Niquette Delongpre and her parents vanish under mysterious circumstances one night. Authorities discover the remains of a car wreck, but there are no human remains. Soon after, Marshall Ferriot throws himself out a window and winds up in a coma. No one makes a connection between the events, because no one knows about the secret rendezvous between Niquette and Marshall--or how they were exposed to a strange parasite released from the swamps outside New Orleans. But when Marshall regains consciousness, he sets off for revenge and much more than the teens' brief fling is about to be exposed.
In a slight departure from previous thrillers like Blind Fall or The Moonlit Earth, Christopher Rice's The Heavens Rise delves into the paranormal. While realists may struggle with some of the supernatural elements, the depth of character, chilling atmosphere and moral dilemma are all marks of a superb story.
Ben, Niquette's best friend, and Anthem, the boyfriend she'd just gotten back together with before the accident, forge a bond through their shared grief after her disappearance. Rice's depiction of this friendship is gripping. The two teens grow into men with a deep, compassionate understanding and acceptance of each other, and the authenticity of Rice's portrayal of their relationship may cause readers to care more about their story than Niquette's.
Rice draws upon his New Orleans roots to create a Louisiana that may seem familiar but is a bit more terrifying, bringing about a perfect blend of spooky and memorable. --Jen Forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts