The Killing Lessons by Saul Black

Rowena Cooper, a widowed mother, was living in a farmhouse a mile from the nearest neighbour and three miles from the town with her thirteen-year-old son and ten-year-old daughter. Her world crumbled under the weight of her false sense of security when she saw two men standing in the back hallway with a shotgun and a long blade.

The Killing Lessons by Saul Black opens with a scene that sent a shiver down one’s spine as one awaits the fate of Rowena and her two children, Josh and Nell. You can feel your blood rushing, and I must admit that I was genuinely terrified. Needless to say, it is a beautifully written part-horror and part-thriller that is gripping enough to take you through the nearly four hundred pages (Adobe Digital Edition) though you’ll be compelled to watch your back quite a few times along the way.

You have a homicide detective whose life is falling apart due to a disastrous love affair, Valerie Hart, at the head of an investigation assigned to look into the murder of several women spanning a period of three years. She is assisted by Special Agent Carla York who Valerie feels wanted her to fail. And Valerie has nothing to show for the painstaking effort she has made. All she could do was to wait for clues, and that means more victims. But she can’t afford for more victims to surface as she has been hard pressed and haunted for the last seven months.

You may or may not correctly guess the ending, but you can easily guess that Saul Black is a pseudonym used by author Glen Duncan as the book was copyrighted to him (Glen Duncan) and not Saul Black. But that is the least of the interesting part as one turns the pages of this fast-paced and exciting mystery crime thriller which is full of suspense and spine-chilling moments. Glen Duncan may change his name but there is an unmistakable strain of irresistible style criss-crossing throughout that he cannot simply alter with the stroke of a brush.

What I really like about The Killing Lessons is the characterization. While it may be far from perfect, it is almost flawless. The eclectic cast of characters, from the alcoholic detective Valerie to Nell to the killers are wonderfully portrayed. What truly sets this apart is the manner in which the author showcased each of them, and of how their past influenced their present. The Killing Lessons is one hell of ride with heart-stopping twists that will leave you petrified and satisfied all at the same time.

Kindle edition available now
Hardcopy available September 22, 2015

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Stephen King's Revival Will Rock You to Your Bones

This period piece set in the mid-20th century about faith and addiction is so petrifying that author Stephen King was quoted as saying, "It's too scary. I don't even want to think about that book anymore. It's a nasty, dark piece of work. That's all I can tell you." For fans who have missed his trademark spine-chilling harrowing tales with the sedate Mr. Mercedes: A Novel which was more in the mold of a thriller than a horror novel, Revival marks a triumphant return to a genre which is almost synonymous with his name.

Revival by Stephen King is the story of Jamie Morton and Reverend Charles Jacobs, whose lives disturbingly interlock, with serious consequences, for fifty long years. Jamie was only six years old when the Reverend Charles Jacobs with his beautiful wife Patsy and infant baby first set foot in the sleepy hamlet. Like most people in the small Methodist congregation, Jamie quickly bonds with the Minister and his family. Jamie and Jacobs share a lot of things in common, but electronics was their abiding passion. Things seem to be going great for everyone.

Though the Reverend Jacobs is an affable man: well-loved and adored, everything he stands for crumbles under the weight of grief and fury, transforming even his very own life. A gruesome car accident claimed the lives of his wife Patsy and their child, leaving Jacobs devastated. The horror of the accident left an indelible mark on Jacobs. He begins to question his faith and the very purpose of his existence, and buries himself in the pursuit of his hobby - electrical experimentation to tap into the secrets of the universe which is "one of God's doorways to the infinite." Physically and emotionally exhausted, Jacobs's harsh experience drained him of all his faith and belief in God prompting him to give a fiery sermon which would have made an atheist hang his head in shame. He was sacked and asked to leave town.

At the other end, Jamie grows up to be a rhythm guitarist but in a whirlpool of drugs, sex and rock `n' roll, traveling and performing all over. He's no longer the devoted Methodist youth that he once was. He has matured over the years and has become a skeptic. A chance reunion with Jacobs at his electricity-based carnival act sparks off a chain of events which take both Jamie and Jacobs to the edge. Jacobs too is no longer the amiable minister that he once was. He has been transformed almost beyond recognition - a frenzied man intent on unearthing secrets which are beyond the realms of humanity. Jacobs heals people with the electrical inventions he has made but Jamie discovers that there are more to it than meets the eye.

In Revival, horror master Stephen King crafted a tale of two men brought together by faith, separated by tragedy and reunited by their obstinate passion for the extraordinary. It is an unsettling story of a man driven by an unquenchable passion and a scientific curiosity that borders on madness. It is a spellbinding supernatural thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat with the frightening portrayal of its main characters and the suspenseful plot which will leave even long-time fans gasping for breath. Revival by Stephen King is designed to rock you to your bones.

Revival by Stephen King

  

A dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life.

In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs—including Jamie’s mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of 13, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family’s horrific loss. In his mid-thirties—addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate—Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil’s devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.

This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It’s a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.

Hardcover:416 pages | Publisher: Scribner | Publication: November 11, 2014 | ISBN-10: 1476770387 | ISBN-13: 978-1476770383