Review: Double Visions

Double Visions

by Matt Drabble

Synopsis

It has been 8 years since the country cowered in fear as the serial killer christened The Crucifier wreaked bloody havoc.

Jane Parkes had always considered her ability a fine line between a gift and a curse. She calls it The Shadow World, a place where she can see through the eyes of killers and help bring them to justice.

Her desperation to prove herself led to a basement confrontation that she wasn’t prepared for. As a result the Detective that had allowed her to work on the case lay dead alongside the killer.

She put away her ability to see inside the minds of monsters for 8 long years, but now someone else has taken up The Crucifiers’ mantle. Someone is killing again, only this time The Shadow World is a two way street and he wants to play.

Sucked into a desperate race for survival Jane is going to learn that sometimes when you stare into the darkness, someone stares back.

Review

This is not the first Matt Drabble book that I have reviewed and I sure hope it is not the last! Talk about creepy, psychological fun! Drabble's books have a way to keep you guessing and this one is no exception. Maybe it's because I am a huge fan of the horror genre, whether we're talking books or movies, but I love being taken on a roller coaster ride of suspense and fear. Jane Parkes has a fantastic (and horrifying) gift in being able to see through the eyes of a murderer which she uses to help bring some justice for the victim. This book is a nonstop thrill ride - I highly enjoyed it!

Verdict

Read if horror and suspense are your thing.

Sometimes when you stare at the darkness, someone stares back.

I love that!

About the Author

Born in Bath, England in 1974, a self-professed "funny onion", equal parts sport loving jock and comic book geek. I am a lover of horror and character driven stories. I am also an A.S sufferer who took to writing full time two years ago after being forced to give up the day job.

I have a career high position of 5th on Amazon's Horror Author Rank of which I am immensely proud.

"GATED" is a UK & US Horror Chart Top Ten Best Seller & winner of the Full Moon Awards 2014 Horror Book of the Year.

"ASYLUM - 13 TALES OF TERROR" is a US Horror Chart #5 It was also voted #5 on The Horror Novel Review's Top 10 Books of 2013 & is a Readers Favorite 2014 Gold Medal Winner.

Both "THE TRAVELLING MAN" and "ABRA-CADAVER" won Indie Book of the Day awards.

Visit me at www.mattdrabble.com to download a free short story.

Twitter: MattDrabble01

Facebook: matt.drabble.3

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Review: Anna Dressed in Blood

Anna Dressed in Blood
by Kendare Blake

Synopisis

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life. 

Anna Dressed in Blood is a 2011 Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year title. 

One of NPR's Top 5 Young Adult Novels of 2011.

Review

I am always on the look out for a good horror/thriller book. If you read my blog occasionally, you already know this. With that in mind, I have never NEVER read a book like Anna Dressed in Blood. I found it to be highly interesting, entertaining and unlike anything else I've read. I'm very much used to reading books from the female perspective because that is simply what I'm drawn to. This book, however, is from the POV of Cas, a teenage boy with the ability to see and get rid of spirits. 

Then one day Cas is called out to another city and with his mom in tow, he begins his research into the spirit story called Anna Dressed in Blood. What he finds, however, is unlike everything he has ever experienced. Anna is meticulous in how she those who enter her home - until she meets Cas. For some reason, Cas is different and is spared. The rest of the book is spent trying to unravel the mystery behind Anna Dressed in Blood and the connection her story has to Cas.

You know, dear reader, not to expect spoilers from this book blog and I intend to keep it that way. But listen when I say - if you like scary books, do not pass up on this one!

Verdict

Horror, with a little confusing romance, never hurt anyone - did it? 

Short Story Friday: PCA

"PCA"
Midnight Paths
by Joe Hart

Book Synopsis

Enter a world where nothing is what it seems. Where darkness never abates, and your deepest fears are just a few steps away. 

Travel to an old house in the country where something hungry waits just beyond the treeline. 

Watch as a young woman, whose life hangs in the balance, receives a visitor from the afterlife. 

Or, journey across an ocean on a romantic voyage that ends in the deepest kind of horror. 

This dark collection of the macabre is sure to chill the bones of even the most stalwart horror aficionado.

Review

"Love does funny things to you, son."

And boy does it! In this story, the reader accompanies Eric, a caregiver, to a patient's home. He's there covering for a co-worker of his. What he finds, however, is something unique.

This is a short story that is able to provide enough suspense and dread within its short number of pages. There is plenty of great description and it's creepy as heck. I look forward to reading more creepy stories from this collection!

Verdict

Dear reader, this collection is not for the faint of heart. This story was so creepy that this collection is now a Short Story Friday favorite! you'll be seeing more from me about this author. 

Review: Birth of an Assassin

Birth of an Assassin
by Rik Stone

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of Soviet, post-war Russia, Birth of an Assassin follows the transformation of Jez Kornfeld from wide-eyed recruit to avenging outlaw. Amidst a murky underworld of flesh-trafficking, prostitution and institutionalized corruption, the elite Jewish soldier is thrown into a world where nothing is what it seems, nobody can be trusted, and everything can be violently torn from him.

Given the order to disperse and arrest a crowd of Jewish demonstrators in Red Square, Jez breaks up the rally but discovers his sisters in their ranks. Rushed for a solution, he sneaks the girls from under the noses of secret police and hides them in downtown Moscow. But he knows they will no longer be safe in Russia. He has to find them a safe route out. 


The journey begins, but he is unaware that his every move is being observed and that he has set in motion a chain of events that will plunge his life into a headlong battle to stay alive.

Review

I've become a sucker for a good assassin story - especially one that is as detailed as this one. Although I have a fondness for history, I pretty much suck at any reference toward any part of history. This is what made this book stand out because I didn't need to remember bits and pieces of history in order to make the story work. That is how detailed Birth of an Assassin is. 

Jez is quite a dynamic character which helps in the whirlwind of events in his life. The reader cares about it's character and is right alongside him with every action packed moment. The book is all about his sacrifices, choices and consequences which is what makes the story such a non-stop-read, but what also makes Jez a character and not just a character - if you know what I mean. It is truly a story that should be experienced and not just "blurbed" about. 

Verdict

Fans of history and action-packed stories will love this one. Let yourself be caught up in it. I'm glad I did.

Top Shelf Short Stories: Hope

Hope
by Dan DeWitt

Maybe I'm sleepy? Maybe I really shouldn't piggy back my posts anymore? Maybe...I don't know. 

I really enjoyed this short story. That was not the problem. There was no problem really, just this feeling that I'm not "getting it." 

Let's assume that I know what I'm talking about.

So, the narrator in this story is traveling to a town named Haber in search of that "one" person. I don't believe he says it directly, but I believe he's implying the "one" who will fall in love with him and vice versa. The reader basically follows the narrator as he's traveling and he's having these thoughts about what he wants to happen and who he wants to eventually find. Then there are certain instances where these random thoughts pop up. Well, I say random - but I'm sure they're planted purposely. 

One is where he mentions a previous friend he knew, Dave, and Dave's wife who fell ill and died soon after getting sick. The narrator's thoughts focus on his reaction to the wife's death - and the fact that he kept her wedding ring on a necklace around his neck. 

Second is where he mentions a sickness as he nears the town (or is in the town). The sickness isn't mentioned anywhere else (unless I totally missed it) and it honestly made me think that he's a vampire or something of the like and perhaps he's the reason his friend's wife died? Maybe why his friend disappeared?

Third is when the narrator mentions as a cliffhanger at the end (yup, spoiler) when he notices the other wedding ring on his finger and thinks, "Oh yeah, I once had a friend..." I took this to mean that either (1) yup, he killed another friend's wife or (2) that is his wedding ring of a time long long ago (and maybe, vampire?). 

So, I did enjoy the story, but it made me have a lot of questions - which isn't a bad thing.

Verdict

Read it. Give it a shot. If you don't like not knowing, maybe move along. 

Review: The Main Ingredient

The Main Ingredient
by Margo Wilson

Synopsis

What does it mean to love? How does one defy death? And will people pay good money for your Friday night fish fry? These are some of the mysteries facing West Coast food editor Wendy Whitby when she reluctantly returns to her childhood home in Weewampum, Wis., to await her mother’s demise. But cantankerous Seal (Cecilia) refuses to pass into the Great Beyond according to schedule. While Wendy waits for Seal to expire, Wendy begrudgingly helps out her two high school pals, flamboyant Amber Moore and reticent Merribeth Hartwell, who have opened a restaurant in downtown Weewampum. 

Wendy and her friends soon are embroiled in their hometown’s political feuds. Some of the well-heeled citizens, including Merribeth’s father, have decided they want to close the town’s hospital downtown and move it to a spiffy building along the interstate. But the women feel the downtown will deteriorate even further if the old hospital shuts its doors, so their restaurant, Amberosia’s, becomes the headquarters of the Stop the Hospital Move campaign. 

After Amberosia’s burns to the ground, the women are convinced someone set the fire to scare them off because they oppose the hospital move. However, Fire Marshal Warren Caramel suspects the women torched the place to collect the insurance money. The threesome realize they’ll have to solve the arson case themselves to avoid spending the best years of their lives in Waysippee State Prison for Women. 

As their arson investigation opens old wounds, causes new ones, and reveals secrets that maybe should have been left concealed, the women are forced to grapple with such issues as: How much does a friend do for a friend? How far does family allegiance go? What is the price of family, and especially, mother-daughter love? What are the magnetic and repelling forces of one’s hometown? And, of course, how much will someone pay for a plateful of fried lake perch?

Review

This book has a little bit of everything!! We get to meet three childhood friends as they embark into a humorous and suspenseful adventure in their town. Wilson does a wonderful job of creating character development which is often times a difficult thing to do when you have more than one "important" character. The reader ends up caring about the threesome and their stories. As if the wonderfully-written friendship wasn't enough, these women are written as actual real women. It's truly a breath of fresh air. 

I read another review recently that described this book as "smart and fun just like the protagonists" and I gotta say, that reviewer got it just right! You don't feel pity for these women or anything short of appreciation. It's wonderful to have such a well written story that cares about it's characters!

Verdict

If you like stories about friends and mysteries that are more than just mysteries - this book is for you!

About the Author

When Margo Wilson was 3 years old, she thought an elevator operator was about to squish her imaginary friends, Keke and Frick, in a department store’s elevator doors, so she screamed for the operator to free them. The operator complied, while Margo’s mom shook her head, and Margo beamed like a superhero. The incident still is the ultimate example of how Margo’s imagination influenced reality, and it helped hook Margo on the power of inventing her own world.  

But the daughter of a police officer and elementary school teacher is nothing if not practical, so Margo chose to be a journalist, a career in which facts and information, presented in compelling ways, often have a chance to influence others’ actions. Margo worked as a staff writer and editor at nine newspapers, ranging from the Spruce Grove Star, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to the Los Angeles Times. Her words led to the defeat of a racist school board member, the resignation of some greedy community college administrators, and publicity for an unknown recording artist who later became one of Margo’s best friends. Margo learned that words have power. 

She also learned that words have beauty. So she returned to school (Goddard College) to polish her creative writing skills and as a result, landed a job teaching writing at California University of Pennsylvania and snagged a book contract with Ramsfield Press. 

These days, she’s working on a memoir about travel and taking a journey, and a series of novels about a dog who ... well, let’s leave that a secret.Although she grew up in Wisconsin, Margo has lived in Indiana, Canada, and California. She makes her home in Southwestern Pennsylvania, with her flat-haired retriever (Well, maybe that’s what she is. The vet is not sure.) Moosie, and her cats Oreo, Lucy, ChaCha, and Mimi. They are forever using their imaginations to devise new ways to persuade Margo to feed them or pet them.

Top Shelf Short Stories: Haunted

Haunted
by Chuck Palahniuk

Okay - so I need to read more carefully. I read that the book was a collection of short stories so I started reading the first story. Then I realized that the stories all make up the novel. Heh - so, this might be breaking the rules a bit, but because the short stories all make up a novel - I'm still going to count it as a short story. 

Now that that's all dealt with, let's move on.

Palahniuk beings each of these stories with a poem. In this first poem and story, we get an introduction to a bus load of individuals on the road to a seemingly secluded area for 3 months for a workshop. The workshop is to become short story writers. In this story, Palahniuk hints that this trip is indeed the last one for all of these people. Very ominous. 

This is the first work of Palahniuk's that I read, and I've heard that he includes some humor in his seriousness - and this story is no exception. In it, Palahniuk points out how we tend to give others nicknames based on their sins, habits and stories. He introduces each of the characters and their sins, habits and stories. Often times during this first section he breaks "the fourth wall" and beckons the reader to think about certain aspects of the story. It's truly fantastic. 

Verdict

Though it's only the first story, I can tell that Palahniuk's writing is truly great. It sucked me right in and I can't wait to get to the other stories in this book in order to know why this book is called Haunted. Definitely recommend!

Book Spotlight: Divided Within

Divided Within
by John Guillen

Synopsis

Houston area private eye Andrew Banks is hired by sixteen-year-old Mercedes Vega to figure out what's dividing her parents. As soon as he meets the rest of the Vega family he realizes that the situation is only one step away from becoming dire. He puts the safety of the family over everything else until the case hits much too close to home. It becomes a race against a wealthy restaurant owner that ultimately becomes deadly.








About the Author

John Guillen has had a love of books for as long as he can remember. As a grade school student he would browse the tables of the semi-annual book fairs at his school and convince his parents to buy as many books as he could. This passion would reemerge years later as a high school teen. He'd read books by the best crime authors of the day long before completing the required school work. 


John knew early on in college that he wanted to become a writer and immediately began work on his debut novel, Divided Within, less than two weeks after graduating from the University of Houston Downtown in May 2013. 

When he's not writing or reading a new novel, he enjoys listening to country music and staying up to date on current news stories. 

Links  

Website: authorjohnguillen.com 
Blog: johnguillen.wordpress.com 
Twitter: @JohnGbooks 
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Divided-Within-Andrew-Banks-Volume/dp/1492747580