My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


Richard Chiappone’s debut novel The Hunger Of Crows is a fast-paced action thriller with short snappy chapters that keep the reader on tenterhooks.

Carla’s harmless habit of picking up a memento from the guys she spends the night with has suddenly landed her in a heap of trouble. One night with handsome hunk Cosmo D’Angelo has her running scared for her life. The photograph she stole from his drawer has the potential for national upheaval and the brutal reality of the situation forces her to run and hide in the remotest corner of the world in Alaska.

As the story progresses thru Scott, Carla, and Cosmo, the action shifts from Phoenix in Arizona to Homer in Alaska with an edge-of-the-seat action. There are of course quite a number of books with a commoner getting their hands on something so valuable that the entire country is after them. But the author has surprisingly kept the adrenaline rush to a tolerable level and giving a greyish shade to Cosmos and laying out the personal reason for him has him gaining the reader’s sympathy. The unlikely hero Scott is a lovely character with the kind of naivety and sweetness that for a time, I wondered if Carla would chew him alive. In fact, the female characters including Clara and her friend Shire are positively more worldly-wise than Scott so much that his lack of confidence around Clara definitely comes across.

The ending was totally unexpected, it was something like when one expects a spectacular firework display, all that they are given is a damp squib. But again, as an attempt to deviate from the norm, it is definitely an appreciable effort and I admire the author for that. But with an action thriller, I am so used to those heart-thumping ends, the climax of Hunger of Crows felt low-key especially with that first 85% offering such breathless excitement.

A 3.5 stars breathe-easy thriller ☂️☂️☂️ 💧

Many thanks to Net Galley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Carla Merino is hiding out in Lost Bay, Alaska, after a one-night stand with the wrong man, living in a camper and waitressing to stay afloat. She’d taken a memento from the evening (a habit of hers), a photograph from the man’s wallet, of a younger version of himself and some very important military men.

But she quickly realizes who the men are–including Gordon McKint, giant in the military contracting industry, who just happens to be running for president. She knows that the photo is valuable, and having taken it makes her a target by men who are known for their ruthlessness. When she finds out she’s been tracked to Lost Bay, she leaves for another hideout by boat, unprepared and unaware of the dangerous weather headed her way.

Cosmo D’Angelo is a man grieving his daughter, living with the sins of his past, who’s in search of a certain woman (and a good meal) in the Alaskan backwater. In the era of political secrets and deep fake technology, he was foolish to let that photograph out of his sight, no matter how satisfying his evening with Carla had been. McKint–and his dangerous men–are after that photo, and he needs to get to it first.

Scott Crockett is a stand-up guy, nursing a broken heart, out dipnetting alone. But when he finds a floating bag of tortilla chips, an overturned boat, and a nearly-drowned woman in the rough water, his life will get infinitely more complicated–and dangerous. 

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