This is a tale of an unrelenting and hungry darkness. A story of death and tragedy and sorrow. A place where screams cannot be heard, where fear must be fed and sins go to die. This is the story of Nowhere – if you dare to open the door and let it in.
Allison Gunn, is a debut queer woman author in horror/thriller genre market heavily dominated by male authors. I chose Nowhere as my most anticipated book for 2025. Not only did it live it to the hype, this book has exceeded all expectations!
Meet the Keenan’s – Rachel, Finn, Charlie, Aiden and Lucy. Finn was a writer, but more than that, he was/is an alcoholic. After one too many drinks, he was driving Aiden and Lucy home, and after swerving to miss something he lost Aiden to the river. Their family was forever changed. They moved to a small town in Virginia called Dalmouth where she hung up the city detective life to be the chief of police. Dalmouth has its secrets too, but most of all, they do not like outsiders. The citizens tend to lean on the religious side of things and they will make sure to point out all of your faults.
Dalmouth, like other small towns in Appalachia is ridden with crime and drugs. However, something seems a little different this time. A man, nailed to a tree with his eyes gouged and weird symbols are everywhere. Unfortunately, the witness that found the body is a well-known meth dealer and all of his ramblings and warnings are dismissed.
As you turn the pages, you continually dig deeper and find out just how broken the Kennan family is. The story of how Rachel and Finn come together and why they stay together is a story in and of itself. The reasons behind Rachel’s defensiveness and the walls around her heart truly resonated among the pages. You will hate them both for most of the book. After you are done hating them, remember that every person has a backstory that you probably know nothing about. Actually, you will probably hate nearly everyone in the book (not Jeremy) and that is part of what makes it great. The neighbors are judgy and hateful, the teachers are know-it-alls, and the religious community is way over the top. Rachel can be a raging B word and you will want to sucker punch Finn.
Bottom line – lean all the way into this horror thriller that will stick with you for days. Allison Gunn is an author to follow and watch for what is next. The Appalachian Mountains are full of secrets! One more thing – sleep with the lights on!
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Purchase Nowhere
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