Salem's Fall by Rektok Ross Book Review

Salem’s Fall by Rektok Ross is a riveting new thriller that is perfect to read during spooky season. The beginning of the story is set in Boston, with the characters also traveling to the small New England town of Salem’s Fall. But while the townspeople are enjoying Autumn and Pumpkin Spice Lattes, lawyerJames is there for work. She must dig into the Blackhollow family legacy in order to clear her client’s name, and prove that he didn’t murder his fiancee last Halloween.

Sound interesting? It is! Make sure you keep reading for my full book review of Salem’s Fall by Rektok Ross. It’s the perfect fall read to curl up with in your book nook.

And if you’re an avid reader of these kind of books, you can find more of my thriller recommendations here.

What is Salem’s Fall by Rektok Ross About?

A hotshot young attorney. An enigmatic billionaire accused of murder. To uncover the truth, she’ll have to play his game—and try not to fall in love with the devil.

James Woodsen is used to being underestimated. Top of her class at Harvard Law, she’s brilliant, beautiful, and now the youngest female associate at Boston’s most elite criminal defense firm. But after a devastating misstep on her first case, she has one last shot at redemption. Her assignment? Defend Damien Blackhollow—a dangerously charming billionaire accused of murdering his fiancée.

When James takes a road trip to a small New England town with a dark history, she realizes this case is far more twisted than she ever imagined. Alone in Salem’s Fall with her trusted black cat, she uncovers Damien’s haunting family legacy with ties to a secret society and a pattern of ritualistic murders. James begins to wonder if she’s defending a monster… or worse, falling for one. As Halloween looms and the bodies pile up, James fears that losing this case doesn’t just mean her career—it means her life.

The Silence of the Lambs meets Labyrinth in this dangerously addictive blend of twisty psychological thriller, legal suspense, and gothic dark romance—perfect for fans of Verity, Haunting Adeline, and The Housemaid. (from Amazon.com)

Who is Author Rektok Ross?

Rektok Ross is the pen name of Liani Kotcher. On her website, she describes herself as a former intellectual property trial attorney turned young adult author. Liani actually has multiple pen names. She writes young adult under L.G. Ross and thrillers under Rektok Ross.

I have only read her thrillers, so I am looking forward to checking out some of her YA romance next!

What Other Books are by Rektok Ross?

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My Initial Thoughts

I was browsing on Amazon for Fall Reads and the cover of Salem’s Fall caught my eye. I was so interested in the haunted looking house that I wanted to find out what this story was about. I’ve read a book by Rektok Ross before that was a little too gory for me, so I didn’t know if I would like this one. But I decided to check it out anyway from Kindle Unlimited to give it a shot.

It starts out as just a normal story about a lawyer who is trying to reclaim her career. But it turns into so much more. She tries to remove herself from the case, but Damien won’t have anything of it. James has no idea what she’s in for when she agrees to come back and work on the Blackhollow case.

All About James

The main character James is a young lawyer going through some difficult times. She works at one of the top law firms in Boston. But she recently made a big mistake at work and is now designated to all of the easy jobs at her office, like note taking and correspondence. But when her boss Quinn needs assistance on a new murder case and she’s the only one available, she jumps at the chance to show everyone what a great trial attorney she can be.

But the case is much difficult that she originally thought. I liked James a lot and appreciated the author’s descriptions of her. I also really enjoyed hearing about her suits! Lol. I do work in a corporate office but our dress code is casual so I rarely get the chance to dress up.

She could be a little dense at times. It seemed like everyone (including her best friend and her boss) was warning her about the Blackhollows. And James just wouldn’t listen.

But with that being said, James was a character that I enjoyed reading about. She’s clearly smart (at the top of her class in law school) and produces valuable work for her law firm. I was rooting for her throughout this whole story.

The Plot

I found the plot of this book to be so unique and interesting. I was nervous when I saw it being compared to Haunting Adeline and Verity that it would be more romantic than I wanted. I was really looking for more of a thriller/horror to read. And I was not disappointed.

I read in her author bio that Rektok Ross is a lawyer herself which helped to set up the story really well. Her descriptions of the law office and the type of work that they do felt very realistic. And I also appreciated the depictions of Salem’s Fall. If it weren’t for the weird cult ruining things, it sounds like the kind of small town I would like to visit! So many special events and places to visit for Fall. Haha.

The Thriller Aspects

This survival thriller was really creepy at times. As James investigated into Damian Blackhollow and his family, she realized that the killing of Damian’s fiancee wasn’t a one of a kind thing. There were other killings that happened in Salem’s Fall on other Halloweens in the past. It made me wonder if they were dealing with a serial killer or something. Especially because James’ own mother was killed in a similar way back when she was a teenager.

This story is very original which made it hard to guess what was going to happen next. Near the end everything culminates in one shocking scene that really threw me for a loop. This was a very fascinating story.

I liked that there was a paranormal twist to this book. That added a lot and made it very fun to read this story in September, with Halloween just a month away.

The Romance

If you’re going into this looking for a passionate love affair, you won’t find it. This book is very much a thriller. And even though it has some swoonworthy love interests, romance takes a backseat to the mystery that James is trying to solve. I thought this was a very good book, but don’t go into it looking for a big romance because that’s not what this story is about.

In Conclusion

I really enjoyed Salem’s Fall. It’s an awesome thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. And I loved all of the different Fall and Halloween themed elements sprinkled throughout the story. By the end of the book, I realized Salem’s Fall made for a perfect Fall read.

As I mentioned, I didn’t like Summer Rental as much when I first read it. The ending was very gory and surprised me a lot. But I can appreciate that both Rektok Ross books features strong female leads and a very satisfying writing style. And it makes me eager to read more books by this author in the future.

I hope you enjoyed my book review of Salem’s Fall by Rektok Ross. It was a great book to read this season and I hope to check out the rest of the books in the series soon. This is the perfect time to discover a new author if you need something new to read as well!

These kinds of stories will keep you guessing while they entertain you. It could definitely be the best book of Fall, in my opinion!