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Whitetooth Falls
Homicide detective David Moore has never had a case quite like a series of savage murders targeting the family of Frank Ballaro, a mafia kingpin with half the city of Niagara Falls in his pocket. The killer strikes with inhuman violence, and always on the night of a full moon.
Meanwhile, grad student Iman Al-Qadari reads about the murders with growing dismay. Her boss, a prominent professor, has been acting strange over the last few months--wearing disheveled clothes, lashing out with uncharacteristic anger, and obsessing over a growing pile of occult literature. When Iman spots a red stain on his coat sleeve--one that looks and smells suspiciously like blood--the night after a grisly murder, the unthinkable starts to seem all too possible.
As David and Iman wrestle with an impossible enemy whose existence grows harder and harder to deny, a strange and sinister evil sinks its fangs ever deeper into Niagara's throat. Can David and Iman find one another in time to pool their knowledge, solve the mystery, and stop the killings? Or will the creature feasting on their city swallow them as well?
Meanwhile, grad student Iman Al-Qadari reads about the murders with growing dismay. Her boss, a prominent professor, has been acting strange over the last few months--wearing disheveled clothes, lashing out with uncharacteristic anger, and obsessing over a growing pile of occult literature. When Iman spots a red stain on his coat sleeve--one that looks and smells suspiciously like blood--the night after a grisly murder, the unthinkable starts to seem all too possible.
As David and Iman wrestle with an impossible enemy whose existence grows harder and harder to deny, a strange and sinister evil sinks its fangs ever deeper into Niagara's throat. Can David and Iman find one another in time to pool their knowledge, solve the mystery, and stop the killings? Or will the creature feasting on their city swallow them as well?
- GenresHorror
293 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 8, 2019
19 people want to read
About the author
Justin Joschko
6 books18 followersJustin Joschko is an author from Niagara Falls, Ontario. His writing has appeared in newspapers and literary journals across Canada. Yellow Locust is his first novel. He currently lives in Ottawa with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 31, 2019
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Preface: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, for the most part. The characters are realistic and likeable, the descriptions are wonderfully noir-esque, the action is excellent, the dialogue is snappy and great (love that detective banter!!) and things generally kept moving at a decent clip. It really keeps you wondering whether it's gonna go all the way into supernatural stuff, or if there's some smoke-and-mirrors type stuff happening. The conclusion was satisfying, and a little surprising (wasn't expecting one character to go where he ended up, but I liked it). Overall, it was a great read, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for the author in the future.
I do have one complaint, and that's that the pacing kinda takes a weird turn halfway through. There's a point in the novel where we fully understand what's going on via our two main viewpoint characters, but they haven't yet found each other to communicate the facts they know. There's a bit of a stretch where our cop friend is playing catch-up to what we the readers already know, and we're also kinda wanting to shake our lady POV into spilling the beans already, since she knows something's horribly wrong, even if she hasn't 100% gotten there already. Being ahead of the characters this way is never all that fun, and it kinda drags things down. Despite being relatively short, this novel /feels/ about 150% its length, and it's partially because of this section.
The other additional length comes from general minutia being overexplained. Characters drinking coffee, smoking, drinking at a bar, even sneezing sometimes get a whole paragraph, or even a couple. It's good for setting a scene, but becomes kinda repetitive over time and ended up causing me to skim certain sections because I didn't need to hear it all again.
These are minor complaints though. As I said, overall I was very pleased with this read. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good, gritty detective story, especially if you like that maybe-supernatural-maybe-mundane twist.
Preface: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, for the most part. The characters are realistic and likeable, the descriptions are wonderfully noir-esque, the action is excellent, the dialogue is snappy and great (love that detective banter!!) and things generally kept moving at a decent clip. It really keeps you wondering whether it's gonna go all the way into supernatural stuff, or if there's some smoke-and-mirrors type stuff happening. The conclusion was satisfying, and a little surprising (wasn't expecting one character to go where he ended up, but I liked it). Overall, it was a great read, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for the author in the future.
I do have one complaint, and that's that the pacing kinda takes a weird turn halfway through. There's a point in the novel where we fully understand what's going on via our two main viewpoint characters, but they haven't yet found each other to communicate the facts they know. There's a bit of a stretch where our cop friend is playing catch-up to what we the readers already know, and we're also kinda wanting to shake our lady POV into spilling the beans already, since she knows something's horribly wrong, even if she hasn't 100% gotten there already. Being ahead of the characters this way is never all that fun, and it kinda drags things down. Despite being relatively short, this novel /feels/ about 150% its length, and it's partially because of this section.
The other additional length comes from general minutia being overexplained. Characters drinking coffee, smoking, drinking at a bar, even sneezing sometimes get a whole paragraph, or even a couple. It's good for setting a scene, but becomes kinda repetitive over time and ended up causing me to skim certain sections because I didn't need to hear it all again.
These are minor complaints though. As I said, overall I was very pleased with this read. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good, gritty detective story, especially if you like that maybe-supernatural-maybe-mundane twist.
December 29, 2019
It's been a while since I read a good edge of your seat thriller or a spine-tingling horror, and I got my fix on both with Whitetooth Falls. The story does have its grisly side with the descriptions of some of the murders, but it's not over the top. In fact, I like that Justin Joschko went for plain ol' good writing and storytelling to keep me turning the pages rather than depending on gore for shock value. It is bloody, but when you're dealing with werewolves and organized crime, that's to be expected.
The writing here is excellent with Joschko finding that sweet spot between information and excitement. The prose is descriptive, and the scenes are set up so well that you feel like you're there. The same goes for the characters. Love them or hate them, and we get some of both, the characters are well-drawn and interesting. Even the bad guys, or the not so good guys, and we get some of both there too, are intriguing, and I wanted to see what would become of them as the story progressed. I have to say that our homicide detective, David Moore, was my favorite. He's just a genuinely likable guy, stuck between a rock and a hard place with this case and determined to do whatever it takes to stop the murders. David is followed closely by Iman as she digs deeper and deeper into her boss's actions to understand what's going on. David and Iman are each following a separate path, leading to the same place, so their stories run parallel for much of the book, yet it somehow doesn't feel like two separate storylines as so often happens with similar techniques.
In the end, this one came together in spectacular fashion, the excitement kept me on my toes, and the characters kept me interested in what was happening to them. Joschko drew me in from the beginning and held tight for the whole ride. The story is a solid mix of hair-raising creepiness and sit up and take notice action with a bit of well-timed wit from some characters who practically leap off the page. It's just plain good, and this is one author who is now firmly on my radar.
The writing here is excellent with Joschko finding that sweet spot between information and excitement. The prose is descriptive, and the scenes are set up so well that you feel like you're there. The same goes for the characters. Love them or hate them, and we get some of both, the characters are well-drawn and interesting. Even the bad guys, or the not so good guys, and we get some of both there too, are intriguing, and I wanted to see what would become of them as the story progressed. I have to say that our homicide detective, David Moore, was my favorite. He's just a genuinely likable guy, stuck between a rock and a hard place with this case and determined to do whatever it takes to stop the murders. David is followed closely by Iman as she digs deeper and deeper into her boss's actions to understand what's going on. David and Iman are each following a separate path, leading to the same place, so their stories run parallel for much of the book, yet it somehow doesn't feel like two separate storylines as so often happens with similar techniques.
In the end, this one came together in spectacular fashion, the excitement kept me on my toes, and the characters kept me interested in what was happening to them. Joschko drew me in from the beginning and held tight for the whole ride. The story is a solid mix of hair-raising creepiness and sit up and take notice action with a bit of well-timed wit from some characters who practically leap off the page. It's just plain good, and this is one author who is now firmly on my radar.
December 29, 2019
Magnificently lyrical, a literary crime narrative which in its expanse, characterization, and metaphorical imagery reminded me of Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song. WHITETOOTH FALLS peels away the veneer of tourism and peaceful living in Niagara Falls, Ontario and the Greater Toronto metropolitan region, exposing crime, lowlifes, and scams; but also an unbelievable, life-altering (and life-destroying) paranormal element, one which will wreak untold havoc.
Read this as a superb crime thriller. Read it as an incredibly imaginative paranormal exploration. Read it to pause and savour its literate imagery. Read it.
Read this as a superb crime thriller. Read it as an incredibly imaginative paranormal exploration. Read it to pause and savour its literate imagery. Read it.
December 31, 2019
This story is written beautifully and draws the reader in with amazing images and metaphors. While it does include the supernatural, it is much more about people and the emotions and interactions they have. I found it to be very realistic and very interesting. The words used convey detailed descriptions in a form that requires the reader to make the connection. The authoris a true professional. I would enjoy more of his stories.
January 5, 2020
This book by Justin Joschko was hands down one of most intense reads in a long time as his words were so vivid and extremely brutal and so one-of-a-kind in his descriptions of the characters, background, and action, that they seemed to almost smacking the reader in the face as the pages were turned as the story sought to find its conclusion. This is a voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Hidden Gems Books.
December 31, 2019
I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this. It’s a hardboiled detective story, a mafia story, and a werewolf story rolled all in one. It's nice to see a werewolf story with teeth for a change -- no fluffy pups here. There's also a fair bit of comedic banter to lighten up the mood and keep the story rocking along at a good pace.
June 30, 2020
Was a fast read. also really liked that it was set in Canada and not directly in Toronto. I also appreciated that the women were not reduced to props and victims and
May 12, 2023
This was a fantastic read. Of course, my opinion may be a bit skewed, as I live in Niagara Falls so was able to relate to the setting. Nonetheless, I found the story to be chilling and enthralling, really drawing me in. The characters were relatable and smart. Highly recommended.
August 4, 2021
Cool story based in my hometown.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews