Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the second Miriam Black book from Chuck Wendig. In the first, Blackbirds, we are introduced to Miriam Black, who can see how someone will die if she touches them. In this story, Miriam is trying, really trying, to settle down with her truck driver/sometime lover, Louis. She is working at a job she hates, and she is often alone while Louis is on the road. When she sees a brutal death about to happen where she works, she does what she swore to herself not to do: she gets involved. She saves lives, but it costs her the job. She decides to go back on the road, like she did before, but Louis finds her and convinces her to see a friend of his, a teacher at an exclusive girls’ school. The teacher wants to know how and when she will die. While there, Miriam also sees the grisly death of one of the students at the hands of a psychotic serial killer. And she knows she has to really get involved this time.
I like Miriam- she’s damaged goods, for sure, but she is also determined, gutsy, and under all the anger and foul language, she cares. And she has a killer, if a bit abusive, sense of humor. Not that she would admit that, of course. Louis is a good foil for Miriam. He’s steady, grounded, and not afraid to care. They make a good team, and it’s a team they must be to get through this twisted, ugly world they find themselves in.
Like all of Wendig’s stories, this one starts off with a bang, and keeps running from there. It’s a wild rollercoaster of a thriller. Miriam and her allies are put through hell and back, and then run through it all again. The story reads in quick bites, a bit like Miriam herself- jumpy, full speed, and headlong into the dark. It’s not a pretty story, but then, Miriam is really not a pretty person, and her dark side has gotten even darker since Blackbirds. The plot twists and turns, keeping the reader as off-center as Miriam is.
Anyone who likes dark fantasy, with a fast-paced plot, quirky characters, and a good thriller mystery should get acquainted with Miriam Black.
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Six of One: A Collection of Short Fantasy by M.A. Kropp is a set of short fantasy stories. Meet wizards, imps, gangster angels, and frogs in this group of varied tales of magic and mischief. Escape from the everyday into worlds of fantasy with Six of One: A Collection of Short Fantasy.
Download a free sample or purchase in your favorite ebook format at:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/354855
Also available at:
Amazon: (Now also in paperback)
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https://play.google.com/store/books/details/M_A_Kropp_Six_of_One?id=C6N_BAAAQBAJ
And So On... 