In the Forest of Harm (Random House Large Print) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Sallie Bissell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 2003 | Series: Random House Large Print

Newcomer Sallie Bissell ushers you into a labyrinth of psychological terror in an electrifying debut, a novel of survival and friendship as three women embark on a hellish journey through a treacherous wilderness.

Assistant D.A. Mary Crow has come a long way from a tiny cabin in Little Jump Off, North Carolina. The toughest young prosecutor in Georgia, "Killer Crow" is going home, to visit her mother's grave and then to hike with her two closest friends on the wilderness trail she loved as a child.

Mary knows well the dangers these beautiful mountains hold: rugged climbs, treacherous precipices, dense fog, and acres of impenetrable brambles. But there are greater threats here, ones she never anticipated.

Her most recent courtroom victory made more than headlines -- it made Mary a deadly enemy. He's tracking Mary into the mountains to wreak vengeance -- and to bury a shattering secret. But he will not be the only predator who stalks the women through this merciless terrain.

Here Mary and her friends will find a will to survive they never knew they possessed. Here they will find a capacity for loyalty -- and for violence -- they never dreamed possible...deep within themselves and in the forest of harm.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Atlanta's hottest assistant district attorney, Mary Crow (she's half Cherokee), has just made it six-for-six in murder convictions with her defeat of Calhoun "Handsome Cal" Whitman, and is heading home to Little Jump Off, North Carolina, for a hiking vacation with pals Alexandra McCrimmon and Joan Marchetti. It's been 12 years since the unresolved rape and murder of Mary's mother, and she's looking forward to making her first trip back home in the company of friends. But though it begins well, it soon turns very, very bad:

Joan felt the shadow first. A small interstice of darkness fell across the bright sunlight that bathed her face. A cloud, she thought. But the chill did not move. Reluctantly she opened her eyes to see what was obstructing the light that had just a moment ago warmed her so deliciously. A colossus stood above her. Its face blocked the sun, and she could see nothing but a black shape haloed with a corona of blinding light.

What fills the remaining pages is nothing short of harrowing: stalking, chasing, raping, kidnapping, and murder at the hands of not one, but two very different but equally dangerous madmen. One is a deranged mountain man who's been haunting the hills for years, and another's motivation is darker and more personal.

What Sallie Bissell has done so well with in In the Forest of Harm might have easily turned into a Deliverance-meets-"Charlie's Angels" farce in the hands of a lesser writer. Indeed, while there are echoes of Dickey's Deliverance and strains of Sharyn McCrumb's She Walks These Hills --near poetic phrasing, ringing depictions of a majestic Southern wilderness, crisp characterizations, bow-taut suspense--Bissell's words are surely her own. All suspense novels should be this good; that this one is a debut novel is a little scary. --Michael Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

An assistant DA returns to the North Carolina mountain country of her youth in Bissell's hair-raising camping-trip-gone-wrong debut thriller. Half-Cherokee Mary Crow, Atlanta's hottest young prosecutor, has just won her sixth murder case when she decides to take her two best friends, Joan and Alex, along with her on a hiking vacation near Little Jump Off, N.C. She has hidden motives for revisiting her one-horse hometown: her mother was raped and murdered 12 years ago in the country store she managed, and Mary needs to come to terms with her death. But death still haunts the cursed countryside, and the three women find themselves in perilous situations, fighting for their lives with both a crazed mountain man and the obsessed brother of the Atlanta murderer, bent on revenge. When Alex is spirited away and Joan is raped, Mary must muster the strength to match wits with two deranged killers, calling upon her old tracking skills and deep knowledge of the forest. Meanwhile, her high school sweetheart, Jonathan Walkingstick, realizes something has gone wrong, and heads after the women up the mountain. Gory scenes abound in this punched-up female version of Deliverance, but Bissell is particularly good in describing how Alex, Joan and Mary's friendship sustains them and is strengthened over the course of their harrowing adventures. Even though the three women pop up cartoonishly each time they are felled, and their pursuers are supernaturally crafty, the tale compels with its depiction of desperate camaraderie and descriptions of gorgeous mountain scenery. A sequel seems likely, and the title is a natural for film or TV adaptation. Agents, Robbie Anna Hare and Ron Goldfarb. Rights sold in Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. (Jan. 2)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Random House Large Print (August 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375432736
• ISBN-13: 978-0375432736
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,005,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rivetting!, January 6, 2001

By 

Rochelle Dian (Valparaiso, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Forest of Harm (Hardcover)

Sallie Bissell has just become my favorite new fiction author. Her book, In the Forest of Harm, captured my attention from the very first paragraph. She leads the reader on a spellbinding journey while creating characters that are compelling, believable and of the heart. Entering the world of her main character, Mary Crow, we meet a purposeful and determined woman who needs no rescue by a white knight, rather looks within herself to find her strength. She follows a trecherous path into the unknown, because she must, because it could have been no other way. Sallie Bissels ranks with Tami Hoag in creating a witty and courageous female protagonist. I can't wait to read more and hope there is a follow-up book arriving soon!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and Scary!, March 17, 2001

By 

Lisa Russo (Woodstock, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Forest of Harm (Hardcover)

I read suspense fiction ravenously, and admit I didn't expect much from what appeared to be a simple story. Boy was I wrong! This was intelligently written and brave. Where other authors might shy away from open brutality, this author jumped right in, shocking the reader into rapt attention. I couldn't wait to read what would happen next! The interplay between the characters was wonderful, and not at all "coddling," as many women-oriented novels are. There haven't been many books in the past few years that made me want to sleep with the lights on...this was certainly one of them.

I anxiously await Sallie Bissell's next book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Promising, but flawed debut by new writer, October 16, 2001

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: In The Forest Of Harm (Mass Market Paperback)

I felt compelled to finish this one (if only to review it adequately) but there were times I wanted to put it down because of the excessive, graphic violence in several places- including a rape scene with such detail that I truly became sick to my stomach. Some readers, however, might consider this a recommendation for this book, depending on their tastes (not me). I'm able to stomach violence if there are other redeeming factors to a book, but this one didn't have strong, compelling characters or other qualities to balance the violence.
The story itself focuses on Mary Crow, a woman who lost her mother to a violent murder and rape and whose entire life has been shaped by that traumatic event, eventually leading her into a life as a lawyer, prosecuting criminals. After trying several especially grueling cases in a row, she decides to take a vacation with two of her best friends. But two men (one with vengence on his mind against Mary, the other a deranged bad guy living in the woods) end up making the camping trip more terrifying than fun.
There isn't anything particularly surprising about this book and you'll see what's coming ahead of time. If your interest is held by violence and you don't care much about characters seeming real, you won't mind reading this one - and your interest will be held. But I felt less than satisfied.