Black Oak 2: The Hush of Dark Wings

If Charles Grant dies soon I'm going to kill him! Words cannot explain just how addictive this series of books is going to become for me. Its like watching the X-files back when its was going from good to great. There is a lot more than meets the eye in the mystery of this small town, someone (or THING? ) is playing with Ethan Proctor, does it have to do with the murder in Atlantic City? Or the disappearance of that girl so many years ago? One thing is for certain, we are going to have to wait a little while longer to find out. So when is the next one, I cannot wait!

With Black Oak, award-winning author Charles Grant is clearly creating something that works better as a series than a bunch of individual novels. While not a serialized novel like King's Green Mile, readers will get more out of The Hush of Dark Wings if they've read the previous volume (and presumably still more when the next installment comes out). It should come as no surprise that the reader is coming in on an ongoing story; the book is clearly labeled #2 on the cover and spine, and "Episode Two" inside. Having said that, while The Hush of Dark Wings does pick up on elements from Genesis, and parts of this book appear to carry over into the next installment, the main story does begin and end in this volume. Additionally, the story opens with a "Previously in Black Oak" recap of the important events from Genesis (a lesson more series should learn), and ends with a "Next, in Black Oak" teaser, letting us know that the author knows he didn't explain everything, and that's by choice, not sloppiness.While The Hush of Dark Wings has the same overall tone as the first book, the plot is considerably less complex. At one point, the characters even realize how little time has passed over the course of the story. The book serves primarily as an introduction for (presumably) new regular Vivian Chambers. We also learn more about how the mysterious Ethan Proctor works and how he thinks, if not much more about his background. The paranormal mystery is weird and creepy, with some particularly vivid and graphic scenes. Graphic, that is, in the Charles Grant sense, where he gives the reader just enough information that you imagine something truly gruesome, without being spoon-fed all the gory details.It's easy to make comparisons to X-Files, and I'm sure this series, like Chet Williamson's Searchers trilogy, owes its existence to that TV series' popularity. What makes Black Oak distinct is its varied cast of characters. Grant manages to create vivid personalities who come to life in front of the reader. I find myself looking forward to the next installment, not only to find out what happens next, but also to spend more time with these people and learn more about them. The Black Oak books may be quick reads, but they're a lot of fun, and may be one of the best TV series in print.

Black Oak Security, owned and operated by Ethan Proctor, is recognized as one of the top investigative corporations in the country. Proctor has his fill of mundane cases, but occasionally deals with an eerie investigation that hints at the supernatural. To his credit, Proctor does not rule out the seemingly impossible. He wonders if something otherworldly is the cause behind a case in Hart Junction, Kansas, a town that was used at one time in many movies. Residents seem to vanish without a trace. The few remaining citizens hear footsteps, but no one is ever seen. Even more frightening to the few remaining townsfolk is the flying sounds that are heard by all just before someone dies. All these nocturnal events began when the Morning Star Cult moved into the vicinity about four years ago. Proctor predominately looks at the cult without ruling out other culprits in an effort to save a town that is near death. Charles Grant has the uncanny ability to make readers doubt their conclusions while perusing one of his brilliant novels. The titillating wonder of not knowing whether Proctor battles the natural or supernatural world propels BLACK OAK #2: THE HUSH OF WINGS into a one sitting experience in order to obtain some answers. This engrossing and impossible to predict novel leaves the audience impatiently clamoring for book # 3 and searching for book #1. Harriet Klausner