Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy

 

Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy - 416 pages

Mary is a quiet, middle-aged woman doing her best to blend into the background. Unremarkable. Invisible. Unknown even to herself.

But lately, things have been changing inside Mary. Along with the hot flashes and body aches, she can’t look in a mirror without passing out, and the voices in her head have been urging her to do unspeakable things.

Fired from her job in New York, she moves back to her hometown, hoping to reconnect with her past and inner self. Instead, visions of terrifying, mutilated specters overwhelm her with increasing regularity and she begins auto-writing strange thoughts and phrases. Mary discovers that these experiences are echoes of an infamous serial killer.

Then the killings begin again.

Mary’s definitely going to find herself.

This was a pretty good book, it was interesting and gory enough.  I found Mary's obsession with Little Ones odd, but she's an odd duck anyway so I guess it fits.  The story was well written,  kept me entertained, and the ending was pretty good. I didn't want to put this one down.

The Store by Bentley Little

 

The Store by Bentley Little - 432 pages

Juniper, Arizona, is an off-the-map desert town the retail giant called The Store has chosen for its new location. Now everything you could possibly want is under one roof, at unbelievable prices. But you'd better be careful what you wish for. This place demands something of its customers that goes beyond brand loyalty. At The Store, one-stop shopping has become last-stop shopping.

Bill Davis is the only one in town who senses the evil lurking within The Store. But he can't stop his two teenage daughters from taking jobs there and falling under the frightening influence of its sadistic manager. When Bill finally takes a stand, he will get much more than he bargained for. . . .

I read this one b/c I really enjoyed "The Consultant" by this author and wanted to give this one a go...it didn't go as I expected.  It was a bit of a slog, honestly.  I had a hard time getting through it, but I pushed on b/c I expected it to get better.  It didn't.

Blue Labrynth by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child-403 pages

Blue Labrynth by Preston and Child-403 pages

The doorbell rings at Special Agent Pendergasts home.  When it is open one of his most feared enemies is found dead on his doorstep, with a clue..a piece of rare turquoise in his stomach.  All of this is a twisted plot engineered to draw Pendergast in.  It is his most harrowing adventure yet.

Very good.

Tricked by Kevin Hearne

Tricked (Iron Druid Chronicles, Bk. 4) - Kevin Hearne, 368 pages

Druid Atticus O'Sullivan has managed to stay alive for over two thousand years through being crafty and making friends with the right deities.  Vengeful thunder gods from the Norse pantheon are after him so he partners with the Navajo trickster god Coyote to fake his death.  Complications ensue from the bargain with Coyote that put O'Sullivan in the path of angry miners and even more angry paranormal entities.  Hearne has wonderful dialogue and twists of phrase that made me laugh out loud while reading.  This series is a fun read that takes religions from all over the world and across the ages and puts an urban fantasy twist on them filled with snark and violence.