Celia

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional horror. One of Jensen's best.
Review: I've always enjoyed Ruby Jean Jensen and felt she deserved more recognition. Perhaps the silly covers that Zebra slapped on most of her novels have discouraged people from taking her seriously. But she really does know how to craft a good chiller and despite a few stumbles in her large volume of work, she's a horror author you can trust for a good story and genuine chills. Knowing all this, and having enjoyed several of her books, CELIA really took me by surprise. This is by far, one of the creepiest novels she's ever written... CELIA has lived with fear and violence for most of her life, every since she married Durk, a psychotic and strange man who seems to have some weird affinity with the swamp behind their Florida home. In a desperate act, to save her life and three children, she kills him and pushes him into the swamp. But his reign of terror will not end there and she knows it. "I'll come get you, Celia," he always promised her. "You kill me and I'll come back as your worst nightmare." With the help of an Underground Railroad of lawyers and shelters and good samaritans who assist abused women and families, Celia escapes with her children. A new identity and new life awaits her on the otherside of the US. But none of her rescuers know what happened that dark night in the swamp and none of them know that Durk is on their trail. Not even death has stopped him and he has become a slithering, crawling demonic thing that seems to embody the darkness of the swamp. No matter how far Celia travels or the protection of a strong, kind man named Mel, the creature that was once Durk will get his revenge on Celia and her children... Fast-paced, full of creepy-crawling darkness, and truley harrowing. This is an exceptional read for horror fans and one of Jensen's best. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Highly recommended.