Red River Seven, by A.J. Ryan

Red River Seven is a standalone horror thriller novel written by A.J. Ryan (also known as Anthony Ryan in his fantasy writing), published by Orbit Books. It's an absorbing book, a read that I practically did in one sit, as I always had the itch of "let's see what will happen in the next chapter"; a plot driven thriller packed with tons of action and which slowly unravels a dark world in front of the reader.

A story that begins with seven people in a boat, surrounded by mist, coming back to consciousness with plenty of confusion, as nobody of them seem to remember who they are or why they have been reunited on this boat. This initial shock is maximized when a corpse is found, apparently a suicide with a gunshot; soon, the silence is broken by a phone's ring, with a robotic voice that gives some instructions our strangers need to follow if they want the boat to move.
As the boat advances and starts approaching to what the computer marks as the southeast coast of England, screams of humans begin to sound louder; Ryan starts shifting from pure action thriller to a more horror focused story, introducing different elements to the story and playing in sharp ways with the fear of the unknown.

Discovering what is hidden behind the mist, or why these strangers have been selected as part of this journey are questions that will be slowly answered, creating multiple new mysteries in the process; Ryan manages to capture in clever ways that uncertainty and how it affects the mind.

It's impossible to separate this book from the excellent atmosphere that is slowly woven into the story, whose horror gets progressively developed, introducing those epidemiologic elements that play a key role in it. Despite the characters are not exactly the most brilliant aspect, they still create memorable scenes (especially that ending makes totally deserved the Apocalypse Now comparison I read).

Red River Seven is a compelling read, a story that in the last moments also remembered me of the Resident Evil books by S.D. Perry, especially in aspects like the tension lived by the characters. An excellent novel, which I enjoyed like a child, and which I would totally see being adapted to other mediums.