Title: Grey Daze (A Lance Underphal Mystery)
Author: Michael Allan Scott
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 306
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Supernatural/Paranormal
Format: Paperback/Kindle
My Review
I’m sure you’ve read the thrilling excerpt for this book already. There’s no way I can describe this book any better.
I can say that, while this isn’t the first book in this series, I jumped right in and had no problems following it.
Being a fan of character driven stories, I found some strong ones here.
The main protagonist, Lance Underphal, isn’t your typical one. He’s no longer in his fifties, has a bad heart, and is still grieving over the loss of his beloved wife, who visits him from time to time..
He has met a new woman, one who might help fill that gaping hole, give him another chance at love. But first he has to solve a case. One that’s rife with unsavory characters. From deadly bikers, to corrupt police, Lance will need some friends if he’s to catch a killer and survive despite the bad odds.
The paranormal elements had me fascinated. There’s more than one ghost haunting Lance. He’s a psychic and not surprised by that. If only some of them didn’t scare the crap out of him. They aren’t all pretty and glowing when they appear, and some have their own agendas, dark ones.
The writing is excellent. I came really close to seeing the movie as I read it. Vivid detail and imagination put me in the thick of it. I got creeped out in several places. Especially at a nasty, run down house. The author didn’t hold my hand. He made me smell the awful stench of the place. Hear the scurrying of thousands of roaches. Feel the evil presence fouling it.
There’s such a great bunch of characters too. Aside from Lance and his ghostly wife, Sonja, there’s his new love interest, Callie. She’s no shrinking violet and has her own little paranormal talents.
Then there’s Lance’s friend, Detective Frank Salmon. He’s stoic yet fierce when his friends are threatened. Reminds me Hodges from Criminal Minds. Doesn’t say much and rarely smiles unless he’s around his wife, Lacey. She’s a nurturer with lots of patience.
Can’t forget Jake Jacobs, a federal private investigator. He’s a huge bear of a man and I could just picture him and his lady friend, Laura. She’s a bit older, sassy, and such a tiny thing. I had such fun with these two.
Things get so much worse for Lance. It appears he’s being accused of the negligent death of his wife by her sister and she’s also suing him.
The bad things keep on coming and Lance just hopes his heart can take it.
I got thrills and chills, plenty of mystery, and more than one plot to follow. All made for an excellent read. You can bet I’ll be going back to the beginning of this series now.
5 Stars
GREY DAZE descends.
A fresh murder spins out of control, twisting into new realms of paranormal mystery.
Not for the faint of heart, the third in the Lance Underphal Mystery series, is an interplay of corrupt characters immersed in today’s world. Paranormal twists and fast action in movie-like scenes set the story’s mystery/thriller elements apart from the typical whodunit/serial-killer thriller.
Guided by his dead wife, a reluctant psychic finds himself on a wild ride through a criminal underworld, slamming face first into corrupt police, gunrunning bikers, and a drug addicted killer–not to mention confrontations with the dead.
Layers of plots within plots twist this new thriller into a startling climax.
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Author Michael Allan Scott
Born and raised at the edge of the high desert in Kingman, Arizona, Michael Allan Scott resides in Scottsdale with his wife, Cynthia and their rescue Doberman, Roxie. In addition to writing mysteries and speculative fiction, his interests include music, photography, art, scuba diving and auto racing.
Michael’s latest book is the mystery/thriller/suspense/supernatural/paranormal novel, Grey Daze (A Lance Underphal Mystery).
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Until the next time…
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