The Oath by Frank E. Peretti (1996, Audio Cassette)

This novel is frightening. Bizarre. The Oath opens with a chapter depicting a nature photographer, Cliff Benson, who is brutally killed after going on a camping expedition with his wife (Evelyn) near the town of Hyde River. When Evelyn blocks the memory of what happened from her mind, & with very little evidence to work with, the local sheriff department closes the case, ruling that a rogue bear had been the culprit. Steve Benson, wildlife biologist and brother of the victim, is not satisfied with the sheriff's conclusion. He goes to Hyde River & teams up with one of the local deputies, Tracy Ellis, and tries to find out what really happened. It seems that for the last several decades, dozens of mysterious deaths have occurred. The oddest thing is that the townsfolk of Hyde River, don't care at all what happened or is happening. In fact, the town tries to cover up these deaths, by removing any evidence of the attacks. The small rural town locals have a deep dark secret, a gruesome physical anomaly in common, & they don't like out-of-towners.
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The Oath is a story of ordinary people who get thrown into extraordinary situations, well written for it's genre. It's an easy and quick read because you won't want to put it down once you get going, even though there are some very graphic sections.
Peretti is billed as a "Christian" author, & was, in his past, a Pentecostal minister. You'd never know that from this novel!