
Cameron Horne’s life begins spinning out of control one morning when he spots a mysterious young man sitting in his backyard by a fire pit. The young man cannot explain his presence or reason for trespassing on Horne’s property. His comments are both chilling and confusing – much like you would expect if you found a deranged person violating your personal space. Soon afterwards, Horne’s behavior becomes erratic and troubling. Disturbing visions, uncontrollable behavior, and lost chunks of time are just the beginning. Horne begins to wonder if he is developing a severe mental illness or if he is being stalked by some evil entity.
Gifune’s tale is seamless in its construction. The pace is dramatic and swift, and the sequence of events is precisely drawn and consistent with the characterizations. The descent into the haunting atmosphere of Rogue is quite unsettling. I could not turn myself away. Gifune’s prose is relentless and I had no clue how it was going to end. And, the ending was very satisfying in a clever Twilight Zone-kind of way. A wonderful read.