Gregg Hurwitz delivers in ‘Don’t Look Back’

JEFF AYERS
Associated Press

“Don’t Look Back” (St. Martin’s Press), by Gregg Hurwitz

A single mother takes a vacation that descends into hell in Gregg Hurwitz’s latest thriller, “Don’t Look Back.”

Eve Hardaway struggles at home as she cares for a young boy with severe dietary restrictions and a job that drains her energy. She had planned a vacation with her husband in the mountains of southern Mexico to celebrate their anniversary, but he left her for a much younger woman. Eve decides she needs the break and becomes part of a tour group traveling through Mexico.

One afternoon while exploring on her own, she discovers an isolated cabin and an intimidating man with machetes. She also finds a broken digital camera with the name Teresa Hamilton marked on it. The images on the camera scare her. Eve learns that Teresa was part of the prior tour, and that she has disappeared.

The man in the cabin is wanted for crimes in several countries, and he’ll do anything to remain isolated, including killing anyone who may have seen the photos on Teresa’s camera. Then a major storm hits the area, wiping out all the roads and means of communication and trapping Eve and the tour group in a hostile environment with a deadly predator.

Hurwitz has crafted a terrifying story that utilizes the landscape of Mexico and its isolation in clever and creepy ways. He’s also created a character that makes the story shine above others of a similar vein.

Eve Hardaway’s daily life is already a struggle. Faced with more adversity, she discovers an inner strength she thought she lacked, making “Don’t Look Back” a terrific reading experience.

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