THIS REVIEWER UNDERSTOOD WHAT I WAS GOING FOR IN MY BOOK.
5.0 out of 5 stars
You are invited to an evening of intrigue..., May 29, 2014
This review is from: The Dead Game (Kindle Edition)
Some books take an eternity to get things
kick-started, using slow burn tactics to ramp up suspense or develop
story lines, some almost to the point where you almost feel like giving
up on them with the thought the ultimate payoff is never going to
culminate.
Susanne Leist’s debut opus ‘The Dead Game’ is not one of those books.
From
the very moment it gets underway, starting off with a sinister,
tempestuous and enthralling prologue section which takes place five
years prior to the main story, it launches directly into chills and
thrills and lays out a wonderfully dark and engaging foundation on which
to build all ensuing events.
After these cataclysmic events in the
residence known as End House in the seemingly idyllic Florida town of
Oasis, the story now begins in earnest from present day revolving around
chief character Linda Barnett who has relocated to this very town in a
bid to discover a simple, peaceful existence.
For a while, that is
exactly what she finds in this apparently ideally named township, but
that is all going to change and soon enough it does, with Oasis becoming
plagued by a host of strange and mysterious occurrences, deaths that
occur once the sun goes down.
The mysterious invitations to a party
hosted by unknown persons, received by Linda and her bunch of
compatriots are the spurring agent to initiate events where the worried
townsfolk embark on a nightmarish expedition to uncover the dark secrets
lurking behind the perfect innocuous facade of oasis.
Leist is a
great natural storyteller and she exhibits her skills here, weaving a
cornucopia of elements into the fabric of the tale, developing a cast of
intriguing characters who engage the reader and draw them into their
various stories and agendas.
This is a supernatural thriller,
predominantly involving things of a vampire nature, but it is far from
your standard generic vampire by the numbers piece, it is skilfully
crafted to involve romantic overtures along with lashings of action and
loads of building suspense, as well as some atmospheric horror, all
neatly balanced without sacrificing any of the components.
Rolling
along with a suitable undercurrent of menace and portentous threat, The
Dead Game keeps things interesting with a host of plot shifts and
moments to maintain a strong desire to continue reading and become
absorbed in the frightening secrets engulfing those who dwell in Oasis.
For
the most part, the characters are extremely well fleshed out, in
particular those in main roles such as pivotal soul Linda herself as
well as the mysterious and wealthy Todd, the vivacious Shana Logan and
the others in the core group of friends, and the author ensures we care
about what happens to these folk, though having the knowledge that not
all is right at End House means we’re helpless to warn them against
having anything to do with it.
Susanne Leist has constructed a
thoroughly engrossing debut novel here and those who enjoy atmospheric
supernatural thrillers with a taut and deftly written story will find
plenty to captivate them here.
