Crescendo

Rating:
Summary: Terrific suspense
Review: What a great read! L.Marie Wood picks you up by the scruff of your neck, swings you around a few dozen times and sets you back down not knowing which way is up and then you see where the poor sap is headed. I am very impressed and can't wait for her next work!

Rating:
Summary: "This is sure to be a favorite among both lovers of horror a
Review: What exactly happens when a person loses their mind? When on the outside things seem normal enough, your typical suburban lifestyle by all appearances; however, on the inside, darkness is brewing a nasty treat. If you really want the answer, I invite you to look into the mind of James Adams in the novel Crescendo.
In her debut novel, author L. Marie Wood allows her readers a close look at the struggles to stay in control of reality while his nightmares begin to take such a grip on him that he can hardly tell the real from unreal. His torment is so great, both mentally and physically, that as you read this gripping work, your mind tries to solve the puzzle of just what exactly is going on. However, when you think you have it figured out, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find you are wrong. Just what is the cause of his vivid dreams? Could it be the past coming back to haunt him? Is it the guilt of his actions eating away at the very fiber of his life? It is when he starts to get close to those answers that Ms. Wood takes hold of the reader with such vivid details and drags them down further into the pit of horrors that has become Adams' life. His only grip on the real world is his wife Andrea, but even that bond is threatened due to both his past actions and her growing concern for the sanity of her husband. The questions that will plague you as you read are ones sure to change your mind with each twist and turn. Is he insane or are the dead really pulling him deeper into the bowls of hell?
At first the reader may be confused as they are introduced to the story via the deaths of some not yet explained characters and the haunted mind of James, but as they continue to read all is made clear in a delicious manner that turns into gripping storytelling.
This being a debut novel, I found myself quite impressed by the brush with which the setting is painted, as well as of the character depth and readability. The attention to detail is outstanding and breathes life to the story with each passage. This is sure to be favorite among both lovers of horror and psychological thrillers alike.
Crescendo by L. Marie Wood is not for timid readers, or those that need held by the hand as they delve into a story, which only adds to the enjoyment of the read. If you are up to the challenge and are wiling to go where you have never been before as a reader, check out Crescendo, and be prepared for a descent into the mind of madness.

 

Midwest Book Review