Also by this author: Elysium Dreams, The Life & Dysfunction of Nadine DanielsWhen the US Marshals Serial Crimes Tracking Unit comes knocking at Aislinn Cain's door, she is given a chance to use her past to save other people's futures. She has survived attacks by two different serial killers and devoted her life to studying the darker side of human history.
A new killer is using medieval torture methods to slay his victims. She can give them a glimpse into his twisted world, but not without a cost. If she opens herself, she risks falling into the depths of her own darkness. Can she afford to help, knowing that the cost could be her own humanity?
Aislinn Cain's life is a horror story.
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Aislinn Cain is an odd individual. Not because she has a mental illness. Or rather a mental pathology. No that I can get past. Her having a best friend that is also mentally unhinged? yeah, that works as well. But the fact that she attracts bad people to her is just odd.
I don’t mean the girl who attracts bad boys with tattoos and motorcycles. We have all had those days in our past. No, I am talking about the serial killers, the rapists, the murderers, and molesters. From a young age Aislinn had a gift, and that gift was to attract the bad because she had the ability to negate their actions in a specific and long term kind of way.
Oh and not only is she got this radar for the bad ones, but she is also smart. Finishing both high school and college before most finish high school. So she is super smart, and super specific in her knowledge. She is an expert on torture, but more than that.
It is no surprise then when a serial killer starts using ancient torture techniques, the US marshals come knocking on Ashlinn’s door. To hire her, not to arrest her, but I am sure that the lead agent would be more than willing to arrest her if he thought that even just one toe was helping the serial killer.
I really enjoy this book. Hopefully the entire series stays with this level of research and plot-driven, strong female character story line. I really respect how much research the author put into her book, because as someone who researches history, the level of detail regarding torture, and the history behind it is not something that can be found in a couple of minutes searching on google.
Another reason I like this story is that it doesn’t shy away from the dark. As someone who studies military history, I know that dark lives. That dark is not just in war but in peacetime as well. For the author to not shy away from the dark, the deprived shows that like me, the author understands that dark lives in our lives. It is something that as much as we may want to shy away from it, it just doesn’t go away because we don’t want to talk about it.
Overall great story, great characters, and I think a good start to what I hope is a great series that deals with the dark while also shining a light on the good there is. Some may ask why when I work with blood and dark do I read about it. Because in the stories I read, the light almost always wins. In my professional life, the light doesn’t always win.
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About Hadena James
Hadena James began writing at the age of eight. As a teenager, she had several short stories published in literary magazines. She completed writing her first novel at the age of 17.
Hadena graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in European History with minors in German and Russian studies. She has always wanted to be a writer so she also took several classes in creative writing.
Hadena’s primary literary genre is action/thriller. She currently writes two series, both use action/thriller. “The Brenna Strachan Series” uses fantasy and the “Dreams & Reality Series” uses murder mystery as its secondary genre. She continues to explore and expand her writing and hopes to soon produce a comedic action/thriller.
When she isn’t busy writing or running her business, Hadena enjoys playing in a steel-tip dart league. She also loves to travel throughout North America and Europe. Her favorite cities are Chicago, Illinois and Berlin, Germany. She is an avid reader, reading everything from the classics like Jane Austen to modern writers like Terry Pratchett. One of her all-time favorite books is “Good Omens” by Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett. She writes all of her books while listening to music and the bands tend to get “honorable mentions” within the pages.
