Todd Rigney ‘Found’ Review

Posted on October 7, 2015 in Authors M-Z // 1 Comment

Written by: Matt Molgaard

Last year an indie picture titled Found quietly crept into the horror scene. It turned out to be a spectacular film that immediately grabbed the attention of fans and critics alike. The flick landed on a great number of “Best of 2014” lists (my own included) and that praise was completely justified. Found is a wonderfully disconcerting piece of work, and as it turns out it’s a story fit to be successful on both film and page.

It’s unfortunate that so many horror fanatics have no idea that Found is based on a story written by Todd Rigney. The film may be superb, but the novel itself is also completely captivating. Rigney brings Marty, a young boy with some extreme family issues to life in stunning fashion. As Marty narrates this heartbreaking tale, we the reader, are sucked into a depressing and frightening world where little makes sense, everything seems wrong and youthful insight is explored perfectly.

See, Marty’s brother, Steve is a serial killer. Marty himself is perennially bullied and socially awkward. Their parents are aloof to virtually all things around them and lack the communicative skills to prepare their offspring to step out into the world as decent individuals. Not a single one of the four seems to “get” the others. It’s a strained household, but it’s going to get a whole hell of a lot worse. Marty finds something in Steve’s room and that discovery sends the family into a dark tailspin from which there really is no coming back.

Rigney is an awesome writer. He may not be the most active creator of fictional works, but Found is more than enough evidence of Rigney’s true talent. The man really does capture the essence of youth and the troubles we experience – both physically and emotionally – as children with perfection. Marty isn’t just a name on a page, he’s a living personality and the reader is guaranteed to connect to the kid. He’s the heart of the story, he’s the magnetism within the pages of Found.

Let me just really hammer this home for you: Found is a wonderfully realistic tale that’s going to work its way into your psyche as well as your heart. Prepare to become completely invested in a few very polarizing characters, and a deeply disconcerting story that comes to a somewhat sudden but extremely gratifying conclusion. My good friends, Found is a beautiful coming of age meets spiraling personal life tale. It’s also a modern day classic!

Order it here.

Rating: 5/5