Instead --by Jason McIntyre

Fiction / Thriller

114 pages (Novella)

5 Stars

This series of novellas, which can be read in any order, is marvelous. I don't normally read thrillers of this nature, but am totally hooked on McIntyre's books.

It's a new year and mom and daughter are reunited at grandpa's house after a long separation due to medical reasons. And that reunion brings secrets, and a strange pack of dogs, and an even stranger, well, stranger.

A short book, but the story, like a ghost, will linger in the recesses and darkest corners of your mind for days and weeks and maybe even years to come.

Buy it. Read it. Review it.

Redhead (Dovetail Cove 1974) –by Jason McIntyre

Fiction / Novella / Noir 

79 pages / 2123 KB

5 Stars

If you are a fan of noir, check out Jason McIntyre's books. If you've not yet found Dovetail Cove, you might as well dive in here. The books are all about people in the same (fictional—I looked it up) town, Dovetail Cove, Oregon. Their stories interconnect, weave together, but each novella stands alone, there is no reason to begin reading in any particular order. There really is no order, only dark mayhem.

This story focuses on Frances Margaret Banks, Dovetail Cove's most famous Lady of the Night. She claims credit for the deaths of two men, but did she really kill them? One she may have helped with, the other, well, that's up to you to determine.

She falls in love with one of her johns, the red-headed Sean Ketwood. And then the troubles start. And believe me, Dovetail Cove has more troubles and more stories than Grace Metalious ever thought about putting into Peyton Place.

McIntyre does a great job spinning a dark story, and leaving us with the slightest flickering glimmer of hope at the end that all will be well—eventually, and for the deserving.

Deathbed (Dovetail Cove, 1971) --by Jason McIntyre

Fiction / Noir  

83 pages / 1407 KB

5 Stars

I grew up in Portland, Oregon and I admit, McIntyre's creation of Dovetail Cove is so real, I looked it up on the map. It isn't there. I knew it wasn't, but I had to double check.

This series of books is not linear. One may enter at any place, and read in any order, thanks to the sneakiness and deviousness of the author. The saga 'starts' here, but it really doesn't make a difference. Each novel/novella is a stand alone, and each takes place in a different year.

Farrah is a young girl growing up with her father. Her mother is on the mainland, and Farrah really doesn't understand why just that she's not home. Farrah's Gran is dying, and Farrah likes to find stories to bring Gran. She buys a 'mystery box' from a woman at the town market, and discovers a dark story for Gran—and herself.

These books are not bedtime stories for your young children, unless you feed them a steady diet of Twilight Zone re-runs. But they are marvelous stories, well written and great fun, in a dark sort of way.

Fled (A Dovetail Cove Novella) --by Jason McIntyre

Fiction / Noir

83 pages /4114 KB

5 Stars

I've read other McIntyre books, the Night Walk Men, and though dark (advertised as such) thoroughly enjoyed them, so admit to looking forward to my first dip into the Dovetail Cove series. Having been assured one could enter the series with any book, that they all tie together but are not linear, I entered the currents with Fled. I was not disappointed.

Charlie Scobie has lead an interesting life, and returns to the island home of his new bride for their honeymoon. It is a place of darkness for Charlie, and he is forced to face some things he'd rather forget, and in fact thought he had.  Or at least come to grips with them.

Personally, I wonder if McIntyre didn't channel Rod Serling for this story.

The Devil's Right Hand (The Night Walk Men, Book 2) --by Jason McIntyre

Fiction / Suspense / Urban Fantasy

350 pages / 957 KB

5 Stars

Just finished reading this book. If possible, I would give it more than 5 stars. I think Jason McIntyre is one of the most original authors I've read in a while. The book is suspenseful, at times terrifying, and is beautifully written. There are lines in the book that are pure, unadulterated poetry. I think I'm safe in saying that if you like Jim Butcher's Dresden File books, you'll enjoy the Night Walk Men books. However, they are not the same. Not by a long, or short, shot!

The story is narrated by Sperro, one of the Night Walk Men. He tells us the main story, and several back stories, and by the time he is finished making and pouring us tea, and we are finished drinking it, the story is finished, and all the loose ends are neatly tied and properly disposed. It takes place in Vancouver, BC, for the most part. There are a few side trips out of the city.

Mind you, I had to finish this book. And yet, there was that feeling I had when I first read The Godfather by Mario Puzo. I couldn't put that book down, either, and was somewhat surprised when I finished it to realize there wasn't a good guy in the book. Well, there aren't too many good guys in this story, but everyone has their own shade of gray to wear, so to speak. And what determines goodness, anyhow? Is it vengeance for a killed child? Or a lost marriage? Is it to survive at any cost? Why do we do what we do? What do we do to and for our children? What rules do we follow, which ones do we snub? All of the characters in this book face questions, and find their own answers. And Sperro keeps us apprised of all the anguish, the pain, the smelly parts of it. This book is not for the squeamish.

If you've read many of my reviews, you know my one criterion for fiction is that when I put the book down at the end, I want to feel better than when I picked it up at the beginning. This book more than meets my criterion. Jason McIntyre is a new author to me, but one whose books I intend on reading.

Highly recommend this book. It's a world of darkness one can become lost in, with always the right amount of light at the necessary times. Shivery good fun.

Night Walk Men: A Novella --Jason McIntyre

Fiction

35 Pages / 361 KB

5 Stars

First off, please note: this is a NOVELLA. It's a short story; it is not a novel, but it's also free on Kindle, so what do you care?

I think I am safe in saying this is a dark story, and if you don't like dark stories, pass. Or, if you're like me and don't like dark stories, but do like well written stories, give it a try. I finished it and immediately bought and downloaded the novel that comes next.

This kind of writing, nor the story, will appeal to everyone, but it appeals to me. You can read the first few pages, and if it appeals to you, download the whole story. McIntyre's style is in your face, immediate—your long lost friend telling you his story over a cuppa, and it's so fascinating, you don't interrupt. Not that you'd be given a chance....

As one reviewer said, it's like he's "channeling Rod Serling while Ray Bradbury whispers in his ear". There is a reason he is the #1 Kindle Suspense author.

Thank you, Jason McIntyre, for a well-told and fantastical story.