ARC Spot: Hemlock

Hemlock releases 5.8.2012 and it is a dazzling new take on the werewolf affliction and how it can impact a community and the people surrounding the individuals infected with the werewolf virus. When fears run deep in a community they turn against each other and begin to enlist a dangerous group of werewolf hunters called the Tackers who are coming with their own agenda. Following Mackenzie Dobson readers will get a glimpse into all sides of the turmoil as the town's blood runs cold with the hunters of the night. Kathleen Peacock has cast a rich romance in the middle of a war affecting an average town at the edge of the woods.

Author's On The Net:

Blog: http://kathleenpeacock.blogspot.com/
Webpage: http://kathleenpeacock.com/
Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4124788.Kathleen_Peacock
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KathleenPeacockBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/kathleenpeacock
Publisher Site: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Hemlock-Kathleen-Peacock?isbn=9780062048653&HCHP=TB_Hemlock

Pre-Order Hemlock:  bn  /  amazon  /  powells


Blurb from the Publisher:

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.
Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.
Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.
Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Our Thoughts on Hemlock:

    In a quiet town filled with fear a white wolf hunts. Hemlock is a small town so many people are connected in the city, some families have dark secrets and hidden agendas, but Mackenzie has other problems and new dilemmas soon surface around her friends. Mackenzie has always had her friend Amy around although that soon ends when Amy is murdered in a werewolf attack that devastates a town and a family.

     Mackenzie Dobson has lived a troubled double life for years and now Mac is struggling to make ends meet while friends around her are changing before her eyes. Mac has a strong character in that she is adaptable as the plot changes throughout the book. Secrets and the pasts are revealed through many of the characters as the story moves along that surprises the readers. Kathleen Peacock has done an amazing job at layering secrets into everyone in Hemlock, slowly unraveling the plot as the danger progresses and threatens to tear apart love and friendship in devastating ways.

    Werewolves take a whole new spin in Hemlock, as they are fresh in the face of the news and the government has taken a militant approach on how to deal with these new entities. LSRB or Lupine Syndrome Registration Board is how the government deals with infected individuals by sending people into concentration camps forever. Infected werewolves are either rabid, like the mysterious white wolf that is attacking the town’s citizens, or almost your average person but furry turning once in a while. When Mac is faced with love in all the dangerous places she must fight back her fears and face the present reality that is coming right at her throughout the story. Just as the weres are rising so is a militant group called the Trackers descending on this small town with their own large agenda. Propelled by officials the Trackers are immersing themselves in the community hunting down suspected individuals thought to be infected and harassing anyone associated with werewolves. As the struggle to protect and defend rise up deep in Mac, the tables will turn as those close to her turn furry and become either a threat or a savior as the story gets deeper.

    Hemlock not only follows the story of werewolves and those that hunt them but also the fears of the people around this affliction. There is a major love triangle blooming in Hemlock, and the shadowy ghost like presence of Mac’s close friend Amy passing premonitions throughout the story. Amy’s presence seems the most aware in the story of all that is going on, while Mac is just trying to survive the tidal wave tossing around her community. From a curfew to protect the city, to propaganda trying to sway the voters to end the infected were rights, a storm is brewing in the quite town of Hemlock and as blood flows the people turn more fearful.

   Kathleen Peacock has created her own werewolf interpretation in Hemlock that will catch readers with its political agendas and underground Tracker terrorist actions. While romance happens, and there is the love triangle blooming this takes a back burner really as Mackenzie’s character is slowly revealing her past throughout the storyline, and this girl has some tricks up her sleeves. With action and intrigue Hemlock will hound readers with a thrilling plot and a fabulous finish. 

*received a copy of this book through edelweiss and the publishers on the amazing internet.  An honest review was typed out by me with at least three cups of coffee in my system and I hope all errors were auto-corrected or fixed by flying monkeys in residence.