William Malmborg

It was a twisty tale. I read the last 15% of the book with my hand over my mouth and a need to use the bathroom that I kept putting off to finish the book. Normally I would walk and read but I was so interested, (or horrified), moving wasn’t an option. I would have probably had a heart attack if I accidentally shut my Kindle down or moved the pages.
For those who would like to know the book is horror so yes to graphic. It also has a few sexually explicit passages. Yes, there is also “swearing”. If those bother you, please don’t star the book down. Just move on and find a book that is what you want to read. (Pet peeve - sorry).… (mere)

What starts out as a routine Christmas shopping excursion to the local mall turns into a nightmare for Mallory when she opens her phone to check her text messages and finds the following: "I HAVE YOUR SISTER. DO EXACTLY AS I SAY OR I'LL KILL HER.” A game of cat and mouse ensues as Mallory is forced to commit numerous acts of humiliation in hopes of rescuing her younger sister from this unique breed of serial killer.

The strong opening hook of Text Message led me to believe that I had stumbled upon a hidden page-turner gem. However, about 25% into this book my interest waned significantly. This story reminded me of Richard Laymon’s, In The Dark, only without the follow through. After the 4th or 5th progressive act of self humiliation, the one-dimensional characters and the flat writing style, I grew bored. As a novella this concept may have worked. As a full length novel, not so much.… (mere)