What do you think?
Rate this book
When A Hard Rain Falls by Jeffrey Miller
What starts out as a long overdue camping trip for Keith Mitchell and his two sons turns into one of terror and survival. Mitchell, who wants to spend a week with his two sons before his estranged wife takes them to another state, takes them on a camping trip the kind that Mitchell used to go on when he was a child. However, the trip quickly turns deadly as Mitchell battles the forces of nature during a torrential thunderstorm and puts him on a collision course with Nicky Jones, who won’t let anyone stand in his way, as he flees across the country with law enforcement on his tail.
- GenresThriller
Paperback
First published September 26, 2013
27 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 7, 2014
This wasn't quite what I expected from the blurb on the front advertising it as a "fast-paced gripping ride" - to describe it in such a way is to do it something of an injustice; When A Hard Rain Falls is much more than that.
The pace of the novel begins quite slowly, giving the reader plenty of time to get to know the character's two protagonists: Keith, the struggling, divorced father of two who finds himself in a situation this will be all-too-familiar to those who have done no wrong except make a few bad choices; and Nicky, a young man fresh out of prison, rough and happy that way.
Miller does a fantastic job of making these characters fully-developed and relatable. It would be easy for the young ex-con and the single father to be clichés or caricatures, the type seen often on any number of police-related TV shows. Instead, we are given full backgrounds on the two men; what happened to them and how they ended up where they are now. There is a fascinating contrast between the two in that Keith is a good man but questions the choices he has made and makes, while Nicky is cruel and remorseless but never doubts what he does.
The exposition of these two is what makes the climax of the novel, when they finally meet, so interesting. However, they do not meet until the very end of the story, so it would be wrong to expect a story of constant conflict. Instead, Miller slowly builds up the suspense as the two men move closer and closer to the moment they will meet. The reader knows it is going to happen and as each action brings them nearer, the suspense builds until it bursts, much like the banks of the canal in the final scenes.
The storm which causes this is described in wonderful detail, bursting into the story as unexpectedly as it would be to the characters and having a huge influence on what happens. The story ends with some nice intrigue as well, leaving the reader to wonder what will happen to Keith, his sons and everyone else.
All in all, this is an excellently written thriller, full of suspense and bursts of action that never fail to draw you in and keep you entertained. Beneath that, though, is a deeper story of family love, attempted redemption and the tale of how a man can easy fall through the system into deeper darkness. Just don’t expect an episode of 24 with non-stop action; this is more akin to the quality of a show like The Wire, but all the better for being a book!
The pace of the novel begins quite slowly, giving the reader plenty of time to get to know the character's two protagonists: Keith, the struggling, divorced father of two who finds himself in a situation this will be all-too-familiar to those who have done no wrong except make a few bad choices; and Nicky, a young man fresh out of prison, rough and happy that way.
Miller does a fantastic job of making these characters fully-developed and relatable. It would be easy for the young ex-con and the single father to be clichés or caricatures, the type seen often on any number of police-related TV shows. Instead, we are given full backgrounds on the two men; what happened to them and how they ended up where they are now. There is a fascinating contrast between the two in that Keith is a good man but questions the choices he has made and makes, while Nicky is cruel and remorseless but never doubts what he does.
The exposition of these two is what makes the climax of the novel, when they finally meet, so interesting. However, they do not meet until the very end of the story, so it would be wrong to expect a story of constant conflict. Instead, Miller slowly builds up the suspense as the two men move closer and closer to the moment they will meet. The reader knows it is going to happen and as each action brings them nearer, the suspense builds until it bursts, much like the banks of the canal in the final scenes.
The storm which causes this is described in wonderful detail, bursting into the story as unexpectedly as it would be to the characters and having a huge influence on what happens. The story ends with some nice intrigue as well, leaving the reader to wonder what will happen to Keith, his sons and everyone else.
All in all, this is an excellently written thriller, full of suspense and bursts of action that never fail to draw you in and keep you entertained. Beneath that, though, is a deeper story of family love, attempted redemption and the tale of how a man can easy fall through the system into deeper darkness. Just don’t expect an episode of 24 with non-stop action; this is more akin to the quality of a show like The Wire, but all the better for being a book!
July 23, 2016
The story took a while to pull me in, but towards the climax I was picturing in my head what it would be like if it were a movie. I would've liked to have read an epilogue.
November 5, 2017
I had a lot of fun reading this book. Miller has written one from the old school - a punchy, hard driving thriller. A story where personal courage and self-worth are tested and retested and where family values are scrutinized. There are no heroes in this book, just regular folk doing extraordinary things to protect their kin. It's well worth getting into!
April 2, 2014
A thriller that imparts some local Illinois history, When a Hard Rain Falls tells the tale of two lives that become entangled on one fateful evening.
September 5, 2018
It was ok. Not quite as described. Wasn’t all that suspenseful. Ok read.
May 18, 2014
I have to say I was disappointed in this tale. It wasn’t so much that the story was bad, as the blurb was misleading. I expected a story of suspense and survival, with a father battling danger to save himself and his two sons on a camping trip turned deadly. Unfortunately, the camping trip doesn’t even start until over halfway through the novel, and the danger element doesn’t kick in until the 80% mark.
Prior to that, the book takes a long look at the lead character’s life and his divorce situation with his ex. There are also lengthy chapters devoted to the book’s antagonist, detailing how he became a delinquent, and showing how his path led him to the same place and time as the father and his sons. I plodded through most of those.
It’s a slow-reading character tale, when I expected a fast-paced riveting story. For that reason, I have to give the book three stars.
Prior to that, the book takes a long look at the lead character’s life and his divorce situation with his ex. There are also lengthy chapters devoted to the book’s antagonist, detailing how he became a delinquent, and showing how his path led him to the same place and time as the father and his sons. I plodded through most of those.
It’s a slow-reading character tale, when I expected a fast-paced riveting story. For that reason, I have to give the book three stars.
August 17, 2020
Loved It !
Wonderful characters,could have been taken from real life,they were so real.
A divorced man,down on his luck,just wants to be a good father ,to his two sons.
He plans a trip for the three of them & all H- - L breaks loose
This is one,that you will want to read in one sitting,as you won't be able to stand the suspense.
Wonderful characters,could have been taken from real life,they were so real.
A divorced man,down on his luck,just wants to be a good father ,to his two sons.
He plans a trip for the three of them & all H- - L breaks loose
This is one,that you will want to read in one sitting,as you won't be able to stand the suspense.
August 15, 2015
What an ending!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews