Thursday, December 28, 2017

Blog Tour Book Review: Bad Call by Stephen Wallenfels



Book Title: Bad Call
Author: Stephen Wallenfels
Published By: Disney-Hyperion (December 19, 2017)
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller

Book Description:
It was supposed to be epic.

During a late-night poker game, tennis teammates Colin, Ceo, Grahame, and Rhody make a pact to go on a camping trip in Yosemite National Park. And poker vows can’t be broken.

So the first sign that they should ditch the plan is when Rhody backs out. The next is when Ceo replaces him with Ellie, a girl Grahame and Colin have never even heard of. And then there’s the forest fire at their intended campsite.
But instead of bailing, they decide to take the treacherous Snow Creek Falls Trail to the top of Yosemite Valley. From there, the bad decisions really pile up.

A freak storm is threatening snow, their Craigslist tent is a piece of junk, and Grahame is pretty sure there’s a bear on the prowl. On top of that, the guys have some serious baggage (and that’s not including the ridiculously heavy ax that Grahame insisted on packing) and Ellie can’t figure out what their deal is.

And then one of them doesn’t make it back to the tent.
Desperate to survive while piecing together what happened, the remaining hikers must decide who to trust in this riveting, witty, and truly unforgettable psychological thriller that reveals how one small mistake can have chilling consequences.





About the Author:



Stephen Wallenfels lives in Washington state with his wife.  His day job is the creative director and IT manager at a large health club, but he has held the following jobs in no specific order: apple picker, onion topper, omelette chef, grill cook, legal gofer, ESL teacher, school custodian, freelance journalist, tennis instructor, soccer coach, graphic designer, and his favorite of all, novelist.  Stephen has lived in igloos, lean-to's, slept under bushes and in trees.  His passions are family, hiking, cooking, reading, movies, climate change, and especially writing.  "I love to share my passion for the written word, especially with kids.  Reading is the key to everything. Give me a room full of book lovers eager to learn about the craft of writing, and I'm in heaven.







Bad Call by Stephen Wallenfels was quite the read. One filled with jealousy, deceit, anger,  and misconceptions but it was also one about friendship and making wrongs right and yes, even a tiny bit of romance, or at least something that could be romance..eventually... maybe. 

But mostly, it was one heck of a thrill ride. One where you weren't always sure which direction it was going to take and exactly what the heck was going on, but in a good way, not a bad way and one that was almost always filled with darkness. 

From the moment you read the first chapter you know this isn't going to be a story filled with rainbows and sunshine. You know it will be darker and you love it because of it. I mean, four boys, one girl in the wilderness during a freak rain/snow storm and no one knows where they are. What could possibly go wrong.

This story  was about not giving up and hanging in there and believing in who you are and what you are capable of. It was about struggling and fighting and succeeding when it really mattered.  

With suspense, tension, and danger literally lurking in all shapes and forms, this is a read you don't want to miss out on. 





*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

16 comments:

  1. It looks good and I confess that I didn't know about it. So thanks for the review

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  2. I enjoyed your review Kindlemom and along with the premise it sounds like something I would enjoy too!

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  3. Oh wow! This does sound intense. I was just staying near Yosemite this summer and walked about there on one of the trails.

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    1. Oh that is fun and a bit creepy after reading this LOL!

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  4. I haven't heard of this one yet. It sounds pretty good though. It definitely sounds like it has a lot of tension and I always love that. Great review. :D

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  5. Ooh this sounds tense. And I love that title- Bad Call! Sounds like it was a bad call to go on the trip lol!

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  6. That does sound like an exciting one! And a nice cover, too. Happy almost Friday!

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  7. All it had to do was say it's set in Yosemite and I'm down to read it. lol

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  8. Wallenfels has done it again. Excellent book. The story starts deceptively slow and the then lands hard. BAD CALL is the perfect title. I found the backstories fascinating and the dialog polished. Jeff Bailey, author of THE DEFECT.

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