Last year, the manosphere erupted in fury when women who were posed the question “If you were alone in the woods, would you rather encounter a man or a bear?” almost always picked the bear. The logic behind the choice: Women knew bears were dangerous wild animals who would definitely try to kill them. The man could pretend to be friendly and helpful… and still try to kill them.
In her gripping debut, Natalie Moss takes readers on a blood-soaked adventure in her ancestral country of South Africa. The Night Hunter proves that women are right to fear both bear and men in the woods.
Danielle’s mother was a fierce conservationist, more devoted to protecting rhinos near her home in a South African preserve than caring for her family. Now that she’s dead, Danielle wants nothing more than to sell her mother’s house and get on with her life. But her younger sister, Grace, wants to keep the home and continue their mother’s mission. When the women decide to travel back to the house, each brings along two friends for the two-day safari. But Danielle doesn’t trust Grace’s friends, or Grace herself—she’s hiding a secret note her mother left for her eyes only.
The contentious trip turns perilous when their guide is murdered, and a car crash means they need to continue on foot. As the group of five journeys through the brush, they must avoid wild animals who would definitely kill them and humans who might. While Danielle fights to survive, she ruminates on her contentious relationships with her mother and sister, her guilt over her sister’s childhood accident, and her inability to trust.
Moss grew up going on safaris, and The Night Hunter shines with her attention to detail. The sights, sounds, and smells of the jungle are vivid and rich. Every description rings authentic and true. The story is completely Danielle’s, told in first person and present tense, and she’s highly believable as a competent guide through the brush and young woman conflicted about her relationships.
At its heart, though, The Night Hunter is a classic locked-room mystery. Fans of the genre know that Danielle is not wrong to be suspicious of someone in her group, although whom she should suspect will vary. The body count is deliciously high, and the twists are unpredictable and earned. By the end, readers will feel as if they just stepped off a roller coaster.
With her careful plotting and deep character work, Natalie Moss shines in her debut. I look forward to following the career of this talented author.
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