"A spine-tingling mystery!"

This is the first time I've had a chance to read an e- published book and boy, did I pick a good one to start with!

Ariana Overton's book TRAPDOOR captured my attention from the first paragraph and it was a wild roller coaster ride from there! She had suspense by the bucketfuls and she also threw a bit of romance in there which was a very nice bonus.

Briana Kilmer was trying to write her first true crime book. She had met a group of online buddies who would critique her work for her. Not only that she'd been corresponding with an ex-cop named Hank with whom she found she had a lot in common. Then she started getting these strange emails from someone named Gennas in Gehenna. It seemed that Gennas thought she knew too much about this one case about a serial killer. She mentioned it to Hank and to her son, Brian and daughter-in-law, Ariel.

They all were worried about her but not overly so until she got a body part in a package. She called the police but her ex-brother-in-law was the chief. He felt that his brother's suicide was her fault. Right then and there Briana knew that the police would not help her. Then Brian and Ariel tried to get Briana to come and live with them. She said she would not give up her privacy. Then Hank decided he'd come for an extended visit and among the four of them, maybe they could make heads or tales of this mystery. Can they figure out who the serial killer is before it's too late?

The killer was a complete and total surprise to me. I never guessed who it was. When I thought I'd figured out where this book was going, Ariana Overton brilliantly threw another curve ball right into the plot. This book had more twists and turns than a mountain highway. Kudos to you, Ariana. I look forward to reading more of your stories.

Reviewed by Kathy Boswell
Posted June 22, 2002