Shadow Creek - Joy Fielding

"Shadow Creek" by Joy Fielding was one of the books I checked out during my last library trip.  That was the trip where I ended up randomly grabbing things.

This one I picked because the title was creepy, and the red and black cover was ominous

"There's something deadly lurking the shadows at Shadow Creek"

Valerie thought she would be spending her birthday with her two best friends while her daughter spend the weekend in the Adirondacks.  However she finds herself instead visiting Shadow Creek in the company of her best friends Melissa and James, her angsty daughter Brianne, AND her son to be ex husband's new fiance Jennifer.

There also just happens to be a crazed killer loose in the Adirondacks, which James (who hates nature) points out every chance he gets.

Then Brianne goes missing.
Then Brianne goes missing.
Then Brianne goes missing.

Yes, I meant for that to be repeated.  Actually, it didn't take long for me to get really annoyed with Brianne.  I wanted to reach into the book and scream at the characters, "Somebody needs to put that girl on a leash!"

If I were her mom I would have stopped looking for her, crazed killer on the loose or not.

The author tried to make you like Jennifer, even though Valerie hates her.  It almost worked, except that Jennifer acts almost as brain dead as the teenaged daughter.

I think I would have liked to see more of the story from the killer's POV.

It was an interesting enough read.  I kept reading mostly to find out if the odd group of companions and the killer in the woods would ever actually cross paths.

I would give this one 3 out of 5 stars.  It didn't totally suck, but I'd not read it again and it didn't particularly make me want to grab another book by the same author.