Book Review: "The Copper Man" by Debra Castaneda

 

Some grudges never die.

“The horrible figure from the Prestwich Tunnel hovered there. Not a ghost. Something between a badly disfigured man and a monster. There was a limit to what the human mind could comprehend, and the ghastly thing standing before her was beyond that limit.”

In 1985, the Copper Man killed Leah Shaw’s twin brother, Liam, in the mining town of Tribulation Gulch. Three decades later, Leah is an environmental reporter back in her Wyoming hometown, covering the reopening of the copper mine.

But when people literally drop dead around her, Leah can’t believe it’s the work of the Copper Man. After all, he’s dead… right?

Except Leah can’t stop seeing shadows, and creepy copper nuggets are showing up everywhere. Workers say the mine is haunted, and the words “I CURSE THIS PLACE” are appearing all over the mine—the very words the Copper Man scrawled on a bridge before jumping to his death.

Has the Copper Man come back for Leah, aiming to finish what he started 35 years ago? Is Leah’s young daughter in danger? And what other secrets are waiting for her among the dusty hills of Tribulation Gulch? - from Booksirens.com

This eARC was provided to me from Booksirens.com in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is the third book I have been able to read by this author, and I have really enjoyed them all. Castaneda does a wonderful job telling a story based on local urban legends/lore, that are borderline horror stories. 

I am not sure where to go with this review. There is a slow story start as the author has to reveal our characters, their purpose, and what the actual "lore" that is going on. Within pages I am interested as things just start to happen almost immediately. I don't want to reveal too much.... There is an old flame that has 'come home' and our MC hooks up. Family issues come to head, and end up in a nice way by the end of the story. There are references to mining industrialization and procedures that I did not know/understand, but was able to figure out the good/bad based on content. I am guessing the author did a good job on the background of that information.

Overall I enjoyed the book immensely and am always looking forward to more of these types of stories from this author.