Death's Hand - SM Reine

Title: Death's Hand 
Author: SM Reine


Format: Ebook provided by author for review


From Red Iris Books

Policing relations between Heaven, Hell, and Earth is messy and violent, but Elise Kavanagh and James Faulkner excelled at it-- until coming across a job so brutal that even they couldn't stand to see one more dead body. 

Now they've been pretending to be normal for five years, leaving their horrific history a dark secret. Elise works in an office. James owns a business. None of their friends realize they used to be one of the world's best killing teams. 

After years of hiding, something stirs. Bodies are vanishing. Demons scurry in the shadows of the night. A child has been possessed. 

Some enemies aren't willing to let the secrets of the past stay dead..

This was a fantastic story, first in a series.  I had expected it to be good, and I am so happy that it was even better than I had hoped.

It starts with Elise and James.  The opening scene of the book is a very creepy scene, and it instantly draws you in – you have to find out more.  I’m not going to ruin the surprise of it, but let’s just say that the book definitely starts off on the right foot.  

Then the story jumps back in time for just a short moment, giving you some more history on Elise.

See, Elise is a kopis.  Translated it basically means “sword”, a warrior.  And James, he is her aspis, which translates to “shield”.  They are bound together for life, warriors against the forces of Hell.  And they’ve been together nearly Elise’s entire life.  But now she’s trying to retire, trying to lead a normal life – as normal as she can.  Her last job nearly killed her, and she wants to be done.  But when you are a warrior against the forces of Hell, can you ever really retire?

Elise seems to be a pretty dark person.  She’s a bit pessimistic about normal things, and seemingly just going through some motions.  It’s very understandable given the past.  She is a tough girl though, you definitely get the feeling that she can handle any situation that comes her way.  She’s not just strong, she is tough and smart, cunning.  And a bit of a hot head at times.  Otherwise, the perfect heroine for a book!  James seems to be more of the optimist in this pair – which isn’t a romantic pairing at all.

Which conveniently brings me to a point.  If you are looking for romance, look elsewhere.  This book is very light on the romance.  And it doesn’t need it.  The story works perfectly without it.

This book has zombies, demons, a succubus, witches, necromancers, exorcism… it’s got it all, and it all flows together in a perfect rhythm. 

Jump to the present.  Elise needs to come out of retirement, and she doesn’t want to.  She fights it, but like I said – when you are a warrior against the forces of hell, can you ever really retire?  She takes on the exorcism of a child, a demon who can invade your dreams and make them nightmares, who knows how many fiends, zombie like dead people intent on hurting her, pissed off witches and a demon who *really* has it in for her.  Oh, and she also has to protect her friends and the people she loves while she’s at it. 

Can she do it?  Will she do it? 

I also used this book as my Tuesday Teaser.  Click the link to read a couple sentences about the book. 

Let me know what you thought of this book, I’d love to hear your opinions.  As for me, I can’t wait to read the second installment in the Descent series.

Available for purchase at:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble,Paperback, Smashwords 

  

Intricate Entanglement - Su Halfwerk

Title: Intricate Entanglement
Author: Su Halfwerk


Published: March 2011, Damnation Books
Format: Ebook provided by author for review


From Author Website:
Trapped in a lunatic asylum and compelled to listen to the stories of the deranged patients, Doug Pinkham becomes entangled in the twisted mind of a cold-blooded killer. As the reporter tries to get to the bottom of a mysterious murder case, he gets more than he bargained for. He must separate truth from fiction as he realizes he no longer controls his own world. But will Doug manage to escape the asylum, or will the killer's stories lure him into an enigmatic world full of mazes, each so fascinating that he can't stop listening?

This was indeed a very interesting story, a fresh approach at a compilation of stories.  I liked it quite a bit and would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a quick read with lots to offer via horror, thriller, mystery and dark fiction.

First we come upon Doug Pinkham, a reporter on his way to a mental hospital to interview Dr. Martin regarding some visits a recently deceased man had made.  On the way his car breaks down, and he decides to walk, or run, the rest of the way.  It’s already eerie and that’s the first chapter.  There is a scary thudding noise, a strange absence of other sounds and movement, and fog that seems to disappear.

When he gets to the hospital Dr. Martin is with a patient, and an orderly offers to give Doug a tour to kill some time.  This is where the creepiness begins.  The orderly begins to tell Doug a series of stories of the patients living in the hospital; some gruesome, some horrific, some just very unusual.  But one thing is certain - you wouldn’t want to be in any of them!  My favorite is titled “Odd”.  I found that one to have a slight little surprise twist, and I enjoyed that.  But they all definitely had a sense of flair, and were all so different.  

Stories within a story, you definitely get to experience everything that is Equanimity Psychiatric Hospital. 

As this story goes on you find yourself looking for clues and trying to figure out what the heck is going to happen next.  It is definitely a fun and imaginative read!  I kept questioning myself if things were as they seem, and each turn of the page brought another surprise. 

Available on:

Publisher's website

Amazon - Kindle

Barnes & Noble

The Kult - Shaun Jeffrey

Title: The Kult (Kindle) (Print) (Nook)
Author: Shaun Jeffrey


Format: Ebook provided by author for review


Notable Websites Related to book:
The Kult, Movie
The Kult, Amazon UK
The Kult, Smashwords
The Kult, Movie Trailer


From Amazon:
People are predictable. That's what makes them easy to kill.

Out of misguided loyalty, police officer Prosper Snow is goaded into helping his friends perform a copycat killing, but when the real killer comes after him, it's not only his life on the line, but his family's too. Now if he goes to his colleagues for help, he risks being arrested for murder. If he doesn't, he risks being killed.


"People are predictable. That's what makes them easy to kill."
"Look out, look out, there's a monster about."


And a quote I'm totally ripping off from a friend, but fits this book so perfectly: "The scariest monsters have human faces". 


This book was scary.  The beginning was pure horror.  10% into the book, and I was afraid to leave the house.  At one point near the beginning, I almost put the book down saying "no more".  But I didn't.  Putting the book down doesn't make the monster go away. 


Vengeance, Retribution, Bait... There's a lot of reasons to kill.  Detective Prosper Snow (coolest name ever, by the way) is now on a case to find The Oracle.  No one is safe from this serial killer.  If he gets ahold of you, you are definitely going to wish you were never born. 


I really enjoyed this book.  It had some very strong elements of horror.  In fact, I wouldn't recommend it for the very faint of heart or easily offended - unless you can skip over some parts.  In which case, you should get it, because the rest of the book is definitely worth withstanding some very scary parts.  


While taking notes for this book, I wrote down "I don't immediately like Prosper.  He seems like he has a dangerous secret".  But my opinion of the man drastically over the course of the story.  Prosper snow takes you on his journey with him, and you feel it all.  Stress, regret, fear, love, some more fear, a dash of paranoia, and so on and so forth.  But who do you trust when the evidence pushes you in every direction it can?  


Something else I really liked about this book is that I instantly felt like I connected with the victims.  That only made it that much more difficult when they actually became the victims.  


The characters are well written around a story that is well written.  You get a history on everyone, and really feel like you get to know them. I felt it was fast paced, and I finished it in just a couple days. 


And a really terrific addition to this book?  It has a movie!  How exciting is that?  Here is the trailer:







I encourage you to read this book, tell your friends about it too.  And the author tells me that there is a sequel to this book, about to published soon.  I will definitely keep my eye out for that one!