Morrell delivers another fast-paced thriller with this 2007 release. Scavenger takes up Frank Balenger’s life where Creepers (2005) left off. Frank is recovering from the nightmares of the Paragon Hotel and lives with Amanda, the woman who looks eerily like his dead wife.
In this twisted tale, Frank and Amanda have been invited to learn about time capsules from what seems to be a respectable historical society. Intrigued by the idea of finding clues to the past — they attend a lecture with several other audience members. As the speaker drones on, Amanda and Frank fall asleep (drugged) only to wake up separated — and forced to participate in a live-action game created by the Game Master.
Amanda is kidnapped and comes conscious in a building with a small group of strangers who have all had some sort of life-altering heroic experience – a war veteran who lived on bugs while trying to escape from behind enemy lines, a couple that went through heroic measures to save members of their Mount Everest hiking expedition, a woman who was stranded for two weeks on a lifeboat with a 12-year-old girl, and Amanda who survived the Paragon Hotel.
The group’s forced goal is to follow clues to locate the time capsule called the Sepulcher of Worldly Desires before the imposed deadline. The alternative is death at the hands of the Game Master who has cameras, microphones and explosives ready at his disposal. Navigating the rough terrain and interpreting the clues are the least of the group’s concerns as the true nature of certain players emerge.
Frank is brought into the game by following clues leading to Amanda — but the Game Master can’t control Frank like he controls the others, and Frank uses his own resourcefulness to get the upper hand.
Morrell keeps the pace tight and the action fast and furious so you turn the pages quickly to see what happens next.
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