SHADOW SEASON received a nice review from Booklist today:
The Christmas recess has just begun at St. Valarian’s, a private secondary school for girls in upstate New York. A handful of students and staff are still on campus as a nasty blizzard gathers strength. Finn, a blind and deeply conflicted former NYPD detective, teaches literature at the school and longs to murder Ray, his former police partner. Making his way across campus through the storm, Finn encounters a teenage girl, a townie, who warns him that an “ill will” is coming for him. Soon, students and staff are dying, and Finn must defend himself and the survivors. Shadow Season has enough mystery, suspense, dread, and mayhem to satisfy nearly every crime fan. Characters are well developed, but most maintain a hint of mystery. Finn’s students, variously precocious, willful, mocking, and provocative, are totally believable. The blizzard ratchets up tension, as does our eagerness to learn why Finn wants to kill Ray. The portentous “ill will” may be a bit over the top, but the novel is terrific entertainment.
— Thomas Gaughan, Booklist
Also, northern Colorado's biggest newspaper, The Coloradoan, had this to say:
This is an intense thriller not for sissies. The complex main character tears into savage situations described with authenticity as he grinds through each crisis while dealing with his blindness.You will appreciate the portrayal of the main character Finn’s so-called disability, which really isn’t one given the way he knows how to utilize it. The entire plot never lets the reader take a breath and never lets up on the gut-wrenching emotional safari into Finn’s world of blackness.The dialogue, plot and the multi-layered character reveals itself to you with hammer blows page after page. Highly recommended for thriller fans who appreciate a quality read.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Futile Efforts
The long wait is over, friends. Just announced: my new massive collection FUTILE EFFORTS will soon be available from Cemetery Dance. Starred review in PW. Almost 600 pages long featuring introductions to my short fiction by the likes of Brian Keene, Jack Ketchum, Christopher Golden, TM Wright, Tom Monteleone, Ray Garton, Jack O'Connell, Simon Clark, James A. Moore, Gerard Houarner, Tim Lebbon, Michael Laimo, and many others.
Check it out here: http://cemeterydance.com/