Convicted murderer Nick Muncey plans for his perfect opportunity. He toes the line to earn an outside duty assignment. And when the day arrives, after months of postponement, Nick and his cellmate Harlan execute their getaway without a hitch.
Harlan is mentally slow, but his enormous size and willingness to follow Nick's directions make him more than an ideal partner; he's Nick's lethal weapon. Once free of their prison guard, the two escapees head for a place to lie low, collect supplies and ultimately head to Canada. At least that's what Harlan thinks; Nick, however, has a little more in mind for this jailbreak.
The Tremont family just moved into their ideal home in a remote area of the Adirondacks. Ben, his wife, Sandy, and their teenage daughter, Ivy, are going about their lives when Nick and Harlan stroll through the front door and turn their dream into a nightmare.
In As Night Falls, her third novel, Jenny Milchman (Ruin Falls) mixes psychological thrills with adventure sports--Ben Tremont's obsession--to shoot her readers with an extreme jolt of adrenaline. The oscillating point of view flashes a glimpse of terror while hiding enough to intensify the fear of the unknown. Meanwhile, Milchman's talent for building atmosphere will have readers wondering if they're shivering from the story's excitement or northern New York's winter cold.
The major plot twist is obvious before it's officially revealed, but that doesn't diminish the novel's electric tension and chilling grip. Lock all the doors and settle in for Milchman's frighteningly good entertainment. --Jen Forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts