Lost Hunters, Second Edition Kindle Edition

Every 20 years or so, Amberly County experienced a brief and puzzling string of deaths, linked, at least in some people's minds, to the massacre of John Barker and his bizarre commune over 200 years ago. Legend has it that Barker returns every 20 years to hunt down and kill the descendants of his old rival, Lucas Vanderkellen.

Only Ed Phillips knows the truth, a truth he has been denying his entire life, a truth involving Leslie, daughter of his best friend, who was brutally murdered in the last hunt. Entrusted with the only means to end the deadly killing sprees carried on by the tormented angry spirit of John Barker, Ed must confront his own inner demons and defeat John Barker once and for all, before Barker regains his life and releases a horde of demons on an unsuspecting world.

Content:

Drug Content:
R - There is a tremendous amount of underage drinking and drinking to excess by most of the cast. It would almost appear to be the norm in this county. Marijuana is almost as common as the alcohol, harder drugs also make their appearance, and a stolen drug shipment plays a pivotal part in backstory.

Violence:
R - The ghosts possess individuals, who end up dying during possession. The ghosts continue to animate the dead until they are unable to move. Most of the deaths do not involve blood, and appear to be brain aneurysms. One character's neck is snapped, several are shot, but most just... die.

Language:
G - While some of the things said seem pretty violent, curse words are almost completely absent.

Adult Content:
PG-13 - A drug scene involves a man coming home to his naked girlfriend and her naked friend. Several couples pair off for a tryst, but their antics don't appear on screen. Several affairs are discussed, a marriage is dissolved because of infidelity. One minor character is addicted to porn and is heavily harassed by a flock of demons.

Christian content:
YES. I originally would not have thought so, and much of the book seemed so dark it was irredeemably demonic, several characters overcome the demonic influences by the power of Christ. Demons and angels fight in the spiritual realm, the afterlife is clearly discussed, the existence of God and the power of forgiveness, redemption, and self-sacrifice play central roles. The perils of a life yielded to demonic influence and inebriation show up in stark relief, and satanic rituals, curses, tarot cards show up, but are cast in a negative light.

Final analysis:
Not gonna lie, this is a horror story, and is pretty dark. The people throughout the story are alcoholics, drug addicts, and seem almost hopeless in their meandering through life in this small town. The evil ghosts, the satanic ritual close to the beginning, the depression, almost had me put this one down. But several scenes in the story gave me a glimmer of hope for it, and I kept plowing through to the exciting and glorious end. Glad I kept at it.

While the story was good and the action was gripping, the stakes were very high and the scenery well-developed, I found the characters to be a bit two-dimensional, and the pace a bit slow. I found the second half to be gripping, and hard to put down. The pace was racing at the finish, and the action enthralling, but not enough to give this one more than Four Stars.
*I received an electronic copy for an honest review.

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *

Amberly County’s residents have told the story of John Barker and his hunt for generations, each passing down the tale around campfires. But for some it isn’t just an old story but a real curse upon the county. And the strange deaths that occur every few decades do leave people wondering if there is some truth to the old tales.

I really wanted to enjoy this story. The synopsis was great and I was looking forward to a read full of suspense, fear and unexpected twists in the tale. To be honest I just found it very confusing. There were too many characters and none of them were very likable or stood out from the rest. There were times when I just wanted to give up as following the story was almost impossible. I persevered hoping that things would start to make more sense as the story progressed but this wasn’t the case. I ended the book feeling so disappointed. Deanne Devine is a good writer and has some great ideas, but there were too many characters and the constant switching of locations and between characters just created confusion. For me this was a disappointing and frustrating read.

Deanne Devine's first novel is at once unique, wildly creative and completely grounded. The characters are everyday people, quirky but real. Be warned, the situations in which they find themselves are as surreal as anything you've encountered in contemporary literature. This makes for a virtual State-Fair-Amusement-Park-Haunted-House ride. It's creaky, gritty, rickety, and all the more frightening because of it. You won't know what's going to happen next.
The tension is expertly managed by Ms. Devine's pragmatic and humorous writing style. After a spooky preamble which foreshadows the supernatural bent of things to come, the narrative flows easily and the dialogue is all too familiar and realistic. So much so that you are pulled along quite happily on the surface of life in a small town only to be astounded when you think back and realize what's really happening. You may find yourself thinking, "Oh, somebody moved the mannequin as a practical joke" only to gradually intuit the deeper, more sinister meaning. (The mannequin appears on the front cover of the book, hint-hint.) Plot developments are aptly prepared by Ms. Devine's use of flashbacks about and "historical" background on the characters and their lineages. There is nothing superfluous in the way she has structured this origami-like plot.
What the writer omits has the effect of making things all the more frightening. You might not be able to completely visualize the nebulous spirit plane which intersects with our own at roughly twenty year intervals. It's downright strange, but then again, you can't pin down the supernatural. At the end of the novel, the story on the earthly plane is skillfully resolved. But then there is a brief postlude in the spirit world which balances the preamble. Where are these spirit-people? What will happen to them? The novel ends in the same tantalizing fashion as it began.
The first thing I want to do is read this book again. Then, I hope there's a sequel because I want to know "What happens to that BABY???"
Perhaps the author is saying that we're all Lost Hunters and it may be too much to hope for all the answers.