GRIZ Nightmare Reviews

GRIZ Nightmare REVIEWS:

Griz Nightmare.............Molly's Reviews
By m j hollingshead
Sunday, August 03, 2003

unquestionable storytelling genius

Title: Griz Nightmare
Genre: adventure
Author: . Leland Waldrip
rwaldrip@RappahannockBooks.com
Line/Publisher: Rappahannock Books
www.RappahannockBooks.com
ISBN: 1 892105 03 9
"Interesting read Recommended 5 stars"

The Review
The book opens with Jim Wilson who suffers from post traumatic stress because of a grizzly attack five years earlier dreaming of another bear attack upon himself. Experienced horseman and guide, Jim sets out on a Montana elk hunting trip with friends Joe Darton, Bark Harrison and Parson McNelty. Jim hopes to overcome his worry about another bear attacking him. About the time the men set out on their trip with four riding horses and 2 pack animals three desperate convicts break out of prison. Labaine, Morgan and Bellerman are as amoral as they come. After kidnapping a mother and daughter the trio set out to get themselves to Canada and supposed safety. As time progresses the paths of the hunting group cross with those of the criminals and their captives.

An unanticipated, barbarous attack carried out by the convicts leaves Jim Wilson believing he alone has survived the vicious, uncalled for shooting of Darton, Harrison and McNelty. The criminals show no regard for the plight, danger or hardship they demand of their victims as they force the two women to walk just ahead of Jim, Griz, Wilson. The determined group again sets out on horseback for their northbound trek. Misadventure, snow, lack of knowledge of the outdoors and even a bear attack or two meets the group at nearly every turn. How, or if, Jim will be able to rescue the two women and get himself safely away from these miscreants who appear determined that nothing or no one will stop them from getting out of the country becomes Wilson’s predominant notion.

Writer Waldrip’s unquestionable storytelling genius is showcased in the paragraphs of Griz Nightmare. Waldrip adds to his growing list of thrillers with the addition of this exciting tale filled with a fine cast of nicely developed characters, hard hitting dialogue and Waldrip’s facility for painting word pictures delineating scenes and scenery. Griz Nightmare is a well crafted tale in which a complex plot twists and turns carrying the reader right to the heart of the hunt with a detailed suspense filled plot. The reader feels anger, revulsion and a sense of revenge for the criminals as we witness their abuse of the kidnap victims, and their disregard for anything other than their own wants, needs and desires. The lack of compassion shown by the criminals is offset by the caring shown mother to daughter to mother, along with Jim Wilson’s grim determination that he will avenge his friends deaths and somehow get himself and the two women to freedom.

I liked the addition of both the hand drawn map and actual photos of a hunting camp. They add much to the work.

Good book for a lazy afternoon, I don’t recommend after dark, during a storm or when little things go bump in the night.

Reviewed by: molly martin
http://www.angelfire.com/ok4/mollymartin

James A Cox, Editor-in-Chief, The Midwest Book Review, in "Internet Bookwatch", Paul T. Vogel, Reviewer: ". . .Griz Nightmare . . . showcases the undeniable storytelling talents of Leland Waldrip with [the addition of] this latest thriller to his growing list of highly recommended titles."

Bobby M., Fredericksburg, VA: "Every time I thought I had it figured out, the story took another twist or turn. Most excellent!”

Karen E., Gainsville, FL: “GRIZ Nightmare is really, really good! Those action scenes kept me up till all hours of the night.”

Amy A. Wharton, North Springfield, VA: “I stayed up late last night to finish GRIZ Nightmare. I enjoyed it a lot—very suspenseful! The plot had more twists and turns than a Rocky Mountain goat trail.”

Robert McMeans, Bealton, VA: “I finally had time to finish GRIZ Nightmare last night, or should I say, this morning about 2 am. I had wanted to read some each evening as I found time. Not so! I could not put it down as I got further into it. I read it in three sittings, one hour each the first two nights and the rest of it last night. Waldrip painted the picture so colorfully that I could see the lay of the land and suffer with the cold feet and slipping in the snow. I wish him much luck with the book—he’s earned it.”

Don Longava, Woodbridge, VA: “This is an adventure, unpredictable, filled with realism and a story line with a punch. Mr. Waldrip takes you to the heart of the hunt and the hunted—raw, detailed and exciting. Like a realist painter, he daubs each chapter with detailed descriptions and pictures of a true outdoor adventure to keep you reading. Move over 'Outside' magazine, here comes the ‘GRIZ.’”

Sportsman and wildlife lover Billy Crabbe, Lottsburg, VA: "I really liked this book! It held my interest all the way through—great story, very suspenseful, interesting characters, lots of action. It's hard to find a book with all this and with so much about wildlife as an important part of the story."

Reinhold Steiner, Bern, Switzerland: "The author’s . . . “imagination seems to have no bounds. The story was fantastic! The writing style reminds me of some classic European writers who make exceptionally zealous use of adjectives. I enjoyed GRIZ Nightmare.”

Judge Sam Taylor, Montgomery, AL: “You feel all the time that you’re in a key part of the story. And you are! You can see and identify with every character—hear them talk just as you think they would. And the story rolls! Clear descriptions of physical movements combine with the author’s keen sense of ambient detail to put you right in the middle of things: unrelentingly cruel escaped convicts imposing their twisted agenda on innocents. Looming over it all is the chilling fear of the giant predator—something beyond anyone’s control, felon or innocent. And after a maze of twists and turns, just when we think we’re finally out of the woods—we’re not. GRIZ Nightmare is tightly written, a very good read!”

2000 Benjamin Franklin Awards judge: “A very compelling book. It kept me up late turning pages. Definitely not the book to take along on my next camping trip. Very satisfying! Thanks” Score: 9.70 of possible 10

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