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Jackal

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Jackal is a gripping horror right from the first pages. A classic, small town horror with a main character who has scars and fears she can't quite understand. I look forward to more stories from this author!

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Wooooo what a ride! Jackal is twisty and turny and dark. Liz finds herself back in her hometown and confronted with her past, including a string of murders that end in ripped out hearts. Recommended for those into folklore and horror.

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JACKAL by Erin E. Adams
Publication: 10/04/2023
By Random House Group : Ballantine/ Bantam Books
353 pages


What starts out as a criminal investigation, morphs into a gothic horror story that represents a metaphor for racial and class hatred. The main protagonist is Liz Rocher, who grew up in racially intolerant Johnstown, PA. She was one of only a few black girls, and had frequently dealt with the inequities and hatred of having the wrong color skin. She reluctantly is returning to her hometown to attend her best friend’s wedding… who happened to be white. Melissa was always her most loyal friend and confidant …. Her friend is about to marry a black man…. causing an uproar. At the reception Liz was keeping watch over her beloved goddaughter, Caroline. After flirting with the bartender, she suddenly realizes Caroline is gone…. Apparently into the nearby woods. This is horrifyingly too similar to childhood memory of “the other black girl”, Keisha Woodson disappearing into the same woods. Ultimately she was found in the woods, with her heart gone, and entrails strewn about her body. The police laughingly concluded that she died from a fall, followed by excessive animal activity. Some of the community never bought this fairytale. Many myths and stories arose implicating “monsters in the woods.” The reception turns into a search party without any viable results. Point in fact: black girls have gone missing every June for generations.
It’s hard to believe that this is Erin Adams Debut novel. Her lyrical prose propels the novel into a page-turner. Without being preachy she explores the real life life issues of inequality, racism and class hatred and intolerance. The narrative escalates with seeding of multiple red-herring with progressive ratcheting up of suspense and intrigue that escalates into an amazing denouement. Look out … there is something lurking under your bed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. It will be hard for the author to top this gem with her next book.

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*eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review

Are you looking to read a creepy and thrilling book that will keep you up all night reading? Then you should read Jackal. This debut novel has thrills, chills, and I definitely recommend it.

Jackal begins with the main character, Liz, returning to her hometown for her best friend’s wedding. The wedding seems perfect until her best friend’s daughter, Caroline, goes missing. Liz worries that Caroline is in danger, especially since young black girls have been murdered in her town for decades. Can Liz find Caroline before it’s too late?

Why did I wait so long to read this book? Jackal has been on my NetGalley tbr for way too long. I’m happy that I finally got around to reading it because I enjoyed this story. This was an interesting, creepy, and impactful read that is not your average horror/thriller story. There are themes of racism and classism throughout the book. No one in Liz’s hometown seems to care that black girls are being killed year after year. Liz takes it upon herself to find out what’s really happening in her hometown. I found the author’s note at the end very interesting as Adams discusses the history of the real Johnstown, and her inspiration for writing this book.

Jackal was a well written debut novel and I will definitely be reading Adams’s future books.

4/5 stars

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Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

When Liz Rocher goes back home for a friend’s wedding, her life gets turned upside down in the craziest of ways. I always love a well-written thriller, but the story also includes some horror elements, which is even better. The story revolves around missing Black girls, who the police basically ignore, but when Liz arrives, she begins to put some pieces together.

From Goodreads: It’s watching. Liz Rocher is coming home . . . reluctantly. As a Black woman, Liz doesn’t exactly have fond memories of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a predominantly white town. But her best friend is getting married, so she braces herself for a weekend of awkward, passive-aggressive reunions. Liz has grown, though; she can handle whatever awaits her. But on the day of the wedding, somewhere between dancing and dessert, the couple’s daughter, Caroline, disappears—and the only thing left behind is a piece of white fabric covered in blood.

It’s taking. As a frantic search begins, with the police combing the trees for Caroline, Liz is the only one who notices a pattern: A summer night. A missing girl. A party in the woods. She’s seen this before. Keisha Woodson, the only other Black girl in Liz’s high school, walked into the woods with a mysterious man and was later found with her chest cavity ripped open and her heart removed. Liz shudders at the thought that it could have been her, and now, with Caroline missing, it can’t be a coincidence. As Liz starts to dig through the town’s history, she uncovers a horrifying secret about the place she once called home. Children have been going missing in these woods for years. All of them Black. All of them girls.

It’s your turn. With the evil in the forest creeping closer, Liz knows what she must do: find Caroline or be entirely consumed by the darkness.

I really enjoyed this book, and it definitely left me guessing. And there’s an element to this book that I absolutely won’t reveal because it would ruin so much. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by it, and Adams did an excellent job leading the reader to that reveal. Overall, four stars for this one, and I will be recommending it for sure!

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*3.5*

I thought this was a solid debut from Erin Adams and I know another book is being released this year that I will probably pick up and read.

But with that said, I find this more of a thriller read than a horror novel as I think it's advertised. The darkness of the woods is for sure creepy but the "creature" seems like it was more forced and put in there because it was advertised as such. I think it would've been better if it stuck to being a thriller; an opportunity to have more plot twists and a few surprises that I think got overshadowed. But as I said, still not a bad debut and the "creature" itself was certainly unique.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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3.5 stars

"Jackal" is a tough book to rate. I liked it enough, but my feelings for it never strayed beyond the like zone.

It's the debut novel of Erin E. Adams, and for a debut, it really is a solid read. It’s well written, engaging, and suspenseful, even while I found other aspects of it lacking.

The problem lies in the fact that "Jackal" wants to be a horror novel but reads too much like a thriller. Here’s the basic premise –

Liz, a young Black woman, returns to her predominately white hometown in Pennsylvania for her best friend’s wedding. But when the couple’s daughter, Caroline, disappears from the reception, Liz notices similarities in Caroline’s case to that of Liz’s classmate who went missing years ago. Soon, Liz uncovers a dark secret: young Black girls have been disappearing from the town for years. Some have never been found; others are later discovered in the woods, their bodies mutilated. Liz, of course, then takes it upon herself to find Caroline before it’s too late.

Typical thriller fare, isn’t it? Where the horror kicks in, though, is through the use of graphic imagery and the introduction of an evil, folkloric presence in the forest.

But there isn’t enough horror in the novel to satisfy me. I wanted mores shivers, more scares, more creep factor, and instead I got … more thriller stuff.

"Jackal" just never hit the right spot.


My sincerest appreciation to Erin E. Adams, Bantam Books, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

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This was a fantastic mix of horror and mystery. I loved every minute of this book. I have been recommending this to as many as I can.

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Thank you @randomhouse @netgalley for my review copy!

📖 Liz reluctantly goes back home to her small town for her best friend’s wedding. When a young black girl goes missing during the party in the woods, it’s like history repeating itself. Something in the woods is watching, and as Liz digs deeper into the town’s history, she discovers a horrifying past.

💭 Wow. Talk about a wild read. If I was rating this book solely on its readability, it would be 4-5 stars. I couldn’t put this book down because I had to know what was happening! When I finished though I didn’t really know how I felt about it. Did I love it? Hate it? Maybe a little bit of both. I feel like this is a book you’ll either be blown away by or you’ll hate. It’s definitely one that will stay with me. This is a great book for spooky season!

📚Read this if you like….
A book you won’t be able to put down!
What the hell am I reading?! books.
Racism/classism themes
Gory crime fiction

⚠️Content warning for violence/gore. If you have any questions about specifics, feel free to message me.

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Honestly can't remember what made me request this book on Netgalley. I think I received an email saying, "since you read _______, you might like Jackal." I must have liked that first book because it made me think I would enjoy this one. And I did. But for one thing and I'm not sure I can even tell you what it was, without giving away the ending of the book.

Let's just say that it threw the book into a genre that isn't my usual read. To be fair to the book, Adams gave me plenty of hints that's where she was going. I just kept hoping that the evil would turn out to be something different. Fair enough to say that there's plenty of evil in this book that has nothing to do with fantastical elements. And there are plenty of monsters of all kinds, as Adams uses the horror genre to explore racism.

Did I hope for a different ending? Yes, slightly. But along the way, Adams had me chasing my tail, trying to figure out who Liz needed to be most afraid of, tossing red herrings out all through the book, making a book that was well worth the read.

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This had me hooked from the beginning and I couldn't stop reading! There have been black girls missing for years and no one has done anything about it. When someone close to Liz goes missing there is only so much time to find her alive. As she digs deeper into the missing girls she finds out just why they are being taken, and hopes to find a way to stop it from happening again.

I ended up listening to the audiobook and I enjoyed it a lot! I didn't LOVE the ending but besides that it was a great read!

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Jackal was deliciously creepy and had me hanging on every word. I will always be hooked by stories of women returning to their small hometowns to face the darkness hiding within it and helping to solve a mystery. This story also had the added element of commentary on racism and prejudice that made it even more compelling and disturbing to read. I loved the voice of the main character Liz, and enjoyed going through this journey with her. The writing is beautiful and poetic, and I was spellbound by the horror aspects of this book. Because it is a horror story, more so than a mystery/thriller. That is where the author shines, in creating a terrifying atmosphere.

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Yes yes yes! This was everything perfect in the writing world! The storyline and the plot, the characters, the writing style. So good! Loved how it easily slipped from mystery thriller vibes all the way to horror.

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I believe this is a debut novel from Erin Adams. Such an original plot, so many fully realized characters, I devoured this book. The author kept me in suspense for so long. I can't wait to see what she writes next. Highly recommended.

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JACKAL is an unexpected, engrossing, and thought-provoking thriller that I'm so glad I picked up. I didn't know what to expect going in, and was surprised at every turn. Erin E. Adams has created a cinematic novel that is endlessly readable and unlike anything you've encounter. The book starts off so strong, with Liz returning to her hometown for a friend's wedding. At the wedding, her friend's daughter goes missing and this leads Liz to remember a girl from her high school going missing in the same manner in the woods 1o years earlier. This leads Liz down a path of realizing Black girls go missing in these PA woods every summer and no one seems to care. As she tries to work to find her goddaughter, she uncovers more and more about these other girls and the mystery that led to what happens in the woods every summer.

The book is spooky, shocking, and while the hook is fantastic, the ending got a little muddled for me. There are monsters, literal and figurative, and it's gruesome and complicated. Adams writing has a spectacular way of blending a critique of classism and racism all while balancing multiple genres and a host of characters. This would be a perfect movie because her writing is so visual and stunning. I'll of course leave the ending a surprise, but while it may not be the strongest metaphor, it still left me reeling and wanting to know more. A really fantastic debut.

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This was a very nicely done mystery thriller turned horror novel. The writing was crisp and the storyline was well crafted and intriguing.

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Liz Rocher is about to disembark from her train ride back to her hometown of Johnstown Pennsylvania. She is headed home to attend the wedding of her best friend, Melissa “Mel” Parker to Garrett Washington. Mel and Liz have been friends from childhood; Mel came to Liz’s aid when, as one of only three black students, Liz was being bullied for being black—but not black enough. Liz arrived from the train station and went directly to her childhood home and her Haitian physician mother, only to be criticized about everything from her weight to the length of her hair. To say Liz is not happy to be home after ten years is an understatement. She has promised Mel exactly forty-eight hours before she takes the train back to her New York apartment. More than her mother, the town, and the people in it are the woods surrounding Johnstown. When the girls were in high school, a bonfire party was held in those woods. That night, a classmate named Keshia Woodson was taken, and Liz was wounded as she was dragged away. Keshia was later found cut wide open down her entire sternum, and had her heart removed. Liz has been terrified of the woods since. At the wedding, Caroline, Mel and Garrett’s nine-year old daughter, wanders off into the woods when Liz is distracted. As the search for Caroline continues, Liz gets a history lesson about the town. It seems that every year since 1986 right around summer solstice, a victim is taken into the woods—all of them female, all of them black, and none of them come out alive. Liz must fight her fears and enter the darkness of the woods to save Caroline from whatever evil has taken her.

“Jackal” is an incredibly powerful novel that deals with many different important issues, from domestic abuse, to kidnapping, to serial killing, and to being black in a mostly white town. It can’t really be defined in terms of a single genre, as it is a combination of many. I’d consider it mainly a psychological thriller, but there are so many moving parts. It’s a lot to take in, as all of these issues and failures of today’s cultural landscape are brought to light. There is a dark undertone throughout, very pervasive in each chapter, very somber and heavy. A supernatural element is presented as well, and while the other issues are a gut-wrenching call to action and change on the part of every individual, this aspect was a huge turn-off for me. There was some free verse poetry interspersed as well, adding to the morbid tone. I felt that the best comparison I could give is to quote the saying: “There are two wolves fighting inside all of us. The first one is evil, the second one is good... Which wolf will win? The one you feed.” There were plenty of twists in the book, and overall I really enjoyed reading and would recommend it. Unfortunately, the supernatural aspect was the reason I rated the book four instead of five stars.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Erin E. Adams, and Bantam Books/Random House for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

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A young Black girl goes missing in the woods outside her Johnstown, PA, home. She might be the first, but she won’t be the last. Someone or something is watching and taking. In fact, the townfolks repeat a warning poem: “A man and his shadow live in the trees. When they walk in time, both are pleased. If one calls your name, or the other tempts you off the path, You must ignore both, or face their wrath.”
And Liz Rocher discovers that she might be next. She came home for her best friend’s wedding, but she discovers a town-wide mystery. Who is taking Black girls? And why? Liz manages to talk to the mothers and works with the police and an old friend to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, she may lose everything she loves.
I devoured this book until the last quarter. Then, it got a little weird. But I still enjoyed it. I appreciated the theme of social justice and standing up for ourselves.
Also, it’s important to look at the shadows - what we ignore has the power to destroy us. Liz returned to her hometown to find the truth, and she certainly did find out what she’s made of. She also helped the townspeople discover truths about themselves, too. “Everyone in this town— this country— is so afraid of the other, whoever the “other” is today. If there’s one thing fear can do, it makes a beast out of a shadow.” And “Out in the woods, if you see or hear something that makes your hair stand on end— no, you didn’t. But learning, naming, and confronting what makes us afraid and uncomfortable, no matter how ugly, is key to understanding and ensuring it never happens again.”
Triggers include domestic violence, rape, racism, and murder.

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Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC. This was such an interesting roller coaster. Equal parts thriller and dark fiction set in small town America and what it means to come home again. This book was largely a whodunnit and I honestly was surprised by the end. Will def read more by Erin Adams

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Great supernatural, horror, genre-bending read. Black girls going missing, evil in the forest, touching in sensitive issues? You can say I was hooked and thrilled the whole time.

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