Wildlife - A Dark Thriller

By: Jeff Menapace

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

From the best-selling author of Bad Games.

Deep in the Florida Everglades, a tragic accident has ignited a deadly feud between two families.

Meanwhile a young writer, his girlfriend, and her family take a boat ride into the isolated wilds of the Everglades for research on a new book, only to become unwitting witnesses to a brutal crime.

Now, as night falls, forced to travel on foot, they must flee through the treacherous wilderness while desperately avoiding the deadly wildlife...and the far more lethal human predators that are hunting them.

©2015 Jeff Menapace (P)2015 Jeff Menapace

Hillbilly horror

Why are hillbillies always so violent? The fact that I read this about a month ago and don’t remember how it ends says it all, forgettable.

great story

suspenseful and so macabre it reads like a true story!
I live in Florida and this book captured the feeling of the Everglades.

high tension reading

liked it very much great subject line held me in my seat none stop . thrilling start tofinsh.

A Twisted, Wild Ride in the Glades.

This is my second book by Jeff Menapace and, I have to say, I am definitely a fan. This was an action packed, suspenseful story that shows the devastating consequences of one boy's lie and the actions taken afterward that destroys three families. Menapace has woven a horror story that is both grisly and all too possible in a setting that is a formidable as they come.

The narration by Jeff Hays was excellent, his timing and character range was perfect. There is a bit of a production flaw in the tin-like sound in the very beginning but, thankfully, it only lasts for the first couple of chapters.

I have only one gripe and that is the author continuously calling an airboat, a "fan boat". The book is set in the Everglades and, as a South Florida native, I know that no one refers to that type of boat as anything other than an airboat. It really makes no difference but "fan boat" was mentioned many, many times it did irritate me every time I heard it.

One boy's lie leads to an extreme bloodbath

This Audiobook was provided by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Audiobook begins with soothing and calming music. Enjoy it. There is nothing soothing or calm after that.

A boy's lie about his involvement in a brawl begins a snowball of tragic and horrifying events. Jeff Menapace creates the setting, throws in a couple of tropes (because, hey, this is a horror thriller, it must have some) but then quickly removes the rug from under your feet to ensure the reader/listener understands that all bets are off.

Despite the short length of the book it actually took me longer to complete, I simply found it hard at times to return to this cruel reality that was created by Jeff Menapace. Jeff Menapace puts you inside his characters heads and allows you to empathize with them before giving them no chance of survival. The story itself is a non-stop roller coaster, with one event quickly following another, there is rarely a dull moment until its very satisfying conclusion.

The narration by Jeff Hays is simply wonderful, he is truly a full cast in one. The creepy voices he provides the Roy family (especially Ida) gave me chills, he manages to voice them as cruel as Jeff Menapace writes them.

To summarize - This is a great horror thriller with excellent narration, it is not for the squeamish. A part of me wished it was longer, a part of me is thankful it wasn't (and I mean that in a good way).