Not what I expected based on the cover. Not a horror read.

The Offspring is a fictional tale of family, the good, bad and the ugly. For readers who enjoy turmoil and family history being uncovered, this is a good choice.

I think I was expecting something much different from this book. The cover is very menacing and dark. The novel itself is more of an exploration of emotional impacts after tragedy and how it shapes your whole life after. The book was very dry for me, and I didn't really connect with the characters. If I had paid attention that the book was labeled as General Fiction, maybe my expectations and experience would have been different.

I love books about family secrets and all of them coming out. It makes you wonder about real life and people with all their secrets so many things we dont know about. Great book, really gets you thinking.

This is one such gripping stories which can make me forget to sleep and eat. Happy to receive this book from Net galley.

A brilliant read with a brilliant storyline and characters and I will look forward to reading more from you from this author thank you for my arc

I usually enjoy a good story about a MC going back to his hometown after being away for a long time to face his demon's or other people's demons. This was that sort of story, but it was just a bit too "historical" for my liking. There were an awful lot of characters to keep track of and it did get confusing for me once in a while. I did really like Hughie though. He was a very well fleshed out character and I felt like I actually knew him by the time the book was finished.
I didn't love this. I didn't hate this.

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had several ups and downs while reading this book. It's well-written, but it didn't grab my attention right away. As I started reading, I got very entrenched in the story. I felt like the only thing that prevented me from enjoying it as much as I could was that it jumped around a lot and I didn't think it was very cohesive. Several times, I was confused by the introduction of a new backstory and failed to see how it tied in to the rest until I got further along. I did enjoy the story, and found the ending to be unexpectedly sad. Good book!

I was under no obligation to review The Offspring and my opinion is freely given.

Hughie Decker had thought he would never return to the place of his childhood dreams and nightmares, but an article in the newspaper prompted his reluctant road trip. Will the secrets of the past remain buried, or will the truth finally be revealed?

The Offspring had a promising premise and good characters, but it needed to be fleshed out a little more to feel complete. The motivations of the sheriff were implied, but not given any background.
The anger and resentment that Tom was subject to, with regards to both of his parents, is given only passing reference. The relationships between members of the family were a central part of the book, but the author did not transport the reader into the story. The meeting between Kenny and Hughie as adults reminds me of a scene in the book It by Stephen King, so I could not help but make comparisons to the famous novel. Overall, I liked Hughie and his friend Kenny. More time should have been spent with Kenny, as his strength of will and character made him worth getting to know better. I would recommend The Offspring to readers who like coming of age stories and I look forward to reading more by author Bill Pinnell in the future.

Hughie Decker, now an adult, has returned to Sutter's Pool, a place from his childhood. When the novel, The Offspring, opens readers learn something bad happened there in his past. Precisely crafted, the pace and the tension of the plot build slowly and the past is revealed. The characters are vividly brought to life with distinctive voices. Two families, different by appearance, end up sharing one horrific commonality and there are consequences. This novel deals with serious issues: cultural differences, violence, justice and loyalty.

I found this to be a well crafted, gripping, suspenseful and haunting tale. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

No at all interesting to me. I had a hard time concentrating on the story because it was boring to me. Not to my liking. I've wasted enough time on this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. This is one of the best books that I have read in a while. The characters were so realistic I felt almost like I knew them. There are so many twists and turns I couldn't put it down till I found out what was going to happen next. It is hard to believe this is a first novel. The author did a fabulous job making the story come alive.. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre.. Definitely worth five stars.

Hughie travels back to his childhood home in Nebraska after years of being away and remembers the secret that made him leave. The book is mostly a flashback to Hugh's parents, Lemuel and Irene, meeting, and their children growing up, along with the neighbor kids. There are several smaller plots and various secrets that all lead up to one big event at the end. I enjoyed this. It was kind of hard to tell at the beginning where exactly this was going and I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but it all tied up nicely by the end. 3.5 stars, rounded to 3.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. It was the cover that caught my eye first, looking like it leans towards horror, before I noticed it was sitting there in the general fiction section. A glance at the author's name told me nothing, it was not a name I recognized. The short synopsis didn't give away much either, but I picked it up anyway and began to read. Within the first few pages when I met a character by the name of Irene who was Hughie's mom that had run off years ago with a book salesman... there was no turning back for me.

I think I would put this more in the historical fiction category than general fiction. It spans several decades as Hughie Decker, now a grown man, stands on the spot he hasn't visited since childhood and sees clear as day the events of the past. As Hughie travels back to his childhood home and contemplates events of long ago days we are introduced to several more characters from the past Including his best friend Kenny, Hughie's father Lem who never did get along with the cowardly sheriff and his brother Tom who never could win his parent's love. I'm not going to go into details about the plot because I enjoyed discovering it for myself and will leave it for you to do the same.