Book Review: "Bad River" by Ken Brosky (2024)
Bad River Book Review
Written by Stuart D. Monroe
Published by Unneriving Press
Written by Ken Brosky
2024, 207 pages, Fiction
Published on July 31st, 2024
Review:
“You’re gonna die on this farm!”
Opening lines are important. A solid opening line will lead you forward in a book with a sense of intrigue and certainty, and from the start of Bad River, I had both in spades. This is my second go-round with Ken Brosky (the first being What Doesn’t Kill You, which I thoroughly enjoyed), and I’m pleased to report that he’s put another ear-to-ear grin on my face again with his tale of a local legend gone bloodthirsty in rural farm country.
Eli Nelson is a young man struggling to operate his late father’s farm. He’s saddled with all the debt his dad left him, and the Wilson Dairy folks aren’t looking after him the way they did his predecessor. He’s adrift from his old friends, and the farm chores have overtaken his life. When one of his cows turns up butchered by what does NOT appear to be a wild animal on his asshole neighbor’s soy farm, Eli is thrust into a mystery that seems to be connected to the local legend of the Beast of Bray Road. But Bad River is a town full of local legends. Dr. Mackenzie Wright is called in from the local university to investigate, and together with Eli they quickly unravel a mystery that turns deadly faster than you can say “black bear with Chronic Wasting Disease”!
Ken Brosky is a patient writer who knows how to develop his characters and make you feel for them. Eli is a fine protagonist you’re pulling for right out of the gate, and Dr. Mackenzie Wright is a quirky & multilayered love interest who brings much more to the table than just good looks. Bad River feels like a legit farming community rife with local legends to be repeated around a pitcher of beer at the local watering hole. Everything is authentic as hell, and it helps you settle into the story immediately. His penchant for writing action sequences is razor-sharp and flows nicely; that’s not always an easy trick to pull off.
Brosky delivers another monster/creature with a signature look that imprints on your brain and lore that holds up well. I won’t spoil anything, but suffice to say that the reveal is worth the wait. Yes, the story is about more than just the monster, but the monster must be effectively hideous. This “beast” is one with a cinematic bent and a story to back it up.
The pacing is slow in the first half, but that’s just Brosky’s signature patience in character-building doing its thing. I could have used a bit more fleshing out of the lore, as I’m a bit of a lore-hound (perhaps in a flashback-style chapter that fully illustrates how we got where we are with the creature), but that’s a minor gripe. It all still works wonderfully, and at 207 pages it’s lean and mean when it gets down to business. I appreciate that.
Take a trip to Bad River and see what’s stalking the farm life. You won’t be disappointed (though you may get some red on you)!
Grade:
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
