Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read and Listen for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $3.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $12.24

Save: $10.25 (84%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Aric Davis
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Fort Kindle Edition

by Aric Davis (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,809 ratings
See all formats and editions

During the waning summer days of 1987, a deranged Vietnam vet stalks Grand Rapids, Michigan, abducting and murdering nameless victims from the streets, leaving no leads for police. That is, until he picks up sixteen-year-old Molly. From their treehouse fort in the woods, three neightborhood boys spy the killer holding a gun to Molly’s back, they go to the police—only to have their story disregarded. But the boys know evil lives in their midst. A growing sense of honor and urgency forces the boys to take action—to find Molly, to protect themselves, to stand guard for the last long days of summer.

At turns heartbreaking and breathtakingly thrilling, The Fort perfectly renders a coming-of-age story in the 1980s, in those final days of childhood independence, discovery, and paradise lost.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    246 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Thomas & Mercer
  5. Publication date
    June 11, 2013
  6. File size
    1107 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Author Sean Chercover Reviews The Fort by Aric Davis

The Fort is that rare and welcome find—a book so great you want to recommend it to strangers on the subway. From page one, you know you're in good hands. Aric Davis writes with a voice so singular, so authentic, his story becomes a separate reality—not just read, but experienced.

The endless summer of 1987 stretches out before Tim, Scott, and Luke—best friends and blood-brothers who spend their days... Read the rest of this review at www.kindlepost.com.

From Booklist

Davis’ growing rep as a brawny, flinty mystery writer won’t be dampened by this straightforward but impressively dogged tale of abduction and lies. Three 12-year-old boys—Tim, Scott, and Luke—are watching the summer of 1987 die from their treehouse fort when they see something incredible: a missing teen girl being pushed through the forest at gunpoint. Grabbing the rifle that Scott lifted from his stepdad, Luke shoots the gunman in the leg. They run for the cops but are discounted as liars. Davis spreads the point of view across the boys, the detective on the case, and the kidnapper himself—a rattled Vietnam vet killing girls in search of a replacement for his long-lost sister. To clear their names, the boys determine to solve the mystery for themselves, and their brave investigation plugs into dark Bradburian nostalgia, complete with sneaking out of bedroom windows, secret codes, and the kind of blood-brother friendship that only exists before the capricious twists of manhood. Few surprises await here, but that’s okay—Davis makes the hard, fast journey a destination in itself.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009XDDVOC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer (June 11, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 11, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1107 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 246 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1611099390
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,809 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Aric Davis

Aric Davis

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Aric Davis is married with one daughter and lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he worked for sixteen years as a body piercer; he now writes full time. A punk rock aficionado, Davis does anything he can to increase awareness of a good band. He likes weather cold enough to need a sweatshirt but not a coat, and friends who wear their hearts on their sleeves. In addition to reading and writing, he also enjoys roller coasters, hockey, and a good cigar.

Aric is the author of nine books: From Ashes Rise: A Novel of Michigan, Nickel Plated, A Good and Useful Hurt, The Black Death: A Dead Man Novella, Rough Men, Breaking Point, The Fort, Tunnel Vision, Weavers and The Vanderbilt.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
1,809 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

impossible girl
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced thriller!
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
Are you looking for a good thriller to read? Do you like reading into the night? If so, this book may be for you.

I was looking for a few books to read on my kindle when I came across the description for this one. Since I've spent all of my summers in Michigan (where this story takes place) I figured I'd give it a chance. I was in the mood for a thriller after reading a few other books that friends had recommended. Also, I had just finished the book about the Adam Walsh abduction, so I was hoping for a more satisfying ending with this book.

This book takes place in the late 1980's in Michigan, a time period I grew up during: No cell phones and the "be home before dark" rule. Three boys, Tim, Luke, and Scott have built a fort in the woods behind their houses, It's where they spend all of their time that summer, until the unthinkable happens: a local girl is kidnapped. Things go from bad to worse when the boys report having seen the girl being dragged through the woods and the police don't believe their story. What can the boys do to have the adults believe them? Is it worth it?

I found this book to be enjoyable--it kept my interest, which sometimes is very hard to do. I found myself reading late into the night because I didn't want to put the book down. It was fast-paced and I liked how the chapters alternated their focus on different characters. Definitely worth the price and the time!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
PBFamily
4.0 out of 5 stars I always wanted a fort in the woods
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2013
Verified Purchase
The Fort is a coming-of-age novel that tells the story of three young boys that build a fort and witness a crime while they are up in the trees one lazy summer day.

This is one of those strange books that borders on adult and young adult fiction. It feels like a YA novel because it tells the story from the point of view of three twelve year old boys, but there is a lot of adult content and violence that would in no way make this an appropriate read for a middle-schooler.

The Fort was an easy fast read, and truly a page turner. It illuminates how difficult it is to be a pre-teen and be taken seriously by adults, and I think many can relate to the feeling that the police department is not always so helpful when you need them. It's the type of book where the reader knows everything that's going on and you just want to scream out to the characters, "oh there he is, catch the bad guy already!"

I enjoyed the suspense and could relate to most of the characters-except the bad guy-he was just crazy, but who doesn't love crazy. Great read.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Wallflower
5.0 out of 5 stars I recommend this book!
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed reading this book set in the 80's during summer vacation. The friendship shared by these three 12 year old boys feels so real. They witness a girl being pushed through the woods near their tree house fort and realize it is Molly, a girl that has gone missing. When they report what they have seen, there is an event that makes it appear they lied. These are good boys but their parents are furious they would lie when everyone is searching for Molly. The kids are grounded and kept apart. They manage to sneak out and meet each other in an attempt to save Molly. The boys--one of whom is more a parent than a boy--are all from different types of families, and it's lovely the way they interact together and share their lives to strive to prove they are not liars and more importantly, save Molly. In the meantime there is a serial killer Vietnam vet who makes a practice of kidnapping and killing girls that remind him of his sister, Amy. This was such an enjoyable book to read and I read it very fast. I loved the innocence of the kids as well as their bravery and ethics. I have read Aric Davis's book "A Good and Useful Hurt" which I loved, and I look forward to reading other books by Mr. Davis.
Helpful
 Report
Max Read
3.0 out of 5 stars "A psychological mystery and thriller"
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2013
Verified Purchase
Aric Davis author of four previous novels including "A good and Useful Hurt" and `Nickel Plated" adds "The Fort" to his repertoire of work in which strong, sometimes violent characters are involved in mysterious events. Born in Ithaca New York, Aric has lived most of his life in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife and daughter and was a professional body piercer.

"The Fort" as with other of Davis' novels involves the lives of young people and includes the loss of lives taken far too young. The writing is straight forward, well constructed and utilizes an anonymous narrator to tell a tale of three teenagers who witness the kidnapping of a young girl by a demented sadistic war veteran suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome.

The story moves quickly and keeps the reader fully engaged in the action up to the dramatic conclusion. The novel's thread is well coordinated with the events that it describes, however, there are a few distractions in the development. In a minor way, the character development is thin leaving the reader feeling the main characters are strangers. More important, however, both the relationship of the teenagers with their parents, and the unprofessionalism of the police detectives, while the main thrust of the story's events, seems particularly unnatural, and thus unbelievable. It is highly probable that parents tend to believe their children intuitively concerning certain things, and defend them without question. Second, it is equally probable, that a detective, even a poor one, would not abandon questioning of declared witnesses to a crime whether they be adults or young teenagers.

Notwithstanding the problematic nature of the character development, the story was still quite engaging. If you are not particularly nonplussed by the unnatural feel of the interaction of the characters then you should appreciate this work and I would recommend you add it to your reading list.
I would rate this novel as pleasurable, but not particularly memorable......just a good read.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

FRANKIE
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in France on July 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
Good story. Took some getting into, but worth the initial effort. Well written. Not my usual type of book, but I did enjoy it!
Report
Sheryl
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Germany on August 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
The idea was original. The plot was not just interesting for the adolescence, but also for the adults. With the exception of the mother, the characters were likable and believable. I would recommend it.
Report
maggiefb
4.0 out of 5 stars dangerous games
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2013
Verified Purchase
After accepting the offer of sample chapters I decided to order this book. Three young boys in a small town in northern US are part way through their summer holidays, playing war games in their fort in the woods, when they see a girl who has gone missing. She is being forced through the woods by a man with a gun.
Like most 12-year-olds, some aspects of their play are not known, or allowed, by their parents, but nonetheless they report this sighting to the police. Initially interested, the police are then presented with evidence which contradicts the boys' story, leading to the three being accused of lying. Two, Tim and Scott, are punished by their families, while the third, Luke, is left to his own devices by his troubled and neglectful mother.
The reader is never in any doubt about who is responsible for Molly's abduction, or the other murders which have taken place in the area; we read on in the hope that the detectives will cotton on soon. The story is set in 1987, hence the absence of mobile phones, the internet, I-pads etc: children are still free to roam, play and have unsupervised adventures. Crime detection is harder as sophisticated DNA tests are not yet available, which partly excuses the seeming incompetence of the police.
I was quite surprised that the author dedicated this book to his young daughter, given the subject matter: I wonder what she will think when she's old enough to read it.
Report
Leigh A
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in Australia on April 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Kept me interested and suitably tense throughout.
Report
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable - looking forward to reading more books by Aric Davis
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2015
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Its about three young boys, their summer holiday and their tree house aka The Fort. The story is set in the 1980's in America and something the three boys witness that changes the course of their summer break. The plot and characters are very well drawn, I was enthralled from the start. One of those books you just cannot put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it all. The ending is great, very fitting for the plot. A lot of times I feel endings are rushed or just thrown together, but this lived up to the high standard of the book. I am really looking forward to reading more books by this author. A great discovery that I have the Kindle Daily Deals to thank for.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report