The Troop    by Nick Cutter Order:  USA  Can Simon & Schuster, 2014 (2014) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Bob Walch Some of the best horror stories take place not in scary castles or Gothic mansions but out in the woods. That's what you'll find as you follow scoutmaster Tim Riggs and his troop of boys, who head off into the Canadian wilderness for a short camping trip. All goes smoothly until a man stumbles into their campsite and changes this bucolic outing into an unimaginable nightmare. Very thin, disturbingly pale and voraciously hungry, the unexpected and uninvited visitor exposes the scouts and their leader to a bioengineered horror. Stranded on an island with no link to the outside world (I know, that's hard to believe in this age of cell phones!), the group is engaged in a struggle for survival that will pit them against the elements, one another, and horror introduced into their midst by the stranger. Already some critics have declared that this novel is reminiscent of both Lord of the Flies and Scott Smith's The Ruins. Whatever literary memories it conjures up, one thing is certain; this is a story that will give you nightmares and stay with you for a long time. Read it if you dare, but don't say you weren't warned – this is a horrifying and unsettling novel! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews