RINN’S CROSSING
Russell Heath
Koehler Books (2020)
ISBN: 9781633938861
Reviewed by Timea Tokes for Reader Views (07/2020)
“Rinn’s Crossing” by Russell Heath is an emotional story of four lives intertwining – all of them in danger of some sort. In this story, there is only one rule, the rule of nature: there are no rules.
I was on the edge of my seat from the first page. One minute I could step into Rinn’s shoes, watching him as he struggled against both nature and his own mind, then the next minute I was swept away, being ‘forced’ to calm down and listen to what other people had to say. Rinn’s was a losing battle, which everyone knew, but, as the reader, I still kept rooting for him (obviously). Not to mention that everyone else was fighting their own battles, too, albeit in a ‘slightly’ different and less dangerous way.
Russell Heath made a perfect choice in starting the story off with a bang, and then taking a backseat by introducing other characters and their background as well. Having said that, nothing was mellow or slow-paced in this book. There was a parallel between lives and worlds throughout, making me want to keep reading. A mystery unfolded, one that was to remain unsolved, maybe even till after the book finished.
Sometimes I was annoyed at the cliff-hangers and the fact that I really didn’t see the main protagonist surviving, but that’s to be expected, I guess. I just enjoyed the tight tension of Rinn’s journey so much that basically that was all I cared about. So, again, the author did a brilliant job (well, if gluing his readers to their seats and to the book was his aim, that is – which I’m pretty sure it was).
The story messed with all my senses, too, but in a good way. I could practically feel the coldness of the air on my face, or the backsplash of the water when Rinn took a wrong turn. The fact that the story happened in just a few days’ time only added to the excitement and the urgency of it all.
The only downside was that I didn’t really fall in love with any of the other characters in the story. It might have been, because, to me, those chapters weren’t as intense as Rinn’s struggle, and I must admit that there were times I wanted to skip some of them. I’m glad I didn’t though because it all came together in the end. And, knowing what I know now by having read the full story, I wouldn’t have all the information I need to make my mind up about what happened.
All in all, “Rinn’s Crossing” was an emotional mix you would expect when reading a thriller. I certainly did a lot of nail-biting, and there were plenty of ‘no, don’t do that’ moments, too. I was like a puppet on a string lead by the master, aka Russell Heath (and that was a good thing, too).
