Sci Fi Thriller Review: Punishment (Detective Barnes #1) by Scott J. Holliday

Punishment (Detective Barnes #1)
by Scott J. Holliday


Description:
Do you want to know what it’s like to die, to kill, to really fear for your life? Then get hooked…

Detroit-based homicide detective John Barnes has seen it all—literally. Thanks to a technologically advanced machine, detectives have access to the memories of the living, the dying, and the recently dead. But extracting victims’ experiences firsthand and personally reliving everything up to the final, brutal moments of their lives—the sights, the sounds, the scents, the pain—is also the punishment reserved for the criminals themselves.

Barnes has had enough. Enough of the memories that aren’t his. Enough of the horror. Enough of the voices inside his head that were never meant to take root…until a masked serial killer known as Calavera strikes a little too close to home.

Now, with Calavera on the loose, Barnes is ready to reconnect, risking his life—and his sanity. Because in the mind of this serial killer, there is one secret even Barnes has yet to see…


My Review:
Science Fiction meets thriller in this thrilling book by Scott J. Holliday.

What I loved about this book was the blend of science fiction and contemporary thriller. It has the best of both, in my opinion. Detective Barnes struggles with his addiction to the technology that allows him to experience the final moments of a victim’s life, a technology that can be used for pleasant memories, but also for punishment.

I can tell you, this one isn’t easy to guess, which is tops in my book. The mystery is solid, the danger is visceral, and the connection between Detective Barnes, the victims, and even the killer are intimate and gut wrenching.

I very highly recommend this book to folks who are into thrillers but are looking for something a bit different.

I purchased my copy of this book.


About the Author:

Scott J. Holliday was born and raised in Detroit. In addition to a lifelong love of books and reading, he's pursued a range of curiosities and interests, including glassblowing, boxing, and much more. His two previous novels are Stonefly and Normal, the latter of which earned him recognition in INKUBATE.com's Literary Blockbuster Challenge. He loves to cook and create stories for his wife and two daughters.


Author Links:
http://www.scottjholliday.com
Amazon
Twitter@hollidayauthor
Goodreads

Thriller Review: Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake #1) by Rachel Caine

Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake #1)
by Rachel Caine

Description:
Gina Royal is the definition of average—a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband’s secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor—the ultimate warrior mom.

With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace.

But just when she’s starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake—and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed—or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she’s learned how to fight evil. And she’ll never stop.


My Review:
I really liked this one! Engrossing and kept me up too late getting through it.

Looks like the next book comes out this month, but I can't wait for all three to be out. I think I'd rather read these all in a row. It's one of those that really does leave you wanting more.

Yes, while this is a #1, you don't often expect thrillers (even in a series) to end with a cliffhanger, especially one that's just so huge.

Anyway, very good thriller and worth the read, but it is just the beginning.

I purchased my copy of this book.


About the Author:

Rachel Caine is the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 internationally bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including the smash hit bestselling thriller Stillhouse Lake, the internationally bestselling Morganville Vampires series, the Great Library series, the Weather Warden series, the Outcast Season series, the Revivalist series, and the acclaimed YA novel Prince of Shadows.
The pilot for the crowdfunded show MORGANVILLE is now available on Amazon Prime as streaming video.

She was born at White Sands Missile Range, which people who know her say explains a lot. She has been an accountant, a professional musician, and an insurance investigator, and ultimately a corporate management executive before leaving to write full time. She and her husband, comic historian/actor/artist R. Cat Conrad, live in Texas.

Visit her webpage at WWW.RACHELCAINE.COM.

Follow her on Twitter, Goodreads and Amazon.

The next book comes out on December 12, 2017:

Psychological Thriller Review: Whispers by Dean Koontz

Whispers by Dean Koontz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Super creepy!

This psychological thriller twists and turns in terrifying and creepy ways. It's part mystery, part horror story, and part love story. The starlet at the center of things triggered the murderous intent of the villain simply by resembling his mother. Due to no small measure of luck, she manages to fight him off twice, giving him a fatal injury the second time. And that's where the story would have ended in a less inspired book. Not this one, though, because the dead man comes for her again and again.

I love how the story shifts to the different perspectives, giving just enough to understand the various characters, even the villain, without prematurely solving the mystery. The love story is also pretty sweet, but edgy, too, as the girl and the detective (who happens to be the only one to believe her) work to discover how a dead man manages to keep turning up.

As for the horror side of things, the villain himself is completely insane, and his inner ramblings are shocking, and horrifyingly believable. To me it seemed that his descent into madness and murder could plausibly happen, and that totally creeped me out. As for his back story, it was tragic, and even his victim felt sorry for him by the end of things. And the whispers themselves, eep! The story walks along a tightrope between realistic and supernatural, with just enough of each to keep the reader guessing until the very end.

I did notice a few choppy spots as well as some occasional heavy-handed foreshadowing and reminding of the villain's craziness. So, the story wasn't entirely smooth. Also, I didn't expect the detailed intimate scenes, which weren't the focus of the story, but which were given a rather generous play by play over multiple pages. Well described, but I didn't exactly buy what the lady seemed to enjoy(seemed like what a man might think a lady would enjoy).

And the ending, while built up to rather masterfully, just kind of ended. Right after the action. Just ended. Not completely dissatisfying, but not the best ending I've ever read either.

Overall, I really liked this story and would recommend it to folks who enjoy a good psychological thriller with a hint of mystery and paranormal connotations. That being said, the story focuses on a serial rapist/murderer. If that's not something you want to read about (in detail, no less), then this is not for you.

I found a copy of this book in a little free library at work and picked it up because a relative said the author's books were good. At the time, I thought he'd recommended this one, but I think I was remembering the wrong title. Anyway, loved it. I'm afraid I've forgotten all the character's names since it's been a few weeks since I finished reading this, but the story itself is still fresh in my mind.

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New Release and Review: Fade to Black by Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus

Today I'm announcing a new release and sharing my ARC review of Fade to Black by Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus. The second author may sound familiar to you if you've been following this blog, because I loved her previous book, Casting Shadows Everywhere. While I can't say that I loved this book as much as I did the other, I can say that I really liked it.


Fade to Black by Tim McBain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fade to Black is dark, it's filled with psychological ramblings, and it features a disturbed young man plagued by seizure dreams, which feature a hooded figure killing him time after time, no matter what he tries to do. It's enough to drive one crazy.

I mention the psychological ramblings as a plus. In Casting Shadows Everywhere, these came primarily from the main character's night time psychology classes at the local college. In Fade to Black, they come from Glenn, an old man trying to use Jeff's unique condition to track down his daughter Amity. But, it's not an information dump.

As we and Glenn learn more about Jeff and begin making some conclusions, Glenn feels drawn to help Jeff understand himself. Then Jeff takes that information and thinks about it, and either internalizes or disregards it, depending on his own level of self-awareness or denial. I think it is interesting to see how different events spark a response in Jeff's self-image, and I dig the science behind it being trickled in.

And, yes, this story is dark, and delightfully so. How could it not be when the main character gets killed over and over? But it's also laced with humor (and a fair share of foul language).

Now, there were a couple of things that kept me from loving this book. First off, it seemed choppy in places, kind of like when an overzealous commercial placement eats a scene in a movie and you wonder how you got from where you were to where you are. This happened mostly in the beginning. Second, there are also several examples of the main character accepting things that are happening to him that a normal person would question. Since he seems to be a mistrustful, paranoid fellow, this seemed out of character.

Overall, I really liked this story. It's smart, dark and thrilling. I think folks who enjoy a metaphysical or psychological thriller with a side of humor would enjoy this one. It is the first in a series. Both this and the next in the series, Bled White, are being released October 20th.

I received this book as an ARC from the author.

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Now available on Amazon!

Psychological Thriller Review: Casting Shadows Everywhere by L.T. Vargus

Casting Shadows Everywhere by L.T. Vargus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great story! Both surprising and clever.

Casting Shadows Everywhere is a story that takes the form of a journal. The narrator is a 15 year old boy called Jake. The opening scene captures an early memory Jake has of his Cousin Nick rescuing him from a bully by nearly choking his attacker to death, a frightening start to a story I entered into without having read the description or any reviews or ratings.

Yes, I went into this one blindly, didn't even know what genre the book was. I do remember jumping over to Smashwords to pick up a copy when the author posted a free coupon on a message board, months ago. I'm always up for a freebee, after all. Anyway, I blindly got my copy, forgot about getting it for a few months and then, coming off a slew of YA fiction, vampires, and romance, came across this one again. The catchy red and black cover, featuring a long shadow, stood out, though the title gave me few clues to what I was in for. So, all that being said, my verdict is this: wow!

I love this story. It combines psychology, thrills, coming of age, and humor into a package that just works. Random asides, musings, wonderings, and sometimes even nonsense pepper the work, as someone would do in a personal journal. I loved every one. The parting entry, in particular, left me in tears from laughing so hard, but humor is only one element of the package.

Jake, the perpetual victim, wants to stand up for himself, but always finds himself backing down. He likes a girl called Beth, but lacks the confidence to connect with her. Overall, he's a pushover, and he knows it. He hates it. Then one day his Cousin Nick offers to give him lessons in confidence. Dangerous lessons. Despite misgivings, Jake keeps coming back, enraptured by the thrill of life and confidence they inspire. He finally stands up for himself, becomes friends with Beth, and learns to believe in himself.

Watching Jake gain confidence, I found myself both cheering him on and worrying about the direction he was taking. His cousin, despite being his rescuer and role model, is amoral, violent and downright scary. Jake's outlook continues to darken and draws you in deeper and deeper into the shadows with him, all building up to one of the most memorable climactic moments I've ever read. I was utterly in shock, mouth hanging open, literally (as in the correct usage of that word). I couldn't believe what I was reading, and I couldn't stop. I had to know what happened, even though I dreaded what seemed the inevitable conclusion.

Overall, I'd say this is a must read for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller with an edge of humor, all delivered in a realistic package. It's not the type of book I normally read, but I loved it. It's been several days since I finished it, and I still find myself musing over it.

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New Release March 14: The Quest for Truth (Paranoia #2) by Jonathan-David Jackson

Today, I am happy to announce the release of a sequel I've been looking forward to for some time.  I don't usually get the inside scoop for releases like this, other than for David Estes books, so I'm excited to be one of the first to tell you about it.  I think those of you who like humorous, quirky books will like this one and its predecessor The Quest for Juice.  

Oscar's orderly paranoid world has been turned upside down by the Red Fist Army and he now lives in exile. With the help of Penelope, Jim, and Mr. Hodge the hedgehog, he must free their hostage town, take on the Red Fist, and discover the truth about Dr. Boggs.

However, when things go wrong and Oscar loses his closest friends, he has to rely on an unlikely group of refugees with surprising mental abilities. As he continues on his journey to freeing the town and himself, he finds out more of his own truths than he ever imagined, and absolutely nobody shoots lasers out of their eyes. 

I first discovered this series on the CreateSpace message boards before The Quest for Juice was quite finished, read a preview of the work in progress, and was immediately hooked. After that, I kept an eye out on the message board that had first pointed me towards the preview, looking for the typical excited post that authors tend to leave when their hard work is done and their books are going live. When I finally saw it, I snatched up a copy of the book immediately (kindle version) and devoured it, leaving what I think just may have been the first review for it.

Since then, I've been waiting for book two, because the first story ended with a promise of more, a prospect I looked forward to. Imagine my surprise when the author contacted me on Goodreads to offer an ARC copy and a heads up that his book was going live on the 14th.  Of course, I jumped at the opportunity.  

Check back in next week for my review of The Quest for Truth, but in the meantime, here's my original review for The Quest for Juice.  

*****

The Quest for Juice by Jonathan-David Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Quirky, dark and funny.

Oscar Wells suspects 'they' are up to no good in his town. All of his extensive research, documented meticulously on a wall in his house, points towards a dark conspiracy. First, it's little things, like his key not quite fitting and having to jiggle it to open his door. But when his favorite Sunshine Juice is replaced by Sunlight OJ, "now with 50% more real orange pulp," they've gone too far. From there Oscar spirals into a paranoid breakdown that lands him first in jail and later in a mental ward, and then it gets really interesting.

Oscar is a mess. The book is told from his perspective and he freely walks you through every connection, suspicion and thought that lead him to his often tenuous conclusions and decidedly odd outlook on life. I found myself laughing aloud many a time.

On the other hand, the unlikely outcome requires quite a leap of faith, even through the eyes of the delusional main character. Entertaining, yes; believable, no. I'm not certain I would read the next one in the series when it comes out, because I'm not sure what's left to tell based on where the story left off.*

Overall, The Quest for Juice is an enjoyable read with a ton of humorous, though at times dark, insanity sprinkled in. I highly recommend it to people who like stories where reality and perception clash in interesting ways. This story kept me guessing and second guessing, and I loved that about it.

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*Having started the sequel at this point, I can say there is plenty left to tell, and so far it's on par with the first one. I think at the time I originally wrote this review, I was having trouble picturing a sequel. The story is completely unpredictable (rare in most books), which probably led me to that conclusion. How could I predict the unpredictable? So far, the author seems to be proving me wrong, and that's a good thing.