What do you think?
Rate this book
Gunnysack Hell
It's the summer of 1962, middle of the Cold War, and the O'Brien family has moved off-grid to the Mojave Desert in Southern California. After all, the desert has to be a safer place to raise a family than the crime-ridden city, and there they can build a new future. But evil also stalks dusty desert roads, and eight-year-old Nonni finds herself harboring a terrible secret: Only she can identify the predator who has been terrorizing the community. And he knows where she lives.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2021
7 people are currently reading
78 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 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 11, 2021
This debut novel by Nancy Brashear lifts readers from the noisy present and drops them into the silent emptiness of a Cold War era desert. But if one thinks silence and empty space guarantees peace and safety, they’re as mistaken as the O’Brien family was when they pulled up stakes and moved off grid to the Mojave Desert in 1962.
With each chapter, another member of the O’Brien family takes up the story, but it is eight-year-old Nonie who carries the narrative. She’s the one who knows who’s been leaving women tied up in gunnysacks by the side of the road, and she’s the one he needs to silence.
Gunnysack Hell kept me up reading until I reached the last page and could finally take a breath. An easy 5 Stars.
With each chapter, another member of the O’Brien family takes up the story, but it is eight-year-old Nonie who carries the narrative. She’s the one who knows who’s been leaving women tied up in gunnysacks by the side of the road, and she’s the one he needs to silence.
Gunnysack Hell kept me up reading until I reached the last page and could finally take a breath. An easy 5 Stars.
February 2, 2021
This book was an amazing read! I cannot believe that this is by a debut author. It is a story taking place in the 1960’s. The father lost his job and moved the family to a small cabin in the Mojave Desert that is totally off the grid. Life isn’t easy, but Rand finds temporary jobs to get them by, sometimes requiring travel.
A man confronts his girls with ill intentions, and they run. Thankfully their father, Rand finds them before something worse happens. The excitement escalates from this point...Hang on!
Through all of the roller coaster of events, the family is growing closer and comes out stronger at the end.
The characters are well written. The angst of the time is real. The plot moves at a great pace. The suspense builds and builds. Don’t miss this book!
I received a complimentary pre-release copy of the book, and I'm freely giving an honest and fair review.
A man confronts his girls with ill intentions, and they run. Thankfully their father, Rand finds them before something worse happens. The excitement escalates from this point...Hang on!
Through all of the roller coaster of events, the family is growing closer and comes out stronger at the end.
The characters are well written. The angst of the time is real. The plot moves at a great pace. The suspense builds and builds. Don’t miss this book!
I received a complimentary pre-release copy of the book, and I'm freely giving an honest and fair review.
February 12, 2021
He just wanted to protect and provide for his family, so Rand moved them to an off-the-grid cabin in the California high desert. Both goals became harder than he imagined with long work hours away from home and a crazed stalker on the loose.
Family members share events from their own perspective, a feat not easy to present well, but the author has achieved a well-written novel that has the reader getting to know each unique character.
Author Nancy Brashear in her debut novel, Gunnysack Hell, writes a gripping story that will have your adrenaline spiking and your heart rooting for this family.
I received an advance copy of this book from the author: however, I voluntarily wrote an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Family members share events from their own perspective, a feat not easy to present well, but the author has achieved a well-written novel that has the reader getting to know each unique character.
Author Nancy Brashear in her debut novel, Gunnysack Hell, writes a gripping story that will have your adrenaline spiking and your heart rooting for this family.
I received an advance copy of this book from the author: however, I voluntarily wrote an honest review. All opinions are my own.
February 13, 2021
Gunny Sack Hell’s riveting plot drew me in and kept me going all the way through. The author took me through a full gamut of emotions as I connected with each of the characters. The family members were so vastly different, but through all their virtues and faults, I worried and rooted for each one. N. Brashear did an excellent job of contrasting the sweet innocence of the young girls against the stark terror of the harrowing horror without unnecessary graphic narrative. Still, my stomach churned and my heart wrenched. Gunny Sack Hell has already established Nancy Brashear as a top psychological thriller writer to watch.
February 8, 2021
Gunnysack Hell piqued my interest immediately and held it. The rich descriptive writing gives the reader a deep understanding of each character. The suspense gradually builds to keep the reader engaged. I received a complimentary prerelease copy of the book, and I’m giving a honest and fair review.
August 7, 2023
GUNNYSACK HELL by Nancy Breshear
Off the Grid is not Out of Danger
The California Desert, scorpions, unrelenting heat, limited water, no electricity, swirling sand devils, defunct wells and a new definition of “off the grid”—author Nancy Bashear makes use of all these elements and adds the greatest threat of all, a human predator, to fill her suspense thriller, GUNNYSACK HELL. Flipping through the pages, readers will feel their throats constrict from the desert heat, their eyes sting from the flying sand, and hear the scary sounds of coyotes and night creatures, all through Breshear’s detailed description of this barren landscape. This may be a strange place to set a story of a young family trying to eke out a living but Brashear makes the most of it. However, what I enjoyed most about this narrative are her characters, the mother Claire and the father Rand, their two daughters, Nonni and Tessa, as well as grandma/mother/mother-in-law, Gracie. In fact, the story is told through their eyes as the author uses each as POV character, having them narrate the tale in first person in alternating chapters. Brashear renders each character unique and believable, mastering each voice in a way that increases the layered tension. The readers can’t help but care about this desperate family. No small feat for a writer. The story is set in the early sixties when the imagined danger of nuclear war loomed large, though this family discovered the very real danger came not from the sky, but from nearby in the desert.
In GUNNYSACK HELL, the author delivers a slowly revealed thriller, one creepy layer at a time, all the while allowing her readers to live inside the heads of her very real characters.
Off the Grid is not Out of Danger
The California Desert, scorpions, unrelenting heat, limited water, no electricity, swirling sand devils, defunct wells and a new definition of “off the grid”—author Nancy Bashear makes use of all these elements and adds the greatest threat of all, a human predator, to fill her suspense thriller, GUNNYSACK HELL. Flipping through the pages, readers will feel their throats constrict from the desert heat, their eyes sting from the flying sand, and hear the scary sounds of coyotes and night creatures, all through Breshear’s detailed description of this barren landscape. This may be a strange place to set a story of a young family trying to eke out a living but Brashear makes the most of it. However, what I enjoyed most about this narrative are her characters, the mother Claire and the father Rand, their two daughters, Nonni and Tessa, as well as grandma/mother/mother-in-law, Gracie. In fact, the story is told through their eyes as the author uses each as POV character, having them narrate the tale in first person in alternating chapters. Brashear renders each character unique and believable, mastering each voice in a way that increases the layered tension. The readers can’t help but care about this desperate family. No small feat for a writer. The story is set in the early sixties when the imagined danger of nuclear war loomed large, though this family discovered the very real danger came not from the sky, but from nearby in the desert.
In GUNNYSACK HELL, the author delivers a slowly revealed thriller, one creepy layer at a time, all the while allowing her readers to live inside the heads of her very real characters.
April 15, 2021
Thrilling story with a beautiful core. You’ll be guessing what happens next at every turn!
February 4, 2021
Gunny Sack Hell is written with the ambiance of believable realism, coupled with increasing tension from beginning to end. The Reader is given a bird's eye view into the character and particular “family” culture of the Randall's family. The thoughts, emotions, and fears of the characters, lend a definitive backdrop to the perils a family faces living off the grid.
The author conveys a realistic picture of living isolated from a macro infrastructure that provides the basics of life: electricity, communication, running water, along with the comfort that comes from physical and emotional proximity to community. Physical and financial security is paramount. Amid constant worry, the risk and struggle for survival creates and increases uncertainty with subsequent vulnerability rising to the forefront as each day passes. The thought of losing everything becomes prevalent and worrisome. Unforeseen dangers lurk, the push and pull of reality is constant, and increasing vigilance while creating a space for safety are imperative. Children are especially at risk and vulnerable for the unexpected to occur since their ability to critically think is hampered by child-like curiosity and immaturity.
As Gunny Sack Hell progresses to it's conclusion, courage rises to the forefront against fear. Intuition and ingenuity combat the unexpected dangers that threaten the Randall family providing the Reader with a conclusion that is positive, affirming, and consummate with hope for a brighter future. Victoria L. Stuard, Ed.D, NADIV
Note: I was given this as a complimentary pre-release book and have freely written a fair and objective review.
The author conveys a realistic picture of living isolated from a macro infrastructure that provides the basics of life: electricity, communication, running water, along with the comfort that comes from physical and emotional proximity to community. Physical and financial security is paramount. Amid constant worry, the risk and struggle for survival creates and increases uncertainty with subsequent vulnerability rising to the forefront as each day passes. The thought of losing everything becomes prevalent and worrisome. Unforeseen dangers lurk, the push and pull of reality is constant, and increasing vigilance while creating a space for safety are imperative. Children are especially at risk and vulnerable for the unexpected to occur since their ability to critically think is hampered by child-like curiosity and immaturity.
As Gunny Sack Hell progresses to it's conclusion, courage rises to the forefront against fear. Intuition and ingenuity combat the unexpected dangers that threaten the Randall family providing the Reader with a conclusion that is positive, affirming, and consummate with hope for a brighter future. Victoria L. Stuard, Ed.D, NADIV
Note: I was given this as a complimentary pre-release book and have freely written a fair and objective review.
February 8, 2021
Gunnysack Hell is a truly great thriller from a terrific new fiction writer.
Nancy Brashear is a believable and observant writer from every character’s point-of-view. I was vividly invested into the life of her principal narrator Nonni, a 4th grader who finds herself suddenly living “off the grid” in the desert after her father is laid off. The 60s & 70s came back to life down to kraft dinner (with added zuchinni squash so as to be healthy), excitement of new school year, violent grade school tetherball, flying insect desert issues, magic markers, even sour lemon drops for all who remember those!
There is a particularly wonderful Nonni POV sequence when she is asked by the local sheriff to ID the novel’s villain in whilst she is afraid that she is the one in trouble. I was equally riveted by her much more airy-fairy younger sister Tessa’s perspective as well. In addition to writing terrifically from a children’s point of view, this first novel is that has masterful story construction…i.e. The abandoned bomb-shelter on the old homestead shoots off like Chekhov’s gun in the end. This novel thrillingly scared jaded me in the best way…I forgot about everything else for just a little while.
Just don’t read this if/while you are a young mother staying in a Joshua Tree AirBnb with young children & aren’t entirely sure about your relationship with your mother-in-law & it’s dark out… Otherwise enjoy this verified spine-tingling page-turner! I received a free pre-release reader review copy and freely wrote this objective review.
Nancy Brashear is a believable and observant writer from every character’s point-of-view. I was vividly invested into the life of her principal narrator Nonni, a 4th grader who finds herself suddenly living “off the grid” in the desert after her father is laid off. The 60s & 70s came back to life down to kraft dinner (with added zuchinni squash so as to be healthy), excitement of new school year, violent grade school tetherball, flying insect desert issues, magic markers, even sour lemon drops for all who remember those!
There is a particularly wonderful Nonni POV sequence when she is asked by the local sheriff to ID the novel’s villain in whilst she is afraid that she is the one in trouble. I was equally riveted by her much more airy-fairy younger sister Tessa’s perspective as well. In addition to writing terrifically from a children’s point of view, this first novel is that has masterful story construction…i.e. The abandoned bomb-shelter on the old homestead shoots off like Chekhov’s gun in the end. This novel thrillingly scared jaded me in the best way…I forgot about everything else for just a little while.
Just don’t read this if/while you are a young mother staying in a Joshua Tree AirBnb with young children & aren’t entirely sure about your relationship with your mother-in-law & it’s dark out… Otherwise enjoy this verified spine-tingling page-turner! I received a free pre-release reader review copy and freely wrote this objective review.
February 1, 2021
I had the privilege to receive a complimentary pre-released copy of Nancy Brashear's upcoming debut psychological thriller novel, Gunnysack Hell and have freely given it an honest review.
Gunnysack Hell is a multi-narrator, fast-paced novel set in the California high desert in 1962, introducing eight-year-old Nonni and her family, who live off grid. A stranger attempts to kidnap Nonni and her younger sister, Tessa from their bus stop, but the girls are able to get away. Hoping he has moved on to another town, they soon come to realize that someone has secretly been watching them from outside their home at night. This psychological thriller takes us through each character's struggle, including Nonni, who has to get out of her own personal "gunnysack", an inner battle between telling the truth and the fear of truth's consequences. Making the right decisions could enhance their ability to protect her family and community. Each character must learn to put aside differences and work together for survival. I highly recommend Gunnysack Hell. to anyone who loves a thriller with unnerving moments and down-to-earth characters.
Debra McKinney Reichle
Retired Texas High School English Teacher
Gunnysack Hell is a multi-narrator, fast-paced novel set in the California high desert in 1962, introducing eight-year-old Nonni and her family, who live off grid. A stranger attempts to kidnap Nonni and her younger sister, Tessa from their bus stop, but the girls are able to get away. Hoping he has moved on to another town, they soon come to realize that someone has secretly been watching them from outside their home at night. This psychological thriller takes us through each character's struggle, including Nonni, who has to get out of her own personal "gunnysack", an inner battle between telling the truth and the fear of truth's consequences. Making the right decisions could enhance their ability to protect her family and community. Each character must learn to put aside differences and work together for survival. I highly recommend Gunnysack Hell. to anyone who loves a thriller with unnerving moments and down-to-earth characters.
Debra McKinney Reichle
Retired Texas High School English Teacher
February 13, 2021
Ever wonder what it would be like to move to a desert and go off the grid? I have and in Gunnysack Hell I got a taste of that and more. Nancy Brashear’s spine tingler pulled me in from the beginning and before I knew it, I couldn’t put it down and was finishing the book at 4 am!
This debut novel tells of a family’s survival and adaptation to life without modern technology available in 1962, and their battle against an unknown assailant who gravely threatens their safety. Told from multiple perspectives, the characters are richly developed and their voices are authentic; I cared about them, their well being, and the outcome of the story. This story was inspired by real life events, but the storytelling was so engaging and compelling that I want more. Sequel please, I want to know grown up Nonni’s story!
I received a complimentary pre-release reader copy and I am freely giving an objective review.
This debut novel tells of a family’s survival and adaptation to life without modern technology available in 1962, and their battle against an unknown assailant who gravely threatens their safety. Told from multiple perspectives, the characters are richly developed and their voices are authentic; I cared about them, their well being, and the outcome of the story. This story was inspired by real life events, but the storytelling was so engaging and compelling that I want more. Sequel please, I want to know grown up Nonni’s story!
I received a complimentary pre-release reader copy and I am freely giving an objective review.
February 17, 2021
Gunnysack Hell is a wonderfully written novel that incorporates intriguing characters who are fleshed out with their own POV chapters. There is Nonni who hovers between childhood innocence and fear of being in trouble. Then there is Tessa, who can see a person’s true colors, revealing their nature. I enjoyed reading each chapter from a different character’s perspective because it made each character feel believable. Mother Grace’s chapters were the best with her colloquialisms and way of thinking.
Nancy Brashear creates these great narrators, but that is not her only talent. She is skilled in her world building of the novel, describing in rich detail each setting. In doing so, Brashear masterfully builds up the psychological tension. This book was scary good, and I easily lost myself within the story.
Nancy Brashear creates these great narrators, but that is not her only talent. She is skilled in her world building of the novel, describing in rich detail each setting. In doing so, Brashear masterfully builds up the psychological tension. This book was scary good, and I easily lost myself within the story.
February 12, 2021
This thrilling story follows multiple narrators- a whole family living off-the-grid in the desert. The story progresses at an exciting pace with a mysterious (and really creepy) villain, an intense birth scene, and a Jesus with glow-in-the-dark eyes (trust me, just read it). I loved how the harsh reality faced by the parents is juxtaposed with the vivid imaginations of the children and how it all comes to a crashing climax that unites all the characters. I highly recommend this book!
(I read an advanced copy of this book.)
(I read an advanced copy of this book.)
February 7, 2021
Proving the old adage "You can run but you can't hide", Gunnysack Hell follows the O'Brien family who recently fled the tensions of civilized society to live off-the-grid in the southern Californian desert. Expertly written by author Nancy Brashear from the vantage point of five family members, the page turning suspense builds to the ultimate chilling encounter with terror and reminds this reader that "in time of test, family is best".
February 28, 2021
Wow. From the opening of the story, I was hooked. The writing was descriptive and engaging. I adored the main character and her sister. The entire family was well-developed and their love for one another came across in every interaction. The dialogue and setting were authentic. And the creepy bad guy gave me shivers. Such a great read...I highly recommend.
February 9, 2021
I enjoyed reading this debut novel. The author has a way with describing the beauty and danger of the wild desert. Using many different points of view, with very distinct voices, she tells a chilling story of a family who's being haunted by an unknown terror.
February 28, 2021
I couldn’t put this one down. It was suspenseful but also heartening. I absolutely loved reading everything from the different perspectives of each family member. Nonni and Tessie, with their colors and insights, are characters I won’t soon forget.
August 7, 2023
I lived in Palm Springs for twenty years, and I used to drive through Wonder Valley on the way to Vegas. I would always wonder about the abandoned one room shacks that dotted the countryside. What were the lives of these people like, why did they settle there, what happened to them? So, when I started reading Gunnysack Hell I was thrilled because of the subject matter and the setting. It told the tale of modern-day homesteaders in Apple Valley.
Set in the era of the Cold War two young sisters, Tessa and Nonni, have to move with their parents from to a one room shack in the desert, with no plumbing or electricity. Not only do these girls have to face the dangers of a stalker in the foreground, but they have to worry about an atomic bomb sending a mushroom cloud over the desert. There is even a bomb shelter on the land.
It is a wonderful story about a family starting over, told by different family members in alternating chapters. I loved the inner dialogue of the characters.
The realism of the book was riveting, down to the financial troubles of the father. There were so many realistic touches that added to the authenticity of the story. I was glad there was an epilogue because the characters stayed with me, and I wanted to know what happened to them.
Set in the era of the Cold War two young sisters, Tessa and Nonni, have to move with their parents from to a one room shack in the desert, with no plumbing or electricity. Not only do these girls have to face the dangers of a stalker in the foreground, but they have to worry about an atomic bomb sending a mushroom cloud over the desert. There is even a bomb shelter on the land.
It is a wonderful story about a family starting over, told by different family members in alternating chapters. I loved the inner dialogue of the characters.
The realism of the book was riveting, down to the financial troubles of the father. There were so many realistic touches that added to the authenticity of the story. I was glad there was an epilogue because the characters stayed with me, and I wanted to know what happened to them.
August 11, 2023
Back in 1962, eight-year-old Nonni lives with her family off the grid in the Californian desert. She’s living a happy, carefree life until a stranger approaches her and her little sister. For the next several months, she lives in terror that this man will make due on his promise to hurt her family.
I don’t read crime fiction often, but this one had a compelling plot. It’s told in the point-of-view of Nonni, her sister Tessa, their parents, and their grandmother. The characters’ tension and stress drove the story, as well as the mystery of when the bad guy was going to strike next.
Ms. Brashear did an amazing job of creating each character’s voice. The children sounded like kids and the adults each had their own personality, too. She did a great job of upping the tension and putting the characters at odds with one another. Her descriptions of the scenery were so vivid I could easily picture them in my head, and though I hate to say this, the pacing was slow at times. There are some unanswered questions about the villain, but none affected the plot.
Anyway, Gunnysack Hell offers a compelling mystery with an ensemble of fascinating characters sure to entertain for an evening.
4 Stars
I don’t read crime fiction often, but this one had a compelling plot. It’s told in the point-of-view of Nonni, her sister Tessa, their parents, and their grandmother. The characters’ tension and stress drove the story, as well as the mystery of when the bad guy was going to strike next.
Ms. Brashear did an amazing job of creating each character’s voice. The children sounded like kids and the adults each had their own personality, too. She did a great job of upping the tension and putting the characters at odds with one another. Her descriptions of the scenery were so vivid I could easily picture them in my head, and though I hate to say this, the pacing was slow at times. There are some unanswered questions about the villain, but none affected the plot.
Anyway, Gunnysack Hell offers a compelling mystery with an ensemble of fascinating characters sure to entertain for an evening.
4 Stars
August 15, 2021
Told from each character’s point of view, Gunnysack Hell is the harrowing survival story of a family in the 1960s that moves off-grid to the desolate Mojave Desert when the father is laid off from his job.
Honestly, the tension of this gut-wrenching psychological thriller rung me out. Worry about the fate of a family made up of different, but interesting characters I was invested in wore me out. This riveting page-turner had me up way past my bedtime partly because I couldn’t put it down and partly because I was too afraid to turn off the light.
Author Nancy Brashear’s heart-pounding plot was all the more terrifying in its believability because, given a similar set of circumstances, it could happen to any family. The story is enriched by the author’s detailed description of the high desert. Seen through the characters’ eyes, the reader soon learns only too well how deceptive the silence of the barren desert can be. This is a story that will have you checking to make sure all the doors and windows are locked before you go to bed. I highly recommend Gunnysack Hell to anyone who enjoys having the pants scared off them.
July 7, 2023
In Nancy Brashear’s novel, Gunnysack Hell, the reader gets to take a peek at a family living off the grid in the Mojave Desert of California in the summer of 1962. Rand, the father is working hard to provide for his family after losing his job. However, his new employment opportunities do not allow for him to always be home for his family—a wife and two little daughters—with a creepy predator terrorizing the community members.
Nancy Brashear writes a realistic, compelling story line drawing the reader into the tale and plight of the family and their personal anxieties and fears. The story is told from different perspectives of the characters, giving it a nice refreshing twist for the reader.
The tale also evokes sadness and empathy for the mother and little girls who must deal with living a hard, shabby, basic existence devoid of the finer things in life. As a thriller, it imparts feelings of horror and dread for the reader as the disgusting villain stalks the family members.
The author has nailed down the terrorizing and thrilling scenes in the novel to keep the reader turning the pages, but for me—only in the light of day.
Nancy Brashear writes a realistic, compelling story line drawing the reader into the tale and plight of the family and their personal anxieties and fears. The story is told from different perspectives of the characters, giving it a nice refreshing twist for the reader.
The tale also evokes sadness and empathy for the mother and little girls who must deal with living a hard, shabby, basic existence devoid of the finer things in life. As a thriller, it imparts feelings of horror and dread for the reader as the disgusting villain stalks the family members.
The author has nailed down the terrorizing and thrilling scenes in the novel to keep the reader turning the pages, but for me—only in the light of day.
August 7, 2023
With the father’s job loss, the O’Brien family is forced to move into a rustic desert cabin, stretching as far as they can to make ends meet. Told through multiple points of view during the ‘60s Cold War-era, Gunnysack Hell slow-builds to share their truly suspenseful tale. Each character is masterfully drawn, so that you empathize with and appreciate the unique voice, from the two young girls to the folksy grandma. Their challenges in eking out an existence, the heightened tension between them, and a creepy, stalking predator add up to page-turning trepidation. You’ll definitely root for the family to not only survive, but thrive, in the harsh, unforgiving surroundings.
September 10, 2022
The pattern of alternating narrators really works in this first novel to keep the suspense going. But there's so much more in this story as well--great characters, strong sense of the environment, nuanced descriptions. Nonni and Tessa come off as very believable child characters. The sense of the time and place, 1962 and off the grid, adds to the richness of the story and the suspense. I highly recommend this novel. Much to love about it.
August 11, 2023
I’m a fan of stories inspired by true crime and this one is fantastic. It’s a slow burn, suspenseful tale about a family living in a cabin in the middle of the Mohave desert. As they struggle to get by and build their new home, they are being stalked. The story is told from the perspective of every family member which made their characters interesting and added to their development. Overall, a great read for fans of isolation thrillers.
January 5, 2023
This book is compelling from beginning to end. The Mojave Desert provides the backdrop for each character to tell the story in their own voice. The story flows seamlessly through each character to create a shared experience.
October 6, 2022
Quick read.
A simple down and out family living in an off grid cabin tangle with a creepy, evil man determined to cause them harm.
A simple down and out family living in an off grid cabin tangle with a creepy, evil man determined to cause them harm.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews