Customer Reviews

Bonegrinder

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bonegrinder had me hooked from the opening pages.

Reminiscent of Peter Benchley's "Jaws", a small, one sheriff town goes from being very quiet to busy and popular and back to very quiet again, as a result of the malevolent monster that soon comes to be known as the "Bonegrinder". At first the curious draw of the monster brings people to the town, incentivised by the offer of a reward it becomes almost as dangerous just to be in town, as to be a victim of the Bonegrinder.

I loved the characters; they are alive and called from the pages. Sheriff Billy Wintone (the equivalent of Chief Brody), is a troubled but no nonsense lawman, I wanted to know more about him than came out of the book, but even so he was wholly believable and realistic. Being under the pressure of the Mayor, the towns-people and those who have other interests in the Bonegrinder, it was difficult not to be on his side. He and the other characters, along with the captivating town of Colver it's nearby lake and surrounds make the story a very complete tale.

Very real moments of suspense, tragedy and action move the adventure on from page to page. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, who would be the next victim of the Bonegrinder and who would survive. It was never clear whether or not they would all make it to the end, and this kept me reading late into the night.

There was a slightly distracting sub-plot, that didn't really fit. It was a nice idea, but detracted from the overall story, and I'd worked it out before it was revealed, (I read too many crime novels I guess).

Overall this was a very enjoyable and captivating tale, and I would recommend to anyone who wants something with a bit of suspense and some good characters.

This is a difficult one to review because its all build-up to the final reveal and some will like it and others will be thoroughly disappointed. Right away I must warn those looking for a monster book that this isn't the typical monster-on-a-rampage book that one might expect. Most of the action takes place after the few attacks and the story mainly focuses on how the news of a possible monster on the loose affects the town and its sheriff. Me, I'm a monster fan. I want to know what the monster is/looks like and I want it to make many appearances and be the source of much gory mayhem. This is more of a mystery in the vein of an "X-files" episode ("Quagmire" comes to mind). Therefore, the writing was good, but I'm not a fan of the story or the resolution.

I beleive this is one of Lutz's best. I couldn't put the book down. Great suspense and terror that kept me guessing until the very end. This book should have been made into a movie, it has blockbuster potential.

I love this book and have to recommend it to anyone looking for a terrific read about a monster. People are being killed by a lake. What monstrous creature is responsible? I would warn folks to be careful reading other reviews here about this book as they may contain spoilers. But if you want a great read to distract you on a plane ride this will fill the bill.

Violent deaths in the vicinity of a small Ozark lakeside community spark rumors of a monster on the prowl, attract national attention, and throw the local population into chaos. The most interesting aspect of this novel is the way it tracks the local mood through the initial excitement at the attention and attendant business opportunities that the mysterious killings provide to the eventual horror that comes with the dawning realization that there might really be a monster out there. Overall however, author John Lutz has produced a pretty low-key thriller that lacks much in the way of genuine suspense and has a real let-down of an ending. I don't want to give anything away, but...
(...) There's also a subplot involving a local bigshot who seems to be scheming something big that never pays off. "Bonegrinder" lurked in a box of unread paperbacks for more than twenty years before rising to waste several hours of my reading life. If you happen to see this one on the shelf of your local used book store, I recommend you pass it by.