Black Oak 4: Hunting Ground

by Charles L. Grant

Book Overview

Ethan Proctor, the brilliant, enigmatic head of Black Oak Security, reluctantly submits to his employees' orders to take some R & R in Atlantic City. But his vacation soon develops into something... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451457870
• ISBN13: 9780451457875
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Roc
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

This Series Just Keeps Getting Better

I came to this series via the Jim Butcher-Laurell K. Hamilton route. If you like those authors, or like supernatural/paranormal aspects to your mysteries, then you'll enjoy this series. This particular story is the fourth in the series, and I would recommend reading the series from the beginning. There is a secondary story arc (concerning a long-missing wealthy man's daughter, a woman in a catatonic state, and an apparent assasination plot) that is continuing throughout the series, and while each book can stand alone since the previous book's plot developments are summarized at the beginning of each new one, I think that you get a better feel for what Black Oak is and who the main characters are by reading it from the beginning. Of course, having said that, know that the first book is now listed as out-of-print, but I recently found it in a major-chain bookstore, so copies are out there.Black Oak is a security investigation firm headed by Ethan Proctor. The firm investigates standard business scams, but Proctor also takes on special cases, scams that seem to involve some sort of supernatural aspect that he tries to debunk. As this particular story begins, Proctor is burned out and his firm has lost it's most lucrative client. He is coerced by his concerned employees into taking a short vacation in Atlantic City, just to regain his focus. Of course, his visit to AC also coincides with a series of horrible mutilation murders that are occuring in the city, and to top it off a strong winter storm is about to hit the city. If you don't already know it, Atlantic City is on a barrier island alongside the NJ mainland, and when there is excess rainfall the roads flood out and cut the city off. Guess what happens when the rain starts to fall in this book?Proctor and his two employees, Taz and Doc, are unwillingly drawn into the investigation of the murders, and it soon becomes apparent that the killer is not an ordinary being. This book reintroduces a character who intially appeared in the first book and hopefully will continue to appear in the series. This book is a great mixture of police/PI procedural and horror. If you like your mysteries with a supernatural twist, then you'll enjoy this series.

A brooding, nightmarish chiller!

This is the best of the Black Oak series so far. A vacation turns into a nightmare for Ethan Proctor and his co-workers. During a cold, dark, and stormy visit to the Atlantic City boardwalk, a chilling (not only weather related) series of events begin to unfold. This book had me totally spellbound from beginning to end. The characters work well together and the addition of a new character was a real plus. I felt the fear of the victims down to my toes. And wanted to see the nemisis, shall we say neutralized, as badly as the characters. A good read indeed!

Vacation proves more work than fun for Ethan Proctor.

After the disastrous events in 'Episode' 3: Winter Knight the now unemployed Ethan Proctor is forced into taking a vacation by his miserable coworkers. Sadly something very strange and nasty is waiting for him in Atlantic City. Is this serial killer simply a cannibalistic Jack the Ripper, or is he something else, something worse? Grant's series really hits a comfortable stride in this outting. The story is rock solid and the characters fit together nicely and work as a real team, not just people working at the same job. Hunting Ground can also stand alone, the missing girl story arc is set aside (but not forgotten in the least) in favor of explorig the Dark Forces conspiracy and that makes the book even that more refreshing. There are more than a few subtle hints and clues that nastier things are in store for both Ethan and his Black Oak company. I also hope that Grant brings back one particular character for a second go around (you'll know who I mean after reading the book, no spoilers here). Highly recommended.

See no evil, speak no evil

I am a big fan of Charles Grant. I cannot think of anything I've read by him that I haven't liked. HUNTING GROUND fits well into that reading tradition. I love this Black Oak series; it's creepy, it's fun, it has all the elements of great suspense. Grant's writing, as usual, is superb, and I enjoy getting to know the characters a little more with each addition to the series. Proctor is the dark, moody leader of Black Oak Security. He has experienced a lot of weird things in his life, and this only continues as each of the agency's cases gets more and more bizarre. Even moodier than usual, Proctor mopes around his employees who then decide that the boss needs to take a vacation. What better way to forget your troubles than a jaunt in Atlantic City? Proctor, Doc and Taz arrive at a boardwalk casino just in time for two things: a heavy, raging winter storm that traps everyone in their hotels and The Ripper who (or what?) is picking off tourists and locals one by one in a most unpleasant manner. Of course Proctor gets caught up in the investigation; it even breathes a little life into him. Along the way, he meets up with Petra, a mysterious character who may or may not be human. The body count rises, the suspense holds, and Proctor finds more and more clues that the cases he investigates may be part of an overall plan to eliminate him. The question is: who wants him out of the picture? This series is fun reading. The books remind me of the wonderful old cliffhangers; I devour one only to wait impatiently for the next to hit the shelves! I can't wait to read on and find out how the conspiracy surrounding Proctor and his agency unfolds. I highly recommend this series!

In the tradition of Hamilton and Tanya Huff

Things often go bump in the night with most incidents easily explainable. However, once in a while, that noise cannot be defined. Black Oak Security is one of the country's best private detective agencies, renowned for solving the cases that their competitors shy away from accepting. Even Black Oak runs into a rare case that defies natural phenomena, leaving the owner Proctor believing in the supernatural.Proctor is deeply depressed when his mother comes out of a seven-year old comatose state to utter two words before falling back into the coma. He cannot obtain a lead on a client's missing daughter and all his other cases seem boring. His friends feel he needs a vacation. He agrees and goes to Atlantic City where he becomes embroiled in a strange serial killer case in which the throats of the victims have been bitten off. Proctor is back in his element dealing with a deadly case that rings supernatural to the sleuth. Charles Grant is a very cunning writer, who leaves hints and tiny clues that provides the direction this series seems to be taken one puzzle piece at a time. Proctor gets weirder but better with each subsequent tale. Mr. Grant is clearly a master of supernatural mysteries similar to that of Hamilton and Huff. HUNTING GROUND has cross genre appeal to readers of horror, urban fantasy, and mystery. Harriet Klausner