Review 245: The Guide

The Guide by Peter Heller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A continuation of the character Jack from Peter Heller’s previous book: The River. It’s not necessary to read the first book, maybe even better if you haven’t as there is information from the first book that is repeated. But if you did read the first book, you’ll want to read this one.

We find Jack sitting on a small cabin porch nearby a small river, creek really, where he will be a guide to the ultra-rich in their fishing adventure during their time at the Kingfisher Lodge. Jack thinks he could sit here and watch the stream for the rest of his life.

Well, quickly he finds things are a bit “fishy” and not all as they seem. Why the cameras, the fences, and neighbors that are so unfriendly they will either shoot at you or send a raving pack of dogs? Jack is assigned to Alison K, someone nearly perfect for him, except being too famous. She knows how to fish, how to settle and focus, something Jack appreciates. As we get further into the oddness of the compound, Alison wants to know just as much as Jack, what is this place really about? It doesn’t look like it’s fishing and the other cover story of being a detox place isn’t holding much water either.
It was surprising to find the pandemic and coronavirus as part of the plot points in the book. I almost wished it wouldn’t be there, but it did help to add to the tension at a pivotal moment.

I like Heller’s way of describing the setting, I felt myself there in the woods, hearing the birds and the water over the stones. Nearly smelled the pine.

One issue that really bothered me was we had Jack's point of view for nearly the entire book. But then we get moments, mostly near the end when it switches to Alison. A stronger book would have stuck with the one viewpoint. In any case, an improvement over the previous.


Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.