The Oath: A Novel

Something sinister is at work in Hyde River, an isolated old mining town in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

Something evil.

Under the cover of darkness, it strikes without warning, taking life in the most chilling and savage fashion. The latest victim, nature photographer Cliff Benson, was brutally killed while camping in the mountains.

With little hard evidence to go on, Sheriff Les Collins closes the case, chalking it up to the work of a rogue bear - just like so many other unsolvable deaths and disappearances that have plagued Hyde River over the years.

But wildlife biologist Steve Benson refuses to let the cause of his brother's death remain a mystery. He is joined in his investigation by attractive, auburn-haired Sheriff's Deputy Tracy Ellis. She has grown up in Hyde River. She's seen enough things swept under the rug by local law enforcement to know that something's amiss.

The harder townsfolk are pressed for information, the more they close ranks, as if sworn to secrecy. It is only when Steve gains access to old letters and diaries of the town's forefathers that he begins to peel away the layers of mystery surrounding Hyde River. Steve and Tracy are drawn closer to each other and to the town's terrible secret. What they discover is a predator more terrifying than anything they had imagined and a town in the grip of unspeakable evil.

Once again best-selling author Frank Peretti has crafted a spellbinding novel filled with tension and suspense crescendoing to a peak of raw-edged terror that will keep you breathless. This is masterful storytelling at its very best.