On the great quest in search of obscure gems hidden in Amazon’s Secret Trove of Books You Probably Won’t Find on Your Search, I searched: Books›Mystery, Thriller & Suspense›Thrillers & Suspense
A Haunting at Wentzel Farm by Sharon A. Austin
Cover – I give the cover of this book a pass. As a lover of horror, it immediately caught my attention on the search page and piqued my interest. It has the classic haunted house, which has been done many times, but for some never gets old.
Synopsis – I give the synopsis a pass. It tells a little about the story line and the excerpt sets the tone.
Review – This short story has one customer review giving it two stars. While the reviewer found the story to have potential, they clearly felt the story needed work.
My Take – Take every review with a grain of salt. It is that reviewer’s interpretation and is biased by their own tastes. This may be a story the author would do well to revisit after become a more experienced writer. Taking the review into account, I might consider reading this out of curiosity, after all, it is currently priced at only $1.
Synopsis:
“A short story based on the character Evelyn Adrian from THE CAJUN GIRL.
A woman is left homeless after a fire destroys her apartment building in New Orleans, Louisiana. At the same time, a severe thunderstorm warning is issued. Trying to get out of the city at night in a downpour while caught in heavy traffic she makes a wrong turn. Evelyn finds a farmhouse by accident. About to knock and ask directions, the door creaks open.
Excerpt:
The old dark house stood alone on the right side of a dirt road. Power lines came down when severe thunderstorms tore through southern Louisiana earlier in the day. She got a flashlight from the trunk of her car, and climbed the steps to the wraparound porch. A cool breeze rippled her T-shirt. Lightning cast her elongated shadow onto the door. About to knock and ask directions, the door creaked open. Evelyn backed up. A wind gust whipped her long hair in a frenzy. She took a deep breath and quickly exhaled. “Hello?” she called out in a soft tone, nudging the door open wider with the flashlight.”
Awake Asleep Dreaming Dead by John Siwicki
Cover – It caught my eye, but I immediately questioned it, a little uncertain what exactly the book title is. It’s not a terrible cover, but it doesn’t excite me about reading it either.
Synopsis – The first thing this book needs, perhaps, is a new synopsis. The synopsis mostly consists of a string of questions that give the impression they are meant to be philosophical. I imagine it is meant to set the tone of the book. But, before I buy a book, I’d like to have a feel for what the book is about. What’s the story? The synopsis is lacking the hook.
Reviews – This book has no reviews or stars.
My Take – Let’s see the next book.
Synopsis:
“Who sees the future, who knows the future, and who makes the future? If a wish or a dream comes true is it ours? Where did it come from? Why do we want it? Is life simply a coin toss floating in time waiting to be snatched and held? Do we make it happen? Is it a random snap of a finger instance moment selection, or can we choose which way to turn? Is it magic, illusion, something made from nothing? In the end there’s silence, peace after the last images of life fades from thought, and the whisper on our breath sounds a word. And, as the last word rolls off our lips into the eternal silence of a cool peaceful morning it’s broken, and this last flutter of time will offer a choice—be awake, asleep, dreaming or dead.”
Nillium Neems by Francisco J Ruiz
Cover – I give this cover a pass. It caught my eye immediately on the search page. Again, the spooky abandoned/haunted house theme.
Synopsis – The synopsis gives a good breakdown of what the book is about and is enough to interest me.
Reviews – 6 star ratings give this a 4.5 average. The one lower review, three stars, found the book average, but also expressed a wish for something “darker with a faster pace.” The book clearly did not quite meet their personal preference. However, it does also suggest the reviewer would consider reading a second book. As I will always say, take every review with a grain of salt. Art is subjective to the personal tastes of the individual. The rest of the reviews are five star reviews that are so radiantly glowing they are blinding. They may have really loved the book, or they be friends and family. It’s hard to tell.
My Take – at only $0.94, I bought the Kindle version. There is enough here to interest me; even though I don’t know if and when I’ll have the time to read it. My bookshelf is bursting at the seams. Will it be a gem? Only reading it will tell.
Synopsis:
“Enter the world of Nillium Neems, a mental patient living in the Atrium Psychiatric Ward who is diagnosed with schizophrenia — or so they say anyways. Nil herself is not so sure. Can all of the creatures that she speaks to on a daily basis really be all in her head? Are the doctors that torment her night and day truly doing it for her own good? Or is she the only one who sees things as they actually are?
Nothing is what it seems in this pyscho-thriller, a book about conspiracy, self-discovery, and insanity, which will leave you guessing until the very end, and perhaps far beyond it…”
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