Suspense Magazine November 2012

Parasylum
By Robbie Thomas
Robbie Thomas writes scenes in the narrative for a horror story that will have you jumping at
shadows. A new terror happens with the turn of each page as you follow a group of friends on the most
terrifying paranormal investigation they have ever experienced.
As you read the book, you will notice one thing that sets “Parasylum” apart from other books:
Thomas, being a screenwriter, lays out each of the scenes as if it were a movie. I found myself casting
each of the five protagonists with suitable actors to bring each of them alive in my mind. I have to tell
you doing so increased the scare factor ten-fold.
Here’s the premise of the story. Three paranormal investigators along with their wives set out
on what they consider to be their biggest investigation ever. With the latest technological equipment
stowed, the group hits the road excited about their night ahead. Experiencing some strange occurrences
along the way, the group becomes anxious about what awaits in the condemned asylum.
What happens next You will have to buy a copy of “Parasylum” to find out. I would love to give
you more detail, but in doing so I would take the experience of your scare away.
Bottom line, if you love being terrified to the point of screams being ripped from your throat, you
won’t be disappointed. As you read the ending you will be shaking your head in disbelief.
Reviewed by Jodi Ann Hanson (chaptersandchats.com) for Suspense Magazine
The Death Instinct
By Jed Rubenfeld
At noon on September 16, 1920, a horse-drawn wagon stopped in front of 23 Wall Street, the
headquarters of J.P. Morgan Bank. At 12:01, a large bomb in the wagon exploded, killing thirty-eight
people and wounding one hundred forty-three. It would remain the deadliest terrorist bombing in
the U.S. until the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing almost seventy-five years later. Different
from Oklahoma City, the Wall Street bombing case was never solved.
Jed Rubenfeld takes the bombing as the starting point for his historical thriller, “The Death
Instinct.” Former Harvard professor and physician Stratham Younger and his friend, NYPD Captain
James Littlemore, are close by when the bomb goes off. With them is Colette Rousseau, a French
radio-chemist trained by Madame Curie, who met Younger in a field hospital during World War I.
Waiting for Colette at her hotel is her younger brother Luc, who has not spoken since the massacre of
the rest of their family by the Germans during the war. Within hours of the bombing, Colette and Luc
are attacked multiple times, and only quick work by Younger and Littlemore save them. The attacks
are both violent and inexplicable.
Littlemore doesn’t accept the Bureau of Investigations assumption that the bombing is the work
of Italian anarchists. His investigation turns up the possible theft of gold from the nearby Federal
Reserve Bank, as well as the potential involvement of foreign nationalists.
While trying to keep Collette safe, Younger and the Rousseaus embark on a trip that winds
through Europe and includes spending time in Vienna with Younger’s friend and one-time mentor,
Sigmund Freud. It takes all of Younger’s bravery, Rousseau’s knowledge of the new nuclear science,
and Littlemore’s police instincts to unravel a mystery that involves some of the most powerful men in
the United States.
Rubenfeld weaves together actual history and public figures and creates a fascinating possible
solution for the bombing. The central act of terror in “The Death Instinct” mirrors our more recent
history, making it quite relevant to our world today.
Reviewed by David Ingram for Suspense Magazine
Never Say Pie
By Carol Culver
Hanna Denton is now a baker thanks to her grandmother who owned The Upper Crust Pie Shop
in Crystal Cove, California. When Grandma retired to an upscale retirement home, Hanna took over
and has kept the shop successful. Now she’s on her way to set up at the first annual Crystal Cove Food
Fair to bring her pies to the masses, make new contacts, and improve customer relations. In addition,
Hanna is very interested to meet and greet the local merchants, including Bill and Dave, who claim to
make the best sausage in town; Jacques, a cheese salesperson; and Nina, an old schoolmate of Hanna’s
who’s now creating candy.
Things go well for Hanna until she gets a glimpse at the local paper featuring a column by food
critic, Heath Barr. Heath has panned Hanna’s pies along with some of the other wares at the fair, but
unfortunately for him, knifing Hanna and her friends in the back is his very last review. The murder
weapon was a knife that’d been given out to most of the vendors at the Fair for publicity reasons,
which means all the vendors become suspects.
Hanna and her cooking cohorts were outraged by the comments of the reviewer, but certainly
never wished him dead…or did they And to top it all off, the lawman in the small town just happens
to be Hanna’s old flame from high school that she still has her eye on. To save themselves, Hanna
and her friends do a little investigating, angering the Chief who doesn’t like them intruding on his
territory. So, readers have to wonder if Hanna will eventually have to do her baking from a small,
frightening jail cell.
This is the second cozy from this author featuring Hanna Denton, and is just as much fun as the
first…perhaps even better. Not to mention, the mouthwatering recipes that are offered will soon be
served up in homes across the nation. So enjoy!
Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author of “Tallent & Lowery - 13” for Suspense Magazine
Blood Line
By Lynda La Plante
DCI Anna Travis has a lot
to prove. To Detective Chief
Superintendent James Langton,
her boss and former lover, she has
to prove she’s up to the job of being
a Detective Chief Inspector for the
Murder Squad. To herself, she has
to prove that she can still function
after the murder of her fiancé.
When Anna is given the task
of tracking down the whereabouts
of Alan Rawlins, the adult son of a
court employee, she’s suspicious
that she’s been demoted. “Check it
out for me,” Langton says. In spite
of her feelings that the case should
go to Missing Persons, she gives in
with grace.
Anna and her team work
through the steps. They interview
the parents, the fiancée, the coworkers,
and the neighbors, and
quickly find that there are two
major problems. One, Alan was
an all-around good guy and there
seems to be no reason whatsoever
for anyone to kill him. Two, there’s
no body, or even any evidence of a
body
Ḃut it becomes increasingly
clear that something is amiss. Blood
is found in the apartment that Alan
shared with his fiancée, too much
blood for a person to have lost and
survived. Though the team shares a
surge of excitement, the lead takes
them nowhere. The only solution is
to keep digging.
It soon appears that little
about Alan is as it seems, but the
accumulating evidence can be
interpreted different ways. Tension
builds as Anna determinedly
heads down one path, while
Superintendent Langton is pushing
her toward another. Has Alan
Rawlins been murdered Or did
he simply make himself disappear
from a life that he couldn’t live with
any longer
This police procedural
details the inner workings of
an investigation from before its
beginning through to its bitter end.
Anna’s need for an arrest trumps
everything, but close behind are the
realities of budgets, staff relations,
and the grind of a trail going cold.
International bestselling author
Lynda La Plante has written another
novel that’s sure to please.
Reviewed by Laura Alden, author
of “Plotting at the PTA” for Suspense
Magazine
38 Suspense Magazine November 2012 / Vol. 040