Tuesday, March 18, 2014

A Life of Death: Episodes 5 - 8 by Weston Kincade

Welcome to Weston Kincade's A Life of Death: 5 - 8. A coming-of-age, paranormal mystery.

This is PART FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, and EIGHT of an ongoing series. Every two weeks a new episode will be released with no end in sight.

Here's the synopsis:

Episode Five:
Alcohol claims another life close to home. Alex and Paige set out to discover the truth, but who would believe a troubled teenager who claims to have visions? The search for proof and the identity of the culprit may lead to unexpected answers.

Episode Six:
Taking a stand for those who can’t speak for themselves, Alex comes to the rescue of his loved ones. But is he too late? Can he live with the unfair price demanded? Is there even a choice? Life’s lessons are made clear, but more mysteries present themselves.

Episode Seven:
Detective Drummond traces his steps in the years since his childhood, but a mysterious serial killer who evaded the police for over fifteen years is still on the loose, annually performing ritual sacrifices and burning the victims. Alex’s skills at reliving the brutal murders are put to the test when so little is left of the victims.

Episode Eight:
Alex and an old friend, Jessie Arturo, join forces as Alex’s hunch seems to have stalled. Irene Harris is certainly guilty of arson and murder, but is she their serial killer? Will Alex be able to focus and catch the killer who has haunted Tranquil Heights for more than a dozen years? Do the ghosts and victims of Washington deserve his attention any less? 





When Alex touches an item that someone else has touched during something traumatic, such as death, he's blasted to the scene and forced to relive in his mind what that person saw.  As an adult, this comes in handy in his job.  However, knowing something and proving something are two different things.  

Instead of starting Alex's story at the beginning, I began here.  I was a little confused at first but only because I wasn't quite sure who the cast of characters was.  It didn't take me long at all to figure them out though.  Alex is a teenager, with a horrible home life and a rough past.  Having this sort of 'gift' on top of everything else seems like a lot to deal with.  Alex seems to do it with both grace and courage, though.  

By the end of this set, Alex is an adult and working to solve a murder mystery that began nearly fifteen years previously.  He's pulled his old friend Jessie in to help him.

I was really surprised by how easily I was able to pick this up and just start going with it.  It flows smoothly, and considering the content, that's quite a feat.  No one is safe, however, from the cruel hands of the literary gods.  Just when I really start to feel comfortable, something horrible and dreadful happens that leaves me as speechless and torn as the other characters.  Kincade has a gift for story-telling that I wasn't previously aware of.  

So, I only have one issue with this book.  It stops on a deliciously horrible cliffhanger.  Thankfully, I have the next installment waiting for me to grab it, otherwise I'd be a little upset.  If you're planning to pick this one up, and I suggest you do, make sure you have the next one, A Life of Death: 9-12, already purchased and waiting for you to jump right into.  Otherwise, the suspense will gnaw at you!  It's not one of those 'but what happened next?!' moments but rather 'so what's he gonna do about it?!' 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Shawn


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The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.

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