Review of "The Hunt," a single story in a collection by Tara Fox Hall



Summary:  
From the murky depths of a summer lake to the echoing halls of an insane asylum, evil lies in wait for victims. Innocents might escape by a hair’s breath, if they’re lucky. Then again, they might not. The shadows are waiting. Dare you step into the darkness and be judged?

Review:
**This review contains spoilers**

The stories in this collection are short.  Bordering on flash fiction kind of short.  I enjoyed this aspect to the collection because you never forget that you're reading short stories.  

"The Hunt" is a suspense horror piece about a frontier woman being chased by a psychopath killer.  Think Scream only gold rush style.  Hall does an excellent job introducing her main character quickly and in a way that makes you instantly sympathetic.  Almost immediately you feel fearful for the woman's life.

The tension doesn't really let up as more and more is discovered about the this person stalking the protagonist.  I did find myself to be a bit skeptical at the number of people our leading lady just happens to run into while out in the wilderness.  If lost in a frontier forrest, the chances of stumbling across multiple parties of people in a short space of time are slim to none.  But it didn't change the fact that I was seriously creeped out by the killer so, for me, the plot pacing remained unbroken.

This story kept me going right up until the very end  when it just... stops.  Things are kind of resolved but not really.  There just wasn't enough concluding information for me to finish the story in my mind.  It's the type of story where the end needs to hint if the protagonist may have found something to give her and edge or a hint needs to be dropped that she just fell into the killer's plan perfectly. 

But, overall, this was a strong story and an entertaining read.  It's certainly worth picking up a copy if you enjoy a little night fright.

3.5/5 stars
Reviewed by Alain Gomez

Buy this collection on Amazon.

Comments

  1. Thank you for the review, Alain. :) I shall resolve as one of my New Year's resolutions to work on my future endings!

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