(Moon Mountain Trilogy, Book 1)
The year is 1997. It’s a Friday night with a full moon in the sky. And it’s Halloween.
Morgan Thomas and her best friend and roommate, Sheridan, plan to make it a night to remember. Having recently started her senior year at Clarkes College in the inimitably charming country town of Moon Mountain, North Carolina, Morgan feels this year could be her best yet.
But Morgan’s world begins to unravel on this chilly autumn night.
First, she encounters a mysterious stranger at a friend’s costume party and is unnerved by their chilling silence and peculiar behavior. Then, as if the encounter wasn’t enough to put her on edge, she wakes in the middle of the night to find herself lying on the ground in the vast forest that borders Moon Mountain, with no recollection of how she got there. But before she can make sense of the perplexing situation, a massive creature hidden among the treetops makes its presence known, sending Morgan running for her life.
She safely finds her way home but soon becomes plagued by recurring dreams of the forest and a haunting, mysterious cabin. And when the friend who threw the party is found bludgeoned to death days later, pieces of an unknown puzzle begin to rise to the surface, causing Morgan to fear her own involvement. But with no memory of it, she is forced to question her sanity and whether all these troubling events are somehow connected.
As Morgan discovers more pieces, including unscrupulous revelations involving Sheridan’s wealthy and influential family, the Gallaghers, she is cast into another world she could never have imagined existed, let alone that she would become the unwitting pawn in a dark and disturbing plan.
What secrets does Moon Mountain hold beneath its dark and seemingly calm surface? Who are the Gallaghers, and what truly lies behind their success and power? Morgan, as well as a young and eager detective on her heels (and her mind), are about to discover that 1997 will be the most extraordinary—and terrifying—year of their lives.
Porto stretches out the foreboding at a slow, methodical pace, with dread, thrills, and family secrets emerging one drip at a time. Over many days of blinding headaches, haunting dreams, and voices that urge her to a mysterious cabin, Morgan fears she’s either going insane or sleepwalking. Meanwhile, Porto digs into small-town politics and power. Sheridan’s family is uber wealthy; her uncle is mayor and her grandparents, Wendell and Vera Gallagher, own a prosperous honey farm. Handsome Detective Grayson Blair is investigating the murder, but when signs point to one of the Gallaghers’ twin grandsons Colin or Noah, the Gallagher family quickly squashes the investigation. But the Gallaghers have always been kind to Morgan, letting her live rent-free with Sheridan. Morgan begins to question that relationship when elderly Vera mysteriously takes ill.
Readers looking for narrative momentum over chilling atmosphere and slow-burn mysteries may find the pace frustrating. Still, Moon Mountain offers polished prose, a visceral sense of place, characters capable of surprises, and an unnerving new variation on the classic “cabin in the woods” theme. The conclusion hints at more to come.
Takeaway: A slow-burn thriller of a woman facing murder, secrets, and the lure of a cabin in the woods.
Great for fans of: Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid, Lisa Jewell’s I Found You.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
“If you’re looking for a mysterious, slow-burn thriller with a supernatural edge, then you will absolutely love Moon Mountain by Jess Porto. It is a truly addictive, unique and incredible work of modern fiction filled with murder, intrigue, suspense, mystery and thrills.”
“The plot rolls out slowly and impressively . . . But expectations continue to be subverted up to the story’s sequel-setting climax, which is tinged with elements of romance, fantasy and even SF.”
“Porto has exceptional talent as an author, her writing skills are top-notch, and her ideas are simply stellar. Her ability to execute those ideas with near perfection is a testament to her dedication. I loved the book and I’m looking forward to the sequel.”
“A smart, suspenseful tale with a whisper of the supernatural…
Porto’s engrossing novel about a young woman trying to solve the mystery of a brutal murder contains hefty doses of tension, suspense, unforeseen dangers, and genuine scares.”
