Review - The Local Truth by Carlos E. Rivera

Synopsis -

ALL TOWNS HAVE SECRETS

An unseen evil is growing deep beneath the isolated seaside town of White Harbor, which an insidious cult worships as their God. For centuries, it has fed on the inner darkness of its people, their nightmares, and their secrets, forming the almost tangible collective mind the locals call “Blight Harbor”.

Only one person can speak directly to the town’s God: Martha Lange, an Alzheimer’s patient in the town’s hospice. The Faithful call her “Mother”. She is the messenger of God, and she has proclaimed it’s time for His awakening. When Peter, Martha’s estranged son, returns to White Harbor after a personal loss, he’s unaware that his arrival will act as a catalyst for a dark omen, and God has promised Mother a reward for her service.

As supernatural events, disappearances, and horrors shake White Harbor over the course of three nights, Peter Lange and a group of townspeople swallowed up in these events must desperately find answers in the town’s history of death and tragedy. The source of the cult, and the true nature of “Blight Harbor” must be uncovered, because the final ritual is underway, and the most prominent phrase in the cult’s unearthly tongue translates to:

“God will feed.”

Review -

The town of White Harbor, which the locals refer to as "Blight Harbor" is home to more than it's fair share of death and tragedy, but are those losses natural or caused by something more nefarious?

If you want all the answers now, you are going to be disappointed, as this is the first book in what promises to be an epic series.

With that in mind, there is a lot of backstory and character development crammed in, which I'm sure is in place to set up future White Harbor stories. This is not to suggest that there is little else going on, as there are some genuinely creepy moments with a hint of some Lovecraftian type goodness to come.

Fans of King will get a real kick out of this book, as there are little elements of IT, as well as Carrie, with the religious zealot "Mother" sure to resonate with King followers.

There is a good deal of jumping around to help build the characters, which makes the book a little disjointed in places, but it all serves as a build-up to what is coming. A solid debut novel that is definitely worth a read.

You an pick up a copy of The Local Truth by clicking HERE.

4 stars out of 5