This is one of Hautala's most disturbing books; BE WARNED THIS IS NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH!!!!

The story is about a villain raping young boys in a swampy atmosphere. I won't give away too much, but it isn't your typical slasher novel.

Hautala is one of horror's most underappreciated novelists. Although a lot of his stories revolve around ghost story plots, I like him. He does not "overwrite" as often as a lot of scribes trying to make their point. His characters range from cardboard cutouts (quickly disposed of) to fleshed out "creepy crawlies." He has a knack for suspense without using the "Gross-out Factor" (although he can apply this at any time).

Hautala is a solid writer who knows how to scare and get under your skin. That's the best compliment I can give a horror writer!!!

This book is literal horror. There is no hiding behind the supernatural or icky make believe monsters to be found here. The villian of this story rapes and kills little boys and Hautala does not spare the horrifying details. Parts of this novel will make your skin crawl and your stomach turn, but it is so well written that I cannot not recommend it.

Moondeath, Rick Hautala's first published horror novel, centers around a small town that is slowing seeing its population decreasing. The main character guesses the origin of the creature, but is unable to convince the longtime citizens. The town always reports the deaths to the media in a way that makes no mention of animal attacks. The conclusion is a little weak, especially after the long buildup.

Although predictable, the novel is still entertaining. Hautala's style is very smooth and the novel is an easy read. This is not his best work, nor the one for which he is best known. If you can locate a copy, read "Little Brothers". Others which I highly recommend are "Night Stone" and "Moon Walker". While long out-of-print, it's worth the effort to try to locate a copy of each.

Rick Hautala is Maine's OTHER horror writer (I don't recall who the fellow is right now) and he is quite a good one. Hautala's strong point has always been his firm grip of character and motivation, and the mechanics of the horror story itself. Moondeath, on the surface, would seem to be a standard werewolf thriller, but Hautala rips the rug out from beneath your feet. A worthwhile addtition to any horror fan's library. Recommended.

I really liked all the books in this series but this book i didn't like that much. it took a very long time for the book to get into the action, unlike the other books. if this was the end of the series, i think they could have ended it better.

I really hope this wasn't the last one, though I'm sure it is, and I'm sad to see the series go. In some ways, I suppose it was a good way to end off the series, but I really think that Golden could have ended the series better, it leaves you hanging, really, and why do that when the series is OVER??? It nearly drove me insane. The book is one of those FBI books, which I normally do not care much for, but of course, Christopher Golden wrote it and so of course it was good. Brain Trust is slower to start, but it is enticing and an extremely good read. I do have a few qualms with the plot line, or so "the plague", seemed almost too far-fetched- no, not far fetched, it was weaker than other Golden books. Even with that, Brain Trust is a good book and you should all read it!

I read this novel cover to cover in the middle of a department store. While people shopped for shoes and such all around me, I was engrossed in the sun, the fun, the action, the FBI, the final shootout and the copout. The setting of Hawai'i gave me flashbacks to One West Waikiki. I liked letting Jenna relax, freeing her and Yoshiko from the typical college setting.

Where some books have tried to make Intimidating FBI Men and failed, Golden has succeeded. The villains of the piece were creepy without having to be supernatural, superstrong, anything but humans to do it. Instead, it showed that their callous, detached, cold nature due to being in the "shadow" industry removed their humanity to an extent. The ending, without spoiling it, was very Law & Order.

The quality of BoE is above and beyond most suspense novels - and it continues throughout the series, versus other series which lose the moomentum after a few books, or series in which the books become carbon copies.

Golden and Hautala did not plan on this being the final BoE novel; the series contract simply hasn't been renewed yet. If you love these books as much as I do, write a letter to Pocket Books!

What a ridiculous book! I sensed no plot, the characters were weak at best, the story didn't flow evenly, and I got the feeling the author wrote it for something to do in his spare time. Most stories evoke feelings in the reader, this one evoked only boredom. The author never even explained who or what "The Legacy" was. From reading other reviews, I gathered there is a TV show, but the author should have opened his mind to those of us who are new to his series. Nothing concrete was explained, the evil Mr. Hunter even seemed vague. And after attempting to build Mr. Hunter into an ominous subject, he is melted with a dash of holy water. Puhlease.... Not once was it mentioned how Mr. Hunter planned to carry on what was his life's work and meaning after he slaughtered his comrades either. Don't waste your time on this ugly manifestation of literature, it speaks only to the weakest of minds. Evan's mother was a joke, what was that "fog" she supposedly carried around? And WHO, if not Evan, was speaking to her? If we got the TV show here in Saudi Arabia, I wouldn't even bother to watch it after reading this book.

I was a little disappointed in this book! Overall it was okay, but here are a few items that I'd like to point out. Nick to my knowledge, drinks beer, eats hamburger, potato chips, etc. and works out. So why did he prefer low-fat bacon to regular bacon, that little item could have been left out. Also, the author made Derek and Rachel out to be wimps! Out of all the things that Rachel has seen and done, I find it hard to believe that she cried over some gory photos. And Derek, the author in my opinion made Derek very weak and emotional. He wasn't that emotional when his sister was kidnapped and used as a sacrafice. Alex was the only one who was even close to her TV character. Maybe his next novel will be better. I haven't given up on this yet! If you don't mind my making a suggestion, perhaps the authors should focus more on the personalities and reactions of the TV characters. As a P:TL fan, when I read this book, I would like to visualize the characters as if I were watching them on TV. I have watched this show for four seasons and these just weren't the characters that I have come to know.

It was a bit on the short side but enjoyable to finally get to read the first P:TL novel - it read like I was watching an episode ! :-) Nick got to do his Navy SEAL/action thing which I'm sure his fans will appreciate. However, I would've liked to have seen the team *together* instead of working separately as the writers of the series were always doing to them in the last two seasons. MAJOR peeve (and this wasn't just me, I heard it from other fans) was the way the Legacy House was referred to with the "the" (or "the San Francisco") in front of it. I'm looking forward to the next P:TL novel that comes out from this publisher.

I've read several books by Rick Hautala, all of them from "Moondeath" up through the "Intensity" ripoff, "Impulse," and every time I finish one of them I put it aside and ask myself why I have wasted my time reading a book by a man who writes as well as Richard Nixon sings. This is another suspenseless piece of fodder that features excruciatingly annoying characters (a Hautala staple). This one was so bad it ended my string of reading his books, so for that I must be grateful. My fave scene is the one where the girl is trying to escape from the bed where her captor is sleeping and she stops in the middle to have an out-loud conversation with her "protector." Hautala should return to remedial writing class...where...he'd learn...that ellipses...and exclamation points...shouldn't be used in...every...sentence!

This is your average horror novel that has a decent premise but you just get bogged by the slow-developing plot. However, Hautala is a solid writer who may have been experiencing a tight deadline or "writers block."

However, I am sympathetic because anyone who has tried writing a novel knows how difficult it is. The story is still worth reading; pick it up in a used book store, garage sale. You could even buy it used here on Borders.com, but I wouldn't pay full price.

The story revolves around Sarah, who witnessed a crime. The attacker comes after her and she and her protector fight him off. Moves slowly, some of the characters aren't fully developed, but still a decent read.

In "Cold Whisper", Hautala (the OTHER Maine horror genius) demonstrates again what it is he does so well--and what it is that brings us back again and again to his terror-tainted fearscapes--delivering relentless suspense until the very last page. The story of Sarah, a college student tortured by the memories of horrific brutality, "Cold Whisper" takes us to the point where imagination and reality meet, then leaps across the divide. Has her haunted childhood returned with a vengeance? Realistic Maine backdrops, intense psychological and supernatural thrills, and characters whose fevered minds you can really crawl inside of all combine to make "Cold Whisper" a novel that will invade your dreams and quicken the pulse.

One of the worst books I've ever read. Suspenseless, leaden, with cliches leaping out of every paragraph. Out of print and deservedly so. I've read numerous Hautala books...enough of them to say unequivocally that the man is a really poor writer with no sense of plotting, characterization, and pace.

I'll take the middle ground in the reviews here so far. I like Hautala's writing, and I happen to think he is quite talented. I also liked GHOST LIGHT although I did not find it to be incredible. I had some problems with various aspects of the novel, but overall I thought it was a good little thriller.
Anyone looking at Debbie and Alex Harris would think they had the perfect life together: beautiful home, 2 incredible children, lasting marriage. But Cindy Toland, Debbie's sister, knows differently, and after Vicki dies in what is dubbed as a freak accident, she knows she has to do something to protect Billy and Krissy, her niece and nephew. She knows the horrors Debbie faced with Alex, and she sets off cross-country with the children to try to escape her maniacal brother-in-law. What does Alex do? He dives into escalating psychopathology and will stop at nothing to punish Cindy for taking what is his. Forever looking over her shoulder, Cindy tries to make a new life for the kids. What she can't escape is Krissy's insistence that a mysterious "blue lady" appears to her each night. A confrontation is inevitable, but Hautala makes sure to build the suspense along the way.
I liked the character of Alex. He is insane, he is creepy, he is the absolute worst that humanity has to offer. He adds an edge to this story and had me cheering on the good guys. Yes, the storyline is rather formulaic horror, but it works. It's that simple! I was pulled into the suspense and had to keep reading to find out how everthing comes together at the end. I recommend this book; it's certainly worth the read.

Contrary to the previous review, I found this book to be very creepy and entertaining. I enjoyed the suspense, and was sorry when the story was done! I recommend this book for anyone who loves good horror fiction!

I have a voracious appetite for horror novels, the good and even the bad, (which I enjoy if they're bad in a fun B-movie kinda way,) and I consider myself a bit of a connoiseur of them. So when I make this statement, it's with several hundred horror novels under my belt: Hautala's Moonwalker is the worst horror novel I've ever read. And I say that with no hesitation. Imagine Ed Wood writing a Night of The Living Dead type book and you're getting close to what absolute shlock this book is. Somebody's mama needs to be slapped.

I DISAGREE WITH THE PREVIOUS CRITIQUE OF THIS BOOK LIGHTEN UP. LET THE PLOT ABSORB YOUR COMPASSION FOR THE NEWLY DEAD. THE MIXTURE OF A FUNERAL HOME PROVIDER THAT TRIES TO HELP FARMERS WITH THEIR LABOR IN THE POTATO FIELDS IS THE AMERICAN WAY IN THAT NORTHERN STATE OF MAINE. THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK BY HAUTALA I HAVE BEEN BLESSED IN READING. OTHERS THAT HAVEN'T TRIED THIS CREATOR OF HORROR, MAY I SAY, GO FOR IT.