Title: LOST
Author: RS Guthrie
Publisher: Blu Pencil Publishing, LLC
Format: Kindle Edition
Interest: Supernatural/Thriller/Series
Rating 0-100: 97 (5 Stars)

Denver Detective Bobby Mac returns in this intense horror/thriller, set in the northern panhandle wilderness of Idaho. After receiving a phone call from his brother, the Chief of Police in Rocky Gap, Idaho, Bobby Mac travels north to assist in the investigation surrounding two gruesome murders and the abduction of an eleven-year-old girl.

These two seasoned cops—estranged brothers reunited—will bring all of their experience to bear in a case that threatens not only the safety of a small town, but also the sacred lineage of a family of heroes.
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This is the second book in the series by Guthrie featuring Bobby Mac. In the first novel, Black Beast, Mac finds that the evil in our world extends to the supernatural realm, and this battle between good and evil has been going on for a long time. Bobby Mac also discovers that his family has been on the frontlines of this battle for generations. 

LOST continues the Bobby Mac adventure, picking up shortly after the first story. When his brother Jax (Jackson), Chief of Police in a small Idaho town, reaches out to him for help with a strange case, Bobby is reluctant at first. It sounds like another typical ‘crazy person goes off the deep end and decides to kill their family’ kind of case. The suspect is in custody, and the only member of the family that can’t be accounted for is the eleven year old daughter. While Mac sympathizes with Jax and the problem of a missing girl, he has no intention of helping his brother until Jax describes the events as told by the suspect. Evil is back, and this time it has a chip on its shoulder.

Some thoughts on this particular series:

Reading the sample of the first book (Black Beast) on Amazon did not appeal to me. I ended up buying the book for two reasons. The first was due to the Kindle Fire giveaway that the author was promoting. The second is the fact that part of the proceeds go to charity. I’m not sure if the sample has changed since I purchased the book, but if it hasn’t, then I would urge you to take a chance on it, especially if you like supernatural thrillers. My first impression, based on that sample I was shown, changed drastically by the time I finished the first book. I was hooked.

If you are a fan of the television show Supernatural, then this series of books will appeal to you. Personally, I’m a huge fan of both. I’ve also become a fan of Rob Guthrie and his blog. He is one of the most accessible, and genuinely nice people that I’ve interacted with on Twitter and Facebook. With that disclaimer out of the way, let me share some thoughts about this particular book.

LOST has all the elements that made me like the first one, and if anything, it’s even better. The writing is tighter and the read is faster. The series weaves a supernatural story line into a crime thriller, or vice versa, depending upon how look at it. Either way, it’s addicting. If you liked the first book, then you probably already have a copy of this one.

For those that are considering buying this book, and you haven’t yet read Black Beast, then you should probably get that one first. Looking over some of the other reviews on Amazon I see that one reader gave it three stars because they felt, for lack of a better word, lost. The reviewer stated that it was hard to keep up with what was going on because Guthrie does not pull a lot of information from the first book. In other words, there’s not a lengthy section entitled, ‘previously on…’ pick your favorite television drama. I couldn’t agree more. Read this book out of sequence and you are going to miss out on some great details, including character introduction and motivation.

My only criticism of this book is that it was too short. While it may be a novel length book, I was starving for Bobby Mac and felt like I had to settle for fast food. The story moves at a fast pace and I just wish it had lasted longer. The only thing I love more than a series is a big fat book that takes a week or two to get through. Bobby Mac is such an appealing character, with so much potential, it’s a shame that the adventure ended as soon as it did. Guthrie needs to write faster. I’m already hungry again.

–Rush