David Morrell is considered the father of the action novel, but here in The Shimmer, he crosses boldly into new territory, delving into the mystery of lights in the sky, the same that have been reported the world over, including in Marfa, Texas.
In this chilling page-turner, Morrell sets the lights in the tiny town of Rostov, Texas, where people from all over the country are converging to see these mysterious changing, colorful lights that show up night after night. Some say they can heal, yet when police officer Dan Page’s wife, Tori, takes off unexpectedly and turns up at the observation platform, watching the lights in a trance, Page isn’t so sure the lights are all pretty and good. When a crazed gunman opens fire on the crowd, killing dozens and screaming about the lights being evil, Page becomes embroiled in a conspiracy that threatens his life as well.
Page and Tori try to make sense of the lights, even as a top-secret military operation seeks to use the lights to kill and to silence anyone who comes close to discovering their secret operation. Ultimately, no one truly understands the lights themselves; the mystery of their origin is pinpointed to sometime during the First World War. And, ultimately, all will pay a high price for seeing, or not seeing the lights. They can heal, but they can also destroy.
Morrell sets up a breathless, action-packed story of supernatural conspiracy, complete with two main characters trying to reconnect and make sense of it all. The pace is fast, and the lights themselves are the real stars. But it’s easy to see after reading The Shimmer how this author has placed himself at the top of the action novel heap.