Black Forest

by J. Scott Boyd

Things have been pretty bleak for fifteen-year-old, Jack Larson since the day his father walked out the door and never returned. The cops think he abandoned his family to start a new life, but Jack refuses to believe it.

Now, almost two years later, Jack is stagnating in his drug-ridden mountain town—spending his days in a haze of pot smoke, playing video games with his best friend Cash. Jack feels like he’ll never get an answer regarding his dad’s disappearance when he stumbles upon information that changes everything.

Jack and Cash follow clues that lead them to the infamous Black Forest Inn where they make an unbelievable discovery—one that puts them on a collision course with a gang of white supremacists who will stop at nothing to keep the dark secret buried.

Genres: Thriller

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 18, 2020

About the author

J. Scott Boyd's has written two novels as part of the Black Forest series. He lives in Colorado with his wife Ann, and two children, Lincoln and Hazel. He is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice where he works with clients struggling with addiction, trauma and depression.

Reviews

[Wesley Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of his novel, in exchange for an honest review.

Jack lives in the rough area called Black Forest. A couple years ago his father walked out and disappeared. Jack has since been curious as to what really happened to his father. His best friend Cash and him go exploring in their rundown town and happen upon some hidden drugs and gold. Next thing you know, the owners are after them!

There were a few things that I absolutely loved about this book. The first was how descriptive the town was. I grew up in a pretty rough city in Ontario and Black Forest reminded me of it in some scenes. So in a hilarious way that aspect was a little nostalgic.

The other main thing that I really liked was the bond between Jack and Cash. There were a lot of other side characters in this novel, but the two of them stuck by each other so strongly. It was a beautiful display of friendship in a very troubling setting. It’s true that friendship can help you through a lot.

The plot and side characters added a ton of dimension to the story. I loved reading through and seeing the mystery and secrets of the town unravel as Cash and Jack got further and further into trouble. I am excited to start Bad Cop, Worse Cop soon!

[Barnali Chakraborty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrifying and dark, Black Forest by J Scott Boyd sets itself as an engaging young-adult mystery thriller. This book unveils an action packed plot where things have been pretty bleak for fifteen-year-old, Jack Larson since the day his father walked out the door and never returned. The cops think he abandoned his family to start a new life, but Jack refuses to believe it.

Now, almost two years later, Jack is stagnating in his drug-ridden mountain town—spending his days in a haze of pot smoke, playing video games with his best friend Cash. Jack feels like he’ll never get an answer regarding his dad’s disappearance but then he stumbles upon information that changes everything.

Jack and Cash follow clues that lead them to the infamous Black Forest Inn where they make an unbelievable discovery — one that puts them on a collision course with a gang of white supremacists who will stop at nothing to keep the dark secret buried.

Honestly speaking, categorising this book in YA genre raises an eyebrow on the characters penned down by the author as our two teens are not quite innocent and they do have younger moments which was often humorous. Alongside, their small mountain community boasts hosts of party drugs, messed up adults, hot girls and true survival terror provided by skinheads hooked religiously on Nazi myths. I must say Jack and Cash truly make sympathetic heroes.

Now having said that, being a debut author Scott Boyd has done a remarkable job in crafting the plot of the book. His harrowing work blends a coming-of-age novel with horrific and ample dose of violence and revenge thrown in for good cause. The readers can actually visualize the plot and the gruesome actions taking place throughout the book.

Boyd being an experienced psychotherapist by profession perfectly narrates the "trigger warnings" for those who have suffered abuse or chemical dependence. The languages used were bold and sophisticated. The cover and the title are completely apt to the storyline.

It is worth mentioning that this book is acutely engaging, exquisitely concise and unfolds a page turning story of friendship, survival, strategy and ultimate revenge which definitely keeps the readers glued till the end.

Albeit this book is a YA novel yet considering the bold content I would recommend it to the readers who are above 16 years.

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

[Michelle Bacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Forest is J Scott Boyd's first novel and it has all the signs of being just that. Being that I too have tried my hand at writing and have had constructive criticism thrown my way, I see what those critics mean.
The overall plot of this book is good, but the flow wasn't there. There were a lot of things that were repeated several times through the story like Cash only having one functional arm since the other was in a sling. The point doesn't need to be drilled in with every paragraph. I also felt like there was a lot of unnecessary story that maybe was thrown in just as a filler. It takes away from the actual story and leaves the reader confused and the possibility of losing their attention all together.
There were some great nail-biting moments in there and I was extremely close to shedding a tear in one part. That's incredible stuff.
So, overall, it's worthy of 3 stars which isn't bad for a first attempt. I'm anxious to see if Boyd releases more work in the future. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Dr. Raye of Sunshine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not what I was expecting.

I didn't expect the amount of careless drug use, violence, and profanity. I also wasn't expecting the absolute absence of parents. These kids are like 15!

At any rate, aside from what I wasn't expecting, I really enjoyed this book. It's outlandish and far-fetched but that's actually what I liked about it. The how could this possibly happen aspect made it exciting and fun to read.

Despite the far-fetched plot (although to be fair, perhaps this sort of thing does happen often and I've just been lucky to live under a metaphorical rock where those things aren't normal or common), you can't help but root for Jack and his best friend Cash.

Jack has some issues to sort through with the disappearance of his dad. Cash just has a messed up family, period. But in the end, they band together to save the day with the most unlikely of allies.

This was a super fun and quick read that I really enjoyed.

Thanks to the author and BookSirens for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Suzanne Junod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first book is a compelling combination of mystery and thrilling adventure. The teens in the novel are beset with problems well known to the author. who, not insignificantly, is a therapist. Despite their collective experiences with drugs, abandonment, alcoholism, and gun violence, the main characters rely on friendship and determination to not only solve a very unique mystery and but grow in the process. The ending was satisfying and memorable. This was categorized as a Young Adult book. I find that somewhat questionable, although it was unavoidable give the ages of the main characters. That said, I’m a mother, not a teen!👏

[Janeandjerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Forest

I originally found this book from Booksirens.com but wasn't able to download it it from their site so I ended up getting it from Amazon and boy was I glad I did cause this book was the bomb... Loved it from the beginning and these characters were awesome made me kinda miss my school days again... Thanks Amazon again for another great book

[J. Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the author, so prob not fair to review.

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reviewing a book from Book Sirens (I received a copy in exchange for an honest review). I feel like I chose well. I enjoyed it.
The only thing is, I'm not sure who the target audience was. It is very much a YA novel, but at the same time, I would hesitate to recommend it to an actual young person. Well, at least a person under the age of 16. I know that many 15 year olds do get up to the sorts of things the protagonists do (minus finding nazi gold...), but it was still a lot. So much drinking and drug use and violence and sexual activity. So much. It was written realistically and never came of as exploitative. But the thought of a young teen reading it makes me a little squeamish, although I would never actually censor a book.
That said, I thought this was a great first novel. The writing was solid and engaging, the dialogue realistic, and the characters were well fleshed-out and sympathetically portrayed. It was a grim but believable glimpse into rural, small town life. Except for the nazi gold thing. Which was delightful. The whole thing was just so well thought-out and put together that the idea didn't seem at a ridiculous. That's a feat! The stakes felt real, with neo-nazi skinheads out for the protagonists' blood, and the way the heroes solved their problem was inspired.
The ending was satisfying. I'm glad I checked it out.
One last thing. The writer is a psychotherapist by trade, and it shows. The way he depicted addiction, loss, grief and recovery was spot on. I appreciated that.