When I think about what makes an omg-I-loved-it story – for me, it’s usually all about the characters. Specifically, the dialogue and interpersonal relationships. I have been known to flip past lengthy descriptions detailing a story’s setting. I think the one exception is when it comes to tales with thrills and chills. When creating a tale of suspense, everything contributes to the reader’s experience. Part of why I find the Friday the 13th films so engrossing is because of the ominous feeling of having the main characters out in the woods, far from civilization. Where would Jason Voorhees be without his Crystal Lake? Without that classic setting, I just couldn’t get into a Friday the 13th film as much. I’m going to discuss several books that are exponentially enhanced because of the authors’ choice of setting.
Honestly, I love just about anything written by Cynthia Eden, so I probably would have enjoyed ICE COLD SAINT no matter what the setting was. But having the female protagonist own a speakeasy-styled magic club is amazeballs and is the cherry on this sundae of superb storytelling. The club is where the hero first meets the heroine – when she’s his prey and he’s on the hunt to possibly put her behind bars. The descriptions are so striking, that I could see the detailed curios and feel the air of excitement such a setting gives off. Alice is behind the bar and amused at Saint’s obvious reaction to her. For a PI who is supposed to be jaded and slick, he is stunned by the woman before him. Alice’s beauty is meant to bedazzle and distract – just like any good magician would do. Abracadabra is a feast for the senses – both something wonderous and something sinister when infiltrated by evil. The same things that intrigued the characters and the reader, take on a more sinister tone when the shadows hide villains and tricks become deadly rather than entertaining. Cynthia Eden always paints a picture and with ICE COLD SAINT, she once again draws the reader in and rips away any illusion of momentary safety. The tension ratchets up as the story progresses. Is the villain the obvious choice? Red herrings? More than one villain? Who knows. And every dark corner and deserted streets become perfect hiding places for a psycho to pop out.
In AFTER THE BITE, Lynsay Sands sets her entire story of vampires and a mysterious stalker at an exclusive golf course – a place that should be so innocuous and safe but is cast in an eerie glow for this tale. Between Sands’ evocative storytelling on the printed page, and my imagination, mist covers the green, the neighboring woods are bathed in sinister shadows, and the buildings are wall-to-wall glass and perfect for spying by evil stalkers lurking nearby. I love it! Shady Pines Golf Course becomes the equivalent of THE SHINING’s Overlook Hotel. A single mother is beset by mini annoyances that escalate to more dangerous and deadly occurrences. Lynsay Sands balances the feeling of unease that slowly permeates the story with the family and friends of the hero that descends on the golf course, but the spooky feeling is always in the background. Strangely enough, the vampires in this story add the warm and fuzzies, but the location and the humans
I first fell in love with the Dinner and a Murder Mystery series by Veronica Bond as soon as Castle Dark was introduced as the amateur sleuth’s home and workplace. Seriously – who doesn’t love castles? Castle Dark is a little spooky, but it makes a fabulous place to work and live. On the one hand, it’s picturesque with divine little places to hole up and explore, and on the other hand, the drafty hallways and secret passageways are the stuff of horror film gold. Nora Blake is an experienced actress and modern, independent woman, but when she pokes and prods in her investigations, she often finds herself in peril. In these stories, baddies have been known to don creepy disguises that totally match the castle décor. Eek! In the latest installment, CASTLE DEADLY, CASTLE DEEP, Veronica Bond shows how the small town surrounding the castle has a dual nature as well. It’s charming with quaint little shops and friendly townspeople. However, as the mystery unfolds, secrets are revealed and smiling faces turn out to be hiding ugliness underneath. It’s very Agatha Christie, with resentments and suppressed desires bubbling up and erupting in murder.
DARK WHISPER by Christine Feehan is set in Eastern Siberia with everything doused in snow. Christine Feehan crafts a tale that has many trappings of a dark fairytale. There are the two fated lovers – both warriors in different ways, and ridiculously attractive. There are dark woods cloaked in shadows and full of evil whispers. And there is the wicked aunt in place of a wicked stepmother. Feehan incorporates everything – the natural landscape as well as the wildlife and insects as part of her good versus evil storytelling. Evil is insidious in DARK WHISPER and permeates everything so that it must be excavated and torn out root and branch. The good guys don’t totally win the day until the natural world is healed in some way as well. The lushness, vitality, and sensuality of the hero and heroine act as a wonderful contrast, not only to the coldness and cruelty of the villains but to the winter backdrop.
Even though it’s not set in the south, SUCKER PUNCH by Laurell K. Hamilton seems like a mix of Southern Gothic and hardboiled fiction. In this tale, Anita Blake – necromancer, U.S. Marshall, magical powerhouse – tries to help save a condemned shifter accused of murder. This book checks all the boxes for me (especially because of the scintillating dialogue and psychological suspense), but the settings are so vivid and add so much to the story. The jail cell, where the accused spends all his time and several of the characters have face-offs over territory or engage in verbal dueling, It perfectly reflects the situations that arise between the characters and the bleak prospect of succeeding in saving the shifter against the odds. The scene of the crime, a home of wealth and history, is stuffed with assorted oddities and ominous shadows that reflect the violence and treachery it was host to. The diner the investigators meet at to debrief, question witnesses, and generally talk shop, is a mix of cozy and normal that acts as a great contrast to the grizzly crime and the often-tense interactions between some of the characters. I’d love to see this turned into a play.
For more reviews and recommendation columns by Miranda Owen, visit her Fresh Fiction page.
No Comments
Comments are closed.