BLEAK HARBOR

By Bryan Gruley

Although the title brings to mind a grim port in a dismal town, it is actually a bright shoreline in a small town hosting its annual dragonfly festival.

Danny, a teenager diagnosed on the autism spectrum, lives there with his mother and stepfather. The Bleak’s are related to the original town’s founders. As the town prepares for a deluge of out-of-towners to descend on their shores for the festival, Danny disappears. While the frantic parents turn over every stone in an effort to find their missing son, a series of texts arrive on their phones. These messages share deep secrets; so deep that husband and wife have not even shared them with each other. Whoever has Danny is well-informed. In fact, they know more about the family’s personal lives than could be anticipated.

As the police knock on every door and try to find who is making the threats, and ransoms are demanded, the couple try to keep the police out of their personal business, holding back information that may be important to the search and rescue efforts. When it is discovered that Danny’s natural father was recently released from prison, the search becomes desperate.

This was a page-turning thriller that I read in one sitting. Not only was it impossible to put down, but Gruley has managed to perfect the one thing so difficult for most writers to attain: dialogue. Everything said is written in such a way that it is typical general conversation; nothing felt forced. In fact, it was so good he has joined the masters of dialogue, competing with the likes of John Sandford. Heck, I was expecting Virgil Flowers to lead the investigation.

An expertly written, easy to read thriller with the all-important twist at the end.