PREY: A Midwestern Fall Thriller

by S.E. Davis, Sarah Davis

The fall waterfowl migration has brought something deadly to a small North Dakota town. Dr. Emily Hayes, a veterinarian and single mom, is the first to submit a sample of mutated Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza—coined H5N1 2.0 or Mad Crow—a highly infectious disease that awakens violent aggression in birds and causes human infection. Just as the community is about to be overcome by this Hitchcockian nightmare, handsome face from Emily's past arrives—Dr. Jack Connor. He hopes he can help trace the source of the infection. As the zoonotic infection spreads, unleashing unimaginable violence and turning birds into lethal creatures, Emily and Jack must overcome their differences and face the secrets that have kept them apart if they are to find a way out of this deadly biological nightmare.

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

Author also writes under Sarah Davis

Reviews

[Christine Hedrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author cleverly weaves realistic fears of a viral epidemic with a thread of supernatural evil. In this book, good people are preyed upon not only by a non-sentient viral entity, but by a power intent on making them its prey. A chilling and thought-provoking read.

[Kirsten Van Hooland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that the very last chapter (after the acknowledgement and about the author) would held the answer that I needed after reading the ending. Nope. So now I’m angry at this disappointing ending. If not for the ending, it would’ve been four stars.
3⭐️

[Mimisays411 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another absolute masterpiece by author S.E Davis! Prey will keep you on the edge of your seat every chapter! Excellent crossover of bird flu and swine flu to create “mad crow” disease. A modern-day outbreak medical thriller that strangely poetic. If you are a fan of outbreak, and other virus taking over books/movies, this is definitely for you! Also if you were a fan of birds by Alfred Hitchcock, this will definitely be right up your alley! So perfect for Halloween and spooky reads for October! Lucky for you the release date is on Halloween October 31st 2023! Out now! Hang onto your seat, because this will keep your heart pumping! Such an amazing medical thriller, and the ending will grip you right in the heart! This book will destroy you, absolutely so neatly. You will feel all the feels! (Keep the tissue handy). This book is an excellent virus thriller, horror, second chance romance, tragedy, betrayal, love, community, healing, secrets, hope. Literally, you will feel all the feels! Thank you S.E Davis, i’m not crying you’re crying…. ❤️👌🏻🤘🏻

4/5🌟 18+ Remember to always check your trigger warnings! Enjoy my bookish friends, and remember if you like a book, talk about it!

*I received this book as an arc, but I assure you, my review and thoughts are my own.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the premise, as it ties what already has happened in reality (avian flu/Covid) with what could happen, in a suspenseful, traumatic way! And throw in the twist of a romance, and now you’ve got a good read!

[Lena Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book it totally had me sucked into the story, and I couldn't put it down. It had an Alfred Hitchcock feel in a descriptive text weaving a believable story with characters I cared about.
I love the care and development of characters.
If you like medical, animal, mystery, edge of your seat read this is it.
This is an author I'm going to be watching and reading, and you should too.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Emily Hayes is a dedicated veterinarian when a virus usually carried by birds mutates. Now the birds are violent and pecan cath it. Can she find the origin and stop it or will the birds win? Thrilling chiller.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was born in rural North Dakota, and I jumped at the chance of reading the ND medical thriller. Within one day I spent spellbound by the author's tale of a mutant version known simply as Mad Crow disease.
I am certain if a bird climbed onto the fence, I am quite certain to have shrieked and put up blackout curtains. There were times I could feel the chills on my spine.
The main characters become reacquainted with each other. Watching that dynamic was a welcome reprieve from the horrors they confront.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
I received this advanced reader copy from Book Sirens and left an honest and unbiased review.

[Janice E. Ryberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

PREY: A Midwestern Fall Thriller

My first introduction to author Sarah Davis, but not likely to be forgotten any time soon. Not likely to forget COVID-19 any time soon either. Or any nightmares of mad crow ... Enjoy!!

[Kyann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark, spirited, and uniquely Gothic tale. Mysterious with a certain quality of the times we are living in. Haunting and at times brought to mind old school mysteries like those of Agatha Christie with a nod to Poe.

I received an advance reader copy of this book for free. My review is voluntary.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Alfred Hitchcock “the birds” and so couldn’t wait to read this book let me just say I was not disappointed mad crow attacks birds and people but the birds also attack people and there’s a scene in this book where the girl is driving in a bird is in her car and OMG that sounds like a nightmare which this whole book tends to be a complete horror show this is unlike most epidemic stories I also enjoyed learning where the author came up with the concept for this book and if you love horror story she’ll definitely enjoyed this one. There’s also a romance when Dr. Jack comes to help Liz pinpoint the origin of the disease which I also enjoyed. This is an all-around great book a definite five star read and when I definitely recommend to horror fans. I want to thank Book Sirens for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes I am blind and also under the weather.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

All my reviews can be found at: http://www.jessicasreadingrom.com
This review will appear on my site on January 15, 2024.
~~~~
Sarah Davis is a veterinarian, and she writes what she knows! (With some creative licensing).  With Prey, Davis takes a crossover of bird flu and swine flu to create mad crow. We do have references to the COVID-19 pandemic happening in the past, and let’s face it: A medical thriller written in present times of course COVID-19 was going to be mentioned.  It’s a part of our past, present, and will always be around.

I am a big fan of the 1995 movie Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman, Cuba Gooding Jr and Rene Russo, so I was excited to get a chance to read this novel! And Prey takes off full steam ahead from the beginning! We get very aggressive bird attacks against humans. The description is very vivid, so reader discretion would be advised. 

The reader also gets multiple povs with short chapters, so this novel makes for some good and quick reading! For the romance readers, there is a little bit of a second chance romance added in to the mix, so there isn’t just deaths and killer birds! 

In case you didn’t know a group of crows is called a murder, and Prey brings on a new meaning to this term!  There were a few times as I was reading this book that I would be on the road and would pass a grouping of crows that might or might not fly off, which kind of freaked me out: But how could I not be while reading this book! Especially with one particular attack that happens early on!

 I did like the ending, we have an ending but not! With a virus that may always be the case. Prey has a little bit of just about everything to it: Action, terror, horror, killer bird, romance, secrets, hope, and a little bit of supernatural.  It should have something for most readers!

I really do like the cover to Prey: It is simple but also not! It achieves what it needs to do and catches my attention!  This is one I would definitely pick up in the bookstore to see what it is about.

It was surprising to know that Davis has never seen the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds! She mentions that in her author notes. I wonder if that is still the case now?   

Many thanks to Sarah Davis for sending me a paperback copy to read and review! I enjoyed it and I hope more people read it!

[Austrian Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I long for, a zombie-based story that has a scientific ground in reality. It makes the reading far more satisfying than 90% of the others in the genre. Davis’ bird flu variant of a zombie apocalypse is both horrific and gratifying – how do you control the spread of an air-born infection that renders both it’s carriers and the lifeforms they come into contact with, into aggressive mindless predators, whose only instinct is to attack moving targets?
You don’t. You hunker down and hope they die.
Davis’ writes, as always, with knowledge of the animals she injects into her stories, and with a passion for their guardians and keepers that only someone with veterinary experience could bring to the game. The horror, when it arrives, is clinical and unforgiving, this thriller rides our fears and shows how ineffectual mankind’s domination of nature really is – and highlights, once again, that bats (and birds) are nightmares.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love bats. I love the idea of bats – but… that they live in a permanent state of constant heart attack and that they burn through more viruses in a second than I care to think about, turns those cute blind little f##kers into the true horror stories they are. And then the birds get infected and well, this highlights what a massive problem that really is. Could be. Might be. Makes you want to install bird nets around your property.
There’s a relationship story in there, lost love re-found, the distance of age redefining old beliefs, there’s dad jokes, Sarah’s dry humor, and dogs, of course, where would we be without dogs? Her love for them shines through in every book.
The ending is both satisfying and realistic, the characters believable and complex enough that the relationships ring true. There’s the single mother thread here that won’t surprise you, the violence will do that instead. No spoilers. He got what was coming to him mwah ha ha.
Yeah, I’m here for all Sarah’s books. 5 out of 5 ☆’s

[Sarah Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fall waterfowl migration has brought something deadly to a small North Dakota town.
Early feedback for PREY...
"𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩"
"𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙨, 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙯𝙤𝙧-𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙨."
...
Would it surprise you to know that I have never seen the movie "The Birds"? I watched a show about Alfred Hitchcock but never any of his productions. So, how then did I come up with this story?
It all came about one day after testing bulls with my daughter, who is one hell of a tech. The fall waterfowl migration had already gone through, and so many birds died because of HPAI. Our dog brought up carcasses and wings from the landing fields and buried his treasures all over the yard… Kind of. He and Bee have that in common.
The owner of said bulls, my daughter, and I were talking about how I should write a story about the HPAI shifting and causing a rabid aggression in birds and people.
"So, like eagles diving from the sky and taking out people?" I asked.
My daughter became very animated and insisted the eyes have to bleed.
We left it at that. The idea simmered. At first, I found the idea of writing an outbreak story with blood seeping from eyes too similar to an Ebola or Marburg situation. And the aggression? Like rabies? But rabies affects mammals, not avian species. Nah, I wanted a different avenue.
Back to the fall migration. And creative license.
Bird flu becomes Mad Crow.
And thus, PREY was born.
Thank you for reading!

[OneDayI'll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

Needing a break from craft, cookbooks, and romances, I took a chance on Prey. It was pretty good. A little open ended, like it plans on a sequel maybe, but a decent viral horror. Some things remain a little vague, and I'm not sure if it was intentional or not. The dreams, they could just be fever dreams. Or, were they something more? Especially we with the one person who was infected, it seemed to be more. And the dreams Jack had, too. Some things seemed to be bigger obstacles than they were, especially emotional ones. Pasts were smoothed over far too easily, hurts easily forgotten and forgiven in a blink. The type 1 diabetes Stella has, outside of the dog, barely registered. Usually there are specific diets, possibly pumps, checked sugar readings, all very difficult things to manage with a toddler. And yet, she eats candy, carb laden pasta, and never a sugar check is mentioned. The overall story was good, it's just the little details that slipped through. The vet part holds well, even the CDC tracking...sort of. The ending ties up too quickly. Storm or no there'd be agents testing various wildlife for weeks and months after. Especially as it jumped species once. But, like I said, open ended, so maybe there'll be another? A lot can be forgiven for being left out of the story continues and fills in the gaps.

[Terry and dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this medical thriller. The story revolves around a veterinarian, Emily and her story. The charachters are well written and you can't help but wish them all a good outcome. Very easy to get into and a quick read. My favourite parts, well I loved the virus and how it affects the birds, and Some really good horror bits about their attacks. It doesn't go into minute detail about the virus, if you are looking for a Crichton type story, it's not that, but it does give a human story about a woman and her struggles and relationships in both past and future. Good book. I'll be checking out more from this author.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book while going through a ND blizzard made it even scarier. It hit too close to home! This is a scary, fast read. It's timely and relatable with the infectious disease situation. I like the characters and the second chance at love was a nice breather from the non-stop action.
Creative storyline, characters I got to know and care about, and good writing. The author's background as a vet is obvious and made it authentic.
I received a copy for my honest review. I recommend this book.

[Annemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story right up to the ending.

I read the Acknowledgement and the About the Author, and found another chapter. Unusual formatting (thinks I) but now I should get an answer to that burning question. WRONG!!!! It was just a Chapter that should have been inserted earlier in the book.

If not for the disappointing ending, I would have given 5 Stars.

I received a free Advance Reader Copy of Prey through BookSirens, and have chosen to leave a review.

[P.J. Mordant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth book I’ve read from Sarah Davis and lapped it up. Great premise and strong characters make this a great thriller. Her work always features her love of animals – hardly surprising as she’s a vet – which translates into a deep insight that feeds into her stories. Not only does this author knows her stuff, she also understands how to use language to best effect. There are some stunning passages in this book. An easy recommendation, from me and looking forward to more.

[Lena Andrews]

I loved the book it totally had me sucked into the story, and I couldn't put it down. It had an Alfred Hitchcock feel in a descriptive text weaving a believable story with characters I cared about.
I love the care and development of characters.
If you like medical, animal, mystery, edge of your seat read this is it.
This is an author I'm going to be watching and reading, and you should too.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[PAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOld on to your breath. This is one novel that is going to capture your attention and take your breathe away. HOw the author captures you i can't quite say, but be prepared as you are not going to be able to set it down. The is a 5 star book, you will want to read.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Joan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Sarah Davis

The story is about a veterinarian who is trying to create a cure for the newest Avian Influenza. It's very atmospheric with believable scenarios. Lovers of disaster movies will want to read this story.

While reading the story, I got very strong vibes of the Alfred Hitchcock' the Birds.

[The Other One · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prey is like Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, updated, and melded with our experiences with Covid-19. It is also interesting, thought provoking, and entertaining. There's even a little love story thrown in for those of us with a romantic interest.

[Jason M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy and unsettling.

In today’s world, post pandemic, this books hits home.

A disturbing and wild ride.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit creepy and felt like something that could really happen, barring the one kind of supernatural element.

I really enjoy stories that take science and mix it with a bit of horror. It makes it so much more believable and that makes it even more terrifying!

I like the characters and felt emotionally engaged in their struggles. I was cheering them on and hoping for the best for them.

The story itself, while eerily believable, seems a bit rushed at times. Also, there was one element that I felt was thrown in just to allow one scene to happen. I think this is the main reason this book did not get a five star rating from me.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a tale that involves horrific things that could possibly happen in the real world, who likes characters that are realistic for the most part in their actions and reactions, and who does not mind a little bit of blood and gore.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily