BookTowne Welcomes Author Amy Hill Hearth, Silent Came the Monster

ABOUT THE BOOK:

During the summer of 1916, a surgeon at the Jersey Shore fights denial, conspiracy theories, defiance, and confusion in a desperate attempt to convince a skeptical public that the culprit behind a series of fatal attacks is a shark, not a huge sea turtle or German U-boat, and that it will strike again. Inspired by a series of true events.

"A mere five words into this gripping story I could hear the thrum of the Jaws music inside my head. Based on real-life events, Amy Hill Hearth captures two weeks of terror in an age of innocence. A riveting tale. Be bold — make it your beach read."

—Marshall Karp, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A deeply compelling novel rich with historical detail and surprising parallels to our modern world."

—Hester Young, author of The Gates of Evangeline and The Burning Island

"Wherever Amy Hill Hearth turns her attention, history comes alive. In this novel, we discover the sun-splashed beauty of the Jersey Shore in the summer of 1916, when the threat of war, a polio epidemic, and a dangerous great white shark threaten the residents and tourists, and the fear of these threats hang above the ocean like storm clouds. Silent Came the Monster is a thrilling, unforgettable journey into the past."

—Peter Golden, author of Nothing Is Forgotten

"This book does not come out until May but I gobbled it up"..."awesome"..."does not disappoint."

-Skylark Bookstore, Columbia, Missouri, the first bookstore to review the book.

"This is not just a story about the horrific attacks that took the lives of four people in the twelve days that the shark roamed the shores; it is a story of courage, hope, grief, and resilience in the face of adversity. The characters are all beautifully written and have a tremendous depth that adds so much emotion to the story." Five stars

-the_britishbookworm, Dorset, UK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy Hill Hearth, who lives at the Jersey Shore, is a New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today bestselling author and a Peabody Award winner. Her first book was the oral history, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years, a New York Times bestseller for 117 weeks which was adapted for the Broadway stage and for film. Amy writes nonfiction as well as fiction, and books for both adults and younger readers. "I like to try new genres because I love to be challenged as a writer,” she says. Silent Came the Monster: A Novel of the 1916 Jersey Shore Shark Attacks is her first historical thriller. Her ancestors, who include a Lenni-Lenape woman, called the Jersey Shore home for many generations. You can read more about her at www.amyhillhearth.com