Waking Hours (The East Salem Trilogy, Book One) By Lis Wiehl with Pete Nelson

Waking Hours (The East Salem Trilogy, Book One)
By Lis Wiehl with Pete Nelson
Published by Thomas Nelson

Waking Hours, book one in The East Salem Trilogy Wiehl’s newest supernatural crime thriller series, takes place in the town of East Salem in Northern Westchester County. Forensic Pathologist Danielle “Dani” Harris is brought in as the DA’s lead when a grisly, ritualistic murder of a teenage girl rocks the otherwise quiet hamlet. Her first case as a solo lead, Dani has to be at the top of her game. But nerves are heightened when an old highschool acquaintance ingratiates himself into the investigation.

Tommy Gunderson––former high school prom king and professional footballer, now owner of the local fitness club and aspiring private investigator––is brought into the case when a teenage boy he trains at his gym is called in as a suspect and requests his presence. Tommy is certain the boy is innocent and suspects something more sinister afoot; especially after the strange and violent encounter he had with a demented old local woman. Having escaped a nearby convalescent home, she was found by his pond sifting through the innards of a frog and speaking in mixed old world Latin.

As Dani and Tommy combine their efforts to track down the killer or killers, they have no idea the magnitude of the evil they are about to uncover. Disturbing in its manipulative power over the towns youth and the sense of fear invoked in not only the towns’ people but also in themselves; the real author of this unfolding malevolence is not what they believe, and the case is far from being closed.

A first rate thriller, Waking Hours is perfectly paced, establishes a strong trilogy foundation, masterful character development and psychological twists, and conveys the herald of evil to come. Having never read a novel by Wiehl before, I found the ending of this book quite abrupt; however, I look forward to reading book two and three of the trilogy to satisfy my curiosity.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”