Abandon

by Blake Crouch

Book Overview

A history professor, a journalist, a psychic, and a paranormal photographer venture deep into the Colorado wilderness to explore the fate of an entire town that mysteriously vanished in 1893.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312537409
• ISBN13: 9780312537401
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 401 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Intriguing

Highly entertained by this authors’ books. This one has an unusual plot, following two timelines. Well written and very scary.

This is a very different book & an amazing one. The skipping back & forth from 1893 to 2009 made me think, at first, that it would be a problem. I loved it that way! It was amazing reading the present day story & going to the back story so quickly. I have never read any other book like this & while I have liked Brandon Crouch's books for quite a while, this is one of the very best. I believe he will be one of the most important authors around in another few years.

Frightening, Imaginative, Poetic

Blake Crouch writes a thriller that never backs away from terror. At the same time, his writing is beautiful, even poetic. In ABANDON, he weaves together two stories and two time periods--skillfully brought to life in the spectacular setting of the La Plata Mountains, outside of Durango, Colorado. The story kept me spellbound from beginning to end. Those with a squeamish temperament might prefer something lighter--and should probably avoid anything as dark as BAMBI. But Abandon is a wonderful read for those of us fascinated by darker elements of the human psyche. Literate. Masterful. Absolutely frightening.

Almost Instantly Puts You in the Mind of a Classic

It has been far too long since we have been blessed with a novel from Blake Crouch. His last book, LOCKED DOORS, remains a favorite, and I hope that one day he resolves some of the issues he left dangling in such a tantalizing manner at the end of that work. ABANDON, his latest, is not quite like anything you've read; it's one of those books that almost instantly puts you in the mind of a classic. The title refers to a fatefully named isolated Colorado mining town that lost its entire population for reasons unknown on Christmas Day in 1893. Abandon was a land-locked Mary Celeste: meals were found half-eaten at the table, Christmas presents either half-unwrapped or still under the tree, doors ajar and home fires unattended. The only thing missing were bodies; none of the townsfolk were ever discovered. What Crouch does here --- and masterfully --- is to take the story along two tracks, one in the past and one in the present. The tale of Abandon's past slowly and painstakingly reveals the events leading up to the disappearance of the townspeople and the reasons for it. The story of its present concerns an expedition to the isolated ghost town for the purpose of learning, once and for all, what occurred. The current party of the present includes Lawrence Kendall, a history professor, and Abigail Foster, his journalist daughter, who have not seen each other in 26 years; a married couple consisting of a psychic and a paranormal photographer who are accompanied by the ever-present specter of grief; and two back-country guides, both of whom have secret, and diverse, agendas. The way into and out of Abandon consists of a 17-mile journey on foot through dark and dangerous territory where even the most minimal of mistakes are unforgiving. The party has barely settled into Abandon, however, when an early snowstorm descends upon the town, bringing with it something much, much worse. As it happens, one of the elements that ultimately sets off the ruin of Abandon almost a century before is still present in the area, and its attraction has drawn to the city a dangerous, violent element that under no circumstances will be denied. As the secret history of Abandon is slowly revealed in the thoughts, words and dark deeds of the original inhabitants, the modern-day explorers, and their dark pursuers, find themselves slowly swallowed up by the fever that resulted in the consummation of the town so many years before. ABANDON is in many ways two separate works of past and present seamlessly melded together into a single novel that demands to be read in one sitting, so you can better appreciate the beauty of Crouch's storytelling. The portion of the book that concerns what happened to the town in the days leading up to its ultimate demise is especially compelling; Crouch's penchant for the use of colloquial speech contemporary with the time and place is worth the price of admission all by itself, while the climactic ending, in our era, is an ironic twist upon every

All action all the time.

This is a story about Abagail Foster and her dad getting permission to come to the secluded town of Abandon. Christmas day of 1893 everyone in the town disappeared. A previous group went into the area to find out what happened and disappeared without a trace. Now in the present the Park Service has approved this group to the abandoned town for photos. But nothing is as it seems right from the start and if you like a good mystery this is it. You will eventually find out what happened to the good folks of Abandon and how it all occured (basic food chemistry required). Now did I forget to mention that there is about 81 million dollars of gold missing in this area. That adds the spice to the genuine mystery and the going just gets better and better with this. All in all this is not a book you will put down until you finish it.

loved it!

Blake Crouch has written one captivating mystery with "Abandon". In 1893 the entire town of Abandon disappears under mysterious circumstances and then 116 years later, a team of explorers go to the town to do some research and take photos. When two of the guides are attacked in front of the rest of the group, the mystery becomes even more mysterious. Alternating between the two time periods, Crouch has the reader watch as events unfold in the past, and how the tension builds up as we discover what the real reason these people are here. I, at first, was skeptical, thinking this was a supernatural type of story but was completely and happily surprised that this was as suspenseful thriller based on greed. Great book.

Frightening, Powerful, and Unforgettable

I love books that revolve around a huge mystery, in this case: How did the entire population of a Western town disappear on Christmas Day, 1893? More than a hundred years later, a group goes to investigate. And the horror begins, again. Crouch is a master of suspense, and he creates some of the best villains in modern thriller fiction. Abandon is his best work, and it hits like a brick to the teeth. Be prepared to stay up all night reading, and make sure your doors are locked...