"The speed and chaos...[and] smash-mouthed ferocity of a Bruce Willis epic...[with] a crash-bang finale...Every road taken is the scariest. Kilgore...has a...career ahead of him writing action films. Nuke the popcorn."

   - Kirkus Reviews

 



"
Twin Peaks meets The Da Vinci Code in this surpassingly weird debut."

   - Kirkus Reviews



"This is one of those novels that is better than its summaries make it sound.

Kilgore is a persuasive writer with a stark, stripped-down style: we believe the story because he sells it to us.

Balancing always on the edge of surrealism, the novel is a kind of
existential thriller, an exploration of what makes a person whole, posing as a story about a bunch of people looking for a mysterious woman. Intriguing stuff."

   - Booklist


"Evan Kilgore’s debut novel is an amazing piece of work. From the fist few lines it feels like something a little different, something special.

Kilgore has a wonderful ability to draw in the reader...


The characters are people that you are instantly interested in and care about, and the way they keep circling each other is pure genius, like a avant-garde ballet choreographed by a genius madman.


The descriptions in the book took me to the place the characters went and are still in my head. This book is going to stay with me for some time to come."

   - Crime Spree Magazine


"After the first couple pages the hook has been set, the other books get set aside. The fascinating plot premise evolves as 5 different people, in different parts of the country, for different reasons, become obsessed with a girl they have never met....

[I was] up late into the night, not able to put the book down...As a mix of mystery, thriller, sci fi and adventure, Evan Kilgore seems to be creating a new genre...

Kilgore is able to elevate the mundane thriller into a work of thoughtful activity that forces the reader to examine it form all directions. The writing maintains the pace of the story without letting the suspense fade throughout."

   - Front Street Reviews


"A strange journey in a book I personally found fascinating...

Unusual and very enjoyable...

Thanks for a great read."

   - BookBitch.com 

 
 
audio | excerpts | pictures | press | extras
 

A U D I O

   WHO IS SHAYLA HACKER, Chapter 1
   THE CHILDREN OF BLACK VALLEY, Chapter 1
   Ben LeRoy at Bleak House interviews Evan

E X C E R P T S

   WHO IS SHAYLA HACKER, Chapter 1
   THE CHILDREN OF BLACK VALLEY, Chapter 1

P I C T U R E S


Official author photo
, in color
Official author photo, in black & white

Author Notes on THE CHILDREN OF BLACK VALLEY
Signing in Seattle
with friends 7/27/07
Hitting the open road
en route to St. Louis 7/11/07
Signing
at Mystery One, Milwaukee 7/7/07
Launch party, The Mystery Bookstore, Los Angeles, 6/9/07
Evan at the Book Expo of America in New York City, 6/2/07
The main floor of the Book Expo of America 6/2/07
Evan writing and editing by the pool
Evan editing WHO IS SHAYLA HACKER


P R E SS

   Read Evan's interview with Front Street Reviews
  

E X T R A S


Find your path through the inner bowels of a crumbling psychiatric hospital old enough to hold within its walls the secrets and legends of generations.  Discover stories of heart-wrenching sadness, disturbing violence, and warped dreams.  Discover The Asylum [link opens a new window].