THUMP SQUASH by Robert Pence

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author, Robert Pence, for an honest review.

Genre: Mystery/Suspense/YA/Adult

Plot: There’s a full moon. The wind is blowing. Your parents are sound asleep. You hear the ‘thump’. You hear the ‘squash’. These are the sounds your friends warned you about. Thump Squash is coming down the hall for you.

May you never hear, late at night while lying in your warm safe bed, the horrifyingly foreboding footsteps of the legendary evil monster known as ‘Thump Squash’, slowly creeping down your hallway. When Humphrey’s best friend Billy disappears, his investigation begins. All clues point to the legendary ‘Thump Squash’. His friends have different theories about who or what ‘Thump Squash’ is. Is he the Janitor, the Farmer, a ghost, or something even more unimaginably frightening?

Opinion: This is the second book I have read from author Robert Pence, and I hope it will not be the last! I noticed that there has been barely any reviews on this book, and I have NO IDEA as to WHY. It is not very often that you find books that all ages can enjoy (like Robert Pence’s other amazing book called One Deed Dude), but Robert Pence really knows how to write stories that anyone can get lost in. This book would be great for adults, teenagers, and even kids. This feels like a great bedtime story for the kids, or just a lazy day read like it was for me.

Eleven-year-old Billy was looking out if his apartment window one night when he noticed a tall black creature, who was holding a heavy looking hammer in his hand, staring up at his window. The next day Marley and Humphrey, best friends of Billy, find out that he is missing. The police believe he has either run away or has been kidnapped, but Humphrey thinks otherwise.

After their friend Danny tells them the story of Thump Squash, a local creature that kidnaps children and cuts off their feet, Humphrey and Marley decide to take it upon themselves to find Billy, along with the help of Danny and his little brother Jimmy. Through tunnels and deep investigation, the four hunt for clues as to where Billy might be and to who might have taken him. While some of their suspects include their schools janitor and a local farmer, Humphrey can’t shake the feeling that it might be the creature named Thump Squash who was said to have died years ago.

The writing, as usual per Robert Pence, is really great. He completely captures the way of thinking and thought reasoning that an eleven and thirteen-year-old would have, as well as the silly ideas and comments that come from eight-year-old Jimmy. I laughed to myself a few times when Jimmy would shout out a silly theory about what he thinks is going on, very spot on for that age group. There is not a lot of character development in this book, but it really isn’t needed at all with the focus that the story has. The author gives the reader information about each character that is “need to know” and important to the story, and leaves out the unnecessary descriptive ramblings. I personally loved this aspect of the writing, it was clear that the focus was of the mystery at hand and nothing else. I don’t want to spoil the ending for anyone, but after I finished the book I was left wondering what the specifics were to why who or what had “done it”. I am curious to know if this was the authors’ intention or if it was assumed that the reader would put it all together on their own.

Basically, this is a book for all ages and definitely an exciting and fun one at that. If you love MYSTERY and SUSPENSE or if you just need a new book to read, than this is a great story to choose to read next.