Ravens is a psychological suspense novel that will keep you hooked until the end. Patsy Boatwright has just won the Georgia State Lottery, a total of 318 million dollars,something that she has been dreaming about forever but it has turned out to be a nightmare. Two young men passing through the Boatwright's home of Brunswick hear about the win and Shaw McBride has a plan. Romeo Zderko his traveling companion and faithful follower would do anything for Shaw including killing.

By posing as a state lottery representative Shaw weasels his way into the Boatwrights home and proceeds to terrorize them, convincing the family that Romeo will kill their family and friends if they don't give him half of their winnings.

The story builds and the reader is captive as well, wondering how it will all end. Ravens is an excellent read and even better as an audio book.

Reading books...something I have not done in many years. I got wrapped up in my career and daily life, and just couldn't find the time. Until now...this book really had me hooked. When I started reading, I found time in my day that wasn't there. I finished this book in less than 24 hours.

I just couldn't let myself put it down. I was so caught up in the story line and the characters...stopping wasn't an option. I am very familar with this author. I have read his other two books, and I must say..."Ravens" is the best by far.

This is a "must read" book!

George...promise me one thing...I won't have to wait another 10+ years before you release your next book!

A day after reading this book, I am still sitting here saying to myself, "Whoa!". What a ride, what a trip the author took me on. Sometimes I had to put the book down just to catch my breath and ease my mind. I was troubled, I was outraged, I was sympathetic. I felt like I was right there watching the characters rather than simply reading a book.

Echos of Flannery O'Connor reverberate through this psychological thriller, with its lyricism, religiosity and the ruthlessness of its antagonist, Shaw McBride. The author, George Dawes Green, exhibits a penetrating insight into human psyche, as his characters (and readers) are manipulated by McBride's charisma--swirling with both love and hate--into a kind of Stockholm syndrome that threatens their very souls.

This book is addictive reading and its bizarre characters will stay with you long after you finish the last page. Green creates a kind of gritty neverland in coastal Georgia that seems safe and cozy at first glance but desperate and fragile on a second inspection. A dark, quirky and absolutely original book that kept me spellbound from the first word.

The Boatwright's are struggling and mom's lottery habit isn't helping with tight funds. That is, until mommy wins $318 million dollars! All of a sudden the whole family is dreaming about how all of this money is going to change their lives. No more worrying about how to pay this bill and still have enough to pay this other bill. The whole family is ecstatic and cannot believe how blessed they are.

The next day their life has changed from a dream to a nightmare. Shaw has decided that he deserves half of this money and he isn't afraid to kill to get his hands on all of that cash. Who will be left standing and cash in on the jackpot?

George is going on my list of authors that I need every book they've written. My advice? Pick up this book and make sure you have a few hours because you are not going to want to put it down. If I had to rate this book on a scale of 1 to 5, it would be a 10. I'll be impatiently waiting for a new George Dawes Green book.

Thank you to Miriam at Hachette for sending me this book to review & including me in the Blog Tour.

I don't know what all the naysayers are talking about. The book had me on the edge of my seat and I thought the ending was magnificent. Shallow? Try, gradually more and more traumatized. Really interesting premise, beautiful execution.

This one was a page turner. I was so hooked right from the word go with this one.

The story was narrated by a few different characters. It jumped back and forth, but it didn't seem choppy. The story just goes on, but from a different perspective. It wasn't like it would switch to a new character and rehash what the last character just told us.

The writing was good. There was only one thing that bothered me, when a character is talking the author would use Said Shaw instead of Shaw Said. But that was really the only thing I didn't like.

I liked the beginning, it gave us enough info about the characters to pull me into the story, without giving so much detail that it became mundane. It follows the Boatwright family and then friends Shaw and Romeo. The Boatwrights win the lottery and that's when Shaw and Romeo really enter the picture.

The suspense in this novel doesn't come from not knowing what's going on. Quite the opposite, we know what's going on right from the word go. The suspense comes from hoping that someone will slip and everyone else will know what is going on. I would say it's more psychological that physical suspense.

The ending threw me for a loop. And while the last passage confused me a little it still was a great ending.

Overall good writing and a great story.

Living in Iowa has been an education in the lottery. The lottery is a big deal in our state, and each day I drive by a sign that shows the current jackpot. Personally, I have no interest in purchasing my own lottery tickets, but sometimes just for fun, my husband and I fantasize what we would do with the money. At the very least, it is certain that our lives would change.

Ravens is the story of the Boatwright family, residents of a small Georgia town, who have been teetering on the brink of financial disaster. Then one Wednesday night, as Patsy Boatwright engages in her weekly ritual of fortifying herself with alcohol while she watches the lottery results on tv, the Boatwright's ship comes in. The Boatwright family are the sole winners of a $318 million jackpot. Meanwhile, Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko, two young men looking for an easy escape from their dead end jobs, are passing through town. Fate intervenes, and Shaw overhears about the Boatwright's amazing good fortune and he decides that he wants a piece of it for himself; half to be exact. Shaw, with the assistance of his doggedly loyal companion Romeo, embarks on a plan to force the Boatwright's to share their winnings. What follows is a story full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Ravens is an exciting read from beginning to end, but it is much more of a psychological thriller than a blood and guts page turner. The book features some great characters, most of whom are nicely developed. I especially found the characters of Shaw and Romeo to be very interesting. Shaw, who is a master of manipulation more than anything else, even seems to believe his own lies after a while, and he craves not only the cooperation, but the devotion of his intended victims. In contrast, Romeo is a villain who I almost found myself feeling sorry for as sometimes he seemed almost a victim himself. I also have to mention Tara Boatwright, who initially I was sure was going to be just another token female victim, but developed into so much more through the course of the book.

This is a great read, with interesting characters, and a pretty original premise. This is definitely a book that will keep your interest, as well as make you think.

The Boatwright family live in tiny Brunswick, Georgia. Mom Patsy, has a ritual on Wednesday nights - get soused and pray that her lottery tickets are winners. Against all odds, this time they are. The Boatwright family - father Mitch - a devout elder at the Faith Renewal Church, daughter Tara - who wants something more than life in Brunswick and little brother Jase - his mother's favourite. Tara is her grandmother Nell's favourite. Brunswick is struggling financially and so are the Boatwrights. But they won't be now - they've won $318 million dollars. They're trying to keep the win under wraps.

But you know how small towns are. When two low level grifters - Shaw and Romeo stop in to the local convenience store on their way through to Florida, they get wind of the win and who the lucky family is. Shaw decides that their ship has come in and that they will share the Boatwright's good fortune.

"Could he really do this? He had to He had to live He couldn't not-live any longer. He knew that if there were any resistance, it would have to be crushed mercilessly. If they challenged him, he'd have to kill their loved ones while they watched. An how would he withstand their looks of horror By tapping into a vein of steadfastness and wisdom. By knowing what he needed. What he needed was beauty. A life of pure beauty , nothing less. He'd pay any price for it.

Shaw visits the Boatwright family and promises that his friend Romeo will kill their family and friends if they don't go along with his plan. He only wants half of their good fortune.

When the money is received and Shaw promises publicly to give it all away, the public inexplicably falls in love with him, almost hypnotized. He begins to refer to the public as his flock. The entire situation becomes surreal. And still Romeo is out there, circling the town. As Shaw says " Always the light is guarded by darkness."

Ravens went in a completely different direction than I had first though it would. Initially I thought it would be tension filled hostage situation with the family plotting to escape etc. Instead, it's more relationship and character driven. Shaw's glib and golden tongue produces amazing, seemingly reasonable explanations for everything. He is revelling in his new found status. Romeo on the other hand is such a tragic figure. He is alone, 'on patrol' the entire time Shaw is posturing. Romeo has good in him and isn't really cut out for this caper. He craves human contact and ends up with odd relationships with the denizens of the town.

I was so sucked into this story - I kept turning page after page. Would the family rebel, would Shaw get away with it, what would Romeo do, out there in the dark.

Green has created an unexpected, engrossing tale that I thoroughly enjoyed.

It was a terrific read -- enjoyed it from the first page and was thrilled with the ending.

Winning the mega-million jackpot lottery is for most people a far fetched dream. It is fun, however, to daydream about how one would spend the money. Winning the jackpot can also be a winners' worst nightmare. Still I can't recall a family that was subjected to a more terrorizing experience than the Boatwrights in George Dawes Green's Ravens.

If you don't accept the existence of the Stockholm Syndrome then you will probably be incredulous of the behavior of the Boatwright family in Ravens. Objectively, there are several windows of opportunity in the novel where the Boatwrights, the family held captive by Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko, could have fled their captors or exposed them. To understand why they didn't one must, in part, accept that the Stockholm Syndrome exists.

The recent liberation of Jaycee Duggard, who was held captive for 18 years and apparently bore children fathered by the male alleged captor, appears to be yet the latest victim of the Stockholm Syndrome. Patty Hearst is another famous example of a victim who bonded with her captors. While we all like to think that we would have done better and why didn't these victims just flee when they had a few minutes alone, the Stockholm Syndrome is a real psychological malady.

Another factor why the Boatwright family remained under the thumbs of their captors is the character Shaw McBride. He is portrayed as a messianic figure along the lines of Jim Jones. With pledges to give away his millions and words of love, McBride garners a flock of apostles including to varying degrees the Boatwrights.

Ravens is an edge of the seat thriller that won't disappoint (so long as you accept certain premises).