Review Detail

Prowlers is positively riveting and inventive. I am very glad that it is the first in a new series, because even before the book was through, I was captivated by the villains, connected to the protagonists, and yearning to go on the prowl again.

At age nineteen, Jack Dwyer's best friend Artie is murdered. Not by humans, but by Prowlers, a group of ancient creatures whose handiwork is typically thought to be that of wolves.

But these are no wolves. They are animals, but their ability to think, their emotions and their need for revenge makes them as cunning as humans. Jack, as well as most of America, knows nothing of the Prowlers... That is, until Artie travels from the Ghostlands to tell his friend what truly happened.

The leader of the pack, Owen Tanzer, is determined to unite the Prowlers and make humans feel their power. Tanzer's right hand gal, Jasmine, is also something to contend with. It is as if Golden took Exotica from "Cats" and made her real, feral and evil. With her cocoa skin and orange eyes, Jasmine always goes the whole nine (lives?) yards.

Aside from Jack, my other favorite "good guy" is Molly. She embodies the 'final girl' syndrome from horror films: she must kill to survive. Golden always treats his female characters well, making them unique, strong individuals.

One of my favorite scenes occurs in a subway scene and involves jumping over turnstiles, fighting between cars, and a police cover-up. In other words, thoroughly modern Hitchcock.

The entire book flows wonderfully, pulsing along with the reader's heartbeat, causing them to inhale and exhale sharply with the protagonists, run with them, follow them through Boston, and come to conclusions both unexpected and life-altering.