When the Cold Wind Blows (Black Oak 5) [Paperback]

Charles L. Grant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2001

Paranormal investigator Ethan Proctor travels to Georgia to investigate a series of disappearances and mutilations-in the newest mystery in the acclaimed series...

Editorial Reviews

Review

A literary equivalent to The Blair Witch Project. -- BookLovers

A solid and entertaining ghost tale in the English tradition. -- Locus

I really enjoy this series. -- Science Fiction Chronicle

Product Details

• Paperback: 245 pages
• Publisher: Roc (March 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451458117
• ISBN-13: 978-0451458117
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,637,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Spooky Tale, April 4, 2001

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: When the Cold Wind Blows (Black Oak 5) (Paperback)

Fifth in the Black Oak series, "When the Cold Wind Blows" is a bit of a tour de force. Ethan Proctor, head of Black Oak Investigations is noted for his interest in cases that somehow involve creatures and forces greater than natural. For most of the volumes he has been wrapped up in the search Taylor Blaine's daughter. It is a quest that has been fruitless, and finally cut short by Blaine's other heir's

Proctor has been hibernating at his headquarters when discovers that the hunt is back on. Simultaneously he receives a request from a friend of his father's asking him to come down to a small town north of Atlanta to look into the possibility of a werewolf. The hook in this request is that the writer claims to have spotted one of Blaine's daughter's friends, who disappeared with her, in the same town.

Burline is classic deep South, complete with a murky swamp and a series of brutal killings that might have been done by a werewolf or maybe by something that thought that's what it was. In any case, even the man who called him down has fallen victim to the killer, leaving no clues behind. Confronted with a rising body count, a hostile police department and a town full of strange characters it is all that Proctor and his crew of investigators can do to get to the bottom of the mystery.

The story is full of scary devices including a hunt through the swamp and the intervention of a witch. The ending takes several unexpected turns, and it will be the rare reader that puzzles out the story before Proctor finds the villain. Grant's prose is professional and business-like, lending that story an easily believable narrative style with sparse, effective dialog. The book is a treat and is readable even if you haven't been following the series.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Grant is a master at dark fantasy/horror, March 24, 2002

By 

mellion108 (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: When the Cold Wind Blows (Black Oak 5) (Paperback)

I love these characters! Grant continues to show his strengths in narrative and character development. This Black Oak series is dark, spooky, and captivating with characters that are complex, kooky, and unforgettable.

Ethan Proctor is on another case in this latest Black Oak installment. His late father's friend, Garber Kranz, leaves him a cryptic message hinting at a wolfman and at the sighting of a friend of the missing Celeste Blaine. Proctor can't possibly pass this up, and he and Taz hop a plane to track this mystery down in northern Georgia. The story has sinister, suspicious locals, a swamp, strange creatures, and intrigue galore. There are also more hints about the mysterious group that is out to destroy Proctor.

If you've been following this series, you must read this one. If you haven't, what are you waiting for? Pick up the first, Genesis, and start reading. Although each novel can stand on its own, you'll get a much better appreciation for the characters and the complex plot running behind each of the installments if you read the entire series. These books are all short (about 250 pages at most), and they are easy, quick reads. Grant is a master storyteller, and his writing style flows smoothly. He has a knack for weaving sinister events in the most mundane settings. Take nothing for granted in his novels! I can't wait to read the next installment in the series (what will Taz find out, anyway?). The Millenium Quartet is also another set of Grant's books that is well worth the read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where's The....Rest of the Story?, October 24, 2007

By 

Kate "K. Haney" (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When the Cold Wind Blows (Black Oak 5) (Paperback)

I really loved this series and the charactes; the writing is very good and I wanted more. But, alas, there is no more. The fifth book is all there is and no end to the underlying mystery.

So, Mr. Grant...where the heck are the rest of the Black Oak books? You owe it to your readers to finish the series!

Or, at the very least, someone can make this a mini-series on the sci-fi channel (Peter Weller as Ethan Proctor) and give this story the ending it deserves. I have been waiting long enough!