Houses are burning down for no reason. People are spontaneously combusting. An alien life form is stranded. And then there’s the ice cream. Buying a cone or ice cream sandwich from the ice cream man could change your life forever.
Lacy, a single mom, leaves her eleven- and twelve-year-old children old home alone while she runs into town to pick up a few things. Still grieving the death of her husband six years ago, she is distracted on her way home when she hears music from an ice cream truck. A sudden craving for ice cream takes over, and she chases down the truck until he stops.
When she gets back home, she discovers that she has now lost her house too. Unexplained fires like the one that took her house are becoming the norm. People spontaneously bursting into flames is happening way too often.
The game of pharmacology, new drugs, and their testing where the results have been skewered, are a huge part of what is going on. I kept wondering how the author would connect all the strange things going on in the world of drugs with an alien and ice cream, but he did it, and he did it successfully.
This is a horror book, a thriller, and a mystery all in one. It is an addictive read and extremely hard to put down. And it will only add to your distrust of new drugs and the pharmaceutical research that has proven them to be safe.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like your own copy, I have provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Ice Cream Man
Favorite Sentences:
For most physicians it didn’t matter – once they saw the incredible efficacy reports, they didn’t care if the chemicals originated in a corncob or a human fetus.
He said it like he was a little guy caught in a naughty act, like he was standing there bobbing in place because he had to pee and he wanted to go but he didn’t want to just run off and make it obvious.
As they disappeared into that dark, the only thing Chris could make out was the eyes of those young kids, those glowing, bulging, furious eyes.
It was amazing how easily these researchers turned when you attached a little monetary incentive to achieving positive results.
New Words Learned:
brogues – a strong outdoor shoe with ornamental perforated patterns in the leather
coterie – a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of others
diorama – a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures
ideation – the formation of ideas or concepts
laminar – (of a flow) taking place along constant streamlines, not turbulent
lampadaires – French for streetlights
litany – a recital or chant
loggia– a gallery or room with one or more open sides, esp. one that forms part of a house and has one side open to the garden
manzanita – an evergreen dwarf shrub related to the bearberry, native to California
metacognition – awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes
pharmacodynamics – the branch of pharmacology concerned with the effects of drugs and the mechanism of their action
pharmacokinetics – the branch of pharmacology concerned with the movement of drugs within the body
pharmacovigilance – the practice of monitoring the effects of medical drugs after they have been licensed for use, especially in order to identify and evaluate previously unreported adverse reactions
plumbago – an evergreen flowering shrub or climber that is widely distributed in warm regions and grown elsewhere as a greenhouse or indoor plant
predicated – based
preternatural – beyond what is normal or natural
travertine – white or light-colored calcareous rock deposited from mineral springs, used in building
ubiquitous – present, appearing, or found everywhere
volition – the faculty or power of using one’s will
About the Author:
Evan Bollinger specializes in a fusion of horror and scifi, opting for storylines that challenge our perception of normal, everyday events and ideas. A lifelong fan of horror and dystopian, Evan continues to dream up the impossible. He is currently at work on his latest full-length novel. You can find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/evan.bollinger.1232 and friend him to keep up with what he is currently doing.
