Ruthless

Gr 9 Up—Written in alternating first- and third-person points of view, this nail-biter will instantly catapult readers into a thriller that is equal parts suspense and horror. This is a the tale of a young woman who becomes the victim of an acquaintance abduction. What follows is a game of cat-and-mouse in a remote, wooded area and the struggle for survival. Adams adeptly creates an emotional roller coaster through her vivid writing and the constant tension between the protagonists. Spliced with flashback vignettes, the work horrifies as much as it asks readers to examine the root causes of the very things that drive the characters' decision-making. Ruth and her "Wolfman" nemesis are sure to elicit myriad emotions. While the vignettes serve their purpose of explaining why the events are occuring, they add a degree of choppiness to an otherwise well-written, fast-paced work.