Black Oak: When the Cold Wind Blows

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Spooky Tale
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Grant is a master at dark fantasy/horror
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Another spooky mystery for Proctor and the Gang.
Review: Just as Black Oak is rehired to again continue the thirteen year old search for mulit-millionare Taylor Blaine's missing daughter Celeste and her two friends, Ethan Proctor recieves a message from an old friend of his father's in Georgia. It seems that the retired teacher found a resemblance between Maude Tackett (one of the missing trio) and a local retailing New Age Witch named Maudie Batts, who also happens to have gone missing recently, an apparent victim of what looks to be a serial killer who enjoyings acting like a werewolf. Or is it a real werewolf? Too bad Proctor's father's teacher friend is missing as well, another apparent victim of the werewolf.

Charles Grant delivers another exceptional episode (#5) of Black Oak in When the Cold Wind Blows. The series, after a few slightly clumsy footed introductions to the cast and the seemingly interlinked conspiracies, has really hit its stride. The novel is a well tuned engine that hums right through the intricate knots of its mysteries, dropping hints and clues that will keep the reader whipping through the pages until the rousing finale. The entire series is required reading for Dark Fantasy fans.

Rating:
Summary: Ethan Proctor is no Dupin!
Review: You know, for a whiz detective Ethan Proctor does NOTHING!
Every Black Oak installment is identical--Proctor sits around while his cronies sleuth to uncover some dimwitted half-truth.
There's no Bernie Rhodanbarr-esque intrigue, no Tim Underhill ratiocination, no deadpan brilliance. In fact, there is NOTHING about Proctor that's admirable. Book after book, he sits around as murky events unfold (note to author--do you purposely muddle your stories to make them sound cool?). Then, when there's no one left to kill, Proctor lights out for the anatagonist--whom is unguessable owing to Grant's lousy style--and deftly deals out death.

Forget this noise! I used to think John Saul told the same story over and over, but Grant is just as deserving of the "DRIVEL" award.