The Foundling

This is a gripping read, with suspense and good visual effects. Set in rural America, the story builds gradually and realistically, to a dramatic and chilling end.

I loved this. It had me gripped from the beginning and I couldn't put it down.

Being an author myself, I am always keen to read the works of fellow authors who I have met and exchanged stories with. I was lucky enough to meet Justine last year and, thankfully, I have finally got around to reading her novels. This dark little gem is set in the sticks in rural America; a town where everybody knows your name and every one of your neighbours is interested in your business. Ray and Nancy find a baby abandoned on their doorstep. Since they are struggling to conceive themselves, they agree to keep him and deal with the consequences later. Obviously the townsfolk want to know how this mysterious infant arrived and some are, indeed, more suspicious than others. However, when strange things start happening around the house, thats when the real paranoia sets in. First and foremost, this is a beautifully written piece. You believe these two and their relationships - both with each other and with the inhabitants of their cozy little world. Dunn manages to settle us in nicely which makes the unrest, when it happens, seem all that more uncomfortable. The crippling self doubt that these two suffer as everyone from ex boyfriends, to the town gossip, to the neighbourhood doctor all have questions to pile on the tension as the story unfolds. It is a slow burn, but Dunn doesn't ramp up the drama unnecessarily. Unusual things happen, subtle clues are left and, reminiscent of such works as The Turn Of The Screw, you never really know whether these things are the result of an overactive imagination or whether they really are happening. The book reminded me very much of Dean R Koontz' Watchers, in its pace and environment, nestled in the kind of solitude where the characters doubt each other as much as they doubt themselves. But the pace won't be for everyone. Often the narrative is in real time, which can be a little frustrating since often not much happens in the small kitchen. It is, however, when the dogs start barking and the house starts creaking, that you fill the unease creep into your bones. If you like your horror to slither up behind you and your characters to be pushed to the limit of their own mania, then Dunn is the writer for you.

You won't want to put it down.