Sep. 24th, 2016 07:26 am
Review: Bad Blood
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klwardBad Blood
By Gary Kemble, Echo Publishing, 2016
A Review by Kyla Lee Ward
A copy of this book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
After the terrifying events of the previous book in this series, the journalist Harry Hendricks may believe that nothing can get under his skin.
"Men are so easy to control. It's so easy to get into their heads. I've been in your head this week, haven't I?"
He may be more confident than he used to be, but Harry's no fool. When a young man contacts him, claiming to have been sexually abused at an exclusive school, he knows he's starting on a dangerous path. When disparate suicides across Brisbane leave identical notes, claiming to act in the name of the Goddess, he knows that the world of magic and spirits is stirring once again. He's been training in the martial arts, but he knows when to reach out to his friends for help; Sandy, the psychic, and Dave, the medical student. The tattoo their last adventure left on the back of his neck is still providing protection. What he doesn't understand is that nothing avails against the evil you invite to enter.
Harry looked down. "Yes, Mistress."
The great strength of this book and the previous Skin Deep (Echo Publishing, 2015) is their psychological realism. Kemble persuades the supernatural to emerge from circumstances and emotions that are only too natural. The way unease seeps in, as coincidences mount up. The way the mind fights to maintain its boundaries, both of the real and of self. Grief. Guilt. Rage. What makes Harry such a compelling character is his strength, to be sure: his professionalism and flashes of insight. But it is his vulnerabilities that encourage the reader to accompany him on this chilling journey.
"Of course I have. And I'm going to stay there."
To read the full review, go here.
By Gary Kemble, Echo Publishing, 2016
A Review by Kyla Lee Ward
A copy of this book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
After the terrifying events of the previous book in this series, the journalist Harry Hendricks may believe that nothing can get under his skin.
"Men are so easy to control. It's so easy to get into their heads. I've been in your head this week, haven't I?"
He may be more confident than he used to be, but Harry's no fool. When a young man contacts him, claiming to have been sexually abused at an exclusive school, he knows he's starting on a dangerous path. When disparate suicides across Brisbane leave identical notes, claiming to act in the name of the Goddess, he knows that the world of magic and spirits is stirring once again. He's been training in the martial arts, but he knows when to reach out to his friends for help; Sandy, the psychic, and Dave, the medical student. The tattoo their last adventure left on the back of his neck is still providing protection. What he doesn't understand is that nothing avails against the evil you invite to enter.
Harry looked down. "Yes, Mistress."
The great strength of this book and the previous Skin Deep (Echo Publishing, 2015) is their psychological realism. Kemble persuades the supernatural to emerge from circumstances and emotions that are only too natural. The way unease seeps in, as coincidences mount up. The way the mind fights to maintain its boundaries, both of the real and of self. Grief. Guilt. Rage. What makes Harry such a compelling character is his strength, to be sure: his professionalism and flashes of insight. But it is his vulnerabilities that encourage the reader to accompany him on this chilling journey.
"Of course I have. And I'm going to stay there."
To read the full review, go here.