Call Me Hunter
- Downloads：8505
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-10-24 07:22:57
- Update Date：2025-09-15
- Status：finish
- Author：Jim Shockey
- ISBN：1797166948
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Ed
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Two stars for originality。 Unfortunately， the action was non existent， even for a fantasy novel。
Eric Cousineau
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A remarkable debut novel！ The characters are well-developed though not necessarily likeable。 None of them are whom they appear to be。 If you are looking for a thought-provoking thriller with a complex but believable plot surrounded by lots of action， this book is for you。 I couldn’t put it down。 This book grabs you from the first page and doesn’t give you a moments rest until the last page。Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Shuster Canada who provided me with a copy of this book。 I am voluntaril A remarkable debut novel！ The characters are well-developed though not necessarily likeable。 None of them are whom they appear to be。 If you are looking for a thought-provoking thriller with a complex but believable plot surrounded by lots of action， this book is for you。 I couldn’t put it down。 This book grabs you from the first page and doesn’t give you a moments rest until the last page。Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Shuster Canada who provided me with a copy of this book。 I am voluntarily leaving an honest review。 。。。more
Timothy
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Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC。 This is not a paid review。 Wow。 That's pretty much sums it up。 This is one of the most original thrillers I have ever read。 It has everything that you could really want。 An enigmatic storyline， fully fleshed characters， and writing that is just spectacular。 The only thing that I can think of that I have read that made me feel this way was I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes， which is a classic 10 years later。 Jim Shockey has really done something here。 There a Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC。 This is not a paid review。 Wow。 That's pretty much sums it up。 This is one of the most original thrillers I have ever read。 It has everything that you could really want。 An enigmatic storyline， fully fleshed characters， and writing that is just spectacular。 The only thing that I can think of that I have read that made me feel this way was I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes， which is a classic 10 years later。 Jim Shockey has really done something here。 There are only a few thrillers writers that have a hook， and their stories never get old。 Silva， Petrie， Hurwitz and Carr to name a few。 Shockey has joined that pantheon with his freshman effort。 Call Me Hunter has one of the best Preface's I have ever read。 Preface？ Really？ Yes， really1 In it he tells you to go ahead and pick names or situations and google it or them。 You will find they really exist。 If that doesn't catch your attention I don't know what will。 But then the book starts and its just magic。 From the first line。 "Zhivago is dead。" And it just continues from there。 No spoilers here。 Sorry。 But if you want a book that has ancient mysteries， really bad guys， a shadowy world wide organization that is more powerful than governments， a beautiful， vulnerable protagonist， and a very mysterious hero who has a super power， but it's not what you think。 It has it all。 Do yourself a favor and pick it up， better yet I would buy one because I feel that these first editions will increase in value。 He and it is that good。 Looking forward to the next installment。 。。。more
Brennan Baker
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While not typically the type of thriller I reach for， when I learned Jim Shockey had written a novel， I knew I was reading it no matter what。 And boy， am I glad I did！ Thank you NetGalley for giving me an early copy， my very first ARC in fact。 I will absolutely be adding a physical copy of this book to my shelf！ Jim is clearly a skilled story teller and the level of thought and research put into this novel is truly exceptional。 In the foreword， Jim encourages readers to Google facts， people， nam While not typically the type of thriller I reach for， when I learned Jim Shockey had written a novel， I knew I was reading it no matter what。 And boy， am I glad I did！ Thank you NetGalley for giving me an early copy， my very first ARC in fact。 I will absolutely be adding a physical copy of this book to my shelf！ Jim is clearly a skilled story teller and the level of thought and research put into this novel is truly exceptional。 In the foreword， Jim encourages readers to Google facts， people， names and even situations; and out of pure curiosity， I did。 I was pleasantly surprised to learn just how much truth is woven into this incredibly well-written piece of fiction！ The story begins with Nyala， a journalist， when she receives a mysterious manuscript in her mailbox。 Nyala hasn’t the slightest idea who its from but the author seems to know her well。 He goes by many names throughout the manuscript but it’s clear he has lived a very unique life and possesses a very rare gift。 Readers follow along with Nyala as she reads the manuscript in an attempt to discover how it’s all connected to her。 The manuscript will tie in 250 years of people， art， places and events…all of them real。 This book sucked me in from the very beginning， I HAD to figure it all out。 You will not be able to put this book down， it will keep you guessing until the very end！Well done Mr。 Shockey， I truly hope to see more from you in the future！ 。。。more
Steph
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3。5⭐️ RTC
Terminal Vengeance
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Call Me Hunter is a perfect thriller debut for Jim Shockey！ This book is incredibly unique and immersive。 Shockey expertly keeps up the pace of an intricate story and brilliantly switches from different styles of writing。 His writing is very intriguing and poetic。 The mystery is concealed very well while at the same time， the curtain is pulled back a little bit more with each page。 Call Me Hunter is a perfect thriller debut for Jim Shockey！ This book is incredibly unique and immersive。 Shockey expertly keeps up the pace of an intricate story and brilliantly switches from different styles of writing。 His writing is very intriguing and poetic。 The mystery is concealed very well while at the same time， the curtain is pulled back a little bit more with each page。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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I know I'm the odd one out but this was a miss for me。 Nayala， a journalist， is given a manuscript written by Tsau-Z that tells the story of Hunter， who has all sorts of supernatural powers。 There's a bad guy who is an animal rights activist， art， conspiracy， and so on。 I found it confusing and I did not care about any of the characters leading me to put this down as a DNF。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 For fans of Dan Brown and other adventure thrillers。 I know I'm the odd one out but this was a miss for me。 Nayala， a journalist， is given a manuscript written by Tsau-Z that tells the story of Hunter， who has all sorts of supernatural powers。 There's a bad guy who is an animal rights activist， art， conspiracy， and so on。 I found it confusing and I did not care about any of the characters leading me to put this down as a DNF。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 For fans of Dan Brown and other adventure thrillers。 。。。more
Teresa Brock
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I received an ARC from the author and publisher via NetGalley。 I am excited to have taken a chance on a new author， Jim Shockey。 （of course I did a little investigating on Jim Shockey and I encourage you to do so as well – it may help to make sense and understand his background and on his ability to write this novel） A manuscript is delivered to a journalist The writer of the manuscript （known by several names throughout the book） appears to personally know Nayla， but she has no idea who it is。 I received an ARC from the author and publisher via NetGalley。 I am excited to have taken a chance on a new author， Jim Shockey。 （of course I did a little investigating on Jim Shockey and I encourage you to do so as well – it may help to make sense and understand his background and on his ability to write this novel） A manuscript is delivered to a journalist The writer of the manuscript （known by several names throughout the book） appears to personally know Nayla， but she has no idea who it is。 （you will figure it out and it is quite shocking） The manuscript will tie in 250 years of real people， real art， real historical events and places。 This kind of reminded me of the idea of the 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon…。。 like how incredibly connected so many people， events， times and places are connected。 It was drawn in right away and wanted to figure all of this out。 I HAD to keep notes – a lot of notes - in order to stay focused。 I sort of felt like a detective trying to keep everything together and maybe I would even find a clue that I wasn’t expecting。 This slow burn novel will keep you guessing until the end。 。。。more
Delaney
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I’ve never felt so indifferent towards a book。 This was just so bland and dull that I could not stay focused and it took me way too long to get through。 Not something that worked for me。 Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC
Bam cooks the books ;-）
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'Zhivago is dead。 I hunted him down and I killed him。 He will never hurt you。'Such begins the story in a manuscript which was hand delivered to a mailbox in Pinehurst， North Carolina， where a young journalist named Nyala lives with her Ukrainian roommate， Luba。 The writer of the papers signs himself Tsau-z， the Man of Sores， and he addresses Nyala by name。 He's telling her his story and it seems somehow to involve her in a personal way。 But how is that possible？The story tells about a secret org 'Zhivago is dead。 I hunted him down and I killed him。 He will never hurt you。'Such begins the story in a manuscript which was hand delivered to a mailbox in Pinehurst， North Carolina， where a young journalist named Nyala lives with her Ukrainian roommate， Luba。 The writer of the papers signs himself Tsau-z， the Man of Sores， and he addresses Nyala by name。 He's telling her his story and it seems somehow to involve her in a personal way。 But how is that possible？The story tells about a secret organization called Our World which is over 250 years old whose mission is to seek out the world's greatest art treasures and bring them together to sell to private collectors at something called the Gathering。 In order to do this， they search the world for 'idiot savants' who have the ability to recognize these art treasures and train them as operatives from a young age。 Tsau-z was one of these children。 Zhivago was another--as well as a psychopathic killer。 Nyala can't believe what she's reading but there are enough details included that she's able to do some fact checking to back it up。 She decides to travel to the city where Tsau-z's story begins to dig deeper for more proof; she and Luba head off on a road trip。 This is a mind-boggling tale--what a debut！ I smell a series developing here and can't wait to read what happens next。 One caveat: I would recommend not reading the publisher's synopsis， which contains a spoiler， imho。 It's one of the best twists of the novel so don't ruin it for yourself。 I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley。 I'm thrilled I took a chance on a new author--many thanks for the introduction。 My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own。 。。。more
Joyce
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Good read。
Melissa
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This review is based on an advance reader copy。The premise of this book sounded fascinating， but sadly the book didn't quite live up to my expectations。 Shockey writes in an easy-to-read style， and mostly alternates between Nyala's present day adventure trying to untangle the mysterious manuscript she was sent， and excerpts from that manuscript。 Unfortunately， much of what is written about Nyala's adventure is her fact-checking the manuscript。 Yes。。。we get it Shockey。。。you did your research and This review is based on an advance reader copy。The premise of this book sounded fascinating， but sadly the book didn't quite live up to my expectations。 Shockey writes in an easy-to-read style， and mostly alternates between Nyala's present day adventure trying to untangle the mysterious manuscript she was sent， and excerpts from that manuscript。 Unfortunately， much of what is written about Nyala's adventure is her fact-checking the manuscript。 Yes。。。we get it Shockey。。。you did your research and everything in here is possible。 That being said， this book would be an interesting foundation to build up a "taking down the shadow government" series on。 Hopefully we will see more from Shockey along those lines。 。。。more
Roxanne
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Call Me Hunter is a different kind of book and one of a kind， I was hooked from beginning to end。 Thank you Goodreads for a 5 Star Winner！
Enid Wray
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An interesting premise - a “secret society” - and underground marketplace for just about anything， but especially for the world’s great works of art - was intriguing。 But I am bailing on this one just shy of 50% of the way through it。There is way too much that is nothing more than trope - the religious overtones， the simplistic political dichotomy （Russian bad guys）， etc。 Not even a bunch of psychopaths running rampant across the globe can save this one。It’s becoming all too predictableIt feels An interesting premise - a “secret society” - and underground marketplace for just about anything， but especially for the world’s great works of art - was intriguing。 But I am bailing on this one just shy of 50% of the way through it。There is way too much that is nothing more than trope - the religious overtones， the simplistic political dichotomy （Russian bad guys）， etc。 Not even a bunch of psychopaths running rampant across the globe can save this one。It’s becoming all too predictableIt feels like a massive info-dump - the author sharing his immense personal knowledge with we， the readersThere is way too much tellingThe book it terribly repetitiveThen there is the language that Nyala uses。。 It’s just all far too hokeyThe more I read the less I like it… and， indeed， I’m realising that is starting to develop a very YA star-struck vibe to it the more I read。 But no teen is going to stick with this。I think part of the reason I’ve stuck with it so long is because I am - simultaneously - listening to Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein… and this book is rather like a “mirror world” itself。But I’m done looking into this mirror。 DNFThanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me access to an early Digital Review copy。 。。。more
Amanda Branum
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I received an ARC of "Call Me Hunter" from Goodreads Giveaways！ Thank you Atria Books！I found this book to be unique and very interesting。 In the preface， author Jim Shockey， challenges readers to Google facts found in the book as they read to verify the authenticity of it all。 At first， I found this a bit strange， it is a work of fiction after all！ Nyala， a journalist who lacks a family of her own but has one amazing friend/roommate， has received a mysterious manuscript。 Reading along with her I received an ARC of "Call Me Hunter" from Goodreads Giveaways！ Thank you Atria Books！I found this book to be unique and very interesting。 In the preface， author Jim Shockey， challenges readers to Google facts found in the book as they read to verify the authenticity of it all。 At first， I found this a bit strange， it is a work of fiction after all！ Nyala， a journalist who lacks a family of her own but has one amazing friend/roommate， has received a mysterious manuscript。 Reading along with her to discover its significance， I began to understand just what he was getting at。 There is so much truth woven into the story， famous people， places， and events that you might find it possible the entire concept of an elite organization of all-powerful art-collecting extremists actually might exist。 The manuscript is written by a man who has lived an odd life， he has a unique gift and has many stories to tell。 An epic discovery ensues and through each new bit of information， Nyala begins to see that somehow she is connected to it all。 Along with her best friend Luba， she hits the road to connect the dots。 I may have had my own ideas of how the manuscript writer and Nyala may be connected but for the most part， this book had me guessing until the end。 About halfway through the book I actually decided to Google the author， I mean he told me to！ I was interested to learn about his background and to find this was his first novel。 His writing style reminded me of James Patterson， short page-turner chapters that kept me reading and wanting more。 Funny enough， Patterson is actually referenced a bit later in the book which I found ironic。 There is still a lot I would like answered after finishing "Call Me Hunter"， perhaps like Patterson's many successful series we shall see a sequel！If you enjoy the beauty of self-discovery， the collection of fine art， or are looking for a unique quick read， I highly recommend giving this a try when it hits bookstore shelves later this month。 。。。more
Doug Yonce
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The author has the “bones” of an excellent story， but the way he ‘fleshes it out’ doesn’t quite work。 The story is all too often being told in a passive manner。 I would much rather have been shown， not told what happened。 I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily provided an honest review。
Elaine
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Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Call Me Hunter。 The premise was intriguing and hooked me from the start so I was excited my request was approved。 I imagined this would be somewhat of a globetrotting adventure， mixed with espionage-like tactics， sort of like Mission Impossible but with art， but it wasn't。 It wasn't like that AT ALL。The narrative is written in the form of a manuscript delivered to a journalist who has a shocking connection to the protagonist。 The author of the manuscripts Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Call Me Hunter。 The premise was intriguing and hooked me from the start so I was excited my request was approved。 I imagined this would be somewhat of a globetrotting adventure， mixed with espionage-like tactics， sort of like Mission Impossible but with art， but it wasn't。 It wasn't like that AT ALL。The narrative is written in the form of a manuscript delivered to a journalist who has a shocking connection to the protagonist。 The author of the manuscripts explains his humble origins and reveals a secret organization called Our World who acquires the greatest works of art through any means necessary。 There's a dangerous adversary named Zhivago， the members of the cabal are， naturally， Russian and ruthless， and there's an ally or two。 There is a ton of name dropping; celebs， patrons of the arts， industry giants， socialites， yet the narrative is dry， dull， and lacking suspense。 The narrative is nothing more than a recap， a summary of events of how the Hunter became the Hunter; his childhood， his teen years， what happened when he was recruited into the international cabal of art hunters。 When death and chaos do strike， it happens off-screen， especially when Hunter and Zhivago finally face off。 Readers don't see that; we're told that something happened and that's it。 The narrative is mostly info dumping， descriptions， passive telling。 The journalist spends all of her chapters just fact checking the names， dates， times， locations and works of art in the manuscript to verify the facts are truth and not fiction。 Her BFF Luba is a silly， narcissistic Eastern European princess who cares about nothing more than boys， shopping， drinking， and junk food。 Lots of junk food。 The writing is okay， dry， wordy， almost purple-y， because Hunter is writing in a verbose， artsy kind of way because he can see beauty and art in a way no one else can。 The biggest issue is even though the manuscript is written by Hunter， we don't really know him。 His thoughts， his passions， his motivations， his fears。 Who is he？ What has he become after his years of service in this nefarious organization？We know more about the journalist but I didn't identity with her， either。 I didn't dislike or like her， I was just indifferent to everyone as well as the story。 I really wanted to love this， even like it， but I just couldn't。 I love art and anti-heroes but the way the story was written， the format， and the lack of character development made this a very dull， uninspiring read。 。。。more
Greg Mitts
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This book is a tremendous debut。 Thanks so much to Goodreads for this contest。 Buy Jim Shockey’s book - I wholeheartedly recommend it。
Lindsay
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Autism， check。 Celebrities， check。 A monster， check。 An indigenous theme， check。 An identity theme， check。How did the book make me feel/think？I am giving “Call Me Hunter” by Jim Shockey five stars。 I have a personal policy of granting every book I read the highest rating because who am I to pass judgment on whether others will enjoy a book or not？There is one exception to my star-giving rule: books filled with hatred， misogyny， or racism。The story introduced an autistic character with a unique Autism， check。 Celebrities， check。 A monster， check。 An indigenous theme， check。 An identity theme， check。How did the book make me feel/think？I am giving “Call Me Hunter” by Jim Shockey five stars。 I have a personal policy of granting every book I read the highest rating because who am I to pass judgment on whether others will enjoy a book or not？There is one exception to my star-giving rule: books filled with hatred， misogyny， or racism。The story introduced an autistic character with a unique talent for identifying art at garage sales - and a few unsolved murders。 It was overwhelming。 The narrative then took another turn， with a monster who paradoxically loved animals but was also a twisted deviant murderer （close to my exception）。As I delved further into the pages of “Call Me Hunter，” my mind began to wander to my worries of the day， and then， Shockey helped me to momentarily escape my worries when “Saskatoon，” graced the pages， the city I grew up in。 Yet， my interest in a recognizable location was short-lived。My mind struggled to keep up。Suddenly， the autistic man was playing water polo， and movie stars were casually mentioned。 They even dined at the first café I visited when I moved to Vancouver， which momentarily captured my attention。 But my mind wandered again。 An indigenous theme was inserted， leaving me feeling confused。Nevertheless， I persisted in reading every single word。 And then， with only 40 pages remaining， the story took another twist， drawing me in once more。I read the rest of the book diligently， hoping the mentioned celebrities were faring well in their lives。 After this experience， I have decided never to read advanced praise。 I found it surprising one of the individuals who provided advanced praise for the book deemed it “astoundingly original” - since “astoundingly” implies surprise。WRITTEN: 13 September 2023 。。。more
Katie
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This one is weird， in a good way。 Great story， nice pace。 The second half of the book is a bit predictable but still an enjoyable read。 I’ll definitely read more from Jim Shockey！
Evie Susanek
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I received ARC of this book from Net-galley in exchange for an honest review。。 The premise sounded very interesting。 I enjoyed the parts about Hunter and Nyala。 The rest felt short for me。 Longer than it had to be， the structure of chapters jumping around the different years and different people made it hard to keep up。
Daniela
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This was a great read。 At times， you’re reading what the main character is reading。。 you’re googling what they’re googling。。 and it’s done very well。 It was a trip and a fun time。 A fantastic debut and a sequel would be welcomed！
Sandra
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A very good debut novel。 Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada and Goodreads for the chance to read it。
Lucien Welsh
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DNF at 9%Look I know this is pretty early on to write a review for a DNF but the phrase “basically a gender confused loser with a man bun” literally appeared on page 41 after many pages of clearly speaking poorly of a neurodivergent child so I’m out。Majorly disappointed in a book I was otherwise excited for。 Thank you all the same to Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC。
Jennifer
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This was not what I was expecting from Jim Shockey and I loved it。 The two paths the story follows keeps you interested and on the edge。 Putting the hook down left me wanting more and yet I didn’t want to finish it！ Really enjoyed this book。
Dirk Edwards
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I knew when I saw that Jim Shockey had written a book， that I would have to read it。 And luckily I got an early copy through NetGalley。 I definitely did not expect this novel。 The title deceives you a little， assuming you are going to read a completely different style of book。 But。 This is a great book。 The level of thought that he puts into his writing is almost unmatched。 The amount of research that must have been done is Dan Brown-esque。 It It could reasonably be compared to Da Vince Code or I knew when I saw that Jim Shockey had written a book， that I would have to read it。 And luckily I got an early copy through NetGalley。 I definitely did not expect this novel。 The title deceives you a little， assuming you are going to read a completely different style of book。 But。 This is a great book。 The level of thought that he puts into his writing is almost unmatched。 The amount of research that must have been done is Dan Brown-esque。 It It could reasonably be compared to Da Vince Code or Angels and Demons with the thought and effort put into the artwork throughout the book。 There is not a lot of detail on the settings， or even the characters。 You are given enough to know about them， but beyond the basics， the writing focuses on the story。 You are able to figure out where the story will end up fairly early in the book， but the way Shockey ties it all together is great。 The ending is a little open-ended， but closed enough that you can tell what will happen next。 I was not disappointed in the ending as I feared I would be as it approached。Shockey ties in enough real-life events， people， items to make you want to do your own research to verify。Despite not being what I thought when I opened this book， I found I could not put it down and raced to finish as soon as possible。 I hope for more to come from Jim Shockey。 。。。more
Sarah Butland
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Haunting from the preface， Jim Shockey's first novel is his first of many， I beg of him。The chilling concept of Our World， and proving it's non-existence， had me talking about it immediately and throughout。 While long and filled with trails that never seemed to be revisited， the main concept of the existence of evil in our everyday life kept me riveted。 The story of a young woman， an orphan as far as she knew， receiving a mysterious later that dared her to travel， dig and uncover mysteries of he Haunting from the preface， Jim Shockey's first novel is his first of many， I beg of him。The chilling concept of Our World， and proving it's non-existence， had me talking about it immediately and throughout。 While long and filled with trails that never seemed to be revisited， the main concept of the existence of evil in our everyday life kept me riveted。 The story of a young woman， an orphan as far as she knew， receiving a mysterious later that dared her to travel， dig and uncover mysteries of her past to reveal her future， Shockey had me engrossed。 A story of friendship， family and murder， Nyala discovers the shocking truth and the power of tradition in this novel by award-winning outdoor writer， photographer， guide and more。 His talents in nature help shape this dark tale of secrets， death and art。I definitely want to read the sequel that must be written soon。*Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Whitney Moore
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This is not a book I would normally would pick for myself but after winning in a giveaway I gave it a shot and I am glad that I did。 This story drew me in from the first page！ It is fast paced and keeps you on your toes！
Jay
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Due for release on October 17th， 2023， I received an advance copy of CALL ME HUNTER， the debut novel from Jim Shockey to potentially review for The Strand magazine。But since I can't say that I liked the book all that much， I had to pass on reviewing it for that outlet since they don't publish negative reviews。Since I'm not doing a full review for them， I'm going to keep it short here as well。Let me just say that the synopsis really drew me in and I was looking forward to what I thought the book Due for release on October 17th， 2023， I received an advance copy of CALL ME HUNTER， the debut novel from Jim Shockey to potentially review for The Strand magazine。But since I can't say that I liked the book all that much， I had to pass on reviewing it for that outlet since they don't publish negative reviews。Since I'm not doing a full review for them， I'm going to keep it short here as well。Let me just say that the synopsis really drew me in and I was looking forward to what I thought the book was going to be。 Sadly， that first impression of mine was wrong and I found the book's structure a bit annoying。 It seemed to lean towards the metaphysical as the plot went headlong towards the resolution。 But it felt to me as if the story finished somewhere in the middle of the story instead of any kind of FINAL ending。I'm not saying others won't find the story enjoyable but it just didn't work for me。 I find this unfortunate because I was definitely drawn in initially。 。。。more
Jeremy Peers
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