The Preservationist by Justin Kramon

It's fall, and new students have arrived on campuses across the nation, each ready to start a new chapter in their life.  This is a time for making new friends, for learning to make your own decisions about how you'll spend your time and studies, for finding a new group and attempting to fit in, maybe for a new love. 

Julia, Sam and Marcus have all arrived at the college town, each bringing with them hopes and dreams as well as the baggage of their past lives.  Each is a bit introverted, preferring their own company to that of the frantic parties and socializing that many freshman fall into.  Julia and Marcus are both students, each with a musical background.  Sam is something different.  About to turn forty, he drifts from college town to college town, always searching for what he missed in his youth, and for a woman who can make him whole.

Both men fall in love with Julia.  She is torn between them, and a rivalry develops.  Marcus is sure Sam is bad news, and Sam is determined to keep Marcus from compromising his relationship with Julia.  Things are tense and the atmosphere is not helped by a series of attacks on women on the campus.  Both men accuse the other of being the rapist, and both try to get Julia to stop seeing the other.  Is this a common rivalry or is one man correct in his assessment of the other as a threat?

Justin Kramon has written a taut, compelling thriller.  The reader is introduced to the characters and then slowly incidents and bits of past history are revealed that make one wonder if their thoughts about each person are correct.  By the end of the book, the reader is determined to discover who is doing what, and who can be trusted, if anyone.  The themes are self-forgiveness for past mistakes, and learning to trust your own decisions.  This book is recommended for thriller lovers who won't be disappointed in this believable step into a nightmare.