Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

Though it’s classified as suspense, Where Light Cannot Reach by William Mark borders on a thriller, and what a thriller it is! The “faceless monster” in this excellently written story is someone no victim would want to meet, not in reality or possibly even in fiction. He is pure evil, and unfortunately, as the “Crusaders of the Lost” eventually discover, up to sixty young teens or children never survived their encounter with him…except for one, Rachel. Now 22 years after escaping from this monster…her younger sister Rhonda didn’t…as a member of the Crusaders who search for missing children, Rachel wants to find him. Unknown to her, he also has been looking for her. What a chilling scenario William Mark has created!

From the first page to the last, the author keeps readers in constant suspense, letting us discover clues as this talented group of crusaders puts themselves in harm’s way, rescuing various children. When Rachel suddenly recognizes a landmark from her distant past, her repressed memories emerge bit by bit. Uncertainty gives way to the belief that she is on the right track. She is, but her insistence on going it alone at one point puts her back into the monster’s hands. As Where Light Cannot Reach mounts to an all-time thrilling high, readers will find themselves breathless. The faceless monster’s motivations, methods, and mania will chill you through and through.

I love thrillers that rely on excellent plotting, believable characters and realistic events instead of supernatural explanations. What happens in Where Light Cannot Reach could indeed happen! Monsters like this one do exist. Best of all, William Mark never lets us forget that the Crusaders of the Lost are real people, with families who worry about them while they are doing their jobs. This is awesome writing. I hope Where Light Cannot Reach is the first of many books from this author. I look forward to reading more of the same.