Madison Wade and her newly adopted teenage son, Ethan, have moved from the big city of Philadelphia to the quiet little town Buckeye, Tennessee. Madison wants to remove her son from his past life of living on the streets with constant danger. Ethan quickly befriends the quiet and withdrawn Jordan, acting as his protector.

Jordan and Ethan, along with two other teens, accompany Jordan's stepfather, Steve McPherson, on a camping trip in the mountains that turns into a nightmare. When the group does not return as expected, Maddie and the local sheriff, Gabriel Wyatt, start their vigilante search only to find the terrified boys and their tale of Steve's death. However, it soon becomes apparent it was no accident. When the boys begin to disappear and are found dead, Maddie, desperate to protect her son, is frantic to unscramble the mystery of the murders.

When the townspeople point to the troubled "new kid," Maddie and Gabriel draw closer together. Shocking events are revealed as Maddie is forced to fight for her own life.

PITCH BLACK is packed with mystery and terror throughout. Susan Crandall has very cleverly wound her story around each character without revealing the culprits. Maddie is a wonderful, strong character, feisty and full of surprises. Lots of suspense makes this a very difficult book to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed PITCH BLACK and would highly recommend it. Don't miss this one!