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The Summer Man
Amanda Young grew up in Port Isley, a remote seaside community perched on the outermost shores of Washington. She’s watched as, each summer, the tight-knit small village braces for the invasion of vacationers seeking refuge from city life. But this year, a new kind of visitor arrives in Port Isley, bringing something most unexpected.
Soon after the season begins, a teenage girl’s mutilated body is found in a local park. The police declare it a random act of violence, but Amanda’s not so sure…because how can she explain that she had a premonition of the crime just hours before it happened? Or that the neighbors she’s known forever inexplicably are beginning to change…into lustful, violent shadows of themselves? Amanda knows something’s not right. And she knows it has something to do with the sinister stranger who’s come to town. But can she uncover his dark secret in time to stop him—and in time to save the souls of Port Isley?
498 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2013
15 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
S.D. Perry
97 books813 followersSD Perry (Stephani Danelle, by the way, though she prefers SD or Danelle) has been writing novelizations and tie-ins for most of her adult life. Best known for her work in the shared multiverses of Resident Evil, Star Trek, and Aliens, SD is a horror nerd and an introvert. Her father is acclaimed science fiction author Steve Perry. SD lives with her family in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 3, 2013
This book is exactly the kind of thing I like to read--interesting characters, spooky atmosphere, unexpected occurrences. The writing is strong. I'm not a total egomaniac, BTW, but writing books for twenty years will make one's writing pretty decent. The feedback I've been getting is overall positive, although man, some people REALLY don't like cursing in their fiction. If you like Stephen King-y style horror, I'd give this book a try.
September 8, 2013
I don't really like long reviews, so I'll try to keep this short. I did not like this book. It's poorly written and poorly paced, and riddled with poor grammar. To illustrate my point, this is a direct word for word quote from the book:
"The way everyone kept moving around didn't help define matters; from her position, leaning against the wall next to the bathroom, the shapes of the other partygoers were vague, dark blurs, people shuffling themselves to watch the film, to pass a pipe, to leave the room or enter it. Half the people there seemed to be wearing black. At least half."
This is again a direct quote from the very first page of the book, second "paragraph". Seriously, that is one ridiculously long sentence, and it's just so...bleh. First of all, so many commas. Just, way, too, many, commas. Putting aside the comma overload, it's almost as if the sentence is filler, but doesn't really describe things all that well either. So it's somehow filler and useless simultaneously.
The entire book is like that. Some of it is just little things that make you think "Hmm, that doesn't really sound right." and others are more direct "Wow, I think I learned to not do that in Middle School". If the grammar and sentence structure had been better, this would be a more favorable review by far. (Still not a great review mind you, but better.)
Apart from the questionable writing practices, needless cursing abounds throughout the book. I don't mind cursing and in fact curse quite a bit in real life, but here it just felt pointless most of the time, and done in a fairly unrealistic way. None of it felt natural or flowed well from sentence to sentence. I'm not sure if it was done for shock value or to make the world seem more dark, but either way it got old fast.
I stopped about a third of the way through the book, because I just couldn't go any further. From what I saw of the plot, I wasn't too impressed. It moved at a fairly slow pace, and nothing really seemed to actually happen. I was lucky enough to get this book free from right here on Goodreads, and I am thankful for it, I just didn't like the book.
I also got slightly distracted by the fact that the lead character's name is Amanda Young. For horror fans, you might recognize that name from the Saw franchise. Amanda Young was one of the main characters throughout all seven of the movies, and she's rather memorable, so it's tough to separate the name from the character. It'd be as if you wrote a medical book about a Doctor named Gregory House, the name immediately calls to mind the character, at least for me.
"The way everyone kept moving around didn't help define matters; from her position, leaning against the wall next to the bathroom, the shapes of the other partygoers were vague, dark blurs, people shuffling themselves to watch the film, to pass a pipe, to leave the room or enter it. Half the people there seemed to be wearing black. At least half."
This is again a direct quote from the very first page of the book, second "paragraph". Seriously, that is one ridiculously long sentence, and it's just so...bleh. First of all, so many commas. Just, way, too, many, commas. Putting aside the comma overload, it's almost as if the sentence is filler, but doesn't really describe things all that well either. So it's somehow filler and useless simultaneously.
The entire book is like that. Some of it is just little things that make you think "Hmm, that doesn't really sound right." and others are more direct "Wow, I think I learned to not do that in Middle School". If the grammar and sentence structure had been better, this would be a more favorable review by far. (Still not a great review mind you, but better.)
Apart from the questionable writing practices, needless cursing abounds throughout the book. I don't mind cursing and in fact curse quite a bit in real life, but here it just felt pointless most of the time, and done in a fairly unrealistic way. None of it felt natural or flowed well from sentence to sentence. I'm not sure if it was done for shock value or to make the world seem more dark, but either way it got old fast.
I stopped about a third of the way through the book, because I just couldn't go any further. From what I saw of the plot, I wasn't too impressed. It moved at a fairly slow pace, and nothing really seemed to actually happen. I was lucky enough to get this book free from right here on Goodreads, and I am thankful for it, I just didn't like the book.
I also got slightly distracted by the fact that the lead character's name is Amanda Young. For horror fans, you might recognize that name from the Saw franchise. Amanda Young was one of the main characters throughout all seven of the movies, and she's rather memorable, so it's tough to separate the name from the character. It'd be as if you wrote a medical book about a Doctor named Gregory House, the name immediately calls to mind the character, at least for me.
July 1, 2013
Tough to review. The characters were likable and the overall theme was engrossing. I did not mind at all the slow build-up that other reviewers have complained about, and I thought it was interesting to watch the gradual effects of the Summer Man's presence in the town as each character began to lose their inhibitions. But while I liked the characters and stayed engaged with them, there was really not a lot of story... Not much *happens* in anything like a sequential developing narrative. Various characters go crazy and do things, repeat. And the ending let the whole thing down very badly - I would probably have rated it higher if not for the last chapters. You're finally holding on tight as events seem to be gelling together into a cohesive mystery and then it's over with a whimper. The ultimate revelations were terribly disappointing to me, and diluted a lot of the enthusiasm I'd had up to that point. So, ultimately, I say, "Nice relaxing enjoyable beach read. Don't expect it to be a horror book or particularly gripping."
June 29, 2019
I really enjoyed this one. Note that I'm not a reader of Horror (aside from some King over the last few decades), so my opinions are just based on the book as per my experience reading it. And I don't read much anymore either as I have an very hard time getting into books... For instance, I've been reading Duma Key for two years and am about 2/3rds of the way through. This one, however, I sat down and read in two weeks, which is lightning for me... In the last few years, Only Ready Player One has clicked with me that much.
This book, though is much different that RP1. It's a slow building horror story, with lots of space for character development, which is good because getting to know the characters and the gradual developing of the plot really caused me to be brought into it. The primary characters were easy to believe in as they reminded me of people I've known, I liked the adult characters, and the combination of a story developing piece by piece, told along side the stories of people just living their lives made it all seem like a believable and involving situation. And then the mystery of "what the hell is going on" was very intriguing and then when things start to really go bad in town (Spoiler: things get bad), I was sufficiently involved in the characters, their stories, and the mystery that I couldn't stop reading it until it was done. Then, to expand my enjoyment of it, I got my wife to read it as well and she is really getting into it as well.
I know that ol' SD has written lots of other books, but this one really left me hoping that there are more original horror books coming from her at some point.
This book, though is much different that RP1. It's a slow building horror story, with lots of space for character development, which is good because getting to know the characters and the gradual developing of the plot really caused me to be brought into it. The primary characters were easy to believe in as they reminded me of people I've known, I liked the adult characters, and the combination of a story developing piece by piece, told along side the stories of people just living their lives made it all seem like a believable and involving situation. And then the mystery of "what the hell is going on" was very intriguing and then when things start to really go bad in town (Spoiler: things get bad), I was sufficiently involved in the characters, their stories, and the mystery that I couldn't stop reading it until it was done. Then, to expand my enjoyment of it, I got my wife to read it as well and she is really getting into it as well.
I know that ol' SD has written lots of other books, but this one really left me hoping that there are more original horror books coming from her at some point.
July 31, 2018
The Summer Man
By S D Perry
This novel is set in the small seaside of Port Isley in Washington. Nothing much happens here even when the population swells each year when holidaymakers arrive for the summer. But this year is different. A mutilated body of a teenage girl is found, but another teenage girl, Amanda has had a premonition of the killing.
The story is a bit of a slow burner, but nonetheless enjoyable for all that. What starts to emerge is a series of brutal crimes committed by otherwise genuine nonviolent people and all the time Amanda has premonitions of them. Along with a retired journalist and a doctor, she tries to piece together what is happening, but even the police are affected. Can a whole town descend into collective brutality and if so is there some malevolent force causing it. Do events have to happen according to her premonitions?
The story is an exploration of the 'what if'- what if the malign can be caught like an infectious disease. If I had a criticism, I felt it was a bit long, which got in the way of the pace of the narrative.
Otherwise a good read.
By S D Perry
This novel is set in the small seaside of Port Isley in Washington. Nothing much happens here even when the population swells each year when holidaymakers arrive for the summer. But this year is different. A mutilated body of a teenage girl is found, but another teenage girl, Amanda has had a premonition of the killing.
The story is a bit of a slow burner, but nonetheless enjoyable for all that. What starts to emerge is a series of brutal crimes committed by otherwise genuine nonviolent people and all the time Amanda has premonitions of them. Along with a retired journalist and a doctor, she tries to piece together what is happening, but even the police are affected. Can a whole town descend into collective brutality and if so is there some malevolent force causing it. Do events have to happen according to her premonitions?
The story is an exploration of the 'what if'- what if the malign can be caught like an infectious disease. If I had a criticism, I felt it was a bit long, which got in the way of the pace of the narrative.
Otherwise a good read.
June 5, 2020
This is a very strange book. I don't know how I feel about it. It's very Stephen King and Dean Koontz in a way, but then the ending, oh man, the ending.
In a nutshell: It's June in Port Isley, an exclusive and posh summer island town, and the summer people are back for their annual vacations. A teenage girl gets a glimpse of a murder of a young girl during one of her druggie highs, which sets into motion a most horrifying string of violent crimes their small town has ever seen. It's up to this psychic girl and the town reporter and the resident psychologist to stop it before it's too late.
I guess I liked that the overall mood was dark, creepy and sinister. Dark, creepy and sinister enough to make you stick around and find out why the hell everyone is turning into homicidal maniacs. The story was kind of all over the place, though. And with that kind of ending, and with so many questions still left unanswered, I feel like turning into a homicidal maniac myself.
In a nutshell: It's June in Port Isley, an exclusive and posh summer island town, and the summer people are back for their annual vacations. A teenage girl gets a glimpse of a murder of a young girl during one of her druggie highs, which sets into motion a most horrifying string of violent crimes their small town has ever seen. It's up to this psychic girl and the town reporter and the resident psychologist to stop it before it's too late.
I guess I liked that the overall mood was dark, creepy and sinister. Dark, creepy and sinister enough to make you stick around and find out why the hell everyone is turning into homicidal maniacs. The story was kind of all over the place, though. And with that kind of ending, and with so many questions still left unanswered, I feel like turning into a homicidal maniac myself.
June 8, 2017
it is rare that I give a one star rating but I had to put this book down before I finished it. I was really excited about reading this book but I was really disappointed at how slow it was and I couldn't concentrate on the story. it is such a shame as this book sounded so interesting
January 23, 2024
I started reading this book a few years ago and couldn’t get through the first couple of chapters. I forgot I had tried this one previously, but once I realized it, I was determined to finish it (unclear why).
This book was…. Not great.
There was not much happening ever, and nothing seemed to fit together. There are so many characters and I’m still not sure how some are fitting together or why they were even mentioned.
Some common themes:
Everyone is in a miserable relationship.
Everyone loves to curse, but not in a relevant way (I love relevant cursing when its like a sprinkle to the sentence - half of the time, it didn’t fit)
Guys who are having sex with women who are unattractive, fluffy, or uninteresting
Men who hate women
Abuse.
Misery.
Anger.
Drunk.
This one had a lot of difficulty keeping my interest and I found my mind wandering to things like laundry or work the next day rather than on the story.
This was not a horror book. It also didn’t feel like a paranormal book. I’m not actually sure what category I would put it in.
And as so many others have mentioned… the end… what?!?!?!
This book was…. Not great.
There was not much happening ever, and nothing seemed to fit together. There are so many characters and I’m still not sure how some are fitting together or why they were even mentioned.
Some common themes:
Everyone is in a miserable relationship.
Everyone loves to curse, but not in a relevant way (I love relevant cursing when its like a sprinkle to the sentence - half of the time, it didn’t fit)
Guys who are having sex with women who are unattractive, fluffy, or uninteresting
Men who hate women
Abuse.
Misery.
Anger.
Drunk.
This one had a lot of difficulty keeping my interest and I found my mind wandering to things like laundry or work the next day rather than on the story.
This was not a horror book. It also didn’t feel like a paranormal book. I’m not actually sure what category I would put it in.
And as so many others have mentioned… the end… what?!?!?!
July 29, 2022
So many characters - exhausting! At times, I couldn’t put this book down and at times, I just skimmed to get it over with. Mysterious things start happening at Port Isley (murders, psychic abilities, rape, etc) and a few try to figure out why it was happening. I did not realize the book had sci-fi elements or I probably wouldn’t have started reading it. The ending wasn’t believable and was anti-climactic. I would pass on this one.
May 22, 2023
Strange ending leaving me feel cheated.
November 13, 2024
It wasn’t bad, the story started fairly quickly and things happened but it didn’t feel like anything got done. Wasn’t bad it was just okay
March 21, 2017
Ugh, this book. It is easy to read and keeps building, but never climaxes. The characters are likeable, but dear lord it was a long book for it to dribble into nothing! It's almost as bad as a story the ends with "and then she woke up." It is not scary. I would never discribe this as a horror novel.
July 3, 2013
The Summer Man is a horror story. At a party in early June, Amanda Young has a kind of waking nightmare: She sees a young girl she knows being murdered. Her best friend tries to help her realize that it isn't a psychic vision, just the weed she's been smoking. Unfortunately....
The town hierarchy would like to downplay the murders (because the murderer not only kills the girl, but then goes home and kills his wife and himself); Port Isley depends on its summer people, the tourists who are a major part of the town's economy, best not frighten them unnecessarily.
Amanda's precognition doesn't end after the first awful vision, and the behavior of both townies and summer people becomes more extreme. Murder, suicide, violence, gratuitous sex--people aren't themselves.
I liked that the protagonists spread over three generations and the mystery of the strange behavior and magnified feelings that enveloped the town.
I didn't like the excessive bad language. It isn't really necessary to say f--- so often, is it? It doesn't offend me in moderation, but when it becomes so extensive that you almost feel obliged to count the number of times it occurs on a page, then perhaps it is time to tone it down.
It does offend me to present intelligent teenagers as unable to communicate without a swear word and/or sexual reference in every sentence. Language devolves and the ability to express genuine thought suffers. Devon and Eric, particularly, become (or are to begin with) caricatures because of their language. While most young people do have an impressive vocabulary in this regard, it doesn't mean they are all so dull as to speak in profane text, IM shorthand exclusively.
Although the story keeps you interested, the multiple strange happenings and violence go on and on, making the reader aware of the length of the book. Too much in the middle here, and it loses some effect. The conclusion was certainly not what I expected and didn't seem to fit all that had preceded it.
I liked the premise; Bob and Amanda (John, not so much; large role, but vague character); the supernatural mystery; but there are quite a few drawbacks, at least for me.
NetGalley/Amazon Publ.
Supernatural/Mystery. May 2013. Print version: 488 pages.
ISBN-10 1611099161
The town hierarchy would like to downplay the murders (because the murderer not only kills the girl, but then goes home and kills his wife and himself); Port Isley depends on its summer people, the tourists who are a major part of the town's economy, best not frighten them unnecessarily.
Amanda's precognition doesn't end after the first awful vision, and the behavior of both townies and summer people becomes more extreme. Murder, suicide, violence, gratuitous sex--people aren't themselves.
I liked that the protagonists spread over three generations and the mystery of the strange behavior and magnified feelings that enveloped the town.
I didn't like the excessive bad language. It isn't really necessary to say f--- so often, is it? It doesn't offend me in moderation, but when it becomes so extensive that you almost feel obliged to count the number of times it occurs on a page, then perhaps it is time to tone it down.
It does offend me to present intelligent teenagers as unable to communicate without a swear word and/or sexual reference in every sentence. Language devolves and the ability to express genuine thought suffers. Devon and Eric, particularly, become (or are to begin with) caricatures because of their language. While most young people do have an impressive vocabulary in this regard, it doesn't mean they are all so dull as to speak in profane text, IM shorthand exclusively.
Although the story keeps you interested, the multiple strange happenings and violence go on and on, making the reader aware of the length of the book. Too much in the middle here, and it loses some effect. The conclusion was certainly not what I expected and didn't seem to fit all that had preceded it.
I liked the premise; Bob and Amanda (John, not so much; large role, but vague character); the supernatural mystery; but there are quite a few drawbacks, at least for me.
NetGalley/Amazon Publ.
Supernatural/Mystery. May 2013. Print version: 488 pages.
ISBN-10 1611099161
October 9, 2013
Thank you to the author for the copy via netgalley.
Amanda Young grew up in Port Isley, a remote seaside community perched on the outermost shores of Washington. She’s watched as, each summer, the tight-knit small village braces for the invasion of vacationers seeking refuge from city life. But this year, a new kind of visitor arrives in Port Isley, bringing something most unexpected.
I wasnt sure what to expect when I started this one I have to say. The blurb sounded interesting and as it turns out it was a terrific story and quite addictive.
Amanda Young sees a murder before it happens. Eventually dismissing it as a one time thing, suddenly she realises that she "knows" more and more...Meanwhile the small town community of Port Isley is suffering a bout of sudden unexpected violence and its inhabitants are becoming more and more psychologically unsound...local therapist John is inundated with requests for help, and Amanda realises that everyone around her is changing..
Yes highly enjoyable. Lots going on, as we follow various characters through their day to day lives, some becoming more unstable, others seemingly unaffected but knowing that something is wrong, yet others are feeling more positive..with an influx of Summer Visitors, could it be that one of them is not what they appear?
It made me think of "Needful Things" by Stephen King - albeit a different story and the writing is in no way like King's...but the sense of doom that pervades the pages is similar. As the reader you just know that something odd is going on, but in the same way as the residents of the town, you can't quite put your finger on it...and this keeps you reading.
I don't want to give anything away but if you like a good mystery with a hint of the supernatural and have wondered if perhaps there is something to be said for psychic ability then you will very much enjoy this one.
Happy Reading Folks!
Amanda Young grew up in Port Isley, a remote seaside community perched on the outermost shores of Washington. She’s watched as, each summer, the tight-knit small village braces for the invasion of vacationers seeking refuge from city life. But this year, a new kind of visitor arrives in Port Isley, bringing something most unexpected.
I wasnt sure what to expect when I started this one I have to say. The blurb sounded interesting and as it turns out it was a terrific story and quite addictive.
Amanda Young sees a murder before it happens. Eventually dismissing it as a one time thing, suddenly she realises that she "knows" more and more...Meanwhile the small town community of Port Isley is suffering a bout of sudden unexpected violence and its inhabitants are becoming more and more psychologically unsound...local therapist John is inundated with requests for help, and Amanda realises that everyone around her is changing..
Yes highly enjoyable. Lots going on, as we follow various characters through their day to day lives, some becoming more unstable, others seemingly unaffected but knowing that something is wrong, yet others are feeling more positive..with an influx of Summer Visitors, could it be that one of them is not what they appear?
It made me think of "Needful Things" by Stephen King - albeit a different story and the writing is in no way like King's...but the sense of doom that pervades the pages is similar. As the reader you just know that something odd is going on, but in the same way as the residents of the town, you can't quite put your finger on it...and this keeps you reading.
I don't want to give anything away but if you like a good mystery with a hint of the supernatural and have wondered if perhaps there is something to be said for psychic ability then you will very much enjoy this one.
Happy Reading Folks!
November 24, 2013
Amanda Young is an ordinary young girl growing up in Port Isley, a sleepy seaside town that only comes alive in the summer months with the arrival of holidaymakers.
Amanda is dreaming of escaping the town and with it her alcoholic mother and her mother's lecherous boyfriend, when one night (stoned) she has a vision about the grisly death of a fellow school student: a vision which comes true just hours after Amanda’s prediction.
Amanda's visions coincide with a spate of murders and increased violence in Port Isley and she finds herself increasing isolated as her gift strengthens and she's able to 'read' those around her.
Eventually assisted by the editor of the local paper, town psychologist and her new boyfriend and holidaymaker, Amanda accepts her talent and the group sets about trying to work out exactly what’s causing the town and its residents to act out their every thought.
I read some very negative reviews about this book but for the most part I enjoyed it. Certainly Perry’s writing is sometimes awkward but I really liked Amanda and her friends and wanted to find out what was happening. In fact, although the book’s a bit slow to start (after the first death) I was sufficiently engaged with Amanda’s character that I was keen to see what became of her.
However, the end really let the entire thing down for me. The supernatural thing was fine but there was no logic, no rhyme or reason and no sense of closure AT ALL.
I kept thinking that I must have missed a chapter, or there must be an Epilogue that didn’t download properly. Or something. What came to mind was… What. The. F*ck?!
It kinda ruined the whole experience for me and I felt somewhat cheated I’d hung in as long as I did.
Amanda is dreaming of escaping the town and with it her alcoholic mother and her mother's lecherous boyfriend, when one night (stoned) she has a vision about the grisly death of a fellow school student: a vision which comes true just hours after Amanda’s prediction.
Amanda's visions coincide with a spate of murders and increased violence in Port Isley and she finds herself increasing isolated as her gift strengthens and she's able to 'read' those around her.
Eventually assisted by the editor of the local paper, town psychologist and her new boyfriend and holidaymaker, Amanda accepts her talent and the group sets about trying to work out exactly what’s causing the town and its residents to act out their every thought.
I read some very negative reviews about this book but for the most part I enjoyed it. Certainly Perry’s writing is sometimes awkward but I really liked Amanda and her friends and wanted to find out what was happening. In fact, although the book’s a bit slow to start (after the first death) I was sufficiently engaged with Amanda’s character that I was keen to see what became of her.
However, the end really let the entire thing down for me. The supernatural thing was fine but there was no logic, no rhyme or reason and no sense of closure AT ALL.
I kept thinking that I must have missed a chapter, or there must be an Epilogue that didn’t download properly. Or something. What came to mind was… What. The. F*ck?!
It kinda ruined the whole experience for me and I felt somewhat cheated I’d hung in as long as I did.
May 20, 2013
I'll start with what I liked about this book. I loved the setting. It's a small seaside town in the Pacific Northwest and I'm a sucker for just about any seaside town. I enjoyed the vibrant characters - some were a little quirky, which is always enjoyable, and it was easy to become vested in their lives and care about the large variety of characters. The dialogue was genuine and believable. The first couple of chapters held my interest, but then the book seemed to slow a little; however, the action picked up again somewhere around the middle and I was anxious to see where the story was going.
As for things I didn't really like, the first was a character dump. Near the beginning of the novel, I felt like far too many characters were introduced in just a few pages and it was easy to confuse them. There was also some word repetition - the same word may be used to describe something 2-3 times in a paragraph. As I mentioned before, the pace of the novel seemed to slow in places and some of the narrative probably could have been shortened. Near the end of the book, it seemed as if one of the characters figured out what was going on rather suddenly, the explanation being flimsy and unclear about the path to that conclusion. The completion of one character's story was very ambiguous, with no logical explanation given, leaving me disappointed.
Despite my dislikes, I still enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it if you like dark thrillers.
This review is based on a digital copy from the publisher and provided by Net Galley.
As for things I didn't really like, the first was a character dump. Near the beginning of the novel, I felt like far too many characters were introduced in just a few pages and it was easy to confuse them. There was also some word repetition - the same word may be used to describe something 2-3 times in a paragraph. As I mentioned before, the pace of the novel seemed to slow in places and some of the narrative probably could have been shortened. Near the end of the book, it seemed as if one of the characters figured out what was going on rather suddenly, the explanation being flimsy and unclear about the path to that conclusion. The completion of one character's story was very ambiguous, with no logical explanation given, leaving me disappointed.
Despite my dislikes, I still enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it if you like dark thrillers.
This review is based on a digital copy from the publisher and provided by Net Galley.
October 28, 2013
Not exactly impressed with this one. 47 North gave me my first auto approval from Netgalley and I found this one while having a look at some of the titles were offering. It sounded quite interesting, and got off to a good intriguing start.
As a pointed out by another review of the same book I read, some of the grammar was a bit off, very very long sentences and very long paragraphs as well. Whether it was the formatting on the kindle version I was reading, I don't know, but some paragraphs seemed to be entire pages long.
While the premise was interesting enough, normal small town, summer tourist season kicks off and people start acting weird and going murderously crazy. One teen develops psychic mind reading abilities and can see murders and stuff before it happens. The pacing was also extremely slow. You'd get a nice gory bit, then lots of different characters introduced and long stretches before anything else really happened. It felt...rambling and was off putting. About half way through I got very bored and started skimming through.
Towards the end things picked up in a rash of craziness, but then the actual end was extremely disappointing and I found it to be a total cop out.
So while an interesting idea, didn't work for me.
As a pointed out by another review of the same book I read, some of the grammar was a bit off, very very long sentences and very long paragraphs as well. Whether it was the formatting on the kindle version I was reading, I don't know, but some paragraphs seemed to be entire pages long.
While the premise was interesting enough, normal small town, summer tourist season kicks off and people start acting weird and going murderously crazy. One teen develops psychic mind reading abilities and can see murders and stuff before it happens. The pacing was also extremely slow. You'd get a nice gory bit, then lots of different characters introduced and long stretches before anything else really happened. It felt...rambling and was off putting. About half way through I got very bored and started skimming through.
Towards the end things picked up in a rash of craziness, but then the actual end was extremely disappointing and I found it to be a total cop out.
So while an interesting idea, didn't work for me.
September 5, 2013
A slow starter and although long winded and rather drawn out it eventually kept my attention as I was eager to find out how the story would develop/pan out. Alot of characters to keep up with as the story encompasses the whole town, very few characters are featured throughout the book, many are brief appearences, on a good note you never knew who was going to last a chapter or two! so liked the unexpected suprises and a few shocks.
I adore stories told within and around a small town or village and love to be sucked in so much so that I can picture myself there within the surroundings, unfortunately this one didn't grab me that way I felt I was always on the outside looking in.
A bit let down with the ending expected it to be a bit more exciting and disappointed that it only touched briefly on the origin that was The Summer Man.
On a last note, goes overboard with F word so much that for me it became an annoyance.
I adore stories told within and around a small town or village and love to be sucked in so much so that I can picture myself there within the surroundings, unfortunately this one didn't grab me that way I felt I was always on the outside looking in.
A bit let down with the ending expected it to be a bit more exciting and disappointed that it only touched briefly on the origin that was The Summer Man.
On a last note, goes overboard with F word so much that for me it became an annoyance.
August 15, 2013
An interesting thriller that tells the story of a small summer-destination town. Something is happening to the people in the town that no one can really explain. A teenager, Amanda might hold the clue.
When I began reading this, it took me a while to get into the story. There are many characters to get to know since the story concerns itself with the whole town, when I did get to know them I felt a part of their story. The author does a good job of realistically dealing with something that could go sort of science fiction or fantasy and kept me guessing about what was really going on until the end. If you like thrillers in the same vein as "The Happening," you will like this.
I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads in return for an honest review.
When I began reading this, it took me a while to get into the story. There are many characters to get to know since the story concerns itself with the whole town, when I did get to know them I felt a part of their story. The author does a good job of realistically dealing with something that could go sort of science fiction or fantasy and kept me guessing about what was really going on until the end. If you like thrillers in the same vein as "The Happening," you will like this.
I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads in return for an honest review.
October 7, 2014
I liked this book. It started out slow. Six chapters setting up the characters and town seemed a little much.
Amanda reminded me of a friend of mine so I liked her a lot. I sympathized with her bad family life and loved her best friend. Naturally I was disappointed when both her mother and Devon were cut out of the book and never mentioned again. The sudden relationship with "the summer man" was not explained well and seemed rushed.
The middle chapters reminded me of a young Stephen King. But the author could have improved the story by giving "the summer man" a voice in the book. Maybe cutting between his perspective and Amanda's?
The end was a let down. Too rushed and the author left a lot of plot holes.
Overall it was a good read and kept my attention.
Amanda reminded me of a friend of mine so I liked her a lot. I sympathized with her bad family life and loved her best friend. Naturally I was disappointed when both her mother and Devon were cut out of the book and never mentioned again. The sudden relationship with "the summer man" was not explained well and seemed rushed.
The middle chapters reminded me of a young Stephen King. But the author could have improved the story by giving "the summer man" a voice in the book. Maybe cutting between his perspective and Amanda's?
The end was a let down. Too rushed and the author left a lot of plot holes.
Overall it was a good read and kept my attention.
June 7, 2013
I liked this book a lot; as I was reading, I was reminded of Stephen King and Dean Koontz...this is some excellent horror writing with great characterization (one of the final scenes with a harried single mother and her infant son was so amazing it made me cry). A point off because the book could have used a better editor--way too much extraneous detail, internal discourse, repetitiveness and just overall telling us way more than we needed to know. If this book lost about 20% of its bulk, it would be a lean, mean, page-turning, stay-up-all-night read. Still, highly recommended and the author shows tremendous promise.
December 1, 2013
The Summer Man is a thriller that has been compared with King and Koontz. The story starts out a bit slow but picks up pace and at points builds into a page turner. It is not as good as King, but is a lot better than the dribble that Koontz has written in the past decade (used to be a fan but no longer). Some reviewers have complained that the ending left too many unanswered questions. I was ok with it. In books like this it is better to leave some things to the imagination. Of course it is also a good way to leave the door open for a sequel...
June 11, 2015
I had such high hopes for this book because 1) i like mystery thrillers, 2) i like small towns that were made for vacations and 3) most of the reviews I saw were okay. I was left with a lot of questions after reading it, though. In some cases, that can be a good thing ... but not here. The thing that got me through this book is the character development. It was pretty good. But then it kept going and going and going that it dragged and I forgot what the story was all about ... like ... i forgot what Im supposed to say now.
August 21, 2013
I got this book free from the Good Reads contest. I was so impressed- do I dare compare it to Stephen King and Dean Koontz? I think a movie should be made of this one!
It had wonderful characters, an easy to read style, caught my attention at every turn. I kept meaning to quit reading late at night at the next chapter and yet I couldn't put it down!
Looking forward to sequels perhaps and at least more of this author's work. Awesome book!
It had wonderful characters, an easy to read style, caught my attention at every turn. I kept meaning to quit reading late at night at the next chapter and yet I couldn't put it down!
Looking forward to sequels perhaps and at least more of this author's work. Awesome book!
August 25, 2013
When I read the summary of "The Summer Man" I was intrigued to read this book. After reading it I can say it has a good story. BUT there is too much detailed inner monologue from the characters. This mental chatter made it hard to get engrossed into the storyline. Also, there were too many uninteresting character's POV to keep track off. It took away my suspense and fascination to know what happens next. I lost interest.
Received this book from Amazon Publishing via Goodreads First Reads.
Received this book from Amazon Publishing via Goodreads First Reads.
October 25, 2015
I read this one for the Endeavour Award. I call it horror, though it is fair to call it science fiction as well. And I don't read horror by choice. It was a difficult and upsetting read. From the language to the situations, it made me uncomfortable and just plain feel bad. And as such I'm thinking that it might have been a fantastic book that just wasn't for me. I'm glad to be done with it, but it has the feel that the idea behind this book will stick with me for a long time.
May 3, 2020
Wow, that was good. A steady-paced thrill that continuously escalates. The beginning of this small town summer marks the arrival of the rich summer people and the start of mania as the town people slowly slide out of control, giving in to murderous and base impulses. Brilliantly done. Perfect for fans of Stephen King and the like.
January 28, 2014
Disclaimer: I won this book.
Warning: This book contains much violence, swearing, and random sex. It is mostly a psychological thriller. Aside from creeping me out and probably giving me nightmares, this was a good book. I wish there had been a better explanation of how and why the bad guy was affecting people. I would read other books by this author, but not right before bedtime.
Warning: This book contains much violence, swearing, and random sex. It is mostly a psychological thriller. Aside from creeping me out and probably giving me nightmares, this was a good book. I wish there had been a better explanation of how and why the bad guy was affecting people. I would read other books by this author, but not right before bedtime.
June 15, 2013
This book started out good so it should get 2 stars, but the more you read the more stupid it gets. I'm still not sure how the presence of one man made the whole town crazy, it wasn't explained very well, and I didn't really like the ending. I'm glad it was a free book.
September 5, 2013
I won this book from Goodreads giveaways. This a Dean Koontz type story. It had a lot of different characters to keep track of. The novel begins with Amanda having a vision of a violent murder that later comes true. Something strange is going on in the town, what is the cause?
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