The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

ENZO GETS TO READ DURING THE DAY. 

BOOKENZ GETS TO REVIEW AT NIGHT.

I left a note for BookEnz in the Message Book today. 'Dont write anything too dark BookEnz!!'

'Screw you Enzo, HAPPY READING!'

REVIEW COMING SOON 

LAST ONE TO DIE: CHAPTER ONE BY CYNTHIA MURPHY

South Yorkshire Metropolitan Police

Interview Transcript

Case number - 00666

Interviewing Officer - Detective Moran

Incident Type - Cliffhanger 

Victim name - Enzo Falsone

D.O.B: 12/03/84

DET. MORAN: (Dry grunt) So, it's currently 23:02 and I am here with Enzo Falsone, who is yet to inform us on what happened in Cynthia Murphy’s - Last One to Die: First chapter? For this tape, can you describe the events that took place, Mr Falsone?

 

ENZO FALSONE: Well...I was on, Twitter.... oh... it is dark (audible mumbling).....I can’t see! 

 

DET MORAN: Urgh!... PC BOWERS! Please turn on the interrogation lights so Mr Falsone can see. 

 

(Lights turn on)

 

ENZO FALSONE: AH! Much better thank you. As I was saying, I was on Twitter and I stumbled across this talented up and coming author: Cynthia Murphy. 

 

DET MORAN: Oookay. Erm, (grunts) please note for the tape, that Mr Falsone is looking rather excitable at this point and we are on standby to arrest...

 

(Audible gasp)

 

ENZO FALSONE: NO! Allow me to finish! Cynthia has a new book coming out in January 2021 and I had the privilege of reading the first chapter to review! The best part was having Cynthia’s permission of course! 

 

DET MORAN: Wait a second, are you telling me you have had communication with Cynthia!?

 

ENZO FALSONE: Why yes....we chatted online and that’s where I asked her!

 

DET MORAN: WAIT! Have you Motherfu(barely audible) seen her!? (Fist bangs on the table) TALK!!!! 

 

ENZO FALSONE: NO I have not! Although, IF LOOKS COULD KILL...SHE'D BE DEAD ALREADY! HAHAHAHAHAHA...HA....HA...

 

(Detective gives a mirthless laugh)

 

DET MORAN: I am giving you one more chance Mr Falsone, (inaudible mumble) tell me what you know so far about Last One to Die, the first chapter? Please! Note for the tape, Enzo is nodding his head in excitement and has a supercilious look in his eye!

 

ENZO FALSONE: Well, as a teaser we are presented with the first chapter, and it doesn’t disappoint. What struck oil for me, it is set in modern-day London. Now, I love a good story set in our Capital city! Being a horror enthusiast, as soon as I think of London, my mind immediately diverges to American Werewolf in London! So, you can imagine how excited I got reading this when a Ms Stevens one night after an argument with her boyfriend is walking alone near Millennium Bridge and is approached by someone. Or perhaps SOMETHING?

 

(ABRUPT INTERRUPTION BY DETECTIVE MORAN)

 

DET MORAN: Please note for the tape that I am reminding Mr Falsone to stick to the facts in this case, do you understand!?

 

ENZO FALSONE: (Explosion of verbal diarrhoea) BUT NEVE CAMPBELL GETS MENTIO!?  

 

DET MORAN: THE FACTS PLEASE!

 

ENZO FALSONE: (Audible sigh) Fine, I was just saying, some similarities would suggest foul play! Particularly where Ms Stevens describes being attacked causing "lacerations from her collar bone across to her right shoulder." Worst of all, she believes the perpetrator had metal nails!

 

DET MORAN: Metallll nails??.... (audible knuckle cracking). Anything else you would like to share with us at this time Mr Falsone?

 

ENZO FALSONE: Well from what I can gather, the main story is set in the 1st person. The protagonist being Niamh.

 

DET MORAN: Niamh?

 

ENZO FALSONE: Niamh! N-I-A-M-H! (Audible grinding of teeth). Anyway, Niamh arrives in London for a six-week drama course. As she checks into her accommodation, bumps into Sara who also is on her course. However, Sara pleads with Niamh to swap rooms, as Sara is on the 10th floor and scared of heights. Niamh agrees to swap and the two hit it off. (Audible sigh) It would have been a great friendship...

 

DET MORAN: (Audible stammering) What...what do you mean "would have?" 

 

ENZO FALSONE: Well, Detective Moran, this is where you must read the first captivating chapter of Last One to Die. It’s probably the reason which brought me into your custody. The scene is set with murder and suspense. I need to find out what happens to Niamh’s friend. What if Niamh was supposed to be the target? There is something supernatural going on in this book detective! It's chilling and yet gripping!! You need to read this first chapter! It stuck with me so much that I pre-ordered a copy as I NEED to help her Detective Moran! I need to help find out what is going on!

 

DET MORAN: And where do I find this... chapter, Mr Falsone?

 

ENZO FALSONE: Right here: LAST ONE TO DIE: CHAPTER ONE. The only way you are going to solve this case Detective Moran is by pre-ordering your copy. I encourage you to do so, or else..(audible shuffling of a chair).

DET MORAN: Or else what? Wait! Oh my god! For the tape, Mr Falsone's knuckles are bleeding, they are (inaudible sound)...NO!!! (Audible screams) NOOOO!! It cant be! Metal cla.... (Audible swipe)

(Tape abruptly ends) 

Available to preorder:

Waterstones  

WHSmiths

Blackwells

Foyles

Hive

BookDepository

Amazon

            Visit Cynthia on Twitter: @CynthiaMurphyYA

A Seed in a Soil of Sorrow by Keith Anthony Baird

 A Seed in a Soil of Sorrow by Keith Anthony Baird  

When the death cult calls ... what are you running from?

Message of thanks

It started with a tweet from the author: Keith Anthony Baird. This was a HUGE deal for me. I’ve just started my blog, as I find it therapeutic; talking about what I have read and how it made me feel etc. So, when Keith messaged me and asked if I would like to read his short story: A Seed in a Soil of Sorrow, I was like YES SIR! So outright Keith, a big gracious thank you! 

The BookEnz Review 

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I have always been curious about cults growing up. Not that I ever wanted to be a part of one or anything like that, but it was more the fascination into the human mind. The art of persuasion and the Psychology of conformity. 

The first cult I can remember was Heaven’s Gate, led by Marshal Applewhite. Think it was around 1996, Applewhite theorized that a comet passing called Hale-Bopp was an apparent vessel for their souls to board. The group’s members committed suicide, and this was due to one man’s convictions.

This stuck with me for some time growing up. The ideology of a leader and a group of devotees adapting to one mindset in the hope of one eventuality: solace.

This brings me to A Seed in a Soil of Sorrow. 

It's 1999, on the verge of the "new millennium" where we are introduced to Tobias (alias to the commune). He has searched a "hateful two decades" for salvation from his former life and finds The Viridian Chapter sect, a commune ran by its leader: Hans Lehmann.

Tobias soon learns during his early weeks at the commune that Hans is certifiable and narcissistic. One instance that captivated me, was his arrival to the Chapter. Tobias witnesses the horrific execution of two other Chapter members. That’s just day 1! Their crime? Possession of "outside reading material" as in, outside of Hans’s society. In a civilized society, this would be a crime against humanity.   

Will this be the utopia Tobias has been searching for? His life so far: “Womb to twenty-one had been a tinderbox of rejection”. Can he overcome certain visceral urges which otherwise will put him and others in danger? Will Tobias become a disciple or an evident lapdog to his leader? And will the Viridian Chapter unveil itself to be a more dystopian society? These were some of the questions I asked myself, but what I wanted to know the most was: Will Hans and Tobias’s personalities clash?

A Seed in a Soil of Sorrow is dark, powerful and chilling. I must admit, it contains some of the most graphic and disturbing sequences of events that I have read in a long time and it doesn’t disappoint. A Seed in a Soil of Sorrow will leave you mesmerised and that’s before you even get to the end: It's masterful.

 

Visit KAB's website: KAB's Homepage

 Follow Keith on Twitter: @kabauthor

Kindle Version available here: A Seed in a Soil of Sorrow

 

UNBOXED: A Play by BRIANA MORGAN

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Hey, ghosts and ghouls! Today, I have a special treat for you all, Briana Morgan’s play, UNBOXED!

The scene is set, well Act I is set where we meet Greg Zipper, a popular paranormal vlogger who is fixated with hitting 1 million subscribers! He’s nearly there, but it’s costing him his relationship with the love of his life, Alice. It appears that he is currently more connected with his vlog than the one he loves. However, Greg’s vlog is in turmoil, as a personal argument between him and Alice is recorded onto his vlog. Greg soon starts losing subscribers and decides to purchase a mystery box from the dark web to restore his losses and hit that 1 million mark! Greg soon learns it’s called the dark web for a reason when he unboxes something far more sinister that will change his life forever! 

Firstly, I wanted to share with you what possessed me to read this dark short play. 

I love films, mainly horror. Not the type where an inhuman being with a mask terrorises the victim throughout 6 films spanning two decades! No, I am more interested in the found footage genre. For me, the found footage film adds an element of realism for the viewer, which in turn makes them believe what they are seeing, is legitimate.

In 1999, I watched my first ever found footage film, The Blair Witch Project. I remember the way I felt after watching it, Scared! Even when I watch it now, it still disturbs me. Sometimes what we don’t see, frightens us the most.

Eight years later, that same dreaded feeling resurfaced, with the release of Paranormal Activity. PA for me has become the epitome of the found footage genre. The film focuses on a malevolent entity, that has leeched itself onto the films main character. The entities presence matures in the film when a video camera is bought to capture the phenomenon but instead makes it more malevolent.

This play could easily be the next on-screen found footage film. It reminded me of some of those wicked scenes from PA and left me more paranoid than the films. Ghosts and ghouls, I was scared reading Unboxed, and all I will say is this, Unboxed is not for the faint of heart but has a heartfelt ending.

Not only is this the first play that I have read as an adult, but it is the first time I have become acquainted with Briana’s work and it's excellent! Briana plays author, director and producer in one, to the point I felt like I was sat in the centre of the Belasco Theatre watching and made the whole experience real and eerie,e to say the least. 

Even though this is a short play, it captures a series of disturbing events that unbo..fold when Greg opens the box and unleashes something. The great thing about reading this compared to say watching PA, you don’t have to wait until night 15 before you get to that big scare! As soon as the box is opened, BOOM! There is a whole world of hurt coming Greg’s way, which affects his career and those that are closest to him. Will he manage to BOXer away what’s coming and regain more than just his subscribers!?

Links below: 

UNBOXED: THE PLAY available to buy on Amazon.co.uk  UNBOXED

Say hello to Briana on Twitter @brimorganbooks

Visit Brianas website Briana Morgan Link Tree

My next stop on the Briana "Boo" Morgan Tour is her latest work COMING SOON! Follow her for more details!

THE BIGWOOF CONSPIRACY BY DASHE ROBERTS

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WELCOME TO STICKY PINES! Honestly, a place I want to live. Mysterious lights in the sky, sightings of bigfoot, whose face resembles a bulldog and yet mysteriously looks like a frog, and more conspiracy theories raised than the question, "are we truly alone in the universe?". Where do I sign!? 

The story begins where we meet 12-year-old Lucy Sladan, a UFO fanatic who clearly isn’t a believer in an early night for school. Instead, seeks the truth sneaking out into the woods to unravel the mystery of blue lights in the sky and locals disappearing, which Lucy feels are connected! Her adventure truly begins when she makes the biggest claim to fame discovering BIGFF...WOOF!? 

From this moment on, this book holds more adventure than Indiana Jones and even more mystery than the unexplained! 

I routed for Lucy throughout this book, who is as persistent as Hermione Granger when it comes to uncovering the truth! The characters all have warmth (one was cold) from a 13-year-old stranger turned friend of Lucys named Milo, the two Mrs Stricks and the man in the banana costume! There is no imagination left unturned when it comes to The Bigwoof Conspiracy. 

Dashe Roberts has totally rekindled my childhoods most favourite unsolved mystery, the Bigfoot....and to one day discover, what Pine tree sap tastes of!? I loved this book...Yes loved. A word I associate with family and this is what I gained by visiting this quaint little forgotten corner of the world called Sticky Pines! 

Even though this is an MG book, Dashe's debut novel is imperceptible in its genre, at times you’d think you were reading a YA horror. Mad Dashe entices the adult reader with dark and horrific scenes including Bigwoof metamorphosises, like those seen in American Werewolf in London, which will leave you fearing for Lucy's life. This was my excuse anyway for buying and reading this delightful adaptation of a Bigfoot mystery! 

Available to buy Amazon The Bigwoof Conspiracy

Published by Nosy Crow

My next stop on the Mad Dashe Sticky Pines Tour is... 

THE THING AT BLACK HOLE LAKE