The Anomaly

By: Michael Rutger

Narrated by: Brandon Williams

A rogue archaeologist is trapped in a Grand Canyon cave as a conspiracy theory comes to life in this "take no prisoners" survival thriller that puts our hero up against impossible odds (Preston & Child).

Not all secrets are meant to be found.
Nolan Moore is a rogue archaeologist hosting a documentary series derisively dismissed by the "real" experts, but beloved of conspiracy theorists.

Nolan sets out to retrace the steps of an explorer from 1909 who claimed to have discovered a mysterious cavern high up in the ancient rock of the Grand Canyon. And, for once, he may have actually found what he seeks. Then the trip takes a nasty turn, and the cave begins turning against them in mysterious ways.

Nolan's story becomes one of survival against seemingly impossible odds. The only way out is to answer a series of intriguing questions: What is this strange cave? How has it remained hidden for so long? And what secret does it conceal that made its last visitors attempt to seal it forever?

Critic reviews

"Make no mistake: THE ANOMALY is the real deal."—Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, #1 New York Times bestselling authors of the Pendergast series

"THE ANOMALY simmers... Intriguing [and] never predictable.... will appeal to fans of exploration and survival along with 'The X-Files' crowd."—Associated Press

"Fans of the paranormal thrillers of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child will relish this superior debut from screenwriter Rutger, who makes the fantastic seem less so by dint of his self-aware, flawed lead and his ability to inject gallows humor into tense situations. Rutger milks every ounce of suspense from his plot."—Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed review)

"This is my kind of book. The suspense mounts slowly... slowly... Then the horror lingers for a long, long time."—R. L. Stine, New York Times bestselling author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series

"THE ANOMALY crackles with claustrophobic tension that had me holding my breath. I couldn't sleep until I'd finished reading, and then I couldn't sleep just thinking about it. I loved it. Michael Rutger is here to stay."—Sarah Pinborough, New York Times bestselling author of BEHIND HER EYES

"Mixing a brisk and engaging narrative with strongly developed characters, Rutger deftly depicts the claustrophobic depths explored by the endangered expedition. The Anomaly should appeal to fans of The X-Files or Fringe as well as anyone looking for an enjoyable tale."—Booklist

"Gripping, exciting, page-turning fun."—John Connolly, #1 internationally bestselling author

"THE ANOMALY is my type of story -- terrific writing from a confident storyteller. What more could you want? Sure to be in the mix with the best thrillers of the year, it's a thrilling and haunting read from first page to last."—Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of HOW IT HAPPENED and THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD

"With witty writing, sharp characterizations and a killer premise, THE ANOMALY is escapist fun perfectly tuned to our age of conspiracy theories and alternative facts."—Thomas Mullen, author of DARKTOWN

Glaring Flaws and Cliches, yet Oddly Entertaining

This book has a completely ridiculous plot with 2 dimensional sociopathic bad guys that explain their whole plan for 15 minutes while they could just be killing the protagonists, but instead giving them just enough time to find a way out of said sticky situation. It basically reads like a scooby doo cartoon. But the thing is, I like scooby doo. And dumb bad guys. And cliched plots. So, pretty good all around.

Fun read/listen

This seems like a great set up for a series. I enjoy monster stories, archeological quests, and historical conspiracies. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

Also: great dialogue and narration

Great Book!

Excellent narration. Perfect range of voices. Amazing and well put together storyline. Thought provoking. Must listen!!

okay but very slow story

not a bad story but it took way to long for the story to get started

stuck in a cave

don't be fooled, this book is mostly about our characters getting stuck in a cave and running low on resources. it also mostly takes place in the dark because of this. too many of the concepts are left completely vague because it's dark or the characters decide to go back to the main room to cry and eat.

think of "The descent" not "Indiana Jones meets X-Files"