The Jackal is Erin Adams’ debut novel and what a debut it is. Mirroring the author’s return to her hometown, the main character, Liz Rocher, is returning to Johnstown PA to be a bridesmaid in her best friend’s wedding. After the wedding, her friend’s young daughter Caroline vanishes in the woods just like many other black girls have disappeared over time. The bulk of the novel is very atmospheric and has a True Detective vibe, as Liz undertakes her own search for Caroline and the fates of the other lost girls, and to understand what made her special. As a black girl, why was she never taken? There are many possible suspects, but the novel transcends the thriller genre by going deep into the historical race discrimination existing in Johnstown (especially around the time of the Tulsa massacre). It also has a more spiritual/horror aspect involving Anubis, the Egyptian god of lost souls (the three sections of the book are “the heart,” “the feather” and “the scales”) and the Jackal in the title. While perhaps the most spiritually profound, the final showdown in the book was simply too implausible for me, and seemed more like the world of H. P. Lovecraft than a profound statement about surviving rage to reach justice. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary advance copy of this book.

When I first read the blurb for this book (and saw the striking cover), I thought this would be a great book to read around Halloween. And I did intend to read this book on or around Halloween. But life gets in the way, and I ended up pushing this book off until mid-January. However, I am glad that I read it when I did. Jackal was a disturbing book, and honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to handle reading it around Halloween.

Some prominent trigger warnings come with this book. I had googled it when I got the approval from Random House, so I knew what I was getting into reading it. The trigger warnings are racism (explicit), fatphobia (moderate), domestic violence (detailed in one scene), alcoholism (explicit), anxiety (explicit, it triggered mine in places), death of a child/children (all explicit, I had nightmares), and kidnapping (moderate to explicit). If any of these trigger you, I recommend not reading this book.

Jackal takes place entirely in the mountain town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is a fast-paced book that kept my eyes glued to the pages. I could see similarities to where I am living now, as sad as that is.

The author did not write the characters in Jackal to be likable. I don’t know how to explain, except I could see these characters walking the streets of my town. Out of the introduced characters, I liked Liz and Mel the most. Something about them struck a chord with me, and their characters stayed with me long after I finished the book.

Liz—She was a freaking mess. She didn’t want to come home to Johnstown and, in fact, had spent almost all of her adult life avoiding traveling there. But she came home because Mel, her best friend, was getting married and Liz was in the wedding. When Caroline was kidnapped, and fingers began pointing to Liz, she was desperate to find her. Her detective work wasn’t the best, but Liz did find some good leads (even when the cops didn’t and wouldn’t). All the while, she depended on the one cop she trusted to help her. I loved how she connected Caroline to the other missing girls.
Jackal fit perfectly into the horror genre. At first (and I had to read Tanisha’s chapter a few times to get it through my thick head) because I didn’t understand what was happening. But the author was able to drop enough hints and build it up so that I did understand. Add in the racial tensions and the tensions over the kidnapping, and this book exploded. There was a mystery angle that added extra depth to the storyline. I liked figuring out who took the girls (all teenagers/pre-teens) and the motivation. I thought that I knew, but yeah, I didn’t.

The author amazingly wrote the storyline with Liz, Caroline’s kidnapping, and the other girl’s murders and how it ties together. The author kept me guessing who the kidnapper was, and she had me think of one person when it was someone else. I loved that the author wrote short chapters about each of the girls who were killed from 1985 and on. I also loved how she tied those killings to Caroline’s kidnapping. There was a part in the book explaining why each girl was killed, and it blew my mind.

The storyline with Liz, the Jackal, Caroline, and the killers was terrific. It went in-depth into the racial and class division in Johnstown. It also explained the Jackal and the motivations behind the killings.

Several smaller sub-storylines added extra depth to the main one. Those more minor storylines explained why Liz was the way she was. They also illustrated several other things brought up in the book. Put it this way; I will never look at a baggie of popcorn the same way again. Talk about disgusting!!!

The end of Jackal was interesting. I will not say a lot, but Liz was fantastic. The author explained the Jackal’s roots (and it did surprise me). There is also a small scene at the end where Caroline lists every girl killed. But other than that, I can’t say anything more because of spoilers.

I recommend Jackal to anyone over 21. There is language, violence, and non-graphic sexual situations. Also, see my trigger warning above.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam, NetGalley, and Erin E. Adams for allowing me to read and review Jackal. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

This story kept my attention long enough to finish but I found myself confused and less invested during the last 25%. I enjoyed the setting and the descriptions but didn’t feel I knew the characters well enough to really care what happened.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2023 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2023/01/2023-reading-list-announced-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Maybe it was the pacing, maybe it was Maybelline.

For real though, I had high hopes and this fell flat. I felt my memory of this on fading as soon I set this down.

Brilliant debut!! Jackal is layered suspense that almost makes it into the horror fantasy category. Caroline, a young black girl goes missing in the woods and her god mother Liz tries to piece the clues together. Liz remembers her teen years in the town and when she digs into the town’s history more, Liz learns about the dark side. This is where the “Get Out” part comes into play. The characters are layered and the story progression is very detailed and the woods add a creepy element that I loved. Some parts were slow that read like a woman’s fiction, but a good read overall.

Thank you Ballantine PRH for the arc via Netgalley!

I gave this a four out of five stars. I really enjoyed this book, it totally was different than I thought it would be. I totally recommend picking this up and reading this.

3.5
Jackal started and ended strong, but the middle failed to capture my attention. I don't like the trope of everyone blaming one person, then that person trying to prove their innocence, and that is exactly what this devolved into. I was also not a fan of the somewhat romance that happened. I did love the ending. It was weird and beautiful, and everything I have come to expect from horror. The writing was great and I'll be looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the advance copy. The idea behind this book was interesting, though the premise reminded me very much of the story in When the Reckoning Comes. There were good themes and interesting historical tidbits about the Johnstown flood.

For me, the story was a bit all over the place, with confusing writing at times too. The red herrings were numerous and pretty well done - I suspected everyone throughout the book! But I did guess the killer before they were revealed. The supernatural part was also kind of confusing and not very scary to me.

I featured this book on Instagram as well as Twitter! It is one of my favorite books of 2022 and I GUSHED over it. Adams did an amazing weaving this story together. Perfectly paced and just plain brilliant.

There is so much I liked about this novel-- some horror, a touch of magical realism, a strong social conscience, and plenty of mystery. I was hooked immediately, Unfortunately, not every element worked equally well for me. I was quickly drawn into the setting, and Liz's own complex relationship to her childhood town (and her own childhood). However, as the story deepened and the mystery took on a somewhat fantastical quality, I found that the story lost focus, and I lost momentum. I love magical realism, but I'm always eager for it to clarify, rather than complicate, the rest of the story. I would certainly give Erin Adams' work another read, and I would recommend this novel to similar readers, but it wasn't a 100% here.

Jackel was an amazing blend of mystery, horror, and a journey of the return to self, and healing. I thoroughly enjoyed it an cannot wait to read more from Erin E. Adams.

Black girls have gone missing for years in Johnstown, PA but no one seems or wants to notice. They turn a blind eye and go about their day. They just learn to not go into the woods and ignore when unknown voices at night say your name.

Jackal started off strong and I had high hopes for it, but alas the closer it came to the ending the more it started to untangle and fall apart. It's a story that focuses on a small town's racism and secrets and the main character's own deep secrets from the past with some hints of paranormal mystery. At points I was on the edge of my seat wanting to read more. The last quarter of the book; however, just completely feel apart. The ending left myself scratching my head at times wondering what the heck was going on. Maybe I missed something? Perhaps. Parts of it also felt stereotypical, which was disappointing.

Jackal was a debut novel and Erin E. Adams has a lot of promise. I would definitely read more from her in the future. I don't regret reading this novel. There were some things that worked for me and some things that didn't work for me, like the end. This is one novel that would definitely leave a lot for discussion among others as it has a divided audience among readers.

Thank you to Bantam Books and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I don't know how I made it through this book. It was just an odd read to me with a too far fetched story line.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this one really fell flat for me. If you were to split this book into two halves, I'm not sure that you would be able to tell that they are apart of the same story. Truthfully, some things may have just gone way over my head, but all in all, do not recommend.

The themes and the issues discussed within made this an amazing debut thriller. Jackal is one whopper of a book. It’ reminds me of Ace of Spades, Get Out, When No One is Watching…but mixed together with a scary campfire story. It’s edge of your seat, thinking deep, looking over your shoulder, can’t get up until you’re done read.

Johnstown, Pennsylvania was never really a comfortable place for Liz Rocher. When her best friend announces she's finally getting married, Liz reluctantly returns to the town for the wedding. As a black woman, she's hesitant to return to the predominantly white town where she never felt like she fit in. Her best friend's daughter, Caroline, is half-black as well. During the wedding reception, Caroline disappears into the woods, leaving behind only a piece of white fabric covered in blood. It's a pattern Liz Rocher is reluctant to realize. Years before a girl named Keisha Woodson, the only other black girl in school, disappeared on a night like this. Liz knows this can't be a coincidence. In the hunt for Caroline, Liz will find herself unraveling a secret the town has tried so hard to hide. 

The book Jackal by Erin E. Adams is wonderfully and viscerally written, but it definitely leaves the reader with a sense of dread and unease from the very first pages. From just Liz's experiences as a black woman existing to the way she is treated by the town, the reader will desperately want her to escape and go somewhere where she can be safe. The problem, as this book points out, is that there are few places where Liz can be safe in this world. 

Jackal is now available from Ballantine Books.

Rich and resonant. This will have you flipping pages.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one has an interesting premise and solid writing. The main character, Liz Rocher, returns to the town of her youth in Pennsylvania for her best friend's wedding. Liz, who is black, never quite fit in with the locals of the predominantly white town, and so, her return is lukewarm and reluctant. This reluctance is a harbinger of worst things to come. And in fact while everyone is dancing, drinking, and partying on the day of the wedding, the couple's daughter, Caroline, goes missing. Surely nothing to be concerned about. She's probably off in the nearby woods playing. Unfortunately, a bloody piece of Caroline's clothing is discovered and the story reaches a fever pitch. Liz can't help but think of one of the few black girls in school during her time in town that met a bad end in these same woods. Liz stops at nothing to uncover the link between the two tragedies and in doing so discovers a breathtaking reality. Black girls have been falling victim to these same woods for years and years. Top-notch literary horror.

Wow! To say I didn't see it coming is an understatement for "Jackal" by Erin Adams. What I thought would be just another eerie murder mystery is so much more!

The author builds a captivating story around a Black woman who returns to her mostly White hometown for a friend's wedding. When the friend's daughter goes missing, it brings back dark memories for all involved.

Liz Rocher remembers other Black girls who went missing in the Pennsylvania forest. After her own close call, she's tried to forget about the past, but now she can't. She's determined to find Caroline, a biracial child, who Liz loves like a daughter. She was the last one to see the girl before disappearing into the woods.

For as long as Liz can remember, kids have been warned about the faces in the woods. She knows someone is watching since she was nearly abducted herself years ago. Someone helped her escape, but another girl died -- and her heart missing. It's up to Liz to solve the puzzle that's lingered at the edge of her memories before Caroline becomes the latest victim.

A deeper look into her town's history helps Liz see a pattern: summer nights, missing Black girls. Who has been stalking victims all these years? There's evil in the world, and it's not just in the forest. Trust me, you won't see it coming!