Rating: 4 stars
Buy Links:Â Â Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novella
Will Chambers needs some time away and so he decides to take a few days in his remote cabin to relax and get his mind off what is weighing on him. But rather than having some quiet time away, the trip turns dangerous as Will is attacked while jogging and kidnapped. When he wakes up, Will is tied naked to a bed and blindfolded. He has no idea who has taken him, only that he knows it is two men whom he calls the Voice and the Friend.
Will doesn’t know what the men want with him, but the Voice says Will must answer three questions over three days. The questions force Will to reflect on his past and the tragedy that has been weighing him down. All Will wants to do is hide away, but he is being forced to confront his past whether he wants to or not.
So I’ll start by saying this story was totally not what I was expecting. I guess from the blurb I kind of was thinking it was some kinky kidnaping thing with a little Stockholm Syndrome mixed in. Not sure why my mind went there, but something about the blurb just led me in a different direction. In reality, this story is a puzzle, a picture that slowly unfolds over the course of the book as we discover who is behind the kidnapping and why, as well as what happened in Will’s past. The book moves back and forth between present day and Will’s memories. We are dropped into the middle of the story and at first are kind of off balance as we are not told much about the people Will interacts with, their relationships to each other, or what happened in the past. This allows the answers to be slowly revealed over the course of the book. So at first I was kind of taken aback as I had no idea what the heck was going on, but as the story continued, I think it worked well. We get bits and pieces that come together, slowly forming the whole picture and letting us understand just what is going on. I personally am an impatient reader and was a little frustrated at first not understanding why things were so vague and confusing, but as the story went along the reasoning made more sense. Over the course of the book, everything is revealed and I liked the bit of mystery aspect here, the secrets being revealed and the story unraveled.
This is a tricky book to review because there is very little I can say about the plot without giving away the big secrets. I found the reveal clever and not totally expected. I did wish we had gotten more backstory on the kidnappers, however, to more fully understand both what motivated them, along with Will’s ultimate reaction when he learns who is behind it all. In the case of the Friend, it is virtually impossible for me to imagine anyone acting as he did, at least a rational and sane man. And in the case of the Voice, I felt like I needed to know more about their relationship to really understand Will’s reaction when he learns the truth. Honestly, he seems to accept things much more easily than seems reasonable and knowing more backstory would have helped it all make more sense to me.
I picked up Lost in the Echo as part of New-to-Me Author Week as I had heard good things about Pyke’s work but never read anything by the author. I found this story very intriguing and enjoyed Pyke’s writing style. I am definitely interested in checking out more by this author.
Lost in the Echo was a book that kept me very engaged and I loved the cleverness of the story, as well as the nice resolution for Will.
This review is part of our September Reading Challenge Month for New-to-Me Author Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win a fabulous prize from Interlude Press. One lucky winner will receive a selection of signed print books, as well as a variety of ebooks by authors new to Interlude Press this year. Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by Dreamspinner Press (a loaded Kindle fire filled with DSP books!). You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on New-to-Me Author Week here. And be sure to check out our prize post for more about the awesome prizes!
I highly recommend the Don’t series by Jack L. Pyke if you haven’t read it yet. It’s very dark, but oh so well written! I read anything this author puts out…one of my absolute favourites!
I haven’t read anything by Jack L. Pyke yet. Â Lost in the Echo sounds intriguing. Â I don’t mind being in the dark for a while as long as things are eventually revealed. Â
Thanks for the review!
Yes it definitely all comes together in the end. If the review intrigues you, I would definitely give it a try
I’m with you, Jay, in that the blurb had me anticipating a Stockholm Syndrome scenario. This does sound intriguing though, so thanks for bringing it to my attention.
You are welcome!
I like it when the blurb doesn’t reveal everything. This sounds like a more unique plot than in most m/m books so it seems to be right up my alley. Thanks for an intriguing rec.
Yes it is very unique! You are kind of dropped in the middle of the story and slowly the pieces all come together. Very cleverly done
Pyke’s books always sounded relentlessly intense, but I’m intrigued!
Oh good!
Hmm this definitely does sounds like an interesting book but I’ll have to think about it some more. I’m not sure it’s something I’ll like. Thanks for the review though! 😀
You are welcome!
Sounds intriguing but not sure it will be my cup of tea. Thanks for the review though … I definitely heard of Pyke though I also haven’t read his books.
Hmmm.. I’m not sure what to think about this one. I don’t mind not knowing what’s going on in a book, but that isn’t the state of my reading mind right now, so it’s not appealing to me. Hopefully this will come back on my radar when I’m in the mood for it because it sounds like you found it a worthwhile read. Thanks for not giving away anything, Jay. I kind of read a lot of reviews with one eye open and my hands halfway over my eyes so I don’t get more information than I want. I really do like being surprised by what I read, so I definitely hope I spot this one when I want to be a little more off-kilter.
Great idea Carolyn and thanks!
This one sounds sort of intense. Sometimes if a book is too intense I either take a lot of breaks or DNF but I’m curious about this one. According to Amazon it’s only 83 pages so I might be able to make it to the end even if it keeps me on the edge.
I put it on my Amazon wish list and I’ll think about it. I really want to give this author a try. 🙂
It isn’t as scary intense as I was expecting. I thought from the blurb it would be much darker. It is more mystery/puzzle than dark and intense I’d say. And yes, it is a fairly short story and easy read.
This sounds intriguing. I’ve never read anything by this author. Thanks for the review!
I’ve heard good things about Jack L. Pyke books. I haven’t yet had the chance to give any of his books but this one sounds as good as any place to start.
Yes if you are interested in trying Pyke, this would be a good start
Thank you for your review, Jay! I must recognise I had read some reviews about this book before, and what I heard really intrigued me. It sounds so interesting. The premise of the book is really anguishing, and I guess it must be pretty intense. I’m certainly adding it to my TBR list!
Oh good, hope you enjoy it!
I’m intrigued, i love it when a book can surprise you 😉 I put it on my TBR list. Thank you for the review.
You are welcome! Hope you enjoy it!
I tried reading the first in the Don’t series a while ago, and really struggled to get absorbed in it at all… But I’m tempted to give this a try.
Jack L. Pyke is not a new author for me. However, this book is in my wishlist. Thanks for your review.