I stumbled across the name of this book on a search for something fun and scary to read. Intrigued by the idea, I snapped up a copy and blazed my way through it insanely quickly. This is the definition of a white-knuckle literary roller coaster. It’s a perfect beach read, or just something to read in the dark of the night with nought by the light of your lamp to guide you through the caverns Rutger leads his characters through.

Nolan Moore is a bit of a historian, am archaeologist, a delver into what is in the mainstream is called fringe sciences, and the paranormal. He hosts a YouTube webcast which has just garnered some corporate interest and he and his crew are going in search of Kincaid’s cavern.

In 1909 a supposed Smithsonian backed archaeologist named Kincaid purportedly discovered a series of connected tunnels and caverns in the Grand Canyon, and within he found evidence, and hieroglyphs that suggested that these tunnels, and the strange things found within may in fact be Egyptian, and that they had some times to the Hopi native Americans who set the Grand Canyon as a holy site they would make pilgrimages to.

That same section that Kincaid claimed the cavern system was located in is now restricted and can’t be accessed by the public, feeding into the urban legend.

Rutger uses all of this as a launching point for Moore’s adventure which is scary, often funny – the dialogue feels so real, people reacting and saying the way real people would. In fact I would often say something in response to the characters and be delighted to see that it was in fact the next line spoken.

There are forces at work in and outside of the cavern system, and Moore and his crew are about to be in dire straits as they learn the truth about Kincaid’s discovery, it’s connection to ancient myths, and come face to face with some truly horrific things.

Rutger’s book is fast moving, lightning paced, and an exceptional page turner that kept me on edge through its entire narrative. I loved this one.

Rutger also gets that he doesn’t have to give us all the descriptions of the things Nolan sees, there are hints, and the reader’s imagination fills in the rest as the light from phones and cameras begins to drain, as Nolan and the rest find themselves trapped in the caves, and they are not alone.

A rip-roaring adventure with some truly unnerving and frightening moments, this is apparently the first in the series, which means at least some of the characters will make it through, but at what cost?

I can’t recommend this one enough, and can’t wait to read the next in the series, called The Possession. Check them both out!!