Lilith by Eric Rickstad was my first read for the month of June 2026. Eric Rickstad is a new to me author this year. I was drawn to this novel due to the plot summary provided by the publisher.
Lilith is a work of contemporary fiction and is a triller/suspense novel! This novel sucks you in from the very start. I loved the action/suspense/tension building by the author. Elisabeth Ross is the protagonist in Lilth. She is a single mother and elementary school teacher by profession.
Lilith by Eric Rickstad focuses its topic on gun violence and school shootings. Elisabeth is required as a teacher to perform monthly drills with her students on what to do during an emergency lockdown.
Little does Elisabeth know that something bad will happen on the day she and the rest of the teaching staff are to perform an emergency lockdown drill with their students. A real life shooting occurs and it is horrific! Elisabeth saves her students by breaking protocol from the required instructions specified by the school district.
Additionally, Elisabeth's son, Lydan, also attends the same school where she teaches. Elisabeth somehow manages to save Lydan's life as well even though he isn't a student in her class. We read and feel the angst and terror that only a mother can feel about her child's near death experience and long term recovery from their traumatic injuries.
Jumping forward in Lilith, Elisabeth grows angry with the lack of gun control efforts and school shootings that she takes matters into her own hands vigilante style.
Although, I enjoyed Lilith by Eric Rickstad quite a bit. It wasn't perfect by any means. There were interactions between Elisabeth and her son, Lydan, that seemed unrealistic. Plus, some of the plot details were lacking in parts or unrealistic at least in my opinion. For instance, I found the scene where Elisabeth's son saves the day to be unrealistic based on the scope of his injuries. Additionally, Lydan has a few bizarre paranormal type of experiences that didn't seem to fit well with the storyline. Otherwise, Lilth is a good read.
P. S. I listened to the unabridged audio version of Lilith. This book is well narrated by Brittany Pressley.
Below is the publisher's summary for Lilith by Eric Rickstad I found on Amazon's website:
Mother. Hero. Villain. Killer.
After her son, Lydan, suffers traumatic injuries in a school shooting, single mom Elisabeth Ross grows enraged at men in power. If they won’t do anything to help end this epidemic of violence, she will. Believing it’s her destiny, she sets out to awaken the world to the cowards these men are and commits her own shocking act of violence.
Going by the name Lilith—the first wife of Adam who fled Eden rather than serve a man—she posts a video of her crime that reverberates throughout society.
Praised by some, demonized by others, and hunted by the FBI and vigilantes alike, Elisabeth must keep her identity a secret as she tries to care for her son.
As events take startling twists, Elisabeth begins to question her act of violence and the very roots and mythology of violence itself. Was her act justified, or has she become the monster that the original Lilith was accused of being?
As the FBI draws closer and Lydan starts to display odd, terrifying behavior, Elisabeth plots to avoid capture and keep her son safe at all costs, fearing she’ll never escape what she’s done without losing her son forever.
Written with Rickstad’s singular command of language, human insight, and unnerving suspense, Lilith is a tale of our times. Tragic and profound, it echoes in the mind and lingers in the blood.
I am giving Lilith by Eric Rickstad a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.
Until my next post, happy reading!
