Blood and Rain by Glenn Rolfe

Time to dust off your silver bullets, because there is something big and hairy stalking the denizens of Gilson Creek under the light of the full moon.

The book starts with a man escaping from a mental hospital and transforming into a monster as he runs through the night.

Fast forward seven years, and a similar monster is tearing apart the citizens of a small town in Maine, leaving Sheriff Joe Fischer with flashbacks and the responsibility to stop the creature before the death toll rises.

As the body count continues to go up, will anyone survive the night of the next full moon?

I love werewolves, but it can be difficult to find a good werewolf story, however, Rolfe doesn’t disappoint. Full of attacks from the very beginning of the book, Gilson Creek is truly being terrorized by a lycanthrope. The cursed creature is full of surprises, and the author adds his own spin to the myth, while staying true to the folklore.

Sheriff Fischer is an interesting character. This isn’t his first rodeo, and the burden of stopping the werewolf weighs heavy on his shoulders. With some personal tragedy and a daughter to protect, Rolfe injects the much needed human interest into the cast of characters.

Speaking of the characters, we get to see a broad section of the town’s inhabitants, and their realistic depictions set Gilson Creek up as a place you’ve lived in, or at least visited. Even the blink and they’re dead members of the community are written with humanity and a certain amount of backstory.

I applaud Rolfe for pulling no punches when it came to character deaths. I really didn’t know who would survive to the end of the book.

Unfortunately, despite the good work at building the characters, I wasn’t particularly invested in any of them. Don’t get me wrong, they lived on the page, but I didn’t mind reading about them dying too.

As for the cursed creatures, Rolfe did a fine job at depicting the hunger, painful transformation and rage that are the hallmark of every werewolf story. Because I love them so much, I could have done with a bit more about the beast inside, but the author doesn’t skimp on the details.

For fans of Stephen King, there are lots of nods throughout the book, which was a fun touch.

I award Blood and Rain…