Sinister story is one novel you won't want to read at night

Buried Thunder
By Tim Bowler
Published by OUP
ISBN 978 0 19 272838 8

There's nothing quite like a tight psychological thriller to keep a reader turning the pages, but this type of novel is difficult to manage because the author cannot put a foot wrong in tightening up the suspense as the story unfolds. One false move, and the reader is lost.

Tim Bowler is an experienced storyteller with 20 books and numerous awards behind him. He is one of the most compelling and original writers in the youth fiction market, and can always be relied upon to come up with an uncompromising good read, full of demanding ideas, believable characters and clever plotting.

Buried Thunder is a bone-chilling and eerie story that demands to be read in one go if you can spare a few hours. Once you've started, you definitely won't want to put the book down, and that is exactly how a thriller should grip its reader. It should stick to his or her fingers until it is all over. Aimed at older teenage readers, this will also enthral any adult who enjoys this sort of novel.

The story begins right in the middle of an uneasy situation; Bowler doesn't waste a second in unsettling his readers.

Maya, an ordinary 14-year-old girl, has just moved to the countryside with her parents and brother to start a new life running a country hotel. One day, while walking in the nearby woods, she sees a pair of intense yellow eyes staring at her. Unsettled, she runs further into the woods, and makes a terrible discovery.