Sylvia was searching for a good story to kick off her journalism career and almost immediately I thought I knew how the story would go…but not quite. Calvin Demmer wasn’t going to make it quite that easy for me.
Suicide Bridge…36 cases. Why had she never heard of it before?
I can guess. There’s something going on and everyone in town wants to keep it a secret.
Suitably creepy for an easy reading short story.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Town That Feared Dusk by Calvin Demmer.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Sylvia Bernstein
doesn’t want to end up on a dead-end path like a former journalism
colleague. She begins searching the tabloid’s archives for a story that
can get her career back on track. A strange bridge, with an abnormally
high rate of suicides, seems like the perfect place to start. She
journeys to the little town, eager to investigate, but encounters a tale
far more sinister than she ever expected…
***
Praise for The Town That Feared Dusk:
“Short, sharp and definitely shocking, The Town That Feared Dusk
is a grim tale that picks you up, buckles you in, and speeds away on a
chilling ride that veers left just when you think you want to go right.”
– Renee Miller, author of Stranded
“Calvin Demmer
is a rising star in the weird firmament. It’s possible that his work
might change your life forever. This short story is a good example of
his craft and impact.” – Duane Pesice, author of Before Crazytown
“Prepare
to face a menacing supernatural force that’ll have you questioning the
veil between heaven and hell. An edge-of-your seat story with a
mind-bending conclusion.” – Theresa Braun, author of Fountain Dead
***
(Cover by Adrian Baldwin)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Calvin Demmer is a dark fiction author. His debut collection, The Sea Was a Fair Master,
was released in June 2018. When not writing, he is intrigued by that
which goes bump in the night and the sciences of our universe.
Calling all creature feature lovers out there in cyberspace. I read these Chupacabra stories back in 2015, but never reviewed them. Me bad, but, better late than never…huh Michael?
I purchased Night of the Chupacabra, I believe it was gifted from Michael Hebler, through Amazon on 9.11.13, but finished reading it on 12.13.15.
Michael Hebler designed the fabulous cover himself.
I had Night of the Chupacabra hanging around for a long time and when I finally read it, I wondered why I waited. I loved it. Night of the Chupcabra got my attention early on and really pissed me off about the wagon train.
The story is so sweet, so cute, so savage, so brutal. The past, present and future slam together with good and bad consequences.
I feel really bad for Drake. Will he survive? Will he find what he is looking for? He doesn’t deserve the bad things happening to him and I am hoping he finds what ever he is searching for and finds peace. But, he also surprised me and I didn’t see it coming. I sure want to know more about him, about the chupacabra.
Sheriff Dillmore is not a sheriff you want running your town. To say he is mean is not saying enough. He deserves to be hung up to dry, burned under the jail. I hope he gets his!
I knew the ending…sort of…but won’t know for sure until I meet the Chupacabra in the next story. The series consists of four books and you will need to read them in order and in their entirety to know the complete story.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
WINNER OF THE 2014 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL – No one ever disputed that the deserts of the American West were treacherous for the wandering man. Hot and desolate conditions give a home to many dangerous creatures, including one elusive beast which no traveler had ever laid eyes upon until the night Drake Byrne passed through with his family. Their encounter becomes a gruesome attack that rips the Byrnes apart, expected never to reunite. Now, five years later, Drake’s search finally comes to an end when he stumbles upon the unique town of Dillmore Valley. Hidden in the hills, the walls that protect the populace, and its secrets, quickly become their prison when the cunning creature that has been shadowing Drake terrorizes the town and feeds on the blood of anything that poses a threat.
ABOUT MICHAEL HEBLER
Prior to his tween years, Michael used to “borrow” Stephen King books off his mother’s bookshelf. Although he has not been clinically evaluated, Michael is positive that his adolescent self-introduction into adult horror had an impact on his dark sense of humor and love for Jason Voorhees. On the upside, Michael has found an outlet in which to put his twisted thoughts to proper use, and thanks to a college degree which proves that he had studied the importances of plot, characters, conflict, themes, and interactions, he is able to give his stories the attention they deserve.
But life
wasn’t always about the written page. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood,
Michael had a career as a international film publicist, working on
multiple titles for Walt Disney, Pixar, Lionsgate, Lakeshore
Entertainment, Warner Bros., Summit Entertainment, as well as the 2013
Academy Award® Best Foreign Language film, “La grande bellezza” (The
Great Beauty). Sounds exciting, right? Michael thinks so, too.
Currently,
in his spare time, Michael also enjoys volunteering in his local
community. Organizations he has supported include Meals on Wheels, Get
On The Bus, as well as helped protect our animal population by aiding in
the capture/spay/neuter/release feral program.
To date, Michael’s publications include the first four (of six) books in his Chupacabra Series: NIGHT OF THE CHUPACABRA, CURSE OF THE CHUPACABRA, LEGEND OF THE CHUPACABRA, and DAWN OF THE CHUPACABRA, a couple of short stories, as well as my first publication, THE NIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS, a holiday picture book for believers of any age.
Hanzel and Gretel’s story has nothing on Bulwark and the Gingerbread House.
It all started with and accident and a large puddle of water appearing from nowhere…and the town went to hell.
Clay is the small town sheriff and is prime marriage material. Dayna is the local reporter and dogging his every step, causing many personal problems for Clay.
It had been fifty years since the ‘unusual’ killings.
There are plenty of scary moments when I wondered who would survive and, of the ones who would bite the dust, how it would happen. Not much good going on, but when it happened, it was great. Plenty of magical badness.
Need a good scare, this may be for you. Is it there? Is it all in your mind? There are two endings and for those who want a HEA, you’ll want to read the second one. Me…I loved the first ending…it keeps on giving…
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Bulwark by Brit Lunden.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Clay Finnes is the sheriff of a small town in Georgia called Bulwark. Recently separated from his wife, all he can think about is what went wrong, and will Jenna ever come back to him. He’s troubled by a bothersome reporter trying to build a story from what he thinks is a normal day in his life. Clay has to admit that the fantastical stories, told by an accident victim as well as unusual sightings of wolves, things are getting a bit strange. A visit to the ominous Gingerbread House makes him realize that his life as he knows it will never be the same.
I would like to thank Marcia Clark, NetGalley and Mulholland Books to have the opportunity to read and review The Competition, the fourth book in the Rachel Knight series.
I am really eager to begin to read this one because I am hoping to find out the answers to a past that has haunted her.
I can empathize with her ability to keep from letting the occasional curse word escape. LOL I can relate to her being cold all the time and dressing for warmth. I do too. I crave 80 degrees.
These characters have grown on me in a big way. This is my fourth book in the series and I have enjoyed watching Marcia Clark’s writing grow and develop. This is the best one yet.
The Competition deals with a sensitive subject…school shootings.
It took me a while to figure out the last villain standing and even more what would be the villains fate. It was so obvious in hindsight, but isn’t that always the way it always is?
Marcia Clark does a fantastic job misdirecting me.
I still have questions about Lilah and Romy, so I guess there must be another story to come.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Competition by Marcia Clark.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
In Marcia Clark’s
most electrifying thriller yet, Los Angeles District Attorney Rachel
Knight investigates a horrifying high school massacre.
A
Columbine-style shooting at a high school in the San Fernando Valley has
left a community shaken to its core. Two students are identified as the
killers. Both are dead, believed to have committed a mutual suicide.
In the aftermath of the shooting, LA Special Trials prosecutor Rachel
Knight teams up with her best girlfriend, LAPD detective Bailey Keller.
As Rachel and Bailey interview students at the high school, they realize
that the facts don’t add up. Could it be that the students suspected of
being the shooters are actually victims? And if so, does that mean that
the real killers are still on the loose? A dramatic leap forward in Marcia Clark’s highly acclaimed Rachel Knight series, The Competition is an unforgettable story that will stay with readers long after the last page has been turned.
I was lucky to get four books in the Rachel Knight series by Marcia Clark from NetGalley and Mulholland Books. I downloaded Guilt By Degrees on 6.29.14.
The preview for Guilt By Degrees by Marcia Clark made me sit up and take notice, wanting to read more.
I remember short pants…floods. Do you? Made me smile. Nice touch, Marcia.
I love that Rachel has to finish every book she begins…regardless…
The romance is slow burning and I think she takes as many cold showers as he does. LOL She hold her secrets close to her vest, sharing with no one, not even her BFFs.
Step by step, danger hovering. The writing for the Rachel Knight series keeps getting better and the suspense more intense.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Guilt by Degrees by Marcia Clark.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Someone has been
watching D.A. Rachel Knight–someone who’s Rachel’s equal in brains, but
with more malicious intentions. It began when a near-impossible case
fell into Rachel’s lap, the suspectless homicide of a homeless man. In
the face of courthouse backbiting and a gauzy web of clues, Rachel is
determined to deliver justice. She’s got back-up: tough-as-nails
Detective Bailey Keller. As Rachel and Bailey stir things up, they’re
shocked to uncover a connection with the vicious murder of an LAPD cop a
year earlier. Something tells Rachel someone knows the truth, someone who’d kill to keep it secret.
Harrowing,
smart, and riotously entertaining, GUILT BY DEGREES is a thrilling ride
through the world of LA courts with the unforgettable Rachel Knight.
Hiding in Sunshine by John & Caitlin Start is a great title and I do love the simple cover. I would like to thank NetGalley and Authorhouse for the opportunity to read and review Hiding in Sunshine. I downloaded this way back on 1.16.13.
Gavin had become wealthy from his inventions, so the kid was given only the best. He will need that wealth, because his family is in danger, targeted by the Enterprise, a Serbian criminal outfit. Why? Who will protect them?
I can only try to imagine the fear of being hunted, on your own. But, he and his friends are tech savvy, so I think the Serbs may regret messing with the wrong people. Bruce is a very interesting characters.
“The boundary between reality and nightmare had evaporated.”
I think I know what’s coming and I can hardly wait to find out. A terrifying look into a world in crises. Could this happen today? I love when a book gets my mind rolling, filled with what ifs…
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Hiding in Sunshine by John & Caitlin Stuart.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
This taut thriller
follows a family’s eleven-year odyssey on the run under assumed
identities, where survival skills are paramount, but so are friendship,
cooperation, and resilience. HIDING IN SUNSHINE celebrates one family’s
abiding courage in the face of abject treachery — and a young girl’s
faith in the triumph of the truth.
Catchy title for Sketcher in the Rye by Sharon Pape and I do love the cover. I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read and review Sketcher in the Rye by Sharon Pape. I downloaded this back on 11.7.13
Sketcher in the Rye and Sharon Pape had me cracking up from the getgo. I don’t know what I expected, but it’s delivering so much more.
Rory is quite the character, but Zeke steals the show. They do make quite the investigating team.
We switch back and forth from the present to the past as we examine Zeke’s life. A heartbroken hobo has a large personality and is good for lots of laughs.
Fun story, humorously written, with fabulous quirky characters to love.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Sketcher in the Rye by Sharon Pape.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
In her new job as a
private eye, former police sketch artist Rory McCain has a spirited
partner: Old West marshal Zeke Drummond. He may be a ghost, but when
these two combine their skills, they reap justice…
Trouble has
sprouted at Harper Farms. Top secret info has been leaked to the
competition, and now there’s serious sabotage cropping up. So the farm’s
beleaguered owner, Gil Harper, has called on Rory to dig up some dirt.
But what Rory discovers raises a new field of questions…
Someone
shucked Harper’s accountant and left his body in the farm’s corn maze.
While Gil is quick to hire Rory to solve now not one but two crimes, the
sketching sleuth isn’t so sure why the farmer wants her to focus her
attention on his own family.
Regardless, Rory and Zeke will need
to put their hands to the plow and solve this case before someone else
is planted six feet under…
Includes a preview of the first Crystal Shop Mystery, Amethysts and Alibis, by Sharon Pape
Seals make for some intriging and action packed reading, so I was happy to get a copy of Seal Team Six: Hunt The Fox by Donn Mann & Ralph Pezullo from NetGalley and Mulholland Books. I downloaded Hunt The Fox on 4.6.15.
I wonder the same thing as Jared, wondering about our motivation for our interactions with other countries…is it all about what they have that benefits us? Crocker felt it best not to question it so he could do his job as leader of Black Cell.
Seal Team Six has all I expected from a Seal and his ‘friends.’ Action packed. Suspenseful. Makes me ponder the sacrifices and danger real soldiers face so we are free.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Seal Team Six: Hunt The Fox by Don Mann & Ralph Pezullo.
4 Stars
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
In war-torn Syria, the heroes of the SEAL Team Six series defuse an ISIS warlord’s explosive plot.
After a meeting with a CIA source in Istanbul ends in tragedy, SEAL
Team Six Chief Warrant Officer Thomas Crocker vows revenge. He suspects
the men who attacked him and his contact are involved in the latest and
most harrowing scheme SEAL Team Six is charged with preventing, in a
region that grows more volatile by the day.
Syria’s government is unraveling, with the alliances among rebel
groups increasingly complex and ISIS dangerously in the mix. Farid
al-Kazaz, aka the Fox, leads the most threatening of the ISIS factions.
The Fox believes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ordered the murder of
the Fox’s brother and is planning a sarin gas attack that would wreak
havoc across not just Syria, but the entire Middle East. It’s up to
Crocker and the rest of SEAL Team Six to stop a ruthless killer and keep
an explosive plan from detonating.
The SEAL Team Six series has been hailed by Special Forces veterans
and members of the intelligence community as a fascinating,
behind-closed-doors look at the real-life heroism of our country’s
bravest soldiers. Now, Mann and Pezzullo use their experience and
insight to tell the story of a terrifying plot ripped straight from the
headlines
