The Hunt Club

Obviously, those who are saying this books is boring knows nothing about writing, mystery, or a good book. My eyes were glued to every single page. I couldn't put the book down. I found out about the book via Oprah's book club - and I couldn't thank her enough. Lott did a fabulous job with this book, and I would reccomend it to anyone who is looking for an excellent book.

I usually don't go for novels about murder, unless they come highly, highly recommended by someone with reading tastes not unlike my own. So when my sister recommended this book, I sat up and took notice. Huger (a French name, which is pronounced YOU-gee) Dillard is the 15-year-old who narrates this story of murder, betrayal, and family secrets. Despite things he doesn't understand, Huger's heart is intertwined with the life and fate of "Unc," Uncle Leland, made blind by a household accident. The accident was all the more dreadful because Unc lost something dear to him in the fire. But that's only the beginning of the dark secrets and tragedies that unravel slowwwly in this book. Slowly, because you feel every breath the characters take--but also quickly, because you'll read like a speed reader just to find out whether the main characters survive what is happening to them . . . not only in body, but in heart and spirit.

I loved this book. I thought the book was exceptionally well-written with a lyrical quality about it. I could visualize the scenes in my mind as I was turning the pages. I found it difficult to put the book down and finished it in two nights. I hope there's a sequel in the works.

Brett Lott's The Hunt Club is a wonderful mystery filled with murder, lies and cover-ups. Starting with page one you are presented with lies that you will not learn of until well into the book. The plot is so thick you could cut it with a knife; mysteries build on top of mysteries. Just when you think you have it figured out, the next page will prove you wrong. This is not your average murder mystery. It starts out with what may appear as just a murder and a possible cover-up. Then soon turns into a world of lies and confusion, that one boy must discover to save his precious land, Hungry Neck. It starts with a piece of land, covered in swamps and growth totaling 2,200 acres. Basically nothing anybody would want, except for Huger Dillard (pronounced "YOU-gee") and his family. One day as Huger drove the members of the Hunt Club to go hunting, he stumbled upon a dead body. The corpse with little of a head, and the hands are skinned. There laid Charles Middleton Simons, a member of the Hungry Neck Hunt Club; and then on starts the twisting and turning of the truth. The more he learns about the death of Simons the more he learns that this might not just be about a murder. Huger learns after much investigation with Unc that greedy doctors, also members of the Hunt Club, are behind this. The people who loved to hunt the land every Sunday, are now trying to get Unc to sell his land for their profit. However this is Huger's land and there is no way they are going to take it away from him, or so he thinks. Huger and his family gets drawn deeper and deeper into this mess and find themselves right in the middle. The doctors weren't the ones setting all this up, it now gets even more dangerous as the police get in the scheme. But the question is, can the police be trusted? It seems that everyone they looked to as a friend will betray them all in the name of selfishness. The plot only starts to unwind, when your typical villain decides to unveil his masterful plan right before he kills them. The end is shockingly good, you're heart will drop to your stomach. Will they survive?

Being a resident of Charleston I found the criminal element of this book on the mark. I was stunned Lott would expose the dirt we residents all know: Three Cheers to Brett Lott!! I new exactly the settings mentioned in the city and every detail is accurate down to the MRI office on Bowman Road. The read is a thrill for the non-resident and resident alike. The close relationship between the two main characters is warm and enviable and Lott paints a mural of truth, glowing with intrigue