Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put it down...
Review: Awesome.. Scarey... Disturbing...John Paul Allen takes you through 7 decades, many
lives And one very evil soul!! Not for the squimish this book is scarey and
disturbing. You will never let you kids out of your site again.
Rating: 
Summary: EVIL LIVES ON...
Review: Have you ever thought serial killers were the pawns of darker forces driving them to kill? Tormented by voices that demand blood? If so, GIFTED TRUST is the book for you. With elements of Thomas Harris' RED DRAGON and Joe R. Lansdale's THE NIGHTRUNNERS,
John Paul Allen carries a torch into forbidden new realms of horror. His reincarnating villain VIRAGO is chilling, vicious and original, while his other characters could be your next-door neighbors. An impressive debut.
--K.K., author of CLOWNWHITE and INHUMAN RESOURCES
Rating: 
Summary: Soul blasting
Review: I first heard about John Paul Allen's "Gifted Trust" in the pages of Cemetery Dance, an excellent bi-monthly magazine devoted to all things horror. The reviewer of the book gave the story a thumbs up and the plot synopsis seemed intriguing, so I went out and dug up a copy. The first thing that grabs your attention is the rather disturbing art work on the cover, a picture showing a man running in front of a train while a ghostly apparition appears to flee from his body. While that scene does take place in the story, the old adage that you cannot tell a book from its cover applies here. Before you start this book, you have no conception of the horrors contained in its pages. "Gifted Trust" may well be one of the most decadent works I have read in a long, long time. A blurb on the back cover unfortunately throws potential readers off the trail by invoking the names of Dean Koontz and Stephen King, claiming that Allen's book evokes those authors' earliest efforts. This claim is wildly exaggerated. "Gifted Trust" does not resemble anything Koontz and King published in the 1970s or early 1980s. Instead, Allen forges his own nightmares wrapped around a clever idea. I wish blurbs would quit comparing up and coming writers to Stephen King. If I wrote a book, such a comparison is the last thing I would seek. Let new writers earn their own glory. "Gifted Trust" introduces us to Max Belote, a somewhat successful agent working at a publishing company during the 1930s. Belote's job and his loving marriage to wife Vivian is the last thing on his mind as the story fades in, however. What this guy is worried about concerns the monstrous voice he hears in his head urging him to commit awful crimes. Max is so exhausted from fighting back the sick desires this beast plants in his mind that he is considering a drastic measure to stop the madness. Belote carefully plans his own demise right down to the smallest details; he increases his insurance policy so his wife will benefit if something happens to him and befriends a few of the Depression era homeless who live down at Potter's Camp by the rail yards so he'll have witnesses. If Max can pull it off the right way, the insurance company will never question his actions and thus pay on his policy. Allen makes sure we understand the problems Belote faces, and they are horrific. Most people in an age before advanced psychiatry would probably follow Max's lead. Regrettably, evil is a wily, timeless, and often formless force impossible to eradicate forever. The rest of the book fully describes the entity that drove Max Belote to madness as it passes through body after body. Named Virago, this spirit attached itself to a soul and thus constantly reappears in human form to wreak havoc. Virago drives the bodies it inhabits to commit soul shattering crimes against the weakest members of society-young children. The book introduces us to Jeffrey Michael Roberts, a serial killer active in the 1970s eventually captured by the police and sentenced to the electric chair. Before he takes that last long walk, Roberts tells a grim story about a voice in his head that erased his human morality and replaced it with a predator's will. Over thirty years later, teacher Edward Paine experiences the same whispered hauntings emanating from the dark recesses of his mind, urging him to prey on his students. Max Belote, Jeffrey Michael Roberts, and Edward Paine all share an attribute that will cause misery and destruction if it is not arrested. Moreover, pivotal people in the lives of each of these three men also reappear in subsequent lives, all drawn together by a malevolent force that gives no quarter. The only reason to read "Gifted Trust" is the section on Jeffrey Michael Roberts. It's not that the rest of the story is bad, far from it, but fans of horror will cringe as Allen's chapters on Roberts's activities unfold. This is soul shredding stuff, difficult to read and even harder to think about. The rest of the book is unfortunately sometimes confusing as the story flies from body to body and from time to time. Too, I found the conclusion a tad hazy and generally unsatisfying. What really tends to distract from the story, however, is the poor editing. Tons of misspelled words, shifting typeface, and other errors appear on nearly every page of the book. Biting Dog Press, the company that released "Gifted Trust," needs to realize there is more to publishing a book than building a website, hanging up a sign in the door, and running a manuscript over to the print shop. I do not blame the author for the errors in the book. A company willing to publish a work should also edit it. Grammatical errors consistently break the narrative flow, forcing the reader to constantly refocus before moving on with the story. How disturbing is this book? The author actually wrote a sort of disclaimer about the subject matter in his introduction. Take heed of this warning. "Gifted Trust" is not a book for non-horror fans. If you have never read a graphic novel, you should probably avoid this story. Heck, I have been reading horror for years and all of that experience did little to prepare me for the shocking material in this book. I cannot believe I found Allen's book on the shelf at my local library. "Gifted Trust" is a gruesome, morally repellent tome sure to shake the soul of even the most jaded of readers. You have been warned.
Rating:
Summary: Soul blasting
Review: I first heard about John Paul Allen's "Gifted Trust" in the pages of Cemetery Dance, an excellent bi-monthly magazine devoted to all things horror. The reviewer of the book gave the story a thumbs up and the plot synopsis seemed intriguing, so I went out and dug up a copy. The first thing that grabs your attention is the rather disturbing art work on the cover, a picture showing a man running in front of a train while a ghostly apparition appears to flee from his body. While that scene does take place in the story, the old adage that you cannot tell a book from its cover applies here. Before you start this book, you have no conception of the horrors contained in its pages. "Gifted Trust" may well be one of the most decadent works I have read in a long, long time. A blurb on the back cover unfortunately throws potential readers off the trail by invoking the names of Dean Koontz and Stephen King, claiming that Allen's book evokes those authors' earliest efforts. This claim is wildly exaggerated. "Gifted Trust" does not resemble anything Koontz and King published in the 1970s or early 1980s. Instead, Allen forges his own nightmares wrapped around a clever idea. I wish blurbs would quit comparing up and coming writers to Stephen King. If I wrote a book, such a comparison is the last thing I would seek. Let new writers earn their own glory. "Gifted Trust" introduces us to Max Belote, a somewhat successful agent working at a publishing company during the 1930s. Belote's job and his loving marriage to wife Vivian is the last thing on his mind as the story fades in, however. What this guy is worried about concerns the monstrous voice he hears in his head urging him to commit awful crimes. Max is so exhausted from fighting back the sick desires this beast plants in his mind that he is considering a drastic measure to stop the madness. Belote carefully plans his own demise right down to the smallest details; he increases his insurance policy so his wife will benefit if something happens to him and befriends a few of the Depression era homeless who live down at Potter's Camp by the rail yards so he'll have witnesses. If Max can pull it off the right way, the insurance company will never question his actions and thus pay on his policy. Allen makes sure we understand the problems Belote faces, and they are horrific. Most people in an age before advanced psychiatry would probably follow Max's lead. Regrettably, evil is a wily, timeless, and often formless force impossible to eradicate forever. The rest of the book fully describes the entity that drove Max Belote to madness as it passes through body after body. Named Virago, this spirit attached itself to a soul and thus constantly reappears in human form to wreak havoc. Virago drives the bodies it inhabits to commit soul shattering crimes against the weakest members of society-young children. The book introduces us to Jeffrey Michael Roberts, a serial killer active in the 1970s eventually captured by the police and sentenced to the electric chair. Before he takes that last long walk, Roberts tells a grim story about a voice in his head that erased his human morality and replaced it with a predator's will. Over thirty years later, teacher Edward Paine experiences the same whispered hauntings emanating from the dark recesses of his mind, urging him to prey on his students. Max Belote, Jeffrey Michael Roberts, and Edward Paine all share an attribute that will cause misery and destruction if it is not arrested. Moreover, pivotal people in the lives of each of these three men also reappear in subsequent lives, all drawn together by a malevolent force that gives no quarter. The only reason to read "Gifted Trust" is the section on Jeffrey Michael Roberts. It's not that the rest of the story is bad, far from it, but fans of horror will cringe as Allen's chapters on Roberts's activities unfold. This is soul shredding stuff, difficult to read and even harder to think about. The rest of the book is unfortunately sometimes confusing as the story flies from body to body and from time to time. Too, I found the conclusion a tad hazy and generally unsatisfying. What really tends to distract from the story, however, is the poor editing. Tons of misspelled words, shifting typeface, and other errors appear on nearly every page of the book. Biting Dog Press, the company that released "Gifted Trust," needs to realize there is more to publishing a book than building a website, hanging up a sign in the door, and running a manuscript over to the print shop. I do not blame the author for the errors in the book. A company willing to publish a work should also edit it. Grammatical errors consistently break the narrative flow, forcing the reader to constantly refocus before moving on with the story. How disturbing is this book? The author actually wrote a sort of disclaimer about the subject matter in his introduction. Take heed of this warning. "Gifted Trust" is not a book for non-horror fans. If you have never read a graphic novel, you should probably avoid this story. Heck, I have been reading horror for years and all of that experience did little to prepare me for the shocking material in this book. I cannot believe I found Allen's book on the shelf at my local library. "Gifted Trust" is a gruesome, morally repellent tome sure to shake the soul of even the most jaded of readers. You have been warned.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good for his first book
Review: I had a very hard time putting down Gifted Trust, I believe the story line was good, exciting, and kept my on the edge. I noticed one reviewer stated that Mr. Allen is no Steven King, but then I dought even Kings first book was equal to "The Stand", and considering this is John's first book, I feel he is only beginning. I think he placed himself into a mind of a very sick thing and made it come to life, saying and putting into words and thoughts - what, us "Normal" people - could never do. A fellow worker at the Hospital where I work (A Mental Health Hospital) said she wouldnt read the book after dark, but she did finish it. I feel John leads us to places we cant/wouldnt think of going on our own, then brings us back to reality. For those of us who like this type of fiction the story is Great, read it for what it is a story, and let it scare you to the point where you will look over your shoulder on a dark night. Then wonder what's or who is in the shadows?
Rating:
Summary: How Wrong Can One Reviewer Be?
Review: I just read the review from the guy (I assume it was a male) from Brooklyn and felt the need to point out that he read the original version of Gifted Trust. I can tell this because he quoted the back cover of the book. For those of you who don't know, John Paul Allen published his novel a second time (the first was a self-published novel) with a regular publisher. The new edition has nine extra chapters, was excellently edited by Nancy Collins and it's one of the best and most frightening works I've read this year. I agree that the first edition had it's share of errors, but JPA has more than made up for it. I'd give it ten stars if I could.
Rating:
Summary: The Gifted Trush
Review: John Allen's first book is deep and has very complex charactors. The story is enthralling, but tends to meander in conversation at times. It is rich and very dark in context, a worthwhile read. Not for the timid at heart, or children, but mature adults should enjoy the story thoroughly.
Rating:
Summary: awesomely scarey.. very distyrbing!!
Review: John Paul Allen takes you through 7 decades, many lives & one very evil soul. Not for the squimish... you will never let your kids out of your sight again!!
Rating: 
Summary: Graphic, but too amatuerish
Review: John Paul Allen's first novel, which was rereleased, is not the worst novel I've read. That is one of the few positive thigns I have to say about "Gifted Trust", a graphic, unappealing, amateur-hour horror book about an evil disembodied spirit named Virago(or Hellhound as it translates). Virago follows different souls through the years: a publisher in the early 30's; a serial killer who also rapes his victims and often kills children and their mothers; and a gay high-school teacher at an "alterantive" school. There are too many typos in the book, and the plot becomes hard to follow, and the coda is superfluous. The serial killer passages are the best of the book. Allen sure captures a sick and perverted mind well.
Rating:
Summary: Father of Nightmares
Review: Like an approaching creature, "Gifted Trust" will circle you and then move in for the kill. John Paul Allen brings to you a novel like no other. When I read "Gifted Trust" an overwhelming fear took hold over me and pulled me deeper within the pages of this dark tale. I can't recall ever reading a book in my life that made my skin crawl until "Gifted Trust" knocked on my door. His words will amaze you and his thoughts will haunt you. He is the Father of Nightmares. -Kingdom of Shadows Review
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