Ania Ahlborn – K. J. Farnham

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Sucked in from the very first page, I had a hard time putting this one down until I finished it.

Convicted cult leader locked up in a maximum security prison (for murdering two and convincing eight others to take their own lives) wants to tell his side of the story to a true crime writer? Yes, please. Tell me everything! Unfortunately, things don’t go as crime writer Lucas Graham expects them to.

My favorite thing about this book is the way Ahlborn set up the chapters, alternating between past and present and throwing in newspaper articles, police reports, and paranormal investigative reports. It could not have been an easy feat for her to keep all of the details straight and tie everything together, but she pulled it off brilliantly. Up until around 80%, this book was a solid 5-star read for me. Without spoilers, I can’t explain why the ending didn’t satisfy me the way the rest of the book did, so let’s just say the turn it took wasn’t for me. Even so, the final chapter was pretty darn clever, and I love Ahlborn’s style.

I highly recommend this one to those of you who are looking for a great suspense thriller with a paranormal slant and are intrigued by stories about cults. Just keep in mind that you might have a difficult time pulling yourself away to do other things. (Like eat or shower, for example.)

AMAZON

GOODREADS

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“Hey, have you heard this one before? Two serial killers walk into a record store…”

Brother is a faced-paced psychological thriller. Its hillbilly serial killer theme reminded me of movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Deliverance, and The Hills Have Eyes. However, it wasn’t just about a bunch of degenerate killers looking for their next victim. As the title suggests, it was more about the relationship between brothers Reb and Michael and why Reb thrives on making Michael’s life miserable.

Ahlborn didn’t waste any time introducing the deranged family in this book. There’s Momma (the ringleader of the bunch), Wade (the dad and enabler), Reb (the psychopathic brother), Misty Dawn (the innocent sister), and then there’s Michael. While Michael is part of the family, he isn’t related by blood. And unlike Momma, Wade and Reb, Michael actually has a conscience and longs for normalcy. Ahlborn did a great job of making me like and sympathize with Michael.

The chapters flow together seamlessly and rotate between Michael’s perspective, Reb’s perspective, and flashbacks that clue readers in on why Reb hates Michael so much. The vivid characters combined with the brutal acts carried out by several of them scared the crap out of me, and most of the twists and turns blew my mind.

If you like serial killer books and don’t mind gore and a bit of torture, I highly recommend this book.