Walt by Russell Wangersky

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

I'm not one for extreme blood and gore.

This may seem like a strange statement coming from a bookworm who loves mysteries and true crimes. But my favorite mysteries are ones that take place in small villages and snowed-in mansions, and there are certain true crimes I cannot read about.

So I really liked how cleverly Wangersky played with the idea of violence in Walt. The violence is completely implicit, but no less terrifying for that. In fact, the book is made far eerier by what the readers don't see. We are forced to trust what Walt tells us, and Walt could very well be a stalker and serial killer.

Walt works in a grocery store, cleaning up the messes left by people who never even notice he's there. He picks up their discarded grocery lists, envisioning their lives based off what they set out to buy. He follows them home, finding their information from the junk mail they obliviously scrawl their lists on.

And maybe he kills them too.

The police certainly suspect him of killing his missing wife. And then there's the woman whose diary entries readers are made privy to...

This is a quick, creative read--and one that definitely shouldn't be read on a bus late at night, or before bed--it will have you looking over your shoulder and questioning every shadow.