***FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING THE MAN FROM TAURED COMES A COMPANION
NOVEL EXPLORING NEW DIMENSIONS OF HORROR***
The tiny town of Knorr, PA, is one of those places where the walls
between this reality and others is very thin. It draws people from
all over the world and sometimes things slip through from our world
into others while sometimes things slip from other worlds into our
own. Nightmare things.
During World War II an experiment was done using a steam engine to see if
entering another dimension could create instant transportation of
goods and men from one place to another. It unlocked a nightmare from
another dimension and only agents from the agency IDEA were able to
stop reality from unraveling. The train, known as The Wraith,
disappeared along with the scientist who built it.
Now, in present day, a young man hears the distant sound of a train
whistle. The rundown train station at the end of the wooded path is
somehow regenerating. Plus, people in and around Knorr are acting a
little stranger than normal.
The Wraith is coming back, but it’s not coming alone.
Bryan W. Alaspa is a Chicago born and bred author of both fiction and
non-fiction works. He has been writing since he sat down at his
mother’s electric typewriter back in the third grade and pounded out
his first three-page short story. He spent time studying journalism
and other forms of writing. He turned to writing as his full-time
career in 2006 when he began writing freelance, online and began
writing novels and books.
He is the author of over 30 books of
both fiction and non-fiction and numerous short stories and
articles.
Mr. Alaspa writes true crime, history, horror,
thrillers, mysteries, detective stories and tales about the
supernatural.
For twenty years, they moved from town to town every few months. They
paid in cash. They kept only what they could carry. But 26-year-old
Charlene Bailey and her father were a family, complete and happy.
Until a woman stabbed him to death in a New Orleans café, right in
front of Charlene’s eyes, screaming in a language she didn’t
understand. Now the police are claiming that her whole life is a lie.
To find out who she is, she’ll have to find out what they were
running from. And to discover that, she’ll have to find someone she
can trust.
As a charter boat captain out of Key West, Marshall Crow has seen
his share of reckless tourists. But the fierce young woman asking for passage
to Cuba isn’t one of them. He never thought he’d put the skills he learned in the
Navy to work smuggling a stranger, but he’s drawn to her the same
way she’s drawn to the truth. And through the dark waters of the
Florida straits and the narrow streets of Havana, the danger that
awaits them is far too vicious to face alone.
Holly knew the romantic helicopter ride up to the remote peak of Whisky
Mountain was a bad idea. But she never expected it to snatch her
fiancé from her—or destroy her life. A few fiery seconds turn a
postcard-perfect morning in the Canadian Rockies into a snowy hell,
thirteen thousand feet above sea level. And in the midst of grief and
agony, Holly catches sight of a scene in the ice that will haunt her
until she can return and discover the truth.
Oliver Nelson could see the stranger had a mystery inside her. The scars on
her face, the pain in her eyes, the insistence that he teach her
completely alone—no one needsto
learn rock climbing, or so he thought. But the more he gets to know
her, the more he admires her drive, her ingenuity, and that little
edge of recklessness. If she can trust him with her story, he’s
ready to follow her wherever her heart takes her.
But nature’s deadly beauty isn’t the only danger waiting for them on
Whisky Mountain. To survive, Oliver and Holly will have to move
fast—and think faster . . .
In a place where a city can be lost hundreds of years . . . they can
still find each other.
Lily saw the temple of Agulinta on television: a vast stone structure
swallowed by the Yucatan jungle, rediscovered only now after hundreds
of years. So why did the papers she found after her father’s death
show the same mysterious carvings that puzzled archaeologists at
Agulinta? Her search for answers pulls her to Mexico’s southern
border, where the journey to the lost temple will take her through
jungle and mountain, over waters home to crocodiles and drug runners,
and into uncomfortably close quarters with a man whose need to wander
has become a way of life . . .
Australian Carter Logan’s work as a nature photographer has given him the
excuse he needs to roam wherever his restless feet take him. But in
all the time he’s traveled, he’s never been drawn to anyone the
way he is to this determined, cagey young American. Lily’s
perseverance through dirt, sweat, and danger to the heart of the
ancient temple fires through him. But when the two of them are left
alone and stranded in a vicious wilderness, their connection might
prove the difference between life and death . . . if the secrets of
the past don’t come between them first.
Kendall Talbot is the author of the Maximum Exposure series, and many
other action/adventure stories. A thrill seeker, hopeless romantic,
and award-winning author of stories that’ll have your heart
thumping from action-packed suspense and steamy bedroom scenes, she
lives in Brisbane, Australia with her very own hero and a fluffy
little dog who specializes in hijacking her writing time. Meanwhile,
Kendall’s two sons are off making their own adventures—look out world
Former FBI-profiler, Eva Rae Thomas, faces the most personal case in her
career, as bestselling author Willow Rose’s new hit series continues.
Three girls disappear on prom night at the local high school. One of them
is the prom queen.
FBI profiler Eva Rae Thomas is chasing her long-lost sister when
detective—and boyfriend—Matt Miller asks her to join the
investigation of the three girls’ disappearance. They were last
seen walking home together after the dance.
When the body of a young girl shows up in her backyard, Eva Rae knows she
can no longer watch from the sidelines, and soon she realizes not
only is she involved in this investigation, she’s also this killer’s target.
WHAT YOU DID is the second book in the Eva Rae Thomas Mystery
Series and can be read as a standalone.
The Queen of Scream aka Willow Rose is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author
and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 60 novels.
She writes Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror,
Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy.
Willow’s books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won’t
see coming. Several of her books have reached the Kindle top 10 of
ALL books in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than three
million books.
Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her husband and two daughters.
When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and
watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
If you’re like me, you have a pile of books beckoning to you from your lists. Carole hosts this fun feature where you can share some of those older books and perhaps nudge you to finally read them. If you want to join in on the fun, head over to Carole’s Random Life In Books and leave a link to your post.
.
Celeste Files: Unlocked
Psychic CORE #1
by Kristine Mason
Genre: Paranormal / Suspense / Romance
Synopsis
Some secrets should remain locked in the past…
Celeste Kain hasn’t had a psychic vision in two years. After being brutally attacked while helping criminal investigation agency CORE stop a serial killer, her mind repressed her clairvoyant abilities. Married to CORE agent, John Kain, mother to their toddler, Olivia, and owner of an up-and-coming bakery, Celeste has been doing fine psychic-free. Only now the dead are using her body to tell their stories again…putting her new life and family at risk.
Haunted by a murdered woman, Celeste turns to a psychic mentor to learn how to control her gift, protect her family and bring justice to the dead. But the more she digs into the dead woman’s past, the further she slips into the unknown, unlocking secrets literally worth killing for. As the body count rises, it becomes clear: someone in the dead woman’s family is deeply, violently wrong. And Celeste needs to be careful, before she loses something more precious to her than her life.
Celeste Risinski, the heroine of Shadow of Danger (Book 1 CORE Shadow Trilogy), is back with her own series. Join her as she learns how to deal with being a wife, mom, baker and…psychic investigator.
I added this book back in June of 2015 and I own a copy. Kristine always writes such fabulous characters and I’ve loved several of her books. I plan to read my way through all of them.
Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Til Death Do Us Part organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.
Feast your eyes on the awesome cover. And enjoy the thrilling excerpt.
K.S. David will award a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn commenter.
Be sure to enter!
Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Til Death Do Us Part
by K.S. David
Synopsis
Quinn McGuire is settling into her new life just fine. She’s moving beyond the trauma of her past. She’s fallen in love with her best friend, Jack Lassiter, and slowly rebuilding the career she’d once abandoned. Then her old nemesis is arrested for murdering her husband. To the surprise of everyone, Glenda Penderherst wants Quinn to represent her as legal counsel. Quinn doesn’t do criminal defense anymore. Nope, she’s focusing on areas a little more refined – less drama.
Naomi Banker, the resident vibrational therapist, asks Quinn to look into an intellectual property rights claim. The request seems innocent enough – but boring. Things soon spice up when Quinn discovers that Naomi was romantically linked to Glenda’s murdered husband. Soon, more bodies start to surface and like it or not, Quinn finds herself caught in a whirlwind of broken hearts and private alliances, all while trying to manage a few special secrets of her own. She’s convinced of Naomi’s innocence and starts to dig for answers. But if she’s not careful, she’ll end up being added to the body count.
Enjoy this peek inside:
The day before, I’d told Jack about my disappointment in meeting Naomi. I wanted no part of her case. He didn’t push me to explain. I sensed that he wasn’t surprised.
“She said something about hearing noises and seeing strange lights behind her home.”
Jack straightened. “What kind of noises? What kind of lights?”
“She doesn’t describe it well. She just says that she sees eerie lights come from the trees behind her house and sometimes she hears voices. So, I thought if I went back there I could find a practical explanation. There’s a footpath just beyond the edge of her property. You won’t believe what I found. And, you won’t believe whose house sits on the opposite end of those woods.”
Jack’s brow narrowed. He’d reached in his pocket and withdrew a red and white peppermint, popped it into his mouth and stared off into the distance, thoughtful. He’d grown up in the Hills and knew every street.
“I’ll be damned,” he huffed. “It has to be the Penderherst home.” I nodded when he looked at me for confirmation.
“Exactly. There’s more, Jack. You have to see the place for yourself.” I could tell him about the tents. I could tell him about the heaps of trash and the footsteps that danced way too close to Naomi’s house but there was no substitute for a first-hand experience.
Instead of driving straight to Naomi’s house, Jack parked in front of the Penderherst home. Yellow and black police tape still covered the drive and stretched over the doorway. Jack and I followed the stone path around the house. The Penderhersts’ lawn needed to be cut. The edges were overgrown, and the grass could use a good dosing of fertilizer. Brown spots were peaking up through the weeds. Jack and I walked up on the patio. The wooden slats were warped. A few looked gnawed away by wear and age. After a moment, we descended the steps and headed into the woods. We’d barely walked a hundred yards when Jack turned and looked back at the house.
“They sure didn’t overspend on curtains,” he noted as we peered through the crossed arms of branches. “Someone standing here can see straight through the entire house at nightfall,” he said.
I tugged at Jack’s hand. “Come on, you have to see the rest.”
There was no way I ever would have gone back alone. My skin started to prickle just thinking about the sense of foreboding that had washed over me earlier.
We had started moving deeper into the woods again when Jack asked, “Did you seriously come back here alone?” The foliage was growing dense and the unruly branches darkened the space around us.
“Yes.” I sighed, knowing the complaint that was going to follow once Jack saw what waited inside the clearing.
A low growl escaped him.
About Author K.S. David
K. S. David lives in the Mid-Atlantic with her husband, their three children and a menagerie of pets. New storylines are constantly running through her head. She keeps notebooks tucked in pockets of the car, the nightstand and makes voice recordings just about all day long. She’s addicted to true life mysteries and crime shows, both of which marry well with a great romance. Some of her favorite things are long walks, reading in bed, baking and of course, writing her next novel.
If you’re like me, you have a pile of books beckoning to you from your lists. Carole hosts this fun feature where you can share some of those older books and perhaps nudge you to finally read them. If you want to join in on the fun, head over to Carole’s Random Life In Books and leave a link to your post.
.
White Pointer
by John Lee Schneider
Genre: Suspense / Thriller
Synopsis
Great White Sharks were once hunted to near extinction. But now they’re back. And in the resort town of Surf Shore, people are dying.
Carson Sheridan has dedicated her life to shark conservation, but can’t deny the horrific series of attacks that point unerringly to a massive Great White – all off the same beach – all at the same time of year. Great Whites in California are in historically large numbers and record sizes. But the waters off Surf Shore are particularly deadly and Carson is about to discover why.
Is it a single killer? A big aggressive shark, returning every season?
Or, even worse, is it an exploding population – an ocean full of twenty-foot monsters?
And why here at Surf Shore? Again and Again?
Carson is determined to find the reason… and the answer just might cost her life.
Summer is here and before you know it Shark Week will arrive. I’m always looking for more thrilling reads about the creatures and that cover. Wow!
I added this book back in March of 2019 and I own a copy. I know this wasn’t added that long ago but the idea is to share the books we’ve been wanting to get off our list, right:)
This isa Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry.
It’s always a pleasure to share more books by Kathryn Meyer Griffith. I’ve read many of her books and plan to read everything she writes.
For today, I’m sharing my review of the latest book from Kathryn’s Dinosaur Lake Series.
After reading my review, head on over to Sherry’s blog at fundinmental to check out her review and enter another giveaway!
~~~~~
Survivors
Dinosaur Lake #5
by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Genre: Horror / Suspense
My Review
It’s been a long time since the dinosaurs ran amok. Only an occasional sighting, and they’re dispatched quickly. But when the mysterious little dinosaur shows up, retired Chief Park Ranger, Henry Shore , knows something is happening again. So he joins forces to face another deadly threat.
Once again, Kathryn drops you into the action quickly as the team hunts for a dinosaur. The hunt doesn’t last long as the dinosaur finds them. Henry is injured and laid up, hoping this is the last of them. But then the little dinosaur, a mystery, as it seems to show up to warn them rather to cause harm, returns, more frantic than ever. And I knew, as did Henry, that the fight wasn’t over.
I was very curious about the little dinosaur before. Just what was he? Where did he come from? What was his purpose? I got those answers and they caught me by surprise. Didn’t see the angle coming and it sent my mind racing, exploring what was and could be.
This was another fun read in the Dinosaur Lake series. It’s a faced pace race to the finish as humans go up against giant dinosaurs, some favorite characters return, and a new mystery is added to the mix. Leave it to Kathryn to keep me questioning what this series is really all about.
~~~~~
Synopsis
The predatory dinosaurs, amphibious, land-crawlers, air flyers, small and large, were dead; dead in all the forests, mountains, deserts, towns and cities of America and across the planet. They were still hunted, sought and exterminated when found, and these rogue beasts were becoming rarer every day. The humans’ dinosaur killing serum and extermination practices had worked far better than anyone had prayed and they had eventually freed the planet of its primordial scourge. The earth belonged to the humans once more and all its lands were safe–or so the world, Henry Shore, former Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park, and his wife, Ann, had believed…until one day years later two new dinosaurs, craftier than any the earth had ever seen, appeared. One of them was benevolent, a friend to mankind, and the other was not. It was blood-thirsty, eerily intelligent and unbelievably vengeful. This dinosaur wouldn’t be so easy to kill. *** Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors is the fifth book in the Dinosaur Lake series by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.
In exchange for an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads, Kathryn will send a free eBook copy of any of her other 26 books. You can find the complete list of her books in her author bio below. Just send your request to this link HERE.
~~~~~
About the Author
Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-five years ago now, and have had twenty-six (six romantic horror, four thrillers, three horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and eight murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from many traditional publishers since 1984. But since 2012 I’ve gone into self-publishing in a big way; and upon getting some of my older books’ full rights back for the first time in 33 years, have self-published all of them along with my newer novels. My four Dinosaur Lake novels and four Spookie Town Mysteries (Scraps of Paper, All Things Slip Away, Ghosts Beneath Us and Witches Among Us) are my best-sellers. Once branded a horror writer, these days I consider myself a storyteller.
I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-nine years; have a son and two grandchildren and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois. We have a quirky cat, Sasha, and the three of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk/classic rock singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.
2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *Finalist* for her horror novel The Last Vampire ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS * Finalist * for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.
*All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s books can be found HERE.
Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:
Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDSFinalist in their Horror category), Witches, Witches II: Apocalypse, Witches plus bonus Witches II: Apocalypse, The Nameless One erotic horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (The First Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (The Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (The Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us (The Fourth Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDSFinalist in their Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising and Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation, Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars, Memories of My Childhood (short story collection) and Christmas Magic 1959 short story.
The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.
Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!
My 56 for this week is from:
Wicked Innocents: Case No: 1
The Frontenac Sisters: Supernatural Sleuths & Monster Hunters
by S.H. Livernois
Genre: Paranormal / Mystery / Suspense / Thriller
From 56% in the eBook.
They stared at the door, waiting for another sound.
Someone shrieked. It was an earsplitting and terrified sound, cut off abruptly.
Silence.
An awkward thudding up the stairs. A scraping sound, closer now. A door opening, then the soft click of it shutting.
A breath of silence.
And then another sound – a helpless wail.
This scene started kind of sad and then turned into this terrifying occurrence! I’m so hooked.
~~~~~
Synopsis
Evil hides behind the sweetest faces.
Nelly Huggett swears something took her mother, brother, and father. She doesn’t know what, or when, or how. And she needs Hyla and Lizeth Frontenac to bring them all back.
Trouble is, her story doesn’t make sense. Though one thing is certain: something evil has infected the Huggett house. And when Nelly reveals her sinister side, the sisters wonder if the monster they seek is masquerading as a little girl.
But Hyla won’t accept that. She can’t lose another child to darkness. She knows Nelly’s just different, wild, misunderstood.
But what if she’s wrong?
Wherever this evil comes from, it’s dragging Hyla into the abyss faster than she can chase the clues.
And she may lose herself before she can save anyone else.
Wicked Innocents is the first, free installment in a series of three books that combine a good old-fashioned amateur sleuth (two, in fact), with spine-tilling suspense, just enough horror to keep you on the edge of your seat, and the heart-pumping adrenaline of a fast-paced thriller.
Sleuths and sisters Hyla and Lizeth Frontenac run their own unique private investigator business from a small town in the Adirondacks. But they’re more often in their 1972 Ford Econoline van, driving across rural America to investigate their next case.
They’re not technically professionals, not really. The crimes they investigate are more dark and disturbing than the average. More…bizarre. Criminals are cloaked as supernatural creatures, occult forces threaten them at every turn, and the confused victims demand justice.
Lucky for the victims, when these women sleuths are on the case, no monster is safe.
For Kindle readers who enjoy a strong female lead protagonist, this thrilling series of paranormal private investigator mysteries will have you hooked from the first word. From the twisted imagination of mystery, suspense and thriller writer S.H. Livernois.
I can’t wait to share these with you. Two thrilling stories with gorgeous covers! Check out Already Gone and Deadly Purpose . Keep reading to learn about the awesome giveaway! You can enter at the bottom of the post.
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Diane Benefiel will be awarding Flash Point + Dead Giveaway to 2 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
ALREADY GONE
A decade after Logan walked out on Maddy, he returns, and emotions long banked surface, then everything becomes complicated and dangerous.
DEADLY PURPOSE
Thrown together, and neither is happy about it, Meg and Declan navigate their unwanted growing attraction as they fight to keep Meg alive.
~~~~~
Read an Excerpt from Already Gone:
Under the week’s worth of beard his face looked drawn, and he’d taken off the beanie to reveal a serious case of hat head. “What do you want?”
“To see if you’re breathing.”
“Not dead yet.”
When he leaned against the door, gaze fixed on her, she sighed in exasperation. “Look, I don’t want me to be here, either. I’ll change the bandage, then leave.” She waved the container with the café logo. “I’ve got food for you.”
“What kind?”
“Sandwich, berries, and a cookie.”
“What kind of cookie?”
“Really?” She glared at him. “Oatmeal.”
He stepped back, and she didn’t think he caught her eye roll. He moved carefully across the room, and she followed him into the cabin. The inside looked cleaner, neater than before. His father had let things go. Hardly able to take care of himself, Bob Ross had neglected his son and his home. Logan had sworn never to return, yet here he was.
“I brought you something else, too.” She set the bag and food on the dining table, and reached into her purse, coming up with a small bottle.
“What’s that?”
“Advil. I don’t have anything stronger.”
“God bless you.” He took the bottle from her and shook out four tablets.
“Have you eaten anything? That much is going to irritate your stomach.”
He shook his head and picked up a mug. After tossing the pills into his mouth, he swallowed a mouthful of coffee she suspected was long cold. His eyes remained on her, watchful. “You looking after me, blondie?”
“My name’s not blondie.”
“Blonde hair, that makes you blondie.”
She checked another sigh. “Seriously, I don’t want to look after you. But someone has to, and I don’t see people lining up at your door to do the job.” She studied him, trying to keep it analytical. “Let me see the gunshot wound. If it looks like you’re healing, you won’t have to see me again. I checked on Sophie, too, so don’t think I’m doing anything special for you.”
“Sophie? You named my dog Sophie?”
“Your dog? She’s my dog if no one claims her.”
“I found her. And her name’s not Sophie unless she weighs eight pounds and has her toenails painted pink.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
He dropped his weight into a chair at the kitchen table. “How is she?”
“Stable. Jason says she’ll survive.”
“You bring the vet a sandwich, too?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Hell of a way to run a business, giving away food.”
“Jason runs a business, too, and he didn’t charge me extra for the off-hour call to pick her up.”
Logan frowned. “I’ll go in tomorrow to pay the bill.”
“Since she’s mine, I’ll pay it. You gave up any rights you had when you brought her to me.”
“Christ, I forgot that about you.”
“What?”
“People think you’re all sweet and agreeable, but they don’t know. You’re as stubborn as the day is long.”
She ignored the effect of his words, the knowledge that no one had ever gotten her like Logan Ross. “Let me see the wound, then I can leave you to your splendid isolation.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face, his beard making a rasping sound. “Right. Let’s get this over with.”
About Author Diane Benefiel:
National Readers’ Choice Award winner for her novel, Solitary Man, Diane Benefiel has been an avid reader all her life. She enjoys a wide range of genres, from westerns to fantasy to mysteries, but romance has always been a favorite. She writes what she loves best to read – emotional, heart-gripping romantic suspense novels. She likes writing romantic suspense because she can put the hero and heroine in all sorts of predicaments that they have to work together to overcome.
A native Southern Californian, Diane enjoys nothing better than summer. For a high school history teacher, summer means a break from teenagers, and summer allows her to spend her early mornings immersed in her current writing project. With both kids living out of the house, in addition to writing, she enjoys camping and gardening with her husband.
“The ghost of a wronged young woman in the village of Thores-Cross waits
230 years to have her story told in Perkins’s suspenseful and
atmospheric first Yorkshire Ghost novel” –
BookLife by Publishers Weekly
*Silver Medal Winner, European fiction – 2015 IPPY Book Awards
*#1 Bestseller in 6 Amazon Categories, including Ghost Suspense, British
Horror and Gothic Romance
*Top 10 Bestseller in 8 more, including Historical Thrillers and Occult Horror
*Over 100 5-STAR reviews on Amazon.com
Likened by independent reviewers on Amazon to the Brontë sisters, Edgar
Allen Poe, Barbara Erskine and Nathaniel Hawthorne, Karen Perkins’
novels are filled with unflinching honesty and an acute understanding
of human nature. She explores not only the depths of humanity, but
the depths of human motivation behind the actions and pain people
inflict upon each other, as well as the repercussions of these
actions not only in the short term, but also the later generations
who live with the implications of the past.
Emma Moorcroft is still grieving after a late miscarriage and moves to her
dream house at Thruscross Reservoir with her husband, Dave. Both Emma
and Dave hope that moving into their new home signifies a fresh
start, but life is not that simple. Emma has nightmares about the
reservoir and the drowned village that lies beneath the water, and is
further disturbed by the sound of church bells – from a church that
no longer exists.
Jennet is fifteen and lives in the isolated community of Thores-Cross, where
life revolves about the sheep on which they depend. Following the
sudden loss of both her parents, she is seduced by the local wool
merchant, Richard Ramsgill. She becomes pregnant and is shunned not
only by Ramsgill, but by the entire village. Lonely and embittered,
Jennet’s problems escalate, leading to tragic consequences which
continue to have an effect through the centuries.
Emma becomes fixated on Jennet, neglecting herself, her beloved dogs and
her husband to the point where her marriage may not survive. As
Jennet and Emma’s lives become further entwined, Emma’s obsession
deepens and she realises that the curse Jennet inflicted on the
Ramsgill family over two hundred years ago is still claiming lives.
Emma is the only one who can stop Jennet killing again, but will her
efforts be enough?
A skeleton is dug up at the crossing of the ways on Hanging Moor,
striking dread into the heart of Old Ma Ramsgill – the elderly
matriarch of the village of Thruscross. And with good reason. The
eighteenth-century witch, Jennet, has been woken.
A spate of killings by a vicious black dog gives credence to her
warnings and the community – in particular her family – realise they
are in terrible danger.
Drastic measures are needed to contain her, but with the imminent flooding of
the valley to create a new reservoir, do they have the ability to
stop her and break her curse?
‘Jennet will have your heart and your fear in equal measure’
‘Through Jennet we see how cruelty can drive even the most ordinary people to hatred and, in Jennet’s case, evil’
Yorkshire is in the grip of a heatwave, and Thruscross Reservoir has dried up
to reveal the remains of the drowned village of Thores-Cross beneath.
Playing in the mud which coats the valley floor, four-year-old Clare
Wainwright finds an old inkpot, and can’t wait to show it to her
best friend, Louise. But when Louise’s mother, Emma, sees it, her
reaction is shocking, and both families are plunged into their worst
nightmares.
Emma knows what the inkpot portends:
Jennet has woken.Now she wants the children.
This is not a gore-ridden, jump-scare horror story. This is more real than
that. Jennet is a story about the horrific things that people do to
each other, and the way we react to that maltreatment – which does
not always end with death.
Jennet’s story is a horror story because it’s not necessarily fiction. It
reflects the way women were treated in the time that Jennet lived. It
reflects the psychology of the abuse cycle. And it reflects real
life. All of it.
If, as I believe, the spirit does not die when the physical body dies,
then how many spirits are looking for vengeance today?
What wrongs will you want to right when you pass through that veil? What
will I?
This is the conclusion of Jennet’s story, which began in The Haunting of
Thores-Cross. I hope she finds peace. I really do.
Karen Perkins is the author of eight fiction titles: the Yorkshire Ghost
Stories and the Valkyrie Series of historical nautical fiction. All
of her fiction has appeared at the top of bestseller lists on both
sides of the Atlantic, including the top 21 in the UK Kindle Store in 2018.
Her first Yorkshire Ghost Story – THE HAUNTING OF THORES-CROSS – won the
Silver Medal for European Fiction in the prestigious 2015 Independent
Publisher Book Awards in New York, whilst her Valkyrie novel, DEAD
RECKONING, was long-listed in the 2011 MSLEXIA novel competition.
Originally a financial advisor, a sailing injury left Karen with a chronic pain
condition which she has been battling for over twenty five years
(although she did take the European ladies title despite the
injury!). Writing has given her a new lease of – and purpose to –
life, and she is currently working on a sequel to Parliament of
Rooks: Haunting Brontë Country.
When not writing, she helps other authors prepare their books for
publishing and has edited over 150 titles, including the 2017 Kindle
UK Storyteller Award winner, The Relic Hunters by David Leadbeater,
and has also published a series of publishing guides to help aspiring
authors realise their dreams.
Karen Perkins is a member of the Society of Authors and the Horror Writers
Association.