Officer Rivera discovers a body in the vast Sonoran Desert somewhere in the Southern United States. Meanwhile across the Mexican Border 25 desperate souls are trying to escape the hell and poverty of their homeland by the promise and attraction of a new start in the US. I was reading this book late at night in a darkened room with the wind and rain beating against the windows and this greatly added to the chill factor and the atmosphere. The story is narrated in two time lines with a matter of days separating both accounts. As Border Patrol Officer Rivera tries to decipher a message carved into the body of an unaccounted alien further south Mayra Visari and a band of desperados attempt to make their way north under the leadership of a young guide known as Il Bufon..."The Joker" The story is mainly about the journey and encounter with an alien force invisible to the eye but deadly when confronted. In this respect I was reminded of scenes from Predator when our muscled up hero Arnold  Schwarzenegger, whilst attempting to rescue some politicians in Guatemala, is pursued by a brutal creature with superhuman strength that has the ability to disappear into its surroundings.

 

Unfortunately when we reach the midway point the story falls into a continuous game of attack and escape as the aliens attempt to destroy/consume the desperate band of illegal immigrants seeing them only as part of the food chain. This type of action soon becomes tedious and a story that started with great promise soon begins to lose my interest. There were of course some enjoyable moments and in particular a snappy narration and quirky  observations..."Altar, Sonora, was a town of evil, a place where dreams came to die and were buried in unmarked graves in the desert"..... "It was only a matter of time before we started dying"....."Our shadows stretched away from us as though seeking release from the fate to which we had been consigned"......."We were the walking dead, an entire procession of weakness and despair".....

I've heard so many good things about Michael McBride so I bought like five or six of his books a couple months ago but I'm just now getting around to reading one of them. I can't believe I waited so long! Sunblind was fantastic! It's about a group of people from Mexico that are trying to cross the desert and the border into the U.S. but not only are they struggling to survive against the cartels, intense heat and dehydration but something far worse awaits them in the desert. 

 

McBride did such a great job of describing the terror that's in the desert! I was literally holding my breath through most of the story and even though I know that it's surely not real, you couldn't pay me to cross the desert now. I'll always have in the back of my mind what happened to those people and part of me will always wonder if there's some truth to the story. Now that's exceptional writing! 

I've heard so many good things about Michael McBride so I bought like five or six of his books a couple months ago but I'm just now getting around to reading one of them. I can't believe I waited so long! Sunblind was fantastic! It's about a group of people from Mexico that are trying to cross the desert and the border into the U.S. but not only are they struggling to survive against the cartels, intense heat and dehydration but something far worse awaits them in the desert. 

McBride did such a great job of describing the terror that's in the desert! I was literally holding my breath through most of the story and even though I know that it's surely not real, you couldn't pay me to cross the desert now. I'll always have in the back of my mind what happened to those people and part of me will always wonder if there's some truth to the story. Now that's exceptional writing! 

Abandon by Blake Crouch is on sale today on Amazon for only $1.99! 

Link to Abandon

 

Sunblind & Subterrestrial by Michael McBride are also only $1.99!

Link to Sunblind & Subterrestrial

 

I just had to get all three. So much for "I'm not buying anymore books until I finish what I already have." That didn't last long... : ) lol

Border Patrol agent Rivera, comes across the body of a young woman, Mayra, in the Sonoran Desert. She is badly injured and as he reads the words engraved on her chest, he realises that she was not alone in her venture and that more than 20 people may still be in the desert. He takes two experienced trackers and goes off in search of those who have vanished. He soon finds something that something malevolent is residing in the desert.

I loved this book but at times it was pretty hard to read, the descriptions of the suffering endured by illegal aliens trying to make it across the border into America, was absolutely heartbreaking. I felt every hunger pang, every thirst, every injury endured by them and the anger of the cruelty of the 'coyote' paid to bring them to the border.The author is well known for his meticulous research and I almost feel sorry for him having to research this subject matter but what he has written is a tremendous story about human survival and one that will stay with me long after I've stopped turning the pages.

One part of the story is told through agent Rivera, in the present time as he continues to track the Mexican groups progress through the desert. The pacing is faster through these chapters as they come across clues to what happened and ultimately where the group may not be. The other story is told through the voice of Mayra, a young woman fleeing her village after her sisters horrendous death at the hands of those who should have protected her. Her story starts 5 days before she is found and ultimately sees both threads converge to the same point.

I really loved Mayra's character, she was gutsy, determined and whilst her own survival was foremost in her mind her small acts of kindness to others made her sympathetic. Her story is horrifying though, what she goes through to survive is absolutely gut wrenching and as a reader I found myself both rooting for her to carry on but at times wanting her suffering to end by giving in to her situation.

The creatures in this were unusual and at times I found it difficult to get a clear picture of what they looked like in my head, irrespective they are nasty through and through and nothing showcases this more than the ending of the novel.

Fantastic story and one that will stay with you long after you've put the book down. Highly recommended.