). A lot of foreshadowing going on, and it's building that feeling of dread. I'm expecting a horrific pay-out in Part Two or later.

I'm enjoying the style of Malfi's writing. Easy to follow, and he manages to pull you into the story. Also appreciating his similes, of which there are many. I should have been noting where there are, but this one really stood out on Page 85:

The beer was cold and infused with hops, and it seemed to carve a path down Paul's throat like an ice floe cutting through a fjord.

March 12

Just finished Part Two (Dread's Hand). The town and its residents look to play a bigger part as the mystery keeps being mysterious. Something I wondered whether it would happen - - does - - at the end of Part Two. . . . and it doesn't make me feel good about it.

Summing up Part Two - - creepy and unsettling. Feel bad for Paul. I've not experienced the kind of grief that he has, but not sure that I would be as persistent as him. Especially considering I'd have to travel to remote Alaska. Nuh-uh. Not me.