Thunder Rise

Miller's first novel is an occasionally awkward but generally well-paced and effective thriller telling of an ancient evil threatening the lives of the children in a pleasant New England community. Journalist Brad Gale, leaving New York in the wake of an ugly divorce, moves to sylvan Morgantown, Mass., with his young daughter Abigail. But Abigail and other children in town soon develop mysterious flu-like symptoms. Medical treatment proves ineffective, and the illness appears to be fatal. Only a Quidneck Indian named Charley Moonlight claims to know the cause: a satanic spirit, Hobbamock, released when a local cave was opened, cannot be quelled until a child manages to fell it with an ancient Quidneck spear. And, Gale realizes, that child must be Abigail. Troll Book Club selection. (Sept.)