Skully, Perdition Games

Skully, Perdition Games by L.E. Fraser is a dark thriller that is somehow understated while still being strongly genre fiction. In this novel, Gabriella LeBlanc is found wandering the ice of Lake Superior following her abduction by a man found dead in the cabin where he held her. Her memories of the event are cloudy, and the crime is considered solved. Thirty years later, Gabriella disappears again, in a very Gone Girl style, leaving her husband to take the blame for her supposed murder. The two people inspecting her disappearance have troubles of their own as Gabriella’s past opens up part of their own, as well as opening a question about their future.

Skully, Perdition Games is a disturbing piece of fiction in some of the best ways. As a book in a series, this works especially well, since it answers as many questions as it asks, and leaves the reader satisfied, but still wanting more. Especially enjoyable in this novel are the Canadian and northern Michigan settings. These are places less often seen in fiction, and while they don’t play an especially huge role in the novel overall, it’s still nice to get out of the typical London, New York, L.A. trend and see something else. This is definitely not a book for readers who like happy endings and neatly wrapped up story lines. There is obviously much more going on in this world than this book alone has a chance to delve into, and it does not shy from disturbing images or the lack thereof, drawing on the idea that the monster you don’t see is creepier than the one that you do. A solid novel with good pacing and many twists, L.E. Fraser is a storyteller to watch and has a promising series on her hands for the right crowd of readers.