How About Some Chills & Thrills?

Disappearance at Devil's Rock is a novel by Paul Tremblay. Elizabeth Sanderson receives a call late one summer's night that changes everything. Her thirteen-year-old son, Tommy, has vanished from the woods of a nearby state park and the searchers aren't finding any clues. Elizabeth and her eleven-year-old daughter, Kate are feeling helpless, alone and more than a little frustrated. The two friends that Tommy was hanging with, Josh and Luis, may not be telling the whole truth about the night they were at a landmark named Devil's Rock in Borderland State Park. Elizabeth also thinks that a wraith-like apparition of Tommy has appeared in her bedroom while Kate and other locals claim they have seen a shadowy figure peering through their windows in the dead of night. When random pages begin disappearing from Tommy's journal, Elizabeth learns that her son was obsessed with the supernatural. Tommy believed that the loss of his father to a drunk driving accident, a folktale involving a demon in the woods of Borderland, and the coming zombie "pocketclips" are all connected by one horrible incident. Is Tommy simply lost or did something more sinister happen that night at Devil's Rock?

My Best Friend's Exorcism is a novel by Grady Hendrix. It's 1988 in Charleston, South Carolina and Abby and Gretchen are high school sophomores. They have been best friends since the fourth grade, but after an evening of skinny-dipping goes horribly wrong, Abby has her doubts about the strength of their friendship. Gretchen begins acting strangely—she's moody, irritable, and just not herself. There is also the fact that bizarre incidents keep happening when Gretchen is around. Abby decides she has better get to the bottom of these strange events, but the conclusion she comes to terrifies her beyond belief. She is left asking herself one important question: Is her friendship with Gretchen strong enough to beat the devil?

Zero K is a novel by Don DeLillo. Ross Lockhart is a billionaire in his sixties married to a younger wife, Artis, whose health is failing. His son, Jeffrey, has joined them at a remote and secret compound where death is controlled and the body is preserved until biomedical advances and new technologies can restore them. Jeffrey finds the mission of this compound indefensible. He firmly believes that experiencing the here and now is the most important part of living life. Ross, however, feels a deep need to enter another dimension and awake to a new world. Artis sums up the conflict between father and son when she muses, "We are born without choosing to be. Should we have to die in the same manner? Isn't it a human glory to refuse to accept a certain fate?"

The Book Or The Movie?

While movies and television allow the beloved characters from literature to come alive and flourish if put into the hands of the right actors, writers, directors, and producers; the opposite is true if the wrong sort of people get their hands on our favorite stories. Ever since the advent of motion pictures, there has been a heated debate. Is the book or the movie better? The following books have been made into motion pictures that are currently available in theaters. I'll let you decide which is better, but you'll have to read the books to make your choice.

"Middle School: the Worst Years of My Life" is a series of juvenile books by the ever-popular James Patterson (Alex Cross novels). Rafe Katchadorian has enough problems at home without having to worry about the oppressive rules laid down by the principal of his middle school. With the help and encouragement of his best friend, Leonardo the Silent, Rafe has decided it will be his mission to break as many of the school rules as he can. The two have even made a game of it: Chewing gum in class, 5,000 points! Running in the hallway, 10,000 points! Pull the fire alarm, 50,000 points! When all of this rule-breaking begins to catch up with him, Rafe must decide whether or not he can face up to the rules, the bullies, and what is really bothering him.

"Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" is the first book in a Young Adult series by Ransom Riggs. Haunting photographs help tell the story of sixteen-year-old Jacob who has suffered a terrible tragedy. His beloved grandfather was attacked and Jacob finds him barely alive. With his dying breath, his grandfather compels him to seek out the orphanage where he spent his childhood. Jacob manages to convince his parents to let him go, but what he finds there he doesn't fully understand. As he explores the rooms and hallways, Jacob comes to believe that these children may have been quarantined on this island because of their peculiar abilities; and even, perhaps, because they were dangerous. Local history says that the children were killed when the Nazis dropped a bomb on the house, but what Jacob finds leads him to think otherwise. Are the peculiars still alive? You'll have to read it to find out!

Finally, for the adults, we have "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins. Rachel's life now is full of monotony. She takes the same train everyday with the same people who have the same conversations. Her only bit of respite is the young couple she sees having breakfast every morning--she calls them Jess and Jason. They remind her of how her life used to be before her divorce. One morning however, she witnesses something shocking. It is only a split second before the train moves on. Rachel doesn't know what to do, but she goes to the authorities anyway. Soon, the authorities begin to question her sanity as well as her motives while Rachel becomes more and more entangled in the lives of those involved. Has she done more harm than good? You decide.

Dexter's Final Cut

I finally was able to read Jeff Lindsay's latest novel, Dexter's Final Cut, the next in the Dexter Morgan series.  Lindsay's series inspired the Dexter Showtime series that ended its run in October 2013.  From what I have read, this book is the final Dexter book, but I am hoping that Jeff Lindsay will write at least one more in the series before he hangs up the Dexter Morgan character.  Dexter Morgan is a blood splatter expert with the Miami-Dade Police Department and a serial killer.  Dexter, however, only kills bad people such as rapists or child molesters who "fall through the cracks" and end up escaping justice.  He has a strict code he follows,  which was given to him by Harry, his policeman step-father.    Dexter does

not function with the ability to empathize with other "humans," so he has spent most of his days studying others around him and trying to fit in.  He is married to Rita, and has one kid with her and two step-kids, Cody and Astor, in whom he sees fleeting images of "Dark Passenger" behavior.  The book opens with a scene in which you finally figure out that Dexter is NOT dead, but acting in a television show.  From there, the book starts over from the beginning and details the events leading up to the television show scene.  Dexter and his sister, Sergeant Deborah Morgan, are chosen to be the folks that several as the "technical advisors" for a forensics television series that is being shot in Miami.  Dexter is delighted when the beautiful actress, Jackie Forrest hires him to be her personal bodyguard after she reveals she has received some stalker-type fan mail and women around Miami that look uncannily like Jackie start dying.  Dexter gets caught up in the high-flying actor lifestyle---will this lead to the end of his life with Rita?  A definite twist at the end involving Astor, truly shakes up the book and the ending is truly topsy-turvy.  I adore Dexter Morgan's character because he truly makes the reader root for him---how bad can he be if he helps rid the world of bad people?  It's a great series that is not easily forgotten.  Jeff Lindsay lives in South Florida with his wife and three daughters and may be contacted at www.Dexter-Books.com, www.facebook.com/jefflindsayauther or at www.doubleday.com.

Dive into the Night Season

Chelsea Cain's novels have to be some of the creepiest stories I have ever read. She writes a series starring Portland Police Detective Archie Sheridan, who pursued Gretchen Lowell (a.k.a., The Beauty Killer) through her first three books. The NIght Season stars Archie Sheridan (and a few other characters from the first three books) but covers a whole new subject matter and killer who is just as disturbingly psychotic as Gretchen Lowell. The subject matter of the book is relevant---the action of the story is centered around a huge flood of the Willamette river, that runs through Portland, and the havoc it is wreaking on the town at the same time a crazed killer is murdering random people. Archie Sheridan is working overtime to catch the killer and figure out what all of his/her victims have in common. Archie Sheridan is a wonderful flawed hero---he has beaten his vicodin addiction but is still tempted, and his tempation makes him more believable. This book is great for fans of crime fiction, and even though The Night Season does not draw on events from Chelsea Cain's first three novels, you will miss out on a lot of character back story if you do not read this books in order by starting with Heartsick.

What the Night Knows

I have been on a "thriller" kick lately, and the one I recently read was What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz. As a matter of fact, I flew through the last 44 pages at a record speed last night, heart pounding, because I just HAD to know how it ended! This book is a wonderfully written story with supernatural elements, a psychotic killer (or two) and lots of red herrings that will keep you guessing until the very last page how the story will end. I am a huge fan of Dean Koontz' work and this book did not disappoint me. The hero is John Calvino, a semi-retired police detective who was instrumental in stopping a serial killer when he was a teen ager. Twenty years later, the killings start again and John must figure out how to stop the cycle and keep his family safe. I truly enjoyed Koontz' descriptions of the Calvino's house and the heart-stopping roller-coaster ride of events. The book reads like a good suspense movie and I will not be surprised if a version of this book makes it onto the big screen in a few years. If you like Dean Koontz' books, try also reading Stephen King and Peter Straub, two other authors who write with expertise in this genre.

Full Dark, No Stars

I haven't read any Stephen King books in a long time, so when Full Dark, No Stars came across my desk, I decided to try it out. The book consists of four short stories in one book: 1922, Big Driver, Fair Extension, and A Good Marriage. The stories are all creepy and scary and give you just enough information that you wish they lasted a little bit longer. This is truly "typical Stephen King writing" and if you love Cujo or Christy, you'll love these stories too. In the book's Afterword, King sums up the books purpose this way: "When it comes to fiction, the writer's only responsibility is to look for the truth inside his own heart. It won't always be the reader's truth, or the critic's truth, but as long as it's the writers' truth...all is well...I have tried my best in Full Dark, No Stars to record what people might do, and how they might behave, under dire circumstances." The people in these four short stories are basically ordinary people that are confronted with a sudden and drastic circumstance and must figure out how to act (or react). The writing is at times tense but never do the heroes and heroines act the way you expect. These four stories are as much an exploration of the human mind as they are creepy thrillers.

Explore "The Scarpetta Factor!"

If you've ever had a conversation with me about books, for more than five minutes, you will probably hear me talk about author Patricia Cornwell's character, Kay Scarpetta. I remember the first time I began reading her books, and from the first one, I've been hooked! Dr. Kay Scarpetta is the former Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Virginia, and in her latest book, The Scarpetta Factor, she is living in New York City and is the senior forensic analyst for CNN as well as someone who offers her services pro bono to New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Dr. Scarpetta is famous--she has solved many serial killer cases and her television appearances have helped to make her face and name known throughout many states. The book opens with the case of Hannah Starr, the daughter of a famous financial analyst, who has disappeared and is presumed dead. Embroiled in the mix is the meaderings of a former psychiatric patient of her husband, Benton Wesley, and an association her niece, Lucy, has had with several people involved in the case. This book has everything a Kay Scarpetta fan can ask for--detailed descriptions of fascinating forensic techniques, interactions between the beloved members of Scarpetta's friends and family, and wonderful Italian recipes that you can almost smell when you read about them. Dr. Kay Scarpetta is a tough heroine, who always seems to skate through danger, barely escaping its clutches. If you are a big fan of gritty, sometimes gory, fast-paced forensic mysteries, then this book is for you! Try one out and let us know if you like it.

Experience a Panic Attack!

Jason Starr's Panic Attack is a taut, psychological thriller that will leave you breathless from the minute you open the first page. The story centers around Dr. Adam Bloom, who is living the perfect life in a beautiful home with his wife and their twenty-two year old daughter, Marissa, a recent college graduate. Dr. Bloom's life is wonderful until one night when his daughter wakes him up with the announcement that "someone is downstairs." Dr. Bloom heroically kills one of the unarmed thieves, but the other one escapes--this begins a harrowing ordeal as Dr. Bloom and his family face the daily fear that the other thief knows where they live, is lurking around every corner, and wants to seek revenge for the death of his friend. The fear of not knowing when the thief might re-appear creates a rocky relationship between Adam and Dana, his wife, and when Marissa meets a suspiciously-acting artist named Xan, Dr. Bloom begins to suspect that his life is about to get much worse. This is a wonderfully written, action-packed story that tempts you to read it all in one sitting. If you like this story, try also reading 24 Hours by Greg Iles--it too is an "edge-of-your-seat" thriller full of non-stop action.

Having Bad Thoughts?

If you are having Bad Thoughts, don't despair--Dave Zeltserman is here to help them survive! Bad Thoughts is Zeltserman's newest book and it is a real page turner. The premise of the mystery is this: Detective Bill Shannon works in Cambridge and has recurring blackouts, usually once a year around the anniversary date of a horrific psychological event. He has been trying desperately for years to manage the blackouts, but nothing seems to work, including drowning the darkness with alchohol. The real clencher is that when he was thirteen, he came home to discover his mother being assaulted and the criminal waiting for him. Shannon suffered unspeakable torture at the hands of this person, and his mother ended up being murdered. Now, Shannon must continue to heal himself, pick up the pieces of his marriage, and find the source of his blackouts as he tries to solve the case of a serial killer who is assaulting victims in a weirdly similar manner to the way Shannon's mother was assaulted. As the evidence grows, suspicion begins to point towards Shannon's involvement in the murders, and soon Shannon's partner, wife, fellow police officers and his therapist begin to believe that Shannon's blackouts have something to do with the crimes. If you want to know true evil, try reading this book--I suggest you do not read it alone!!! This fast-moving thriller is chock full of twists, and is a mix between a mystery and a horror story. It is gritty and gory but a real treat for readers who love their mysteries taut and with a taste of the occult.

The Lost Witness

Robert Ellis' The Lost Witness is a gripping, spooky crime novel. The book is a thriller set in Los Angeles that blends the suspense style of Michael Crichton with the pulse-pounding psychological suspense of Dean Koontz. Los Angeles Police Detective Lena Gamble is a cop held in disgrace by her superiors as a result of the way her case "ended up" in her first book, City of Fire. Her colleagues hail her as a hero because she captured the killer, but she has been punished and has not headed up a case in 8 months. When she finally receives a case, it is of a body chopped up and dropped in a Dumpster, a case the media finds very intriguing but Lena doesn't have any leads on. Lena Gamble is a tough, no-nonsense heroine, trying to find her way in a man's world. If you like toough heroines, you'll love this book!

Forgot Something?

G. H. Ephron's Amnesia is a fast-paced psychological thriller, that is the debut book in the series for the author. Ephron's hero is Dr. Peter Zak, a psychologist who performed consults for the District Attorney's office until his wife was brutally murdered in her upstairs pottery studio while he was downstairs making tea. Dr. Zak is asked to consult on a new case, and he reluctantly agrees. The new case involves Sylvia Jackson who was attacked, shot in the head and left for dead, as the killer brutally murdered her boyfriend. Surprisingly, Sylvia survives her attack and wakes up after a six week coma, convinced that her ex-husband tried to murder her. Dr. Zak's goal is to assess how well Sylvia remembered the attack and if she is competent to testify at her ex-husband's trial. The novel is fast-paced and the character development of Peter Zak is wonderful. Ephron examines all of Zak's flaws and makes the reader sympathize with Zak's bitter life. The story is set in Boston, MA, and aptly describes the residents and characteristics of the city. Check out this book if you want to read a great story about a flawed hero with a lot to offer!

Kitty Sewell's Psychological Suspense

Kitty Sewell's new novel, Bloodprint, delivers on its promise to be, as the book jacket states, a "searing novel of psychological suspense." Madeleine West plays the starring role in this book, as she is the flawed heroine who has fled her native island of Key West due to a devastating hearbreak, and taken up residence in the ancient city of Bath, England. When Rachel Locklear visits Madeleine's office seeking therapy, Madeleine is intrigued and increasingly fascinated by the history of the hostile, damaged young woman, whose childhood eerily echoes Madeleine's. Sinister forces have begun acting in Rachel's life and she is on the run from her ruthless partner, her child's father, who will do whatever he can to control Rachel and her son. This is a tale of revenge and deception that takes place on the beautiful tropical island of Key West as well as the crumbling, historical streets of Bath. Madeleine and Rachel and their painful pasts collide in this story with Cuban sorcery, prostitution and murder. The story is both terrifying and compelling and it is hard to put down once you begin reading it. Ms. Sewell was born in Sweden and trained to be a psychotherapist and a sculptor before she found her true love in the art of writing. Her first novel, Ice Trap is the story of a British surgeon who discovers he fathered twins in icy, remote Canada fifteen years earlier, and details the unraveling of his career and marriage as he confronts the demons of his past.

Peek Inside the Head of Carol O'Connell

The stand-alone novel by Carol O'Connell that I recently read, was a shivery, suspenseful journey for me. Bone by Bone is set in the Northern California town of Coventry and details the story of two brothers who go out into the woods one day and only one returns. No one knows what happened to younger brother on that day, not even his older brother, Oren. Oren becomes an investigator for the Army CID and after leaving that job returns to Coventry after twenty years to visit his family. Oren's visit begins well, until pieces of human bones start appearing on his family's front porch. Are pieces of Josh returning, bit by bit? Who is leaving these mysterious human parcels? Oren is compelled to finally solve Josh's mysterious disappearance, a puzzle that has haunted him and his family for years, but navigating through the layers of secrecy in Coventry is challenging. O'Connell's story features great characters, an on-the-edge-of-your-seat mystery and prose that richly describes Northern California. This book is a great choice for a cold, rainy day as you won't be able to set it down to complete any other tasks, until you are finished!