THE PACK is a great suspense story, and David Fisher does a nice job layering the action with the inner personal turmoil of the protagonist. Larry Hardman not only has to deal with a pack of vicious killer dogs, who want nothing more than to rip his legs off and gnaw on them, but he has a wife who weighs heavily on his weary back, and a brother who he has an unhealthy rivalry with, and parents so stubborn that they would rather face being eaten alive than to face their family problems. Unlike in THE DOGS, these side stories don’t get in the way of the suspense, but rather they add an extra element of anxiousness.

Fisher also stays away from humanizing the dogs, or giving them an agenda. He skillfully portrays the dogs as animals that react to scents and shapes, and not intelligent beings that craft their attacks out of vengeance. The dogs attack Larry’s home because they smell the scent of danger, and they want to protect themselves. And they’re hungry.

Great book! I remember reading this one when I was about 15, and on vacation with my family in a cabin in the woods. The Boogey Man took a back seat in my nightmares that summer, I’ll tell you what.