Reality vs. Fantasy

IN THE FOG by John Meany is a crime drama/murder mystery. The plot is spectacular: a man suffering from dementia and alcoholism witnesses a murder, and no one believes him.

Frank and Dora Parker go fishing in their boat and a thick fog rolls down around them. On the lake shore, a woman walks out of the forest, holding a knife, followed by a man dragging what appears to be a dead body. Only Frank sees any of it - his wife claims to see nothing. Frank thinks he's witnessed a murder, but everyone else thinks Frank needs to stop drinking so much.

The characters are well-developed, and the family dynamics really propel the storyline. Not a lot of action, but the personal interactions are impressive. Better than any of the crap that Stephen King has written lately. Definitely making my Top 2020 list.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Jack the Ripper Falls In Love

SWORD AND SNAKES by Mark Lumby is nothing like his previous stories. I'm not impressed with the author's take on Jack the Ripper. Much of the story is a series of long-winded conversations, separated by drawn-out thought-monologues, with very little action. This novella lacks the creativity and suspense I've come to expect from Lumby.

If you want to know what the author is really capable of, I recommend THE DEBT or RATS IN THE LOFT.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Ashes to Ashes

The stones uncovered by a young couple in the back garden of their new home seem harmless, even useful--until the nightmares start. Now they must look to the past for answers before a malevolent entity drives them away...or worse.

The Girl in the Stones by Sherry D. Ramsey captivated me from the moment the cat freaked out. From Gillian's nightmares to her grandfather's dementia, the author does a great job of building suspense and creating suspicion. After the mystery of the fires is revealed, I wondered how peace could ever be attained.

As much as I enjoyed this short story, I'm left with so many questions, I wish the author would consider writing another story about Alice.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Appetite For Destruction

If you had the chance to hit the reset button, would you?
If a stranger told you they could take away your cancer, would you let them?
If paradise was gifted to you, a new life, a house by the lake, more money than you could imagine, and a wife for whom you would eventually love, would you agree to take that deal?

There is only one condition. In 20 years you must give something back. You don’t know what that something is, and you never will until you need to give it. 

All debts need paying in the end.

Everything has its price.

The Debt by Mark Lumby (author of Most of Me, Lord of the Harvest, Rats in the Loft and Bag of Buttons) is a visceral story about a young man named Jack Monday. Jack owes $500,000 to a pair of loan sharks, and, in order to pay off his debt, he essentially sells his life (not his soul) to a rather perverse man who calls himself Francis Dupont. What level of perverse, you may ask? Think: family orgies, torture, slaughter...all manner of depravity.

The POV switches between characters, with the story belonging just as much to Francis and his family as it does to Jack and his family. There are many difficult choices to be made throughout the book, and it's maddening to guess what path each character will choose. Once again, Lumby has succeeded in writing one hell of an original storyline.

While The Debt works as a stand-alone, I sincerely hope Lumby will consider writing a sequel...I'd love to see a good battle between granddaughter and grandfather.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Flash Fiction Fail

Blackouts have always been Melissa's problem, but now she has a new one. People are missing, and she isn't entirely convinced she's not responsible.

Stained by Kayla Krantz is an interesting twist on sleepwalking, but failed to deliver any real horror. Several elements are introduced into the story, such as an "incident" in Melissa's childhood, which has affected her relationship with her mother. However, the author never reveals what happened in the family's past.

Very little is revealed about Melissa and her relationships, or non-relationships, with other people, making it difficult to feel anything for the character in any way. When Melissa creates a drawing, I thought Krantz would go somewhere with that detail, but, again, no explanation.

I think Krantz had a good idea for a story, and she could've went in many different directions with the storyline. Unfortunately, the idea is wasted on a flash fiction piece which stagnates in Melissa's head.

As always,
AstraDaemon

When The Dead Come Calling

It's 1869 and in the town of Lazarus, California, the dead don't stay that way. Luella Pembry arrives in town with a plan to stop the Risings taking place, for a price. Haunted by her own dark past, she enlists the aid of Sheriff Drake to help her find out what is causing the Dead to rise. Together, they race to unravel the mystery that threatens the town.

Lazarus by Lori Titus is a supernatural novella filled with mystery and suspense. Titus once again reveals her talent for creating a metaphysical drama, not unlike a terrifying soap opera. In this case, Luella comes to Lazarus to help them with their undead problem, but she finds herself drawn into a family history full of betrayal, deceit and murder. A ghost from the past requests Luella's assistance in tying up a loose end...with a noose. Luella knows she will likely die in the process, but she never refuses the dead.

I'm not necessarily a fan of stories set in this time period, but Titus avoids getting caught up in an elaborate setting and, instead, focuses on the characters and their interactions with each other. The result is a well-paced thriller about several dark secrets buried within the town.

As always,

AstraDaemon

The Details Will Kill You

The Old Callow House by Nathanial Edwards has a serious formatting issue that is sure to turn off many readers, which is a shame because this is one of the best abandoned house stories I've ever read. I had no idea why the previous owners disappeared or what would happen to the three teenagers who dared to explore the inside. When one of them has an epiphany about the floor plans, I freaked out as much as the character did. I wouldn't mind reading another story centered on this house.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Death In The Streets

The Watcher by A.L. Butcher is a tale of Jack the Ripper, told from the killer's POV. I wouldn't necessarily categorize this as horror. There's no build up of suspense, no mystery, just a graphic description of another brutal murder by the Ripper. I will give props to the author for painting such a morbid, visceral slaughter, but it takes more than violence and gore to be truly frightening. Even with a glimpse from the victim's POV, this is more of show-and-tell than anything else.

In the future, the author might want to think about including more personal details about characters, to elicit more of a response from readers.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Monday Murder: Psych You Out

The Psychopath and the Rose by Sheldon Cole introduces readers to a very disturbed Dr. George Eager (nice pun), who fantasizes regularly about inflicting pain and suffering on another person. This story is fantastic in every way: the set-up, the suspense and the grand finale. Just enough is revealed about the characters to feel something about each of them, whether it's disgust, fear or awe, which makes the ending that much more powerful.

If you enjoy mystery-horror written in the classic style, you're going to dig Cole.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Monday Murder [Book Review]

Apartment 7C by David Bernstein is not quite at the level I've come to expect from this author. If I weren't already a fan, I'm not sure this story would have won me over. Granted, it's a short story, but the characters are flat, almost stereotypical, with no major plot twists...Bernstein can do much better than this.

The story is told through the POV of an elderly woman. She's living next door to a young lady being brutally beaten by her husband. No one dares help the victim because her husband is a detective with some shady connections. What appears to be a case of domestic abuse is revealed to be something more sinister. Unfortunately, Bernstein spends more time focusing on the violence, rather than the secrets that are uncovered.

However, it's well-written, it held my attention from beginning to end and has some unpredictable moments, so Bernstein fans will still want to add this to their collections.

As always,
Ursula K Raphael

My #1 Pick For 2015

On September 6th, 1965, Sutter Wayne Thomas, 8, went missing from the Mecklenburg County Fairgrounds in Charlotte, North Carolina. He remained missing for eight years, and when he returned, horribly scarred and disfigured, he remembered nothing of where he had been, who had taken him, or what had happened to him. His abductor was never apprehended, or even identified.

30 years later, Sutter is a highly-successful true crime author and a public relations agent for missing children, lending his fame and fortune to the efforts for their safe return. For the most part he has adjusted to the world around him, though any lingering effects from his ordeal flare to the forefront when on the exact anniversary of his abduction, another 8-year-old boy goes missing from the exact place, at the exact time, in the exact way Sutter had.

---

Heritage by H. Perry Horton is the best fiction that I've read all year. The novel begins with a news article, drawing in readers while laying down the foundation of the story. The story follows the POV of Sutter - a former kidnap victim and now a public relations agent for families of missing children, Patrick - the current missing boy, and Dale - a detoxing junkie who might know where Patrick is being held. There is disturbing imagery of the tortured little boy, but the description is subtle - no graphic details of the actual violence. I am impressed with how Horton terrifies readers without exploiting the pain and suffering of the characters for shock value.

Possibly due to the number of horror/mystery/thriller books I have read, I guessed correctly which character is the perpetrator and how the person gets away with it, but it didn't ruin the story for me at all...and, even though I figured out who the killer is, I couldn't have predicted the ending if my life depended on it.

I've never been so traumatized by a fictional character before reading Heritage. I've had nightmares from stories before, but this novel is so horrifying, I couldn't even read it one sitting. I kept having nightmares that the killer broke into my house to get to my son.

Horton is an exceptional horror writer, a true master of suspense, and I sincerely think this novel should be given an award. I look forward to reading more from this author.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Desperate To Have A Baby

Until You're Mine
by Samantha Hayes
369 pages
$11.99 Kindle version

Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes introduces a theme that some may remember in the headlines: women so desperate for a baby that they attack pregnant women. The prologue is a great hook which introduces readers to a desperation some women feel when they are unable to conceive. however, until the end of the book, it is not clear who the childhood flashback belongs to, and the mystery creates a suspenseful atmosphere for the story to develop within.

The three POVs belong to Claudia - stepmother to twins, Zoe - their nanny, and Lorraine - the detective hunting for the person killing expectant mothers and carving the babies out of them. I enjoyed the side stories of the women, such as the marital issues between Lorraine and Adam, and the strained relationship between Cecelia and Zoe. I also found the connections between characters enthralling, even though the characters themselves are mostly unaware of those connections.

The author obviously uses misdirection throughout the story - too much and too often, in fact. Misdirection only works if the readers are unaware that they are deliberately being misled. Instead of building suspense, it took away from it. However, the pace remains steady throughout the novel, and I felt compelled to finish the book in one sitting. The epilogue is straight-forward, yet the very last sentence is the most sinister moment of the entire novel, as far as I am concerned.

Even though the male characters take a backseat in this story, I think this crime thriller will appeal to both male and female fans of the genre.

As always,
AstraDaemon