Red Fox (Experiment in Terror, #2)

by Karina Halle

[Berls]

This was definitely creepier than the first book! And I've already grown to love the characters so I was more invested and worried about their safety. My one comfort is that I know there are several more books in the series, so they MUST survive.

Red Fox takes place in New Mexico, Perry and Dex are investigating a series of strange occurrences on a farm. The tension is pretty much immediate, for numerous reasons and in a variety of ways.

First of all, it's Perry and Dex's relationship. He has a girlfriend, but Perry is falling in love with him and now, because of the Christian beliefs of the couple who own the farm, Perry and Dex are pretending to be a married couple, sharing a room and everything. So yeah, tension! I find the potential for cheating problematic here and while they aren't married, I still wish he would end things with his girlfriend or stop flirting with Perry.

Secondly, that couple? Well the wife is a bitch. Not going to sugar coat it, she's a bitch and everyone - even her husband - knows it. So why do they put up with her? Well, she's blind and maybe that gets her some sympathy? Anyway, their conversations and interactions are just creepy and tense.

Thirdly, the whole reason they're investigating this case is an old band friend of Dex's called him up. Turns out, they have a complicated and tense history. And, oh, Perry find him very attractive and Dex is taken so... flirting ensues there a bit too. Again, tension.

Finally, the actual case. HOLY SHIT things get creepy here. I don't want to spoil, but there's some scary moments, there's some skinwalker action, and even an attempted rape (so trigger warning!). There's this one scene that my skin literally crawled with goosebumps.

I should note, I am a horror WHIMP and some of y'all may laugh at the moments that freaked me out. But nothing has gotten too ghoulish or gross for me. And Karina Halle is just a really great author, so I decided to give this series a chance in light of the season. And now I'm hooked.

Also, I was on the fence about Jo Raylan's narration of the first book. After listening to this one I think it's fair to say it was me, not her, on that first book. I do still have to listen more carefully than I do other books, but that would be my only complaint.

Qualifies for COYER Scavenger Hunt item #45 - Step outside your comfort zone and read a book in a genre you have read less than 3 times this year. I've read Horror only 2 other times this year.