They Came at Night

by

Westley Smith

An absolute stunner of a thriller!

They Came At Night is an absolute stunner of a thriller by author Westley Smith, and I was absolutely enthralled from start to finish. From the horrific opening scene to the uneasy relationships among the characters and the unsettlingly atmospheric setting of an almost abandoned rural town, I developed a case of the heebie-jeebies that I couldn’t shake until the story’s climactic resolution. 

Sandra Leigh had been a promising concert pianist until she’d suffered a career-ending injury during an attack on a deserted rural highway one night. She’d escaped with her life, but the emotional trauma eventually sent her away from her family to a secluded rehab program for those suffering from PTSD run by a retired former Navy SEAL in the West Virginia hills. Five years later, she agrees to accompany her sister and her family on a restful weekend trip to a lovely vacation rental home outside the quiet little town of Little Hope, Pennsylvania. 

The reunion with her sister and her family is awkward at first, and it becomes even more so when Sandra’s critical and manipulative mother shows up unannounced. Then, too, rather than being a quaint tourist town, Little Hope is eerily empty, with many properties bearing either “SOLD” or “CLOSED” signs. Sandra feels like someone is watching their every move, even when they arrive at the beautiful rental home, and because of her past, the rest of the family scoffs at her growing sense that something is off. But then, little things start happening … 

Sandra, the main character, is a tragic figure, but one who refuses to remain a victim any longer. Even when her family refuses to take her feelings seriously, getting angry with her for voicing her concerns, she stands firm and continues to trust her gut. At first, her family seems to tiptoe around what happened to her five years earlier, but as her niece Emalyn begins to warm back up to her, her sister and mother seem to release pent-up anger and frustration toward her. I was relieved when Sandra’s relationships with the women in her life finally started to heal as the story progressed, even if this did happen under the worst of circumstances. 

The author creates one heck of a creepy atmosphere from the very beginning. The descriptions of the various settings are vivid and literally gave me goosebumps. The suspenseful plot is full of twists and unseen, yet palpable menace that begins with a shocking attack. There are exciting, Rambo-esque action sequences later on that match or surpass the opening in intensity and its highly visceral impact, so readers sensitive to this kind of thing should be forewarned. In between, the suspense was constantly building, and I couldn’t put the book down because of the feeling that something more was just about to happen. I was riveted to my seat and read the book in one gloriously tension-filled sitting. 

I recommend THEY CAME AT NIGHT to readers of action or psychological thrillers. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.