Judy by M.E. Davidson
Publisher: Dark Anthem Press
Genre: Horror, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by AstilbeAfter a hurricane unsettles North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Pamlico Sound lies deceptively calm.
A small fishing charter runs aground on a shoal as the tide begins to rise, stranding its passengers in open water with the boat out of reach and daylight slipping away. They came aboard for different reasons – a trip already paid for, a weekend already promised, a chance to pretend certain things were not breaking.
But the sea has a way of pulling truth to the surface.
For Ava and Danny North, separated and speaking only when they must, the day was supposed to belong to their twelve-year-old son, Jack. Instead, as the water climbs and a massive great white shark moves beneath it, their fractured family is forced into a fight for survival.
Judy is no monster. She is the sea in motion – instinct, hunger, pressure, and tide.
Atmospheric, tense, and emotionally grounded, JUDY is a literary survival thriller about family, fear, grief, and the terrifying indifference of nature.
Maps can’t possibly tell a reader everything there is to know about a place.
The first few chapters got off to a thoughtful start as all of the characters were introduced and some of the problems they were currently struggling with in life were explored. I enjoyed the slower pacing in the beginning and thought it set up the middle and end beautifully. It also reminded me of how tides slowly move in and out on beaches and are often best enjoyed with a little patience to begin with. This was one of several subtle nautical references I took note of, and each one built on the ones that came before it to further strengthen my impression of just how much behind-the-scenes work and thought went into crafting this piece. Bravo!
While this was a plot-focused novel, I still would have liked to see a little more character development, particularly for Ava, Jack, and Danny. This family was the center of attention for most scenes, and Ava was the protagonist in most chapters as well. Had I been able to get to know them better, the last hundred pages or so would have been even more emotionally impactful as I waited to see who, if anyone, would actually survive the shark’s attacks. It was the only thing holding me back from selecting a full five-star review.
One of the unique things about the storyline was how plausible all of it was. There were no supernatural elements working behind the scenes to increase the danger of being stranded on a shoal as the tide came in. Everything that happened was completely realistic, including some cases of human error and the failure of key equipment, which only made it all that much scarier. This isn’t something I see enough of in this genre, and it has given me yet another reason to check out more of the author’s work in the future.
Judy was a spine-tingling work of horror that kept me on the edge of my seat from the first sentence to the last one.
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