How safe is all of the wonderful technology that we now have? Most of us carry cell phones with us everywhere we go. We tend to take out internet access for granted. They make life so much easier for us. But what if they were used against us?
Asher Benson has moved out in the middle of nowhere, and he is at all times surrounded by government agents to supposedly keep him safe. He doesn’t want to be disturbed. He wants no contact with anyone. All he wants to do is drink to shush the voices in his head. But his government needs him once again.
Arthur’s Creek, West Virginia, is about to turn into a war zone. Allison is on her way to work when the unexpected happens – she wrecks. This isn’t just any wreck; she was made to crash. Someone has left something in the road to stop anyone from leaving or entering the town. Once she discovers this, the crash takes on a much more sinister meaning. What is going on?
Jason Brant does a great job of describing her wreck in detail. Since I was in a pretty horrific car accident myself twenty-three years ago, it had some special meaning for me. I have absolutely no memory of my car tumbling over a hill with me in it, but his description of how Allison’s car flipped made me cringe. Allison was, fortunately, able to climb out of her car and take off.
She is chased through the woods by men who will kill her if they find her. She manages to make it to the sheriff’s office, but he thinks she is crazy. She is, after all, known as a heavy drinker.
Something is affecting people. Something is changing them from sane, rational human beings to crazed lunatics who want nothing more than to torture others as much as possible before killing them.
A madness has infected the majority of the residents of Arthur’s Creek, West Virginia. Will anyone survive? Has this come about because Asher Benson lives so close by? Will anyone escape this horrific onslaught of terror? Or will Ash once again manage to save the day?
This is a very fast-paced read. The action never quits. Sometimes it slows down for just a moment and allows you to breathe. I know that wondering what was going to happen next caused my muscles to tense. I even yelled out while reading so many times that my son asked me what was wrong. The number of times I burst out laughing equaled the number of times I yelled. The author has an incredible way of mixing humor in amidst all the psychotic madness that is overtaking this town.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to purchase your own copy, please click on either the Amazon or Smashwords link below.
Amazon link: Madness (Asher Benson Book 2)
Smashwords link: Madness (Asher Benson Book 2)
Recommended Articles:
Ash (Asher Benson Book 1) – a Review
The Perfect Crime (An Asher Benson Short Story) – a Review
Big Bob: A Horror Short Story – a Review
Favorite Sentences
The mosquitoes probably got hammered when they took a drink of my blood.
I would have given her the most passionate kiss possible for a burly man like me just then, but I was afraid she might gag from my smell.
The panic and fear that gripped me sliced away the fatigue that I’d been suffering from minutes before.
I’m so dehydrated that I might crumple into a pile of dust soon.
The man who liked to pretend that severed heads were soccer balls grinned.
New Words Learned
bereft – deprived of or lacking something, especially a nonmaterial asset
circling the drain – If someone is circling the drain, they are very near death and have little time to live. The phrase can also describe a project or plan or campaign that that is on the brink of failure. (http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/circling+the+drain.html)
comping –making a service complimentary or free of charge
Ed Gein – I believe this link tells more than enough about his American Psycho – http://www.houseofhorrors.com/gein.htm. All I can say is that I’m glad I never lived anywhere near this madman.
heft – weight, heaviness
jounced – jolted or bounced
pneumatic – operated by air or by the pressure or exhaustion of air
stymie – to prevent or hinder the progress of
About the Author:
Jason Brant used to work full-time as a Digital Forensic Analyst for the Department of Defense. One day, he did something that many of us long to do. He quit his job so he could write books, watch movies, and drink microbrews.
Even though that life sounds like a dream come true, he has been hard at work writing. That is awesome for those of us that like to read his work. He has written two series: West of Hell (Gehenna, Tartarus, and Sheol) and The Hunger (Devoured, Consumed, and Ravaged). The Gate and The Dark are two more horror novels he has written. Many short stories, one of which can be found in Paranormal Anthology with a Twist, have also been written.
Website: http://jasonbrant.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jmbrant
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason_brant
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