BOOK REVIEW: THE FALLS BY COLLEEN MCMILLAN

22/6/2022

The Falls by Colleen McMillan

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Willow River Press (7 Dec. 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 434 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1950502511
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1950502516

Review by Astrid Addams

Firstly, I would like to say that this is not necessary a book for people who like clear, straight forward narratives or extreme horror, despite the ugly murders of children and (much to my own horror) animals. The Falls very much reminds me of one of my all time favourite Stephen King books, Needful Things. It is a long, complex and twisting narrative from multiple character perspectives, some of them deliciously awful. Combining to tell an interesting and touching story about friendship and what it takes to cause a small town to go bat shit crazy. In the Falls, the town where the story is set, all it takes is a few violent animalistic murders. After all, hasn’t the town suffered enough already? The narrative is set three years after a local serial killer is caught, that legacy lives on in the narrative and explains a number of plot points such as the under staffed and incompetent law enforcement department.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I liked how the stories came together, the characters were rich and complex, and plenty were worth rooting for. Even the kids were realistic arseholes, characters turned out to be wrong and not everything was explainable. Real prejudices, pain and the horror of our shared existence runs though the plot like veins beneath the skin.

The story over all kept me reading and interested. I would say that some of the characters and narrative could have been cut in places, that the amount of characters made remembering who was who tricky at times. The friendship between the three central characters seemed, well odd to me, but still entertaining. This is an interesting book with a mystery that keeps you entertained. This is a piece of written woven art with bodily mutilation at the heart.

The Falls
by Colleen McMillan

Every small town has secrets...

...most won't get you killed. Maddie Decker escaped Sterling Falls just after high school and never looked back. She was sure nothing could convince her to return. Until an urgent message from her high school best friend arrives begging Maddie to come back before he dies changes everything.

Maddie can't refuse.

Once there, tattered relationships and long forgotten memories are pushed aside when a mysterious presence appears, Maddie uses her professional training to help discover who is killing the residents of Sterling Falls, even if no one wants her there.

Can Maddie survive the homecoming she never wanted?