A fantastic debut that will have me keeping an eye out for Adams's next release. Social commentary weaved throughout the read in a thoughtful matter. Mystery, suspense and horror. Surprised to see so many people not liking the fact that this went in a horror direction when it's sold in that genre. The ending will definitely be a hit or miss for some people but it worked for me.

Published by Bantam on October 4, 2022

Alice Walker was ten before she realized that her skin color differed from her peers. Alice was killed in 1986, soon after she made that discovery. Her death in the woods was deemed accidental. Alice’s heart had been removed from her chest, an inconvenient fact that authorities attributed to “animal activity.” Keisha Woodson suffered a similar death in the same woods in 2002. Morgan Daniels disappeared in 1994. They aren’t the only black girls who lost their hearts in the woods, but the police in Johnstown fail to notice a pattern.

Liz Rocher’s mother is Haitian. Liz was born in 1985, the year the first black girl disappeared in the woods. Liz had a bad experience of her own in the woods on the day Keisha disappeared. Liz remembers an encounter with a monster in a shadow (or maybe it was a dog), but her mind might have constructed a false memory to protect her from the truth. Melissa Parker helped Liz find her way out of the woods that day.

Liz returns to Johnstown in 2017. She has bad memories of the school where she was labeled an oreo, too white in her manner of speech for the black kids, too black in appearance for the white kids. Her teachers believed black people were “an alien anomaly in white suburban perfection.” Her only friend was Melissa, a white girl who didn’t have the looks or money to fit in with the other white girls. Liz left Johnstown because too many people in town could only look at her “in a way that makes themselves feel superior.”

Liz only returns because Melissa is finally getting married to her boyfriend, Garrett Washington. They have a daughter named Caroline. Melissa’s father was skeptical of his daughter’s decision to have a baby with a black man, but he finally decided to meet his granddaughter after he bonded with Garrett while hunting for deer.

The wedding reception is at the edge of the woods. Liz is supposed to be keeping an eye on Caroline, but Caroline disappears while Liz is getting drinks. Liz looks in the woods when she can’t find Caroline and finds a bloody piece of Caroline’s party dress.

With that setup, the story addresses “missing child” themes that are common to crime novels. The story adds a reasonably creative mix of horror themes (don’t peer into shadows; Liz has bright eyes that signal someone who has been touched by the woods). Racial and historical themes add powerful context to the plot. In 1923, the mayor of Johnstown ordered more than 2,000 African Americans and Mexican immigrants to leave the city. Liz wonders how she could have grown up in the city without learning that fact. It’s the side of American history that white supremacists don’t want schools to teach, but it belongs with the St. Louis race riots and the Tulsa race massacre as a moment in American history that every child should study. Jackal is in part a horror novel, but what happened in those cities is the true horror.

The story offers several suspects who may be involved in the disappearance of Caroline and/or all the other missing black girls, assuming they are missing and the disappearing girls aren’t just an urban lesson. Suspects include Melissa’s father and husband, Keisha’s mother, a cop named Doug who helps Liz develop a map of missing girls, and a guy named Chris who encountered Liz in the woods on the night that Keisha disappeared. Not to mention a shadowy dog monster that might be lurking in the woods. Maybe the killer is supernatural. Maybe the killer belongs to a satanic cult performing one of those annual solstice sacrifices that thriller writers love to imagine.

I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s fair to say that the resolution combines a murder mystery with the supernatural. The explanation for the unsolved (perhaps unnoticed) killings is a stretch. So is the motivation that drives the supernatural entity.

Stories of the supernatural merit the suspension of disbelief only if they are frightening; Jackal fails to meet that test. Liz’s important learning moment at the novel’s end is a bit contrived, although I liked the use of a supernatural entity as an allegory for the racial hatred that divides the nation. I’m recommending the novel for the mild suspense it generates, for Erin E. Adams’ effort to build Liz into a fully realized character, and for the important themes that hold the story together.

RECOMMENDED

3.5 rounded down

I loved about the first half of Jackal, then it got a little weird for me especially the ending. But, I think that's just because horror isn't my usual genre so if you like supernatural, weird horror then you will probably enjoy the ending more than I did. It was pretty suspenseful throughout and overall I enjoyed it and would recommend!

Thanks to Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This took me so long to read even though it was so short like why? I feel like I just didn’t like this main character and it took me so long to get into the story because of her. I liked the idea of this story a lot though which is why it’s getting four stars but I did not love Liz.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital review copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book messed me up in the best way. The author captured the eeriness of the Appalachian woods and combined it with the danger and vulnerability of being a Black girl in a predominately white town. This was a quick and intense read and I was definitely on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going to happen in the end.

good book and really enjoyed the characters and their journey. I liked the romance.. I enjoyed how the characters grew in the book and what happened.

I really enjoyed this book! I read it in 3 days, which is fast for me! The book was very action packed. I didn’t expect the villain to be who they were, so that was a good surprise. I had a few guesses for it, but I was wrong on all of them. Which doesn’t happen often, so that says a lot about the book!

I had to take a break from reading only because I bit off a bit too much to chew there..... But I thought this was a really good read!! Especially for spooky season!!

<i> Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read an advanced copy of this book <i>

Not every story that opens with a sense of “Once upon a time” has a happy ending. Many Grimm fairy tales are indeed grim and make readers uncomfortable, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Jackal is set in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a booming steel town in the 1800s. Seventy miles to the east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown’s best days are in the rearview mirror. The novel feels like a horror story. But—no spoilers—Jackal also reads like a fictionalized and enhanced autobiography. Meet Liz Rocher, who embodies the title of Thomas Wolfe’s You Can’t Go Home Again. The phrase reverberates in her head as she sweats out whether she will get off the train taking her back to Johnstown for her best friend’s wedding. Liz is black, and Mel, her best friend from childhood, is white—like most folks in Johnstown, a fact that is pivotal to Jackal.

Before Liz grew up in Johnstown, Alice, a black girl, was murdered. Her body was found in the woods, her heart ripped out of her body. Alice’s mother Tanisha felt uncomfortable in Johnstown: “Upon arriving, Tanisha didn’t trust the place. If pressed, she couldn’t say why. The best answer she could give was: It felt too safe.” Too safe seems odd but Adams fleshes it out. Tanisha, a city girl, was used to danger that “always lurked right around the corner.” But Johnstown has no corners—danger isn’t hiding, rather “it preferred to fester.”

Tanisha was a loving and cautious mother to Alice. When Alice became a teen, she begged for permission to join her friends in the woods. The shadowy woods worried Tanisha, who felt shadows hid danger. And danger for Black girls was different.

After Alice’s murder, Tanisha’s life stopped. Evans’ epigraph on Alice’s murder is haunting, “With each passing second, the pain of the present robbed the past of its luster.”

Liz Rocher does not want to go home. She never does:

I take another gulp of my train wine. The cheap varietal burns my palate. Varietal. Palate. Who do you think you are? There it is. Judgment. One of the many things I ran from when I left.

Liz has a therapist who tries to reprogram Liz’s worries and self-criticism over being a black woman who never felt welcomed in Appalachia. Through therapy and, inevitably, avoidance, Liz deals with her memories. Not to mention a successful career.

On her journey back to Johnstown for the wedding, Liz contemplates just staying on the train, but then Mel calls and Liz decides not only can’t she skip the wedding but also can’t skip seeing Mel’s daughter Caroline—Liz’s goddaughter, whom she adores.

When Liz disembarks from the train, she is solicited by a disheveled older woman, “nondescript in her Blackness.” Liz isn’t having it. The unhappy woman reminds Liz of how easily folks label her—as a domestic helper or shop clerk—someone unlike her professional self. “Here, the make of my bag, the quality of my clothes, the timbre of my voice, the style of my hair, none of that matters. My skin speaks first, and it is too close to this woman’s for comfort.”

Mel and Garrett are marrying in a barn surrounded by woods. It’s Liz’s least favorite place in Johnstown: She can’t stop thinking about her friend Keisha. The last time she saw her alive was at a bonfire party in the woods. Then Keisha disappeared.

Unbelievably, so does Caroline, in the party after her parents’ nuptials. Liz freaks out: It’s Keisha redux.

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.

Liz shelves all her discomfort to focus on finding Caroline alive. Nothing else matters. Liz learns Alice wasn’t the first black girl to go missing in the woods. There have been many others. Liz doesn’t run away, convinced Caroline is still alive and that she’s the only one who can save her. Liz is determined to break the horrific pattern that only impacts young black girls, only to discover a supernatural element: It’s watching. It’s taking. It’s your turn.

Someone—a monster—has waited all these years for Liz to return. Taking Caroline is a way to entice Liz into his trap. The supernatural metaphor lays bare the rotten heart of Johnstown’s casual racism.

Jackal is a disturbing, ultimately hopeful story about confronting your past to save the people you love. Using courage and tenacity, Liz Rocher rewrites the script of what it means to be a black girl in Johnstown.

I had mixed feelings while reading JACKAL by Erin E. Adams. Liz Rocher, a young black woman, is returning to her hometown Johnstown, PA (a predominately white small town) for her best friend’s wedding. What was supposed to be just a weekend visit turns into a longer nightmarish stay when the bride’s young daughter goes missing during the wedding. The longer Liz stays to help with the search, the more she uncovers about the town’s dark history of missing black girls.

The premise is excellent and the author really does a great job in showing just how deep racism can run for years. It’s pretty obvious from the reader’s point of view how suspicious it is that every year a black child disappears and then is found brutally slaughtered in the woods. And the fact that the rest of the town makes multiple justifications on each death is unbelievable.

The chapters of each missing girl for the last 20 years or so are particularly well done and they’ll sadden and infuriate you. But the rest of the book just didn’t do it for me and I can’t put my finger on why. I found it dragging in many parts despite my keen interest in finding out answers. And the main character, Liz, was not that likable for me.

It’s so strange when a story interests you but something is just not working out. I did end up finishing it and I’m glad I did. I just wish I liked the writing style better.

I’m actually in shock that this is a debut novel. I knew very early on while reading this that it was going to be a five star. I am blown away with how this book manages to do so much and pack such a huge punch in less than 400 pages.

The double meanings, deep discussions, and thought provoking questions that this book raises need to be experienced by EVERYONE. I feel almost as though this book did what a couple of books I read recently tried to do, but ultimately missed the mark. This book, however, hit the nail on the head!

Liz was probably the smartest female protagonist I’ve read from in a while. At no point was I yelling at her for making dumb and rash decisions and I LOVE THAT! Also, the way this book is told was so unique and interesting (won’t say too much about that for fear of spoilers) but it kept me extremely interested in what was going to happen next!

Do yourself a favor and read this book!

This book was a great mixture of horror and heart. I really enjoyed the way the plot was structured with time jumps back and forth and enjoyed the character development. I would recommend this book to horror fans and non-horror fans alike

The story was well-written and compelling, the characters engrossing. The mystery contained enough possibilities and supernatural ambiguities that I remained uncertain until the final moments. This combination is quite rare for me, so I am delighted and looking forward to whatever Erin E. Adams writes next.

Jackal is a genre- and mind-bending horror, thriller, mystery helluva ride. Liz returns to her home town for her best friend Mel’s wedding. She just broke up with her bf, and going home always gives her anxiety anyway. So she’s not doing great. Mel has always been there for her though, so Liz is all in. During the wedding reception Mel’s daughter disappears into the woods. And this is happening on the summer solstice, during which black girls disappear into the woods with alarming regularity in this town. Liz starts asking questions about a disappearance from when she was back in high school, and starts to uncover that this may be all related.

Again, I didn’t feel like this book fit into any particular genre amongst the “spooky genres” so give it a shot!

**4.5-stars**

Even though she is returning to her hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, as a successful adult, Liz Rocher is still filled with trepidation. Her memories of her time there fill her with anxiety. Growing up a bit of an outcast, the one person she could always rely on was her best friend, Mel. Now Mel is getting married and has asked Liz to be part of her special day.

Mel and Liz have remained close over the years and Liz is even the godmother to Mel's daughter, Caroline. When it comes to visits though, it's always them going to see Liz in the city; same with Liz's Mom. It's her turn to show up this time, so she does. It feels strange to be back; doesn't seem like a lot has changed. Her Mom is certainly full of the critiques straight away.

At the wedding, Liz is discomforted by the woodsy venue. The local woods, the subject of dark legends and a frequent player in Liz's nightmares, are part of her worst memories from Johnstown. In spite of the location, Liz is enjoying spending quality time with Caroline. It's sort of on her to keep an eye on the girl while Mel and her new husband entertain at the reception.

Sometime between dessert, dancing and dodging awkward conversations, Liz loses site of Caroline. She begins searching, asking everyone if they have seen the little girl, but no one has. Starting to panic, Liz enters the edge of the woods. She's scared. After finding a frightening bit of evidence, Liz comes to the conclusion that Caroline is gone. She needs help. A full search party is assembled.

Liz is devastated. How could this happen? The incident is reminiscent of another horrible night back when Liz was in high school. A night when another girl went missing in the woods from a party; Keisha Woodson. Even though she had only planned to stay in town for a couple of days, Liz can't leave now. She has to stay until Caroline is found. Whatever the outcome, she needs to help. She needs to be here.

In an effort to help find the girl, Liz begins asking around regarding Keisha's disappearance. Perhaps the two cases are related. What she finds is that Keisha wasn't the first. She also finds a very distinct pattern, all black girls, missing from the woods, directly around the summer solstice. Will Liz be able to figure out who, or what, is taking the girls, and find Caroline before it's too late?

Jackal impressed me. It's hard to define, it's quite unique. I would describe it as a thoughtful work of Dark Fiction with heavy Social Horror components. The writing style has a stream of consciousness quality to it, that honestly, I'm not normally crazy about, but it really fit here. It's not a super straight-forward story, it does require some effort on the part of the Reader, but I feel like for those who are willing to put in some energy, it will leave a mark.

Liz was a well-developed character. It took time to get to know her, but it would be hard not to feel for her and her experiences. I also felt like her character growth was paced well throughout. The overall tone reminded me of The Other Black Girl, in that the entire build-up of the story is laced with a certain uneasiness; like you know something sinister is going on just beyond your line of sight.

I love that feeling. The ominous feeling of the developing mystery and the building of tension as the conclusion approaches. It did sort of lose me a bit towards the end. I'm still a little confused on a couple of things and maybe in those instances would have preferred a more definitive outcome. However, this is 100% personal preference.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys Social Horror, or Dark Fiction in general. The topics explored, the over-arching mystery and compelling main character, all combine to make Jackal a stirring debut.

Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm really looking forward to reading more from Erin E. Adams!

Thoughts and Themes: When I heard about this book, the description alone intrigued me so I was happy to get a chance to read this one. I am glad that I decided to wait until I could get my hands on the audio book version though since I believe this added to the suspense in the book. I did make a mistake and read other people’s reviews half way through this book but was quite pleased that the reviews didn’t match my feelings about this book.

Advertisements

REPORT THIS AD

The reviews that I read didn’t really seem to like the explanation of what was going on throughout the book and how that mystery unfolds. Unlike those reviews, I actually really liked the supernatural element that was added into this book and how that tied into what was going on. I think this book did a great job explaining what jealousy can do to people and how much harm can be done to a community through not only jealousy but in this case racism.

I did feel that a lot of the reviews that I was reading missed the mark about what this story was about and the commentary that it was making. I think this is one of those books that goes beyond a horror or a thriller story so if you are expecting real monsters then this isn’t it. This book takes people’s fears, insecurities, goodness, etc. and turns it into something that monsters are after and explores what happens when the monsters are your neighbors.

I ended up highlighting so much points in this book as I followed along in the e-book as there were passages I wanted to re-visit. These passages were things I wanted to think about more and think about how they played into the conclusion of the story. I can’t spoil things for you so I can’t say much but I do hope you go out and read this book. Its one of those books that would be great for a book club or to discuss amongst your friends because of how much is brought up.

Characters: In this book you are introduced to several characters through their interactions with our main character, Liz . You get to meet her best friend, Mel, Mel’s daughter, Caroline, some people in town, Nick, Doug, Chris, Lauren, her mother, and the monsters. You also get to know about some of the girls that have gone missing through our monster’s perspective.

Writing Style: This book is told in first person through the perspective of our main character, Liz. There are pieces that are told through the perspective of the person who has been taking the girls, and there are some snipping of news papers or other documents that were released when the girls went missing.

How many black girls can go missing in the same small town before someone, anyone, starts to notice? That's the question that this book, and our main character, endeavor to answer.

Jack is a thriller-mystery-horror hybrid that will make you afraid to live close to a tree line. It will make you afraid of the what lurks in the shadows, and ultimately, it will open your eyes to the unspeakably brutal things that people do to one another in the name of hate and white supremacy. I loved the tenacity of our main character and her commitment to solving the mystery of the disappearances of these young black girls, no matter the cost or sacrifice. You won't expect the ending. Promise.

Are you interested in: a horror/thriller that is light on both aspects?
What about a story about missing Black girls and their mothers that unravels when a Black protagonist returns to her hometown and is forced to visit how who she was has shaped what comes next?
This book did a great job in presenting its premise with us hearing directly from the voices we need to and introducing a supernatural scope that makes sense to the story as a whole. Only problem was that I didn’t feel any terror at the horror anyone endured in the story - may be an issue I generally have with thrillers?

I got this book from #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.This book was more horror than thriller. It is along the lines of Jordan Peele's movies.It is about the real life monsters that you protect your children from.This book keeps you on the edge of your seat the duration of the story.

Jackal, by Erin E. Adams. This book was amazing. The many twist and unexplained things was mind blowing. The writer did an excellent job with the barely there hint of the jackal and his accomplices. The story has so much excitement happening that you will not be able to stop reading.
The details and description of the woods and shadows was spelled out so clear. The descriptive details were so good that they could easily capture the readers attention and or lure them into the book. This story offers the readers some great entertainment. This story is a page turner filled with mystery, intrigue, surprises, suspense and unbelievable revelations. I enjoyed reading every page of the book.
Liz was amazing in this book. I also thought brilliant at finding a way to weave all the players together for her one objective. I loved that her character was smart, intelligent. She was characterized as someone with, hate or rage. For me, she was a normal person like most of us.
I give this book two snaps and a, Their is no way in h e double L hockey stick that you will find my behind going near some woods day or night. Period! Until next time my fellow readers… read on!