A good suspense novel is hard to come by. A suspense author must create intensity without going over the top, must keep the reader wanting more without giving them too much and must keep the plot moving all the while. Saint Louis University alumnus Eddie Gresham manages to keep this balance nicely in his debut novel, Footfalls.
For more information about Gresham, his time spent at SLU and the road he took while creating the novel, see “New suspense novelist moves from computers to thrillers with career move.”
Footfalls is the story of Jimmy Culver, a computer technician who moves back to his childhood hometown to find himself facing trauma that once haunted him in his youth. Mysterious noises in his pillow and footprints in the snow terrorize Jimmy each night and bring mysterious death to those around him.
At 402 pages, Footfalls has the potential to be a hefty read, but Gresham’s writing style keeps the story moving. The chapters are short, leaving the reader wanting more while still being an easy read. The novel uses vivid imagery and flashbacks to entice the reader and keep him or her hooked for the remainder of the novel.
Footfalls is a captivating story that is everything one could hope for in a suspense novel.
Having already recieved a 5-star review from ForeWord Magazine, the novel has also been named as a finalist in the horror category for the magazine’s “2007 Best Book of the Year Awards” for small and independent publishers.
Footfalls is an impressive first work from Gresham that is worth reading, if only to solve the mystery of surrounding Jimmy’s fear.
