After barely escaping the haunted streets of Arkham and Miskatonic University, Travis Daniels is on the run with his ward, Leslie Owens. Seeking refuge in the remote woods of Monashee Mountain, their lives take another dark turn when they witness a brutal, savage murder. Now, they're thrust into a web of deceit, danger, and old grudges as they are drawn into a conflict between warring factions in the small town of Tonasket. Travis must navigate the escalating tension between the town’s residents, the Native American tribes, and the ancient, shadowy creatures that dwell in the wilderness. The clock is ticking as dangerous rivalries between Sasquatch and werewolves threaten to erupt, and the local logging operations are sabotaged by forces more sinister than anyone can imagine. As Travis works to uncover the truth behind the murder, he must decide whom he can trust before it's too late. With danger closing in, only one thing is the truth will come at a cost.
Overall, this was a great continuation of the original story with a lot to like. The main part of the story here, involving the lifestyle the two lead while on the run, trying to remain inconspicuous while also attempting to incorporate a solid enough mystery about the goings-on in the small town, creates a wholly enjoyable starting point. That we get to see the after-effects of the previous incident, involving their frazzled reactions to being on the run and how they take to being in the middle of everything in the small town, gets crazier the more they stay there, is all quite intriguing. Seeing how this shifts the story going forward, with not just their behavior change from the nervous, jittery type trying to hide from others, to going through the early stages of the new battle that brings together the two, and the multi-pronged war taking place in the community. Serves this well by moving through the action and storytelling incredibly well
The aspects of the war take centerstage in the story, which involves a Native American tribe trying to keep the descendants of their tribe who are capable of turning into werewolves from causing an uproar in a town at war with the tribe for their opposition to a logging company in the area. That background information effectively incorporates a solid series of investigations examining the history of the various forces within the community that influence real-world events, highlighting the distrust and abuse of the local tribes. There’s enough to enjoy here with this setup featuring the different bits of historical connections to most of the other aspects that are brought up to help enhance the atmosphere and action of the novel with the main drawback being a somewhat downgraded importance for Leslie throughout here that renders her almost pointless for most of the story. Forced to hide from others so as not to attract attention from those chasing after her, that means she has to spend the majority of the novel under the protection spell she performs and staying out of the limelight, but beyond this, there’s little to suggest any other issues here.
4.5/5
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