Caitlyn Connelly, a young Tampa attorney and her police officer boyfriend embark on a journey to Boston to find her birth mother. Given up for adoption was a newborn, Cait has always wondered about her biological parents. When a private detective discovers that her birth mother is still alive in Boston, the ‘chase’ is on.

In Boston, a young man named Milo hunts the streets of Boston for victims to take part in his sadistic and terrifying hobby. He is a serial killer dubbed Mr. Midnight by the media, and his ideal prey is young women. Mr. Leverone’s description of this character is chilling. When Milo is ‘onscreen’, the reader is held captive by his presence.

Cait and Milo would not seem to be the types who closely share something highly personal. But, they do. Both are bombarded by telepathic visions that appear with little warning.  The visions can be intrusive, but generally not harmful of frightening – until Cait arrives in Boston. Then, things become incredibly jarring for both of them. Of course, they know nothing about one another, but that will change, and the revelations are life threatening.

The story has a couple of unique features which propel the plot. The unpredictable impact of The Flickers (as Cait calls the visions) contributes an unnerving feel to the inner lives of the characters. These unbidden images often come out of nowhere and the author’s descriptions help the reader to develop surprising empathy for the plight of the Cait, and even Milo, as they are at the mercy of these intrusions.

I was surprised that The Flickers did not play a bigger role in the climax – I was anticipated a huge telepathic “nuclear exchange” that didn’t happen. I wasn’t disappointed with the conclusion, but I was hoping for more of a jolt than what happened. I felt that the author unnecessarily padded the latter part of the work. A number of peripheral characters are introduced, a homeless alcoholic dwelling in the same abandoned building as Mr. Midnight and multiple police officers (I think there was at least three). Each is given a fairly extensive backstory which really wasn’t necessary. In all cases, the result was a slowing down of the pace. Finally, readers should know that the narrative contains some pretty gruesome depictions and descriptions of a young man torturing young women. I suspect some readers love this type of horror. I am not a huge fan, so the passages did little for me.

Overall, not a bad DarkFuse publication. A 3.5ish rating.

Scowler defies classification. The novel is promoted as YA fiction, although this title deserves a place in an adult reader’s shelf as well. This is the second novel I have read by Daniel Kraus – the first being Rotters published in 2011. Both works can be easily classified as horror – but there is nothing supernatural or other-worldly in the plots. I suppose they can be classified as thrillers or even coming-of-age stories, but these labels wouldn’t do the books justice either.  They are definitely the creepiest and most haunting stories I have ever encountered. Rotters involves a present-day, father-son grave-robbing team, and scenes were gruesome but compelling. I think this is the only book that actively engaged by sense of smell – a putrid, decaying scent was ever present. The story was imaginative and unforgettable.

When I saw that Mr. Kraus had another novel out, I jumped at the chance to read it. Scowler has a similar father-son dynamic, and it is clear that pathological relationships between fathers and their teenage sons is a central theme for Mr. Kraus. I hope his relationship with his own father is or was better than the characters in his books. Martin Burke is a brutally abusive man, capable of inflicting torture-like abuse of his wife and children. When he goes one step too far with an act perpetrated against his wife that is so repugnant and horrific, his then nine year old son Ry risks his own life to rescue his mother. Ry is brutally beaten by his father as result, but still manages to disable his father long enough (in an incredibly unnerving passage) so that his father is arrested and imprisoned for ten years.

Most of the action in the book takes place ten years after the incident leading to Martin’s arrest (which is dramatically and effectively told in flashback). Ry is 19, still living at home with his mother and younger sister. In a freak meteorite shower – and I realize this sounds really lame, but believe me it fits perfectly within the story – Martin escapes from prison and returns home and terrorizes his family. The ensuing action takes place in about 24 hours – and the portrayal of Martin Burke is so convincing that the purest evil of this monstrous psychopath comes alive in every sentence. When he isn’t “on stage” his presence is felt. The main character, though, is Ry. Now a young man of 19, Ry did not escape unscathed from the nightmare of ten years ago. This was a defining moment in his life and it colored everything that happened during his adolescence including his relationships with his mother, peers, and a potential love interest. When Martin reappears to the utter horror of his family thanks to an errant meteorite, he renews his savage attacks on them. In the process, Ry’s fragile makeup is shattered. Whatever strengths he possessed are carved away with an astounding rapidity. Indeed, the Ry’s psychological disintegration is devastating to the other characters and the reader. The finale was loaded with thrills and anguish and is quite unforgettable.

Scowler is an outstanding novel. Don’t be put off by a YA classification. The story is gripping, unsettling, and haunting. Highly recommended.

I nestled down with Leviathan, expecting to be drawn into a world of hold-on-to-your-seat thrills. First, the novel was written by Tim Curran, and the guy never disappoints. The cover also displayed a prehistoric marine reptile – you don’t get many of them in stories these days. I am a long time dinosaur-fanatic, dating back to pre-school. I have always held a special place in my heart for plesiosaurus and ichthyosaurus, those prehistoric monsters residing in the depths of the ancient oceans. I also love beaches on the Atlantic. So, prehistoric marine reptiles invading a small island on the eastern seaboard? What’s not to like?

The book surpassed my anticipated pleasure. The reptiles were superbly described, the seaside descriptions had the right feel (although, I think Mr. Curran was envisioning a Pacific beach with rock cliffs when he wrote the book – not the smooth sandy beaches of the southeastern United States where the action was taking place), and the plot was downright creative. He had to get these reptiles appearing in the present day – and he came up with a doozy of an explanation for their appearance. The description of the creature doing battle with a lighthouse was reminiscent of the classic short story The Fog Horn by Ray Bradbury. Then, of course, is the mandatory attack on the village… a dinosaur lover’s dream, and the description is to “die for”. Is the plot fairly predictable? Sure, but the ride to get there is a blast.