Solar Eclipse

by John Farris

Shay Waco is a stuntwoman on her way home with her eleven-year-old daughter when a semi sends her Chevy Tahoe over an embankment. Thanks to her skills and training, she manages to free herself and her child from the twisted metal. The two then jump nearly sixty feet to crash through a grove of conifers. Bruised and bleeding, Shay walks with the girl until they discover a lone house. Thinking to call for help, they go inside, only to find a family sitting around its dinner table - with bullets in their foreheads.. "The case falls under the jurisdiction of county sheriff Tobin Bonner, an ex-DEA agent with a past he'd like to forget. His adopted son, now nineteen, has had a bullet in his brain - a gift from drug runners - since he was two. He can't talk, but he can run, which he does each and every day through the scenic river valley. Why, when Bonner begins to investigate the shootings, does someone send him photos of the boy, alone and vulnerable, on his daily outings?. "As the killers close in, Bonner and Shay find they must rely on each other in order to fight a web of money, drugs, and murder in sunny Arizona.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Horror

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

American writer and screenwriter of both adaptations of his own books (e.g. 'The Fury'), of the works of others (such as Alfred Bester's 'The Demolished Man') and original scripts. In 1973 he wrote and directed the film 'Dear Dead Delilah'. He has had several plays produced off-Broadway, and also paints and writes poetry. At various times he has made his home in New York, Southern California and Puerto Rico; he currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. Early in his career he also wrote under the name Steve Brackeen.

Reviews

[Ben Boulden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant thriller with a cast of oddball characters, a fine Southern Utah setting, and a perfectly designed (and very complicated) plot.

[Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not finished the book yet but so far it is a great read. It really puts the reader into the scenes of the book and at some parts is very intense. Its very interesting to see how the story and characters play out. the author did a great job of showing emotion in the characters. You can really visualize the scenes that he has put into the book. John Farris put his heart and soul into this one and it turned out to be amazing. The book makes you feel sympathy for the characters and hope they turn out to be fine. For anyone who enjoys a suspenseful book this would definitely be perfect for them. This is one of the few books that i have enjoyed reading and spending the time to read it and put this into my collection. Overall I would recommend this to anyone that is deciding on reading this because it's definitely worth your time.

[Kathleen Hubbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good. First book with this author.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2001. A sharp thriller with a cast of oddball characters.

[Kelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything except the kitchen sink. This story went every which way. It pulled in the most unlikely threads. I would say that the women were the most likeable. Ros and Shay.

[Betty · Rating 2 out of 5]

A stunt woman with an year old daughter is going to see her estranged father. She gets run off of a back country road. She and the daughter escaped and find a house in which a family has been killed sitting at their dinner table. Land deals, a cult, owners of wild animals that are used in movies and more are involved.

[Barbara Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never heard of this author, but I really enjoyed this mystery. Shay Waco is a stunt woman who escapes a death attempt and is helped by local sheriff (ex-DEA) -- fun, I'm going to try some more of his books

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery/thriller - had intrigue, romance, bizarreness. Not bad for a summer read.

[Dougw · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of whacky folks living in that neighborhood....

[Amoxy Mox · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got 30 pages into the book and I to stop. The book was so poorly written, I was surprised to see it was a NY Times Best Seller. Avoid this book