Thursday, February 14, 2013

Forever Man - by Brian W. Matthews - A fresh take on good versus evil

5 of 5 Stars     Review Copy

It is just hard to believe this is the first published novel from Brian W. Williams.  It's just so good.  Sometimes it's the simplest things that will grab me and keep me turning page after page, being drawn into a story until I'm totally invested.  In Forever Man I knew I was in for a treat at the very begining and the line, "From the front of the bus, the driver barked out, 'Newberry!' and the door swung open with a snaky hiss."  I've never heard a bus door opening described in this maner and yet it was a perfect choice.  Like I said, it's the simple things.

Here's the book description from Amazon.com, "Police Chief Elizabeth "Izzy" Morris enjoys keeping the peace in the small town of Kinsey in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. But when her seventeen-year-old daughter goes missing after a school dance and the mutilated corpse of the girl's date is discovered in the nearby woods, Izzy's police skills are stretched to their limits.

Her only suspect is a stranger, a mysterious black man with no known past. When a second stranger appears, the investigation stalls. People she once trusted turn against her. The local banker's autistic son begins to know things no one else does. And now something unspeakable prowls the woods.

Joined by three friends and the man she once considered her enemy, Izzy races to find her daughter-and ends up trapped in the middle of a war between an ancient evil and the man who has stood in its way for nearly two thousand years."

The character of Izzy, the police chief whose daughter is missing, is one of the strongest female characters I've read recently.  Take charge, no-nonsense, fearless, all the things you would expect from a woman whose teenage daughter is missing and feared dead.

As a horror writer, Brian also won me over with his willingness to kill off his characters.  Stephen King was always good that.  A lot of writers want to try and save everyone and it isn't always possible.  In Forever Man there were characters I loved to love and ones that brought up the taste of bile into my mouth.

Once again, the folks at JouralStone have shown their adeptness at finding new talent and putting out a quality end-product.  Forever Man is available now in a format to suit anyone's taste and budget. 

Once again I can highly recommend this new work for anyone looking for a fast-paced horror thrill ride, but not recommended for chilren.  Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. As always, Frank, an excellent review! ♪ ♥ ♫

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  2. Thank you for the review, Frank. I'm pleased you enjoyed the book!

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